Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the Los Angeles Eastside Transit Corridor

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the Los Angeles

Eastside Transit Corridor

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact

Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as Federal lead

agency, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation

Authority (MTA) intend to prepare a Re-Evaluation Major Investment

Study (MIS) and a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) in

accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) on

a proposal by MTA to provide additional transit service to the Eastside

communities within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In addition to

NEPA, the proposed project is subject to compliance with the California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); therefore, a joint SEIS/Supplemental

Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) will be prepared.

The Re-Evaluation MIS and the SEIS/SEIR will consider the following

alternatives: (1) Exclusive busway alternatives between Union Station

and Whittier/Atlantic via 1st St., Lorena, Whittier or other

alternative arterial roadways that would be at-grade or elevated. (2)

Light rail alternatives between Union Station and Whittier/Atlantic via

1st St., Lorena, Whittier or other alternative arterial roadways that

would be at-grade or elevated. (3) A Heavy Rail alternative from Union

Station to Chevaz/Soto without a Little Toyko station. (4) The Heavy

Rail LPA initial operating segment (IOS-2, 3.7 miles) from Union

Station to 1st/Lorena as identified in the Los Angeles Eastside

Corridor Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental

Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR), May 1994 and the FTA Record of Decision,

December 1994 and is the currently suspended Locally Preferred

Alternative project. (5) The Heavy Rail Locally Preferred Alternative

(LPA) from Union Station to Whittier/Atlantic. This 6.8-mile

alternative consists of a heavy rail subway that would follow the

alignment identified in the 1994 FEIS/FEIR and the FTA Record of

Decision, December 1994. (6) A Transportation Demand Management (TDM)/

Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative. (7) A No Build

Alternative, which involves no change to transportation services or

facilities in the corridor beyond already committed projects. Potential

new feasible alternatives generated through the scoping process will

also be considered.

The results of the Re-Evaluation MIS process is intended to narrow

the alternatives to be evaluated in detail in the SEIS/SEIR. Scoping

will be accomplished through correspondence with interested persons,

organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies; three public

scoping meetings; and one-inter-agency scoping meeting.

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

and impacts to be considered should be submitted by September 10, 1999.

Written comments should be sent to Mr. Steven Byre, Los Angeles County

Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles,

California 90012. Written comments may also be made at the public

scoping meetings scheduled below. Scoping meeting: The public scoping

meetings will take place on the following days and locations at the

time indicated:

1. Tuesday, August 24, 1999, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.--Resurrection

Parish Hall, 3324 E. Opal Street, Los Angeles, CA 90023

2. Thursday, August 26, 1999, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.--St. Alphonsus

School Auditorium, 552 S. Amalia, Los Angeles, CA 90022

3. Wednesday, September 2, 1999, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.--Montebello

City Hall, City Council Chamber, 1600 West Beverly Blvd., Montebello,

CA 90640

A scoping meeting for governmental agencies will be held on

Wednesday, August 25 1999, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.--Los Angeles County MTA, 1

Gateway Plaza, 3rd Floor Board Room, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

People with special needs should contact Steven Brye at MTA at the

address below or by calling (213) 922-3078. The selected locations are

accessible to people with disabilities.

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

representatives will be available to discuss the project throughout the

time periods given. Informational displays and written material will

also be available throughout the time periods given.

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ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Mr. Steven Brye, Los

Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway

Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012. Written comments may also be made

at the scoping meetings. See DATES above for meeting locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Hom, Director, Program

Development, FTA Region IX, 201 Mission St., Suite 2210, San Francisco,

CA 94105-1831. Phone: (415) 744-3133.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

FTA and MTA invite interested individuals, organizations, and

Federal, State, and local agencies to participate in defining the

alternatives to be evaluated in the Re-Evaluation Major Investment

Study (MIS) and the SEIS/SEIR and identifying any significant social,

economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives. An

information packet describing the purpose of the project, the location,

the proposed alternatives, and the impact areas to be evaluated is

being mailed to affected Federal, State, and local agencies. Others may

request the scoping materials by contacting Mr. Steven Brye, Los

Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway

Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012, (213) 922-3078. Scoping comments

may be made in writing at the public scoping meeting. See the DATES

section above for the location and time. During scoping, comments

should focus on identifying specific social, economic, or environmental

impacts to be evaluated and suggesting alternatives that are less

costly or less environmentally damaging while meeting the identified

mobility needs. Scoping is not the appropriate time to indicate a

preference for a particular alternative. Comments on preferences should

be communicated after the Re-Evaluation MIS and the Supplemental Draft

EIS/EIR has been completed. If you wish to be placed on the mailing

list to receive further information as the project develops, contact:

Mr. Steven Brye, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation

Authority, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012, (213) 922-

3078.

II. Description of the Study Area and Project Need

The Eastside Transit Corridor study area is a major travel corridor

in the Los Angeles region as identified in the previous environmental

documents referenced in the Summary above. For this Re-Evaluation MIS,

the study area has been defined that includes that portion of East Los

Angeles bounded by the Los Angeles Central Business District on the

west (Alameda Avenue, Union Station), Interstate 10 (San Bernardino

Freeway, to the I-710) and State Route 60 (Pomona Freeway, I-710 to

605) on the north, I-605 (San Gabriel River Freeway) on the east, and

Interstate 5 (Santa Ana Freeway) on the south. MTA and FTA are

interested in comments as to the possible need to extend the boundaries

of this corridor study area to consider longer range transportation

needs. The western part of the Los Angeles Central Business District

(to the I-110 Harbor Freeway) may be considered a part of the study

area depending on the extent of the alternatives considered west of

Union Station and Alameda Avenue.

The MTA has considered extension of the Los Angeles Rail Rapid

Transit Project (Metro Red Line) to the Eastside communities for many

years. The most recent study led to the adoption of a Locally Preferred

Alternative to extend the Metro Red Line as a subway for 6.8 miles into

the Eastside communities. The initial phase (3.7 miles) of the Eastside

heavy rail subway project continued into Final Design and right-of-way

acquisition activities assuming the funding was available to construct

the project, and MTA entered into a Full Funding Grant Agreement for

the initial phase with FTA in December 1994. Subsequently, an

evaluation of the current local funding available for the Eastside

project and other rail projects in Los Angeles County led to a

suspension of work in May 1998. Voters also approved a new County law

in November 1998 that restricts the use of Proposition A and C sales

tax revenues for ``new subways''. The MTA was directed to study viable

and effective options for all parts of Los Angeles County, with an

emphasis on the corridors in which rail project development efforts had

been suspended. As a result, MTA has decided to undertake this current

study that will involve an in-depth review of fixed guideway and other

modal alternatives (rail and bus) that could lead to a project that is

affordable, meets corridor mobility and related needs and goals, and is

acceptable to the community. The Eastside community is one of the most

transit-dependent and transit-oriented communities in Los Angeles

County. Many of the highest MTA and Montebello Transit ridership bus

routes are there. The commercial and shopping areas on Cesar Chavez

Avenue, 1st Street and Whittier Boulevard are not only important to the

community but serve the needs of a much larger area. The two colleges

(California State University at Los Angeles and the East Los Angeles

Community College) in the study area are important to the cultural and

educational needs of the Eastside and require quality public transit

accessibility.

III. Alternatives

The alternatives proposed for initial consideration in the Re-

Evaluation Major Investment Study (see FTA Procedures below) include:

(1) Exclusive busway alternatives between Union Station and Whittier/

Atlantic via 1st St., Lorena, Whittier or other alternative arterial

roadways that would be at-grade or elevated. (2) Light rail

alternatives between Union Station and Whittier/Atlantic via 1st St.,

Lorena, Whittier or other alternative arterial roadways that would be

at-grade or elevated. (3) A Heavy Rail alternative from Union Station

to Chavez/Soto without a Little Toyko station. (4) The Heavy Rail LPA

initial operating segment (IOS-2, 3.7 miles) from Union Station to 1st/

Lorena as identified in the 1994 FEIS/FEIR and the FTA Record of

Decision, December 1994 and is the currently suspended Locally

Preferred Alternative project. (5) The Heavy Rail Locally Preferred

Alternative (LPA) from Union Station to Whittier/Atlantic. This 6.8-

mile alternative consists of a heavy rail subway that would follow the

alignment identified in the 1994 FEIS/FEIR and the FTA Record of

Decision, December 1994. (6) A Transportation Demand Management (TDM)/

Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative. (7) A No Build

Alternative, which involves no change to transportation services or

facilities in the corridor beyond already committed projects.

Other alignment alternatives involving rail or bus may be developed

in the scoping process in the early stages of the study.

IV. Probable Effects

FTA and MTA will evaluate significant environmental, social, and

economic impacts of the alternatives to be analyzed in the SEIS/SEIR.

Among the primary transit issues to be evaluated are the expected

increase in transit ridership, the expected increase in mobility for

the corridor's transit dependent, the support of the region's air

quality goals, the capital outlays needed to construct the project, the

cost of operating and maintaining the facilities created by the

project, and the financial impacts on the funding

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agencies. Potentially affected environmental and social resources

proposed for analysis include land use and neighborhoods impacts,

residential and business displacements and relocations, traffic and

parking impacts near stations, traffic circulation, visual impacts,

impacts on cultural and archaeological resources, and noise and

vibration impacts. Impacts on air and water quality, groundwater,

hazardous waste sites, and water resources will also be covered. The

impacts will be evaluated both for the construction period and for the

long-term period of operation. Measures to mitigate adverse impacts

will be considered.

V. FTA Procedures

A Re-Evaluation Major Investment Study (MIS) will initially be

prepared to evaluate several rail and bus mode and alignment options.

The MIS/Draft SEIS/SEIR and the conceptual engineering for the project

will be prepared simultaneously. Following FTA approval, Preliminary

Engineering would be conducted during preparation of the Final SEIS/

SEIR. The impacts of these initial alternatives will be evaluated on a

corridor-level basis during the Re-Evaluation/MIS and SEIS/SEIR scoping

phase. The alternatives coming out of this initial evaluation will then

be assessed in the Draft SEIS/SEIR. The Draft SEIS/SEIR/conceptual

engineering process will assess the social, economic, and environmental

impacts of the proposed alternatives at a project-level while refining

their design to minimize and mitigate any adverse impacts. After its

publication, the Draft SEIS/SEIR will be available for public and

agency review and comment, and a public hearing will be held. On the

basis of the Draft SEIS/SEIR and comments received, MTA will select a

preferred alternative to carry forward into the Final SEIS/SEIR. The

Final SEIS/SEIR will be based on information resulting from Preliminary

Engineering.

Issued On: August 9, 1999.

Leslie Rogers,

Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region IX.

[FR Doc. 99-20952 Filed 8-12-99; 8:45 am]

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