Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed Commuter Rail Project Between Everett and Seattle, WA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed Commuter Rail

Project Between Everett and Seattle, WA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Central Puget

Sound Regional Transit Authority (RTA) intend to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The RTA will ensure that the EIS also

satisfies the requirements of the Washington State Environmental Policy

Act (SEPA). The FTA will be the NEPA lead agency. The RTA will be the

SEPA lead agency. Corridor alternatives were evaluated in a SEPA plan-

level EIS (1993) and in a Major Investment Study (1997).

The EIS will evaluate the Everett-Seattle Commuter Rail Project,

including station location alternatives and track improvement/expansion

design variations design alternatives in sensitive (shoreline and

wetland) areas, along the 35-mile long corridor between Everett and

Seattle, Washington. The project will generally, though not solely, be

located in existing Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway (BNSF) right-

of-way. The proposed Commuter Rail Project is intended to provide peak-

hour commuter rail service between key activity centers along the

corridor, including two of the region's largest employment centers:

Seattle and Everett. The commuter rail line will connect with the

proposed Seattle-to-Tacoma/Lakewood commuter rail service, and the

proposed Central Light Rail Transit line between north Seattle and

SeaTac, Washington, at the King Street Station in Seattle.

The project will also evaluate site alternatives for a proposed

commuter rail vehicle overnight storage and light maintenance facility

or facilities. In addition, the EIS will evaluate the no-build

alternative and any new reasonable alternatives generated through the

scoping process.

Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence with interested

persons, organizations, and federal, state, regional, and local

agencies, as well as through meetings with interested persons. Five

public scoping meetings will be held, as well as one interagency

scoping meeting. See DATES below for details.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives

and impacts to be considered should be sent to the RTA by February 20,

1998. See ADDRESS below. Oral comments should be made at one of the

four public scoping meetings scheduled below. Scoping Meetings: Public

scoping meetings will be held on the following days and locations:

Monday, February 2, 1998, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Everett Senior

Center, 3025 Lombard Street, Everett, WA

Wednesday, February 4, 1998, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Rosehill

Community Center, 304 Lincoln Ave., Mukilteo, WA

Thursday, February 5, 1998, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Edmonds Public

Library, Library Plaza Room, 650 Main Street, Edmonds, WA

Monday, February 9, 1998 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Nordic Heritage

Museum Auditorium, 3014 NW 67th St., Seattle, WA

Tuesday, February 10, 1998, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Richmond Beach

Congregational Church, Pilgrim Room, 1512 NW 195th St., Shoreline, WA

A scoping meeting for governmental agencies will be held on Monday,

February 2, 1998, between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., at the RTA, 1100

2nd Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98101-3423. This meeting for

governmental agencies will be held in the RTA's fourth floor Board

conference room. All the locations for the scoping meetings are

accessible to people with disabilities. People with special needs (such

as individuals needing a language translator) should contact the RTA at

the address below or by calling (206) 684-6776. A TDD number is also

available: (206) 684-1395.

Scoping meetings will be held in an ``open-house'' format. Project

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representatives will be available to discuss the project throughout the

entire meeting. Informational displays and written materials will also

be available throughout the entire meeting. In addition to written

comments, which may be made at the meeting or as described below,

individual oral comments will be recorded at the meeting.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to:

Perry Weinberg, Environmental Compliance Manager, Regional Transit

Authority, 1100 Second Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98101-3423; fax

Number (206) 689-3525.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. F. William Fort, Transportation

Program Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, Region X, 915

Second Avenue, Room 3142, Seattle, WA 98174; phone number: (206) 220-

4461.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

The FTA and the RTA invite interested individuals, organizations,

and federal, state, regional and local agencies to participate in

defining the alternatives within the corridor to be evaluated in the

EIS and identifying any significant, social, economic, or environmental

issues related to the alternatives. An Environmental Scoping

Information Report describing the project, the proposed alternatives,

the impact areas to be evaluated, the public involvement program and

the preliminary project schedule has been prepared. You may request a

copy of the report by contacting the RTA at (206) 684-6776. Scoping

comments may be made orally at the public scoping meetings or in

writing. See DATES above for locations and times, and see the ADDRESSES

section above for written comments. During scoping, comments should

focus on identifying specific social, economic, or environmental

impacts to be evaluated and suggesting alternatives that are more cost-

effective or have fewer environmental impacts while achieving similar

transit objectives.

Scoping materials will be available at the meeting or in advance of

the meeting by contacting the RTA at (206) 684-6776. If you wish to be

placed on the mailing list to receive further information as the

project proceeds, please contact the following individual at the RTA:

David Phillip Beal, Program Manager--Project Development, Commuter Rail

Department (206) 684-1883.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

The Everett-Seattle Commuter Rail Project consists of a north-south

corridor approximately 35 miles long between Everett and Seattle,

Washington. The project will include a group of physical and

operational improvements to existing tracks and rights-of-way, track,

along with station facilities and systems in order to provide commuter

rail service. These improvements may also include new tracks in some

locations. Service is expected to operate during peak commute periods,

with a total of 6 train trips in each direction. Trains will consist of

6 to 10 passenger cars pulled by a diesel locomotive.

Up to 7 stations will be developed to serve Seattle, Shoreline,

Edmonds, Mukilteo, Everett and surrounding areas. Stations are proposed

at the following locations: Edmonds Multi-modal, Mukilteo, Everett Bond

St. AMTRAK station and Everett Multi-modal station. Provisional

stations that are currently unfunded but that will be analyzed in this

EIS include stations in the Ballard area of Seattle and the Richmond

Beach area of Shoreline. An additional, currently unfunded station will

be analyzed in the Seattle downtown/north waterfront area.

Station improvements will generally consist of a platform on each

side of the tracks at most locations, a canopy over the platform, a

fare machine, and related facilities. Bus access will be provided at

all stations. Parking facilities will be provided to serve all of the

stations except for the Seattle waterfront and, possibly, Ballard

stations.

Track and other right-of-way improvements will be made to allow

commuter rail to operate along this corridor, which is extensively used

for freight operations. The existing railroad is double-tracked in most

places. However, in order to operate commute rail in the corridor, it

will be necessary to double-track in the several remaining single-track

locations. It will also be necessary to add sidings in a number of

locations. The EIS will analyze alternative designs for such facilities

to minimize or avoid adverse impacts to sensitive resources, including

the shoreline of Puget Sound and wetlands.

The proposed commuter rail project will provide an important and

cost-effective alternative to the automobile in the congested I-5

corridor. The ridership forecast for the year 2010 is 3,000 to 4,000

passengers/day. Project need is described in the Documentation of Major

Investment Study, RTA, March 12, 1997. This document is available from

the RTA by calling (206) 684-6776.

III. Alternatives

The proposed Everett-Seattle Commuter Rail Project would largely be

implemented in existing BNSF railroad right-of-way, except for some

stations and parking facilities. Alternatives relating to alignment

location and mode were previously considered and documented in the

Major Investment Study (1997). Therefore, this project-level EIS will

focus on alternative station locations, and alternative locations and/

or designs for track facilities that minimize or avoid adverse impacts

on sensitive environmental resources.

To date, the station locations and alternatives proposed for study

in the EIS include the following:

Seattle, North Downtown/Waterfront (unfunded).

Ballard in Seattle (provisional).

Richmond Beach in Shoreline (provisional).

Edmonds, at the site of the Edmonds Multi-modal Facility;

or at the existing AMTRAK station.

Mukilteo, at the site of the proposed Mukilteo Multi-modal

Facility; or near the existing ferry passenger boarding point in

downtown.

Everett, at the existing Bond Street AMTRAK station; and

Everett, at the new Everett Multi-modal Facility.

In addition to stations, other improvements required to implement

commuter rail include double-tracking, and construction of additional

sidings in a number of locations to allow operation of commuter rail in

a heavily used freight corridor. Those improvements are described in

detail in the Environmental Scoping Information Report, which is

available from the RTA. The EIS will analyze design alternatives for

track improvements that may have adverse environmental impacts on the

waters of Puget Sound or on other natural resources including wetlands.

The design alternatives may include rip-rap fill, bulkheads, and/or

slope excavations.

The proposed project also includes construction of a commuter rail

vehicle overnight storage and light maintenance facility or facilities.

Alternative locations for the facility(ies) will be evaluated.

The No-Build alternative, which involves no change to

transportation services or facilities in the corridor beyond those

currently programmed, will also be evaluated in the EIS.

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IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis

The FTA and RTA plan to evaluate in the EIS all significant,

social, economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. The

EIS is being prepared largely to evaluate the potential environmental

impacts on natural resources associated with track and siding

improvements and additions, which may involve fill in shoreline or

wetland areas. Other environmental and social impacts proposed for

analysis include land use and neighborhood impacts, traffic and parking

impacts near stations, traffic circulation, visual impacts, health and

safety impacts, impacts on cultural and archaeological resources,

impacts on parkland areas, and noise and vibration impacts. The impacts

on natural areas, rare and endangered species, and earth, air and water

quality, will also be covered. The impacts will be evaluated both for

the construction period and for the long-term period of operations.

Reasonable measures to mitigate adverse impacts will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

The locally preferred commuter rail transit mode and its general

alignment were selected previously on the basis of the evaluation in

the Major Investment Study (1997). The EIS/PE process will assess the

social, economic and environmental impacts of alternative station

locations, maintenance facility locations, and track designs to

minimize and mitigate adverse impacts. A draft EIS will be published

and made available for public and agency review and comment, and public

hearings will be held. On the basis of the draft EIS and the comments

received, the RTA will refine the project design and complete

preliminary engineering and the final EIS.

Issued on: January 5, 1998.

Shelly R. Brown,

Regional Counsel.

[FR Doc. 98-491 Filed 1-8-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-57-P