Environmental Impact Statement on the South Corridor Transitway, Charlotte, NC

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement on the South Corridor Transitway,

Charlotte, NC

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the City of

Charlotte intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in

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

proposed South Corridor Transitway in Mecklenburg County, North

Carolina. The study corridor of approximately 13.5 miles extends from

Uptown Charlotte (the center city) to the Town of Pineville.

The EIS will evaluate the following alternatives: a No-Build

alternative; a Transportation System Management alternative consisting

of low to medium cost improvements to the facilities and operation of

local bus services (Charlotte Transit) in addition to currently planned

transit improvements in the study corridor; and multiple ``Build''

alternatives including light rail transit, diesel multiple units, bus

rapid transit, and combined bus rapid transit and high-occupancy

vehicle facilities. (See Section III. Alternatives for additional

information.) Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence with

interested persons, organizations, and federal, state, and local

agencies, and through public and agency meetings.

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

and impacts to be considered should be sent to the City of Charlotte by

March 1, 1999. See ADDRESSES below. Scoping Meetings: A public scoping

meeting will be held on Wednesday January 27, 1999 from 5:00 p.m. to

9:00 p.m. at the Sedgefield Middle School located at 2700 Dorchester

Place, Charlotte, NC. See ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to

be studied should be sent to Mr. Rick Davis, City of Charlotte

Corporate Communications, 600 East Fourth Street, Charlotte, NC 28202-

2858. Scoping meetings will be held at the following location:

Sedgefield Middle School, 2700 Dorchester Place, Charlotte, NC. See

DATES above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Myra Immings, Federal Transit

Administration, Region IV, (404) 562-3508.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

The FTA and the City of Charlotte invite interested individuals,

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

defining the alternatives to be evaluated and identifying any

significant social, economic, or environmental issues related to the

alternatives. Specific suggestions related to additional alternatives

to be examined and issues to be addressed are welcome and will be

considered in the final scope. Scoping comments may be made at the

scoping meetings or in writing no later than March 1, 1999. (see DATES

and ADDRESSES above). 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 which achieve similar transit objectives.

Comments should focus on the issues and alternatives for analysis, and

not on a preference for a particular alternative.

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

the meeting by contacting the City of Charlotte as indicated above. If

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

information as the project continues contact Mr. Rick Davis at the City

of Charlotte Corporate Communications (see ADDRESSES above).

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

The proposed project consists of a major public transit investment

in the South Corridor of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. The project

corridor length is approximately 13.5 miles and extends from Uptown

Charlotte (the center city) to the Town of Pineville. The project study

area is generally bounded by Interstate 77 (I-77) on the west, and US

521 (South Boulevard) on the west, and includes the Norfolk Southern

rail line. Land uses in the study corridor are characterized by higher

density office and commercial development at the northernmost portion

of the corridor located in the center city; the remainder of the

corridor has predominantly older, low density strip commercial, light

industrial/manufacturing uses, with the southern portion having a mixed

use character of residential, commercial, and some undeveloped tracts

of land.

The South Corridor Transitway project is a direct outgrowth of

prior transit planning activities for the region. Future growth

projections for the region estimate a population increase of 57 percent

and a 47 percent increase in employment by the year 2025. The 2025

Integrated Transit-Land Use Plan for Charlotte-Mecklenburg identified

the South Corridor as a high-priority transit corridor based on current

and future mobility needs, cost feasibility and potential ridership.

The South Boulevard corridor (US 521) and portions of I-77 within

the study area experience severe congestion and delays and are

considered to be one of the major transportation problems facing this

rapidly growing region. The North Carolina Department of Transportation

(NCDOT) estimates that neither of these facilities will be widened

within the next 15-20 years because of costs and other impacts.

Currently, South Boulevard, a four-lane arterial, is rated as having

very poor mobility and with the projected increase in future traffic

volumes, travel conditions will continue to deteriorate. Past studies

performed in accordance with federal guidelines indicate the need for

increased public transit

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services in addition to roadway facilities in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg

region.

In response to this need, the City of Charlotte in conjunction with

FTA is initiating the scoping phase of the EIS process to evaluate

alternative transit options for the South Corridor.

III. Alternatives

The alternatives proposed for evaluation include: (1) No-build,

which involves no change to transportation service or facilities in the

corridor beyond already committed projects; (2) a Transportation System

Management alternative, which consists of low to medium cost

improvements to the operations of the local bus service, Charlotte

Transit, in addition to the currently planned transit improvements in

the corridor; and multiple ``build'' alternatives including (3) light

rail transit (LRT) located within the existing Norfolk Southern rail

right of way and the South Boulevard (US 521) right of way; (4) diesel

multiple units (DMU) located in the existing Norfolk Southern rail

right of way; (5) bus rapid transit (BRT) using exclusive bus-only

roadways in the project corridor including those constructed within the

existing Norfolk Southern rail right of way and the I-77 right of way;

(6) combined BRT and high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities using the

I-77 right of way.

IV. Probable Effects

FTA, NCDOT, and the City of Charlotte will evaluate all significant

social, economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives

analyzed in the EIS. Primary environmental issues are expected to

include neighborhood protection, aesthetics, environmental justice,

potential contamination sites, changes in traffic patterns, potential

archaeological and historic resources, and possibly some natural areas

and wetlands. Environmental and social impacts proposed for analysis

include land use and neighborhood impacts, traffic and parking impacts

near stations and throughout the project corridor, visual impacts,

cultural and community resource impacts, public recreational facility

impacts, noise and vibration impacts, and air quality impacts. In

addition, adverse impacts to underprivileged social groups will be

considered. Impacts to wetlands, natural areas, rare and endangered

species, water quality and potential contamination sites will be

evaluated. The impacts will be evaluated both for the construction

period and for the long-term period of operation. Measures to mitigate

any significant adverse impacts will be developed.

Issued on: December 31, 1998.

George T. Thomson,

Deputy Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 99-539 Filed 1-8-99; 8:45 am]

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