Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS): Kenosha-Racine-
Milwaukee Commuter Rail Extension
[Federal Register: January 23, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 14)]
[Notices]
[Page 3603-3606]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23ja06-113]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS): Kenosha-Racine-
Milwaukee Commuter Rail Extension
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The FTA, in cooperation with the Southeastern Wisconsin
Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), is issuing this notice to advise
the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will be
prepared for the proposed initiation of commuter rail or bus services
between Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The FTA is the lead Federal agency under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The project is being conducted by SEWRPC
which is acting as the manager and fiscal agent for the DEIS and
associated alternatives analysis study on behalf of an
Intergovernmental Partnership of the Cities and Counties of Kenosha,
Milwaukee, and Racine, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation,
and SEWRPC.
The FTA and SEWRPC invite interested individuals, organizations,
and Federal, State, and local agencies to participate in refining the
alternatives to be evaluated and identifying any significant social,
economic, and environmental issues related to the alternatives.
Comments on the appropriateness of the alternatives and
[[Page 3604]]
impact-related issues are encouraged. Specific suggestions on
additional alternatives to be examined and issues to be addressed are
welcomed and will be considered in the final study scope. Scoping of
these alternatives and their potential impacts will be accomplished
through meetings and correspondence with interested persons,
organizations, and Federal, State, regional, and local agencies.
DATES: There will be three public scoping meetings held on Tuesday,
February 21, 2006, Wednesday, February 22, 2006, and Thursday, February
23, 2006 and one interagency scoping meeting held on Thursday, February
23, 2006 at the locations and times identified below under ADDRESSES to
ensure that all significant issues are identified and considered.
SEWRPC representatives will be available for informal questions and
comments throughout the duration of each scoping meeting. Subsequent
opportunities for public involvement will be announced by mail and
through other appropriate mechanisms, and will be conducted throughout
the study area.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meetings will be held on the following
dates at the following locations and times:
? Tuesday, February 21, 2006--Kenosha Gateway Technical
College, Madrigrano Auditorium, 3520 30th Avenue, Kenosha, Wisconsin
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Presentation at 6:45 p.m.
? Wednesday, February 22, 2006--Racine Gateway Technical
College, Great Lakes Room, Racine Building, 901 Pershing Drive, Racine,
Wisconsin from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Presentation at 6:45 p.m.
? Thursday, February 23, 2006--Milwaukee Downtown Transit
Center, Harbor Lights Room, 909 E. Michigan Avenue, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Presentation at 6:45 p.m.
The interagency scoping meeting will be held at the following
location and time:
? Thursday, February 23, 2006--Milwaukee Downtown Transit
Center, Harbor Lights Room, 909 E. Michigan Avenue, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The scoping meeting sites are accessible to mobility-impaired
people and interpreter services will be provided for hearing-impaired
people upon request. Written comments will be taken at the meeting or
may be sent to Mr. Kenneth R. Yunker, Deputy Director, Southeastern
Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, P.O. Box 1607, Waukesha,
Wisconsin, 53187-1607 by March 24, 2006. A scoping information packet
will be available and may be requested by writing to this address or by
calling (262) 547-6721.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed
action are addressed and all significant issues are identified,
comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties.
Comments on the scope of this proposed action and the impacts to be
considered should be directed to the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional
Planning Commission at the address provided above by March 24, 2006.
Information describing the proposed action and soliciting comments
will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies and to
private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed, or
are known to have interest in this proposal. A series of public
meetings will be held in the project corridor throughout the data
gathering and development of alternatives. In addition, a public
hearing will be held. Public notice will be given of the time and place
of additional meetings and of the hearing. The DEIS will be available
for public and agency review and comment prior to the hearing. As part
of the scoping process, coordination activities with other agencies
have begun. Scoping meetings will be held on an individual or group
meeting basis. Agency coordination will be accomplished during these
meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Victor M. Austin, Community
Planner, Federal Transit Administration, 200 W. Adams Street, Suite
320, Chicago, Illinois, 60606-5232, telephone: (312) 886-1625. You may
also contact Mr. Kenneth R. Yunker, Deputy Director, SEWRPC, P.O. Box
1607, Waukesha, Wisconsin 53187-1607; (262) 547-6721.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over the past decade a very high level of
interest has developed in the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) corridor
for improved commuter transportation service. This interest has been
manifested by the creation of groups involving major employers and
municipalities and counties within the corridor which have as their
objective the improvement of transit service within the corridor. At
the request of the local units of government, the Southeastern
Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), the Metropolitan
Planning Organization (MPO) for the seven-county Southeastern Wisconsin
region, has completed two studies which focus on transit improvements
throughout the KRM corridor.
On behalf of an intergovernmental partnership of the counties and
cities of Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation (WisDOT) and SEWRPC, SEWRPC is undertaking the DEIS and
Project Development phase of the KRM Alternatives Analysis in order to
produce a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), refine the
previous alternatives analysis, and develop further a commuter
transportation project within the corridor. This study is funded by the
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5309 ``New Starts''
program, WisDOT, and the members of the KRM Intergovernmental
Partnership. The products of this study will be used to support an
application to the FTA for funding of Preliminary Engineering (PE)
under the FTA's New Starts program.
I. Study Area and Project Need
The study area extends from the City of Kenosha through the City of
Racine to the City of Milwaukee and is located along State Trunk
Highways 31 and 32 and the Union Pacific Railroad Kenosha Subdivision,
a distance of about 33 miles. The study area is bounded by Lake
Michigan on the east, Interstate Highway 94 on the west, the Wisconsin-
Illinois state line on the south, and the Milwaukee Central Business
District on the north. The study area includes the eastern portions of
Kenosha and Racine Counties and Milwaukee County.
In the KRM corridor increasing travel demand and traffic congestion
are a problem and there exists a need to improve mobility within this
corridor. There is a lack of transportation options for travel between
the communities in the corridor, as well as for travel between the
corridor and northeastern Illinois. This lack of options affects the
mobility of residents and visitors and their ability to travel within
the corridor. Persons with limited or no access to private automobiles
are particularly limited in their options. Existing transit services do
operate within the corridor, but consist largely of separate local
systems with services that are slow, operate only in a limited service
area, are not coordinated throughout the corridor, do not connect in a
convenient manner, and provide limited service. In particular,
accessibility to jobs for people within the corridor and accessibility
to potential workers for employers within the corridor is affected by
this lack of transportation options.
The KRM corridor is part of a larger continuous and highly urbanized
corridor extending 85 miles from Milwaukee in southeastern Wisconsin
[[Page 3605]]
to Chicago through the North Shore suburbs in Lake and Cook Counties in
northeastern Illinois. There is a need for public transit connections
within this corridor in southeastern Wisconsin, and between
southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois, to serve the travel
needs and markets that exist in this unique corridor. These needs not
only include travel to and from Milwaukee, Chicago, and the two
intermediate central cities of Kenosha and Racine, each with a
population in excess of 50,000; but also travel to and from the older,
inner-ring suburbs and the newer developing suburban communities.
Specifically, there is a need to provide access to jobs not only in the
Milwaukee and Chicago central business districts, but also in Racine
and Kenosha, the older inner-ring and newer suburban communities in
southeastern Wisconsin, and the Chicago North Shore communities in Cook
and Lake Counties.
The corridor has a high potential to generate transit ridership
because of its high concentrations of population, including population
groups with high transit needs, significant employment, and it includes
the downtown areas of three large and well established cities
(Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha). Arterial street and highway capacity
is limited, traffic volumes and congestion are a problem and will
continue to grow, and opportunities for new highways are extremely
limited, providing an opportunity for an attractive and high-quality
transit service in the corridor to be competitive with the private
automobile in terms of travel time, cost, and convenience.
There is a need to contribute to desirable economic and community
development in the KRM corridor. High quality and attractive transit
service that is appropriate to the travel needs of a densely developed
urban corridor such as this one can help meet regional, state, and
national land use objectives through influence on, and promotion of,
land development and redevelopment in an efficient, desirable, and
sound manner. The provision of attractive and improved transit services
and facilities can help focus desirable and positive land use
development and redevelopment in the older major cities such as
Kenosha, Milwaukee, and Racine, in the older suburban communities such
as Cudahy, St. Francis, and South Milwaukee, and in the newer
developing communities such as Caledonia, Oak Creek, and Somers.
The primary goals of these transportation improvements are to:
? Improve transit mobility and access in the KRM corridor.
? Attract increased transit ridership.
? Contribute to and enhance desirable economic and community
development.
II. Alternatives
The DEIS will assess the environmental impacts of a No-Build
Alternative and various Build Alternatives. The Build Alternatives will
include, but not be limited to a (1) Transportation System Management
(TSM) Alternative, (2) a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Alternative, and (3) a
Commuter Rail Alternative. These alternatives are briefly described below.
The No-Build Alternative will include existing transit services and
facilities and those planned and programmed new transportation
services, facilities, and system management improvements that are
included in the 2035 Regional Transportation System Plan for
Southeastern Wisconsin.
The TSM Alternative will include operational and low cost capital
investments to the existing transit services in the corridor, providing
a level of capital investment that is greater than the No-Build
Alternative but substantially less than either the BRT or Commuter Rail
Alternatives. The TSM Alternative will not include major fixed guideway
improvements.
The BRT Alternative will include a significant expansion of bus
service between Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee that will be coordinated
with the existing Metra Union Pacific North Line commuter rail service
between Kenosha and Chicago. It will utilize operational and
performance enhancements along the entire corridor such as exclusive or
semi-exclusive route alignments, on-line passenger stations, compatible
vehicles appropriate for such service, and operating measures to
mitigate traffic capacity and congestion constraints. One variation of
this alternative will include low to medium cost capital improvements
and another variation will include medium to high cost capital
improvements.
The Commuter Rail Alternative will include the provision of
commuter rail service between Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee. One
variation of this alternative will include a through service combined
with the existing Metra Union Pacific North Line commuter rail service
between Kenosha and Chicago. Another variation of this alternative will
include a separate but coordinated service requiring a cross-platform
transfer to and from the Metra Union Pacific North Line commuter rail
service.
In addition to these initially identified alternatives, other
alternatives generated by the scoping process may be considered. The
proposed action may include expansion of commuter rail or bus service
in the corridor and modifications to existing transit services. It may
include modifications or additions of sidings, crossovers,
interlockings, signal systems, and retaining walls for potential
commuter rail services and bus lanes and roadways, highway
improvements, and signal systems for potential bus services.
Modifications to existing stations may be required such as changes to
station buildings, parking, and platform placement. Additional stations
located along the potential rail and bus routes will also be
investigated. Property acquisitions may be necessary to accommodate the
proposed action, as well as utility relocations.
III. Potential Social and Environmental Effects
Potential social, economic, and environmental impacts will be
identified and evaluated in the DEIS. Impacts may include: Mobility and
accessibility; land use, zoning, and economic development, land
acquisition, displacements, and relocation of existing uses; historic
and archeological resources; parklands and recreational uses; visual
and aesthetic qualities; neighborhoods and communities; environmental
justice; air quality; noise and vibration; hazardous materials;
ecosystems; water resources; energy and construction impacts; safety
and security; utilities; cost and financial impacts; and transit,
highway, railroad, and other transportation. Other potential impact
issues may be added as a result of scoping and agency coordination
efforts. The potential impact assessment and evaluation will take into
account both positive and negative effects, direct and indirect
impacts, short-term (construction) and long-term impacts, and
cumulative effects. Measures to avoid or mitigate any significant
adverse impacts will be identified.
IV. 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 (40
CFR parts 1500-1508 and 23 CFR part 771), the 1990 Clean Air Act
Amendments, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, Executive Order 12898
regarding environmental justice, the National Historic Preservation
Act, the Endangered Species Act, and Section 4(f) of the Department of
Transportation
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Act, will be addressed to the maximum extent possible during the NEPA
process.
A DEIS will be prepared and made available for public and agency
review and comment. One or more public hearings will be held on the
DEIS. On the basis of the DEIS and the public and agency comments
received, the preferred alternative will be further refined as
necessary and the Final Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared.
Issued on: January 17, 2006.
Donald Gismondi,
Acting Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Chicago,
Illinois.
[FR Doc. E6-657 Filed 1-20-06; 8:45 am]
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