Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed Commuter Rail Project Between Tacoma and Lakewood, Washington

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed Commuter Rail

Project Between Tacoma and Lakewood, Washington

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 (Sound Transit) intend to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Sound Transit 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. Sound Transit

will be the SEPA lead agency.

The EIS will evaluate the Tacoma-Lakewood Commuter Rail Project,

including station locations, a light maintenance and layover facility

location, park-and-ride facility alternatives, and track design

variations along an approximately 11-mile long corridor between Tacoma

and just south of Lakewood, Washington. The project will generally be

located in existing Burlington Northern Santa FE Railway (BNSF) and

Tacoma Eastern (TE) rights-of-way. A short new rail connection will be

needed to connect the BNSF and TE lines proposed to the used for the

project. The EIS will evaluate route alternatives for this new at-grade

track, which will be approximately 0.8 miles long. The EIS will

evaluate the no-build alternative and any new reasonable alternatives

within the corridor generated through the scoping process. Corridor

alternatives were evaluated in a SEPA plan-level EIS (1993) and in a

federally required Major Investment Study (1997).

The proposed Commuter Rail Project is intended to provide peak-hour

commuter rail service between Tacoma and Lakewood, key activity centers

along the corridor. The commuter rail line will extend the proposed

Tacoma-Seattle commuter rail service. It will connect to the Tacoma

Light Rail Transit line. It will also connect ultimately, with the

proposed Central Light Rail Transit line between SeaTac and Seattle,

Washington.

The project was originally the subject of a proposed environmental

assessment (EA) under NEPA. FTA and Sound Transit determined that

preparation of a NEPA EIS is appropriate after reviewing information

developed through the public involvement and preliminary environmental

review processes. The Commuter Rail facility at the Tacoma Dome Station

was evaluated in a separate EA for which a Finding of No Significant

Impact was issued on April 6, 1999. The EIS also will evaluate

alternatives and impacts for a related Sound Transit project to provide

additional parking capacity in the vicinity of, or at the existing,

SR512 Park-and-Ride Lot in Lakewood.

Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence with interested

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

agencies. A public scoping meeting will be held. 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 Sound Transit by August

10, 1999. See ADDRESSES below. Oral comments should be made at the

public scoping meeting scheduled below. Scoping Meeting Dates: Public

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

Monday, July 26, 1999 South Park Community Center, 4851 South Tacoma

Way, Tacoma, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, July 27, 1999 Pierce Transit Lakewood Training Center,

Colonial Center, 6132 Motor Avenue, Lakewood, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

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 Sound Transit at the

address below or by calling (206) 398-5000. A TDD number is also

available: (206) 398-5086.

The scoping meetings will be held in an ``open-house'' format.

Project 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:

Desmond Brown, SEPA Responsible Official, Sound Transit, 1100 Second

Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98101-3423; fax number (206) 398-5222.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Theresa Morse, Federal Transit

Administration, Region X, 915 Second Avenue, Room 3142, Seattle, WA

98174; phone number: (206) 220-7964.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

The FTA and Sound Transit invite interested individuals,

organizations, and federal, state, regional, and local agencies and

tribal governments to participate in defining the alternatives relating

to the track alignment and corridor improvements, commuter rail

parking, expanded park-and-ride lot capacity for Sound Transit Express,

Pierce Transit and Intercity Transit bus services, and light

maintenance and layover facility and in identifying any significant,

social, economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives.

Scoping comments may be made orally at the public scoping meeting or in

writing. See DATES above for location and time, 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

transportation objectives.

Scoping materials will be available at the scoping meetings or in

advance of the meetings by contacting Sound Transit at (206) 398-5000.

If you wish to be placed on the mailing list to receive further

information as the project proceeds, please contact the following at

Sound Transit: John L. Hubbard, AICP at (253) 581-8137.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

The Tacoma-Lakewood Commuter Rail Project consists of an

approximately 11 mile long rail corridor between Tacoma and just south

of Lakewood, Washington. The project will include a group of physical

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

along with station facilities and systems in order to provide commuter

rail service. Service is expected to operate during peak commute

periods, with a total of 9 train trips in each direction. Trains will

consist of 4 to 10 passenger cars pulled by a diesel locomotive.

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The commuter rail facility at the Tacoma Dome station is proposed

to serve the project. Proposed improvements to that facility are the

subject of separate environmental review. Two additional commuter rail

stations will be developed as part of this project to serve the South

Tacoma and Lakewood communities and the surrounding areas. Stations are

proposed at the following locations: South Tacoma and Lakewood.

Station improvements will generally consist of a platform(s) that

conforms to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) train boarding and

deboarding requirements. The platforms will have overhead canopies,

wind screens, and pedestrian railings. Bus access will be provided at

all stations. In addition, parking facilities will be provided. The

proposed South Tacoma station will include park-and-ride facilities for

200 to 250 vehicles. The proposed Lakewood station will include park-

and-ride facilities for up to 2,000 vehicles, which could include both

commuter rail parking and expanded park-and-ride capacity for Sound

Transit Express, Pierce Transit and Intercity Transit (Olympia Express)

bus services.

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

commuter rail to operate along the corridor, all of which is used for

freight operations. In addition, a new 0.8 mile rail connection will be

constructed in order to connect the BNSF and TE rights-of-way for

commuter rail use. A new siding will also be constructed to connect the

mainline to the light maintenance and layover facility. The EIS will

analyze alternative locations and designs for such facilities to

minimize or a avoid adverse environmental impacts.

The proposed commuter rail project will provide an alternative to

the automobile in the congested Interstate 5 (I-5) corridor. Project

need is described in the Documentation of Major Investment Study, Sound

Transit, March 12, 1997. This document is available from Sound Transit

by calling (206) 398-5000.

III. Alternatives

The proposed Tacoma-Lakewood Commuter Rail Project would largely be

implemented in existing BNSF and TE railroad rights-of-way, except for

new trackage needed to connect the existing rail lines and the proposed

station and parking facilities. Alternatives relating to alignment

location and mode were previously considered and documented in the

state environmental review (1993) and Major Investment Study (1997).

The prior planning history and plan-level screening of alternatives

will be summarized. This EIS will be project-specific and will focus on

alternative station and associated parking facility locations, and

alternative locations and/or designs for improved and new track

facilities that minimize or avoid adverse environmental impacts.

Station locations and alternatives proposed for study in the EIS

are located in South Tacoma and Lakewood. The South Tacoma and Lakewood

station locations will each include the development of associated park-

and-ride facilities. Space for approximately 200 to 250 vehicles will

be developed in conjunction with the South Tacoma station. Space for up

to 2,000 vehicles may be developed as part of the Lakewood station.

In addition to stations, other track improvements will be made to

allow operation of commuter rail in a freight corridor. These railroad

track improvements may also be used in the future by state-funded high

speed passenger rail service, which is separate from Sound Transit

commuter rail service.

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.

IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis

The FTA and Sound Transit 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 improvements and the construction of new stations and associated

park-and-ride facilities, and the new rail right-of-way that will be

used to connect the BNSF and TE lines. Other environmental and social

impacts proposed for analysis include land use and neighborhood

impacts, traffic and parking impacts near stations, traffic

circulation, visual impacts, contaminated soils, health and safety

impacts, impacts on historic, cultural and archaeological resources,

impacts on utilities, 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 EIS process will assess the social, economic, and environmental

impacts of alternative station locations and associated park-and-ride

facilities, a light maintenance and layover facility, the development

of a new railroad right-of-way that will connect the existing BNSF and

TE lines, 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 hearing(s) will be held. On the basis of

the draft EIS and the comments received, Sound Transit will complete

the final EIS.

Issued on: June 15, 1999.

Linda M. Gehrke,

Deputy Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 99-15508 Filed 6-17-99; 8:45 am]

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