Environmental Impact Statement on the I-71 Light Rail Transit Project in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Region

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement on the I-71 Light Rail Transit

Project in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Region

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) (the Federal lead

agency) and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments

(OKI), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Cincinnati

region (the local lead agency), intend to prepare an Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS) for the I-71 Light Rail Transit Project. In

March of 1998, OKI completed a Major Investment Study (MIS) which

studied four alternatives for the I-71 Corridor: Light Rail Transit,

No-Build, Transportation Systems Management (TSM), Busway and High

Occupancy Vehicle Lanes. The OKI selected the Light Rail Transit as the

Locally Preferred Strategy.

The EIS is being prepared in conformance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and will also satisfy the requirements

of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA). The EIS will evaluate the

following transportation alternatives: a No-Build Alternative, a

Transportation Systems Management (TSM) Alternative, and the Light Rail

Transit (LRT) Alternative. Key stakeholders include the Ohio Department

of Transportation (ODOT), the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC),

Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), Transit Authority of

Northern Kentucky (TANK), Hamilton County, Kenton County, and the

cities of Cincinnati, Covington, Blue Ash, and Montgomery.

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

and impacts to be considered must be postmarked by June 15, 1999.

Scoping Meetings: Public Scoping Meetings will be held on: May 10th--

Monday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Evanston Recreation Center, 3204 Wooburn

Avenue, Cincinnati, OH; May 11th--Tuesday 11

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a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Christ Church Undercroft, 318 East Fourth

Street, Cincinnati, OH; May 12th--Wednesday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Blue

Ash City Council Chambers, 4343 Cooper Road, Blue Ash, OH; and on May

18th--Tuesday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the City of Covington, City

Commission Chambers, 638 Madison Avenue, Covington, KY.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Mr. Warner Moore, Project

Manager, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, 801-B

West Eighth Street, Suite 400, Cincinnati, OH 45203-1607.

SCOPING PROCESS: The purposes of the Public Scoping Meetings are to:

Provide interested individuals with an introduction to and an overview

of the EIS process, and provide the opportunity for comments on the

alternatives being considered and significant issues or impacts to be

addressed in the EIS. Four Public Scoping Meetings will be held in the

study area. Comments may be submitted orally at any of the Scoping

Meetings or in writing during the Scoping comment period for the

preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) which

ends on June 15, 1999. The Scoping Meetings will begin at 11 a.m. for

the lunch-time meeting in the downtown Cincinnati and at 5 p.m. for

evening meetings. Each meeting will include an open house where

attendees will be able to view graphics and discuss the project with

project representatives. A presentation on the project will be given at

12 p.m. for lunch-time meeting and at 6 p.m. for the evening meetings,

followed by an additional opportunity for questions and answers during

both the lunch-time and evening meetings. Scoping material will be

available at the meeting or in advance of the meeting by contacting Mr.

Jeff Walker, Planner II, at (513) 621-6300 or the TDD number at (513)

621-7063. A sign language interpreter will be available for the hearing

impaired. The buildings are accessible to people with disabilities and

are open to all members of the community.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Paul Fish, Federal Transit Administration, Region V, (312) 353-

2865.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

The FTA and OKI invite interested individuals, organizations, and

federal, state and local agencies to participate in defining the

alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS; identifying any significant

social, economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated; and

suggesting alternatives that are less costly or have less environmental

impacts while achieving similar transportation objectives. An

information packet, referred to as the Scoping Booklet, will be

circulated to all federal, state or local agencies having jurisdiction

in the project, and all interested parties currently on the OKI mailing

list. Others may request this Scoping Booklet by contacting Mr. Jeff

Walker, Planner II, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of

Governments, 801-B West Eighth Street, Suite 400, Cincinnati, OH 45203-

1607, or by phone at (513) 621-6300 or TDD at (513) 621-7063.

During Scoping, comments should focus on identifying the range of

alternatives that should be considered and not stating a preference for

a particular alternative. Scoping comments may be made at the Public

Scoping Meeting or in writing within 45 days after publication of this

notice. See the DATES section above for the locations and times of the

Scoping Meetings and the ADDRESSES section above for the contact person

for sending in written comments.

II. Description of the Study Area and Project

The study area is a north-south corridor which is approximately 18

miles long and generally parallels Interstate-71 (I-71). The LRT

Alternative would extend from the south side of downtown Covington,

Kentucky, through the downtown area of Covington, across the Ohio River

into downtown Cincinnati, through a tunnel under Mount Auburn, through

the Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati area, north to the

City of Norwood where it will meet the SORTA right-of-way (on which the

Indiana-Ohio Railroad previously owned and currently operates), and

north to serve Silverton, Kenwood, Deer Park, Montgomery and Blue Ash.

A yard and shop facility will be located somewhere along the length of

the alignment.

Double-track light rail transit construction is being studied with

in-street running in downtown areas and ballast tracks within the

exclusive railroad right-of-way north of Cincinnati. The Clay Wade

Bailey Bridge corridor will be examined during the Scoping Process to

determine its potential for the Ohio River crossing. The study includes

a proposal for approximately 20 stations to be designed for pedestrians

as well as both bus and park-and-ride access. The LRT project is

intended to provide fixed rail service between key activity centers in

Cincinnati and Covington, including both cities' downtown districts,

the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, the Aranoff Theatre District,

the Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, the

Cincinnati Bengal's Paul Brown Stadium, the new Cincinnati Reds

Baseball Stadium, the Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the

Cincinnati Convention Center. Key employers along the proposed

alignment include the IRS Regional Center, Procter & Gamble World

Headquarters, Proctor & Gamble Sharon Woods Technical Center, Chiquita

Brands International, Cinergy Corporation/Cincinnati Gas & Electric

Company, the Kroger Company, the American Financial Group, Inc.,

Cincinnati Bell, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Hamilton County, Kenton County,

and the Cities of Covington and Cincinnati Administrative Offices and

City/County Court systems.

The I-71 Corridor has been and continues to be an area of

significant growth for the region. Traffic congestion on many of the

corridor's roadways is currently at unacceptable levels and is expected

to worsen with the projected employment and population growth. Low-

income, transit-dependent populations are increasing in the region,

along with the need for improved access to jobs. Both riverfront areas

of Covington and Cincinnati are experiencing tremendous public and

private sector investment in the economic development and

revitalization of the central cities. These redevelopment efforts,

which will focus employment, entertainment, recreation and tourism on

the riverfront area, will place a greater demand on existing roadways

and transit service.

In response to this need, OKI conducted an MIS for the I-71

corridor. The results of the MIS study included the selection of a

locally preferred strategy of a light rail transit system with downtown

and suburban stops along the alignment, including stations, park-and-

ride lots and transit centers. Transit improvements are intended to

alleviate traffic congestion in the I-71 corridor by offering an

alternative to single-occupancy vehicle travel, and assisting in the

achievement of regional air quality goals.

III. Alternatives

The transportation alternatives proposed for consideration in this

I-71 Light Rail Transit Project Draft EIS include:

(1) No-Build Alternative, which involves no change to

transportation services or facilities in the corridor beyond already

committed projects;

(2) Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative which

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consists of low to medium cost improvements to the facilities and

operation of the METRO and TANK bus systems in addition to the

currently planned transit improvements in the corridor; and

(3) Light Rail Alternative, including stations and support

facilities, generally located parallel to the I-71 corridor and on

surface streets in downtown Covington and Cincinnati combined with a

modified bus service component. Stations would be located to serve

potentially significant trip generators and in areas where economic

development efforts are planned or underway in order to maximize

potential joint development opportunities.

IV. Probable Effects

The FTA and OKI will evaluate significant environmental, social,

and economic impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS. Primary

environmental issues include: land-use, historic and archeological

resources, traffic and parking, noise and vibration, neighborhoods and

environmental justice, floodplain encroachment, coordination with

ongoing related transportation and economic development projects, and

construction impacts. Other issues the EIS will address include natural

areas, rare and endangered species, air and water quality, groundwater,

energy, potentially contaminated sites, displacements and relocations,

ecosystems, water resources, hazardous waste, parklands, and energy

impacts. The impacts will be evaluated both for the construction period

and for the long-term period of operation of each alternative. In

addition, the cumulative effects of the proposed project and any

irreversible or irretrievable commitment of resources will be

identified. Measures to avoid or mitigate any significant adverse

impacts will be developed.

V. FTA Procedures

In accordance with the federal transportation planning regulations

(23 CFR part 450) and the federal environmental impact regulations and

related procedures (23 CFR part 771), the DEIS will be prepared to

include an evaluation of the social, economic, and environmental

impacts of the alternatives. The LRT Alternative was chosen as the

Locally Preferred Strategy of the Major Investment Study completed in

March of 1998. The project is included in the OKI Metropolitan Area

Transportation Plan and conforming Transportation Improvement Program.

The EIS and the Preliminary Engineering (PE) for the I-71 LRT PE/EIS

will be prepared simultaneously and documented in the DEIS. The Final

EIS will consider the public and agency comments received during the

public and agency circulation of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement, and OKI will select the Preferred Alternative. Then OKI,

with FTA as lead agency, will continue with the preparation of the

Final EIS. Opportunity for additional public comment will be provided

throughout all phases of project development.

Issued on: April 1, 1999.

Joel P. Ettinger,

Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration.

[FR Doc. 99-8478 Filed 4-5-99; 8:45 am]

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