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Preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on the Jacksonville, Florida Rapid Transit System

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

 [Federal Register: January 11, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 7)]
[Notices]
[Page 1364-1365]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11ja07-80]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration

Preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on
the Jacksonville, Florida Rapid Transit System

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact
statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration, in cooperation with
Jacksonville (Florida) Transportation Authority, is planning to prepare
a programmatic environmental impact statement for the proposed
expansion of and improvements to the Jacksonville Rapid Transit System,
a busway serving the greater Jacksonville area. The programmatic
environmental impact statement will be prepared in accordance with
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, as
supplemented by the joint Federal Transit Administration--Federal
Highway Administration National Environmental Policy Act procedures.
The purpose of this notice of intent is to alert interested parties
regarding the plan to prepare the programmatic environmental impact
statement, to provide information on the nature of the proposed transit
program, to invite public participation in the impact statement
process, including comments on this notice, and to announce that public
scoping meetings will be conducted.

DATES: Written comments on this notice, including the scope of study
and impacts to be considered, should be sent to Ms. Suraya Teeple, Senior

[[Page 1365]]

Transportation Planner, by February 1, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this notice should be sent to Ms. Suraya
Teeple, Senior Transportation Planner, Jacksonville Transportation
Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, Florida 32202.
    Public scoping meetings will be held at the following dates, times,
and locations.

Monday, January 29, 2007, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Northwest Library, 1755
Edgewood Avenue West, Jacksonville, Florida 32208.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. FCCJ Deerwood Center,
9911 Old Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32256.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Regency Square
Library, 9900 Regency Square Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida 32225.
Thursday, February 1, 2007, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. FCCJ Kent Campus, 3939
Roosevelt Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida 32205.

    Individuals who may require special accommodations should contact
Ms. Winova Hart, Project Coordinator, Jacksonville Transportation
Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, Florida, 32203
(Telephone (904) 630-3185) at least 48 hours in advance of a meeting in
order for Jacksonville Transportation Authority to make the necessary
arrangements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tajsha LaShore, Transportation
Program Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, Atlanta Regional
Office at (404) 562-3506.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Program: The proposed program
grew out of a 1998 study of the Rapid Transit System, a busway serving
the greater Jacksonville area, which has been funded in part by a one-
half cent sales tax approved in 2000. The Rapid Transit System's
proposed alignments are located in major corridors--the North corridor,
extending from the Jacksonville central business district (CBD) north
to Norwood Avenue; the East corridor, extending from the CBD east to
Regency Square Mall; the Southeast corridor, extending from the CBD
southeast to Baymeadows Road; and the Southwest corridor, extending
from the CBD southwest to 103rd Street/Timuquana Road--that serve and
connect employment centers and residential areas. A full description of
the system, complete with maps, may be obtained upon request, and will
be available at each public scoping meeting. Additional information on
the Regional Transit System can also be found on the Jacksonville
Transportation Authority Web site at http://www.jtafla.org. Exit Disclaimer
The proposed program is consistent with the approved Long Range
Transportation Plan of the First Coast Metropolitan Planning
Organization. The objective of this programmatic--also known as Tier
1--impact statement process is to settle on alignments within system
corridors to enable right-of-way acquisition to proceed, thereby
avoiding additional delays that would serve to increase the overall
cost of the program.
    Purposes of and Need for the Proposed Program: Recent studies of
the corridors to be served by the proposed program revealed the need
for transportation improvements, including a wider range of mobility
options, to meet increasing travel demand within and through the
corridors. Transit service delivery options are undergoing major
changes in the greater Jacksonville area in response to changing
demographics. Jacksonville is geographically expansive, with multiple
employment centers both downtown and in suburban areas. Additionally,
Jacksonville has an increasingly elderly population occurring naturally
with long term residents and with in-migration from other States and
south Florida. Jacksonville also has experienced increases in suburban
employment centers and increases in downtown residential development
along with continued suburban residential development. Regional Transit
System improvements are designed to accommodate these changing
circumstances.
    Alternatives: By and large, the proposed program is substantially
identical to a locally preferred alternative that was adopted in 2005
at the conclusion of alternatives analysis studies. This programmatic
impact statement process will examine the transit system as a whole
with a view toward settling on alignments within the four corridors
identified above. Refinements to various alignments will be explored.
These refinements will be developed in consultation with State and
local agencies and the surrounding community in the context of the
programmatic impact statement. The intent of the refinements is to stay
generally within the original corridor while seeking to enhance
ridership potential, reduce costs where feasible, and mitigate adverse
environmental impacts. Major components of the entire system will be
phased in over time. A site-specific environmental process will be
undertaken for each component.
    For this programmatic examination, the only other alternative
currently under consideration is a no-build alternative. The no-build
alternative serves as the baseline against which environmental effects
of other alternatives, including the proposed program, may be measured.
    The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Process and the
Role of the Public: The purpose of the programmatic impact statement
process is to explore in a public setting potentially significant
effects of implementing the proposed program, particularly as it
relates to alignment options within the system, on the physical, human,
and natural environment. Areas of investigation include, but are not
limited to, land use, development potential, land acquisition and
displacements, historic resources, visual and aesthetic qualities, air
quality, noise and vibration, energy use, safety and security, and
ecosystems, including threatened and endangered species. Measures to
avoid, minimize, or mitigate any significant adverse impacts will be
identified.
    Regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), as well as provisions of the joint Federal Transit
Administration--Federal Highway Administration National Environmental
Policy Act procedures, call for public involvement in the impact
statement process. The scoping meetings announced above are designed to
provide the public with the most meaningful opportunity to participate
knowledgeably in this process.
    Comments in response to this notice on potentially significant
environmental impacts that may be associated with the proposed program
are welcomed. There will be additional opportunities to comment in the
scoping process at the public meetings announced above.

    Issued on: January, 5, 2007.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region 4.
[FR Doc. 07-89 Filed 1-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P

 
 

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