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Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro, California

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: January 23, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 15)]
[Notices]
[Page 3423-3425]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23ja04-115]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
 
Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the East Bay 
Bus Rapid Transit Project in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro, 
California

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with 
the Alameda Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), will prepare a 
joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/
EIR) for the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project (East Bay BRT), an 
approximately 18-mile transit improvement through the cities of 
Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro. Project features include: dedicated 
bus lanes along arterial streets connecting downtown Berkeley, the 
University of California, downtown Oakland, downtown San Leandro, and 
the Bayfair shopping mall in San Leandro; light-rail-like stations and 
low-level boarding platforms; proof-of-payment fare verification; 
transit priority signal treatments; and modern, high-capacity, low-
floor, multi-door buses. The IES/EIR will evaluate the following 
alternatives: (1) A No-Project Alternative; (2) a Build Alternative 
with alignment options,hereinafter referred to as the East Bay BRT 
Alternative; and (3) any additional reasonable alternatives that emerge 
from the study process. The East Bay BRT Alternative could be 
constructed in stages. The staging of improvements will be identified 
during the studies.
    Previous studies relevant to this action include the recently 
completed AC Transit Berkeley/Oakland/San Leandro Corridor Major 
Investment Study (AC Transit, September 2002) and the Alternative Modes 
Analysis (AC Transit and DKS Associates, April 1993). EIS/EIR 
preparation will be initiated through a formal NEPA scoping process, 
which solicits input on issues and potential project impacts to 
consider in the environment studies. Scoping will be accomplished 
through meetings and correspondence with interested persons, 
organizations, the general public, and federal, state, and local 
agencies. Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting 
comments have been sent to the appropriate federal, state, and local 
agencies, and to private organizations and individuals.
    Scoping under NEPA is being complemented by informational meetings 
conducted under California CEQA (Californa Environmental Quality Act), 
which guides the preparation and content of the project EIR. AC Transit 
has conducted four information meetings in the study corridor, at which 
presentations were given on the environmental process to be undertaken 
and general features of the proposed project. Local, state and federal 
agencies and the general public were invited to these meetings, held 
May 28, June 2,

[[Page 3424]]

June 4, and June 5, 2003. Comments on issues and impacts to be 
considered in preparation of the EIS/EIR were obtained and recorded in 
the project information database.

DATES: Comment Due Date--Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered must be postmarked no later than March 16, 
2004 and should be sent to AC Transit at the contact address below.

NEPA Scoping Meeting Date

    A public scoping meeting will be held on February 11, 2004, from 6 
p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fruitvale-San Antonio Senior Center, located at 
3301 East 12th Street, Suite 201, Oakalnd, CA 94601. The first 30 
minutes of the meeting will be an open house and a viewing of exhibits. 
A brief presentation of the project purpose and alternatives will 
follow, with meeting participants provided the opportunity to comment 
on issues of interest. The open house will resume after the 
presentation and comment period. Project staff will be present to 
receive formal agency and public input regarding the scope of the 
environmental studies, key issues, and other suggestions. The meeting 
room is accessible to persons with disabilities. Any individual with a 
disability who requires special assistance, such as a sign language 
interpreter, or any individual who requires English language 
interpretation should contact Kathy Eichmeier of AC Transit at 510-891-
4739 (e-mail) planning@actransit.org at least 48 hours in advance of 
the meeting in order for AC Transit to make necessary arrangements.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the locations identified 
in the NEPA SCOPING MEETING DATE section above. Written comments should 
be sent to: Jim Cunradi, AC Transit Project Manager, East Bay BRT, 
Alameda Contra Costa Transit District, 1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, 
CA 94612. Phone: 510-891-4841 or (e-mail) jcunradi@actransit.org. To be 
added to the mailing list for the East Bay BRT Project, contact Mr. Jim 
Cunradi at the address listed above. Persons with special needs should 
leave a massage at the phone number above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Page, Federal Transit 
Administration, Office of Planning and Program Management, Phone: 415-
744-2734, Fax: 415-744-2726 or Jim Cunradi, Alameda Contra Costa 
Transit District, at 510-891-4841 or (e-mail) jcunradi@actransit.org. 
Additional information on the East Bay BRT Project can also be found on 
the AC Transit Web site at: http://www.actransit.org/ Exit Disclaimer 
(home page) or http://www.actransit.org/onthehorizon/mis.wu Exit Disclaimer
(BRT project).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Project Background

    The proposed project would be located in heavily urbanized areas of 
three adjacent East Bay cities that are major transit trip generators 
for AC Transit's fixed-route bus service: Berkeley on the north, 
Oakland, and San Leandro on the south. Over a two-year period from 1999 
to 2001, AC Transit conducted a Major Investment Study (MIS) to examine 
the feasibility of providing new or improved transit service in an 
approximately 18-mile corridor connecting the downtown areas of each of 
these cities and nearby activity centers. The corridor is home to 
320,000 people and includes some of the densest residential 
neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area, often exceeding 25,000 
persons per square mile. Major employment centers include downtown 
Oakland (70,000 employees), the University of California, Berkeley 
(19,000 employees and 31,000 students), and central Berkeley (13,000 
employees). Buses in this corridor currently carry approximately 40,000 
riders on the average weekday--nearly 20 percent of AC Transit's total 
weekday ridership. Heavy passenger loads and worsening traffic 
conditions have eroded schedule reliability, reduced travel speeds, and 
increased operating costs.
    The MIS evaluated various alignments for transit improvements and a 
range of transit technologies and obtained public and agency input 
through an extensive outreach effort. In August 2001, the AC Transit 
Board of Directors adopted BRT as the preferred modal technology to be 
implemented along an alignment centered on the arterials of Telegraph 
Avenue in the north and International Boulevard/E. 14th Street in the 
south. The board recommended that the East Bay BRT Project and related 
improvements be studied in more detail with respect to potential 
environmental effects, engineering design requirements, and preferred 
operating strategies. The MIS process and findings were documented in 
several reports, currently available at AC Transit to interested 
parties. The proposed East Bay BRT Project was also adopted as part of 
the San Francisco Bay Area's financially constrained 2001 Regional 
Transportation Plan (adopted in 2001 with an amendment pending to 
include a strategy to increase transit ridership). The preparation of 
an EIS/EIR, accompanied by additional engineering design, marks the 
next phase for implementation of the proposed East Bay BRT Project.

II. Purpose and Need

    The primary objectives of the East Bay BRT Project are as follows:
    ? Improve transit in high ridership areas. The study corridor 
includes some of AC Transit's most heavily used bus routes and some of 
the highest employment and residential densities in AC Transit's 
service area. Bus routes frequently operate with standing loads during 
both peak and off-peak periods. This occurs despite six-minute service 
frequencies and the use of the largest buses in AC Transit's fleet.
    ? Improve the speed and reliability of bus transit. The 
average speed of buses in the AC Transit service area has declined at a 
rate of 1 percent per year for the last two decades. In the study 
corridor it takes 100 minutes to travel the 18 miles from Berkeley to 
San Leandro. Frequent stops and starts and slowed, sometimes uneven, 
operations in congested conditions increase the wear and tear on buses 
and also fuel consumption. Improving average bus speeds and reducing 
stops would lead to more efficient operations and allow AC Transit to 
serve more passengers at a lower cost per passenger.
    ? Better serve major travel markets. The East Bay BRT would 
improve access to important employment and educational centers. A large 
travel market, projected to be 115,000 daily trips in 2020, could be 
better served by a new AC Transit corridor service. Investment in 
transit facilities and equipment would help transit to capture a larger 
share of this market, thereby improving the efficiency of the local 
roadway network and reducing the need for parking.
    ? Reduce auto use and congestion. The East Bay BRT is 
forecast to substantially increase transit use in the study corridor. A 
mode shift from non-transit to transit would reduce, or at least slow 
the growth of, auto traffic in an increasingly congested area. Greater 
transit and relatively less auto travel would result in reduced 
vehicular air emissions and improvement in air quality as well as 
transportation energy savings. This would improve the livability of 
existing communities.
    ? Contribute to transit-oriented development. Building upon 
strong existing transit-supportive land use patterns, the cities of 
Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro are attempting to redevelop many 
areas to encourage even greater use of transit and non-auto modes. The 
East Bay BRT is intended to

[[Page 3425]]

catalyze redevelopment efforts along Telegraph Avenue, International 
Boulevard/E. 14th Street, and in each of the downtowns. The project 
would provide nodes for concentrations of jobs, services, and 
residences and a high level of access for individuals traveling to and 
from these locations.
    ? Improve mobility of low income, ethnic and transit 
dependent populations. The proportion of non-white residents in the 
study corridor is 50 percent greater than in the AC Transit District 
overall. The proportion of persons living below the poverty level is 
twice that of the District. Low income is a strong indicator of transit 
dependency. Transit investment in the corridor would contribute to 
improved mobility for residents and better access to jobs.

III. Alternatives

    Alternatives to be reviewed in the EIS/EIR include a No-Project 
Alternative; the East Bay BRT Alternative, with any alignment 
variations that are recommended for detailed evaluation; and any other 
reasonable alternatives that emerge from the scoping process. The No-
Project Alternative assumes a 2025 condition of programmed land use; 
transit capital and service improvements that are programmed or planned 
to be implemented by AC Transit and other transit providers in the 
study area (e.g., the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, or BART, a 
regional rail service provider); and other transportation system 
improvements such roadway expansions or upgrades.
    The East Bay BRT Alternative would include dedicated transit lanes 
within existing urban arterials, where practicable; sheltered, low-
platform passenger stations with automated bus arrival passenger 
information signs, lighting, and fare ticketing machines; off-vehicle 
self-service fare vending and on-board proof-of-payment verification; 
and transit traffic signal priority to reduce bus delays at signalized 
intersections, among other features. AC Transit is procuring modern 
low-floor high-capacity vehicles that would be assigned to the BRT 
service. Passenger stations would be spaced on average every one-third 
to one-half mile. BRT transitway and stations improvements would be 
made entirely within existing public rights-of-way whenever possible; 
BRT transitway improvements and bus operations outside of existing 
public-rights of way are not anticipated with the possible exception of 
required expansion of existing bus storage and maintenance facilities.

IV. Probable Effects

    FTA and AC Transit will evaluate the transportation, environmental, 
social, and economic impacts of the alternatives. The Build Alternative 
is expected to increase bus transit ridership, improve mobility for 
area residents, many of whom are transit dependent, and enhance access 
to major employment and activity centers. Environmental impacts are 
anticipated in the following areas: traffic operations; parking; local 
access and circulation; visual and aesthetic effects; historic and 
cultural resources; disturbance of pre-existing hazardous wastes; and 
temporary construction-phase impacts. Impacts will be evaluated for 
both the construction period and for the long-term period of operation. 
Mitigation measures will be identified and evaluated for avoiding and 
reducing adverse effects.
    To ensure the full range of issues related to this proposed action 
is addressed and all significant issues identified, comments and 
suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments, 
suggestions, and questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS/
EIR should be directed to the contacts listed above.

V. FTA Procedures

    In accordance with FTA policy, all federal laws, regulations and 
executive orders affecting project development, including but not 
limited to the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality and 
FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508 and 23 CFR part 771), the 
conformity requirements of the Clean Air Act, section 4040 of the Clean 
Water Act, Executive Orders 11988, 11990 and 12898 regarding 
floodplains, wetlands, and environmental justice, respectively, the 
National Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, and 
section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act, will be addressed 
to the maximum extent practicable during the NEPA process. Prior 
transportation planning studies may be pertinent to establishing the 
purpose and need for the proposed action and the range of alternatives 
to be evaluated in detail in the EIS/EIR. The Draft EIS/EIR will be 
prepared simultaneously with conceptual engineering for the 
alternatives, including bus stop and alignment options. The Draft EIS/
EIR process will address the potential use of federal funds for the 
proposed action, as well as assessing social, economic, and 
environmental impacts of the proposed East Bay BRT Project. The East 
Bay BRT Project will be refined to minimize and mitigate any adverse 
impacts. After publication, the Draft EIS/EIR will be available for 
public and agency review and comment, and a public hearing will be 
held. Based on the Draft EIS/EIR and comments received, AC Transit will 
select a locally preferred alternative (LPA) for further assessment in 
the Final EIS/EIR, which will be based on preliminary engineering of 
the LPA and other remaining alternatives, and AC Transit will apply for 
FTA approval to initiate Preliminary Engineering of the preferred 
alternative.

    Issued on: January 13, 2004.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal Transit Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-1397 Filed 1-22-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-M

 
 

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