Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 98 / Friday, May 19, 2000 / Notices 31955

IH–35 and then along existing railroad

ROW to Pleasant Valley/MLK Blvd.

IV. Probable Effects

The FTA and Capital Metro will

evaluate all significant environmental,

social, and economic impacts of the

alternatives analyzed in the EIS.

Primary environmental issues include:

land use and neighborhood protection,

traffic and parking, visual, noise and

vibration, safety, aesthetics, storm water

management, archaeological, historic,

cultural and ecological resources.

Impacts on natural areas, rare and

endangered species, air and water

quality, groundwater, and potentially

contaminated sites will also be studied.

Displacements and relocations,

ecosystems, water resources, hazardous

waste, parklands, and energy impacts

will be assessed. The impacts will be

evaluated for the construction period

and for the long-term operation of each

alternative. Measures to avoid,

minimize or mitigate any significant

adverse impacts will be developed.

V. FTA Procedures

In accordance with the federal

transportation planning regulations (23

CFR Part 450), the Draft EIS will be

prepared to include an evaluation of the

social, economic, and environmental

impacts and benefits of the alternatives.

The DEIS will consider the public and

agency comments received and Capital

Metro in coordination with CAMPO and

other affected agencies, will select the

preferred alternative. Then Capital

Metro, as the local lead agency, will

continue with the preparation of the

Final EIS (FEIS). Opportunity for

additional public comment will be

provided throughout all phases of

project development.

Issued on: May 16, 2000.

Blas M. Uribe,

Deputy Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–12637 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement on

Transit Improvements in Los Angeles

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit

Administration (FTA) and the Los

Angeles County Metropolitan

Transportation Authority (MTA) intend

to prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) in accordance with the

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) for transportation improvements

in Los Angeles County, California. In

addition, the MTA will be jointly

issuing an Environmental Impact Report

(EIR), pursuant to the California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The

purposes of the project are to improve

east-west travel options in the San

Fernando Valley and to provide a

connection to other portions of a

regional rail and bus network. The

options being considered include

Transportation Systems Management

(TSM) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

The latter alternative would be focused

on the former Southern Pacific (SP)

Burbank/Chandler railroad right-of-way.

In the course of this study, FTA

expects the MTA and the Southern

California Association of Governments,

which is responsible for transportation

planning in metropolitan Los Angeles,

to establish priorities for the proposed

transit improvement in the San

Fernando Valley and the myriad of

other competing projects and transit

needs in the region. This prioritization

of proposed projects and other transit

needs will involve, among other

considerations, the development of a

financial plan that identifies for each

capital need the non-Federal funds to be

used along with the proposed Federal

funding.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written

comments on the scope of the

alternatives and impacts to be

considered should be sent to the address

below by June 23, 2000.

Scoping Meeting Dates: Scoping

workshops will be held on: May 24,

2000 at Sherman Oaks Women’s Club

from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., and on

May 25, 2000 at the Conference Room

at Kaiser Permanente, Woodland Hills

from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. See the

ADDRESSES below. The public is invited

to arrive at any time. There will be no

formal presentations; both workshops

will be held in an open house format.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the

project scope should be sent to Kevin

Michel, Transportation Planning

Manager, Los Angeles County

Metropolitan Transportation Authority,

One Gateway Plaza, Mail Stop 99–22–5,

Los Angeles, California, 90012–2952.

All comments received will be

forwarded to the FTA.

The scoping workshops will be held at

the following locations: Sherman Oaks

Woman’s Club, 4808 Kester Avenue,

Sherman Oaks, California, 91403 and at

Kaiser Permanente, 5601 DeSoto

Avenue, Woodland Hills, California

91367. Both locations are accessible to

persons with disabilities. Spanishspeaking MTA staff will be present. If

hearing-impaired services will be

needed, please notify Mr. Michel at the

MTA address above, or call TTY (800)

252–9040. Other questions about the

scoping workshops may be directed by

voice telephone to Mr. Michel at (213)

922–2854.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ervin Poka or Ray Tellis, Federal Transit

Administration/Federal Highway

Administration Metropolitan Office,

Telephone (213) 202–3950.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FTA,

in cooperation with the MTA, will

prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for a proposed public

transit project in the San Fernando

Valley, Los Angeles County California,

to be implemented in an east-west

corridor extending from the Metro Red

Line station located in North Hollywood

(scheduled to open on June 24, 2000)

westward to Warner Center, a distance

of approximately 14 miles. The

purposes of the project are to improve

east-west travel options in the San

Fernando Valley and to provide a

connection to other portions of the

regional rail and bus network that is

being planned and operated by the

MTA.

FTA and MTA invite interested

individuals, organizations, and federal,

state, and local agencies to participate in

defining the alternatives and

environmental factors to be evaluated in

the EIS/EIR. Scoping comments

regarding these matters may be made at

the workshops on the dates and at the

locations indicated above. During

scoping, comments should focus on

identifying specific social, economic or

environmental concerns to be evaluated

and suggesting alternatives that should

be considered during the EIS/EIR

process. Scoping is not the appropriate

time to indicate a preference for a

particular alternative. Comments of that

nature should be communicated after

the draft EIS/EIR has been completed

and publicized.

Scoping packets describing the

proposed action will be sent to

appropriate Federal, State and local

agencies, and to other parties who are

known to have shown an interest in the

project.

Background: Transit planning for the

San Fernando Valley has been

underway since 1980, when Los

Angeles County voters approved a 1⁄2

cent sales tax measure to fund regional

rail improvements. In 1988, studies

were conducted to identify alternatives,

and in 1990 and 1992, the MTA

31956 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 98 / Friday, May 19, 2000 / Notices

completed an EIR and ‘‘Subsequent

EIR’’ for the study corridor. These

studies and environmental documents

led to the identification of a preferred

rail alignment along the existing

Southern Pacific Burbank/Chandler

Branch, following Chandler Boulevard,

Oxnard Street, Victory Boulevard. and

Topham Street, which the MTA

subsequently purchased in 1990.

Environmental documents meeting

California standards were certified in

1990 and 1992, addressing alternatives

along both the SP Burbank/Chandler

Branch and the Ventura Freeway

median alignments. In 1994 the MTA

Board of Directors endorsed the SP

Burbank/Chandler Branch alignment.

An alternatives screening report and

major investment study was prepared in

1995/96. The report evaluated the

relative cost-effectiveness of a broad

range of project alternatives, including

all the previously studied rail transit

options. In 1997 a Draft EIS was in

preparation when the MTA began a

financial and organizational

restructuring which put several rail

projects, including rail planning for the

San Fernando Valley, on hold.

As part of the restructuring, the MTA

and other regional agencies studied the

feasibility of building non-rail (bus)

transit enhancements in previous rail

corridors. In addition, the MTA board

directed staff to proceed with a Bus

Rapid Transit demonstration project.

One of the demonstration lines is on

Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando

Valley.

Description of the Study Area: The

study corridor extends from the North

Hollywood Red Line station (currently

under construction), located at

Lankershim Boulevard and Chandler

Boulevard, west across the entire San

Fernando Valley to the vicinity of the

Warner Center Transit Hub. The length

of the corridor is approximately 14

miles.

Alternatives: A range of alternatives is

being considered as part of the EIS/EIR.

These include the following:

No Build: This alternative would

include the transit system primarily as

it exists today, augmented by those

additional projects for which a funding

commitment has been made or which

are reasonably expected to be in place

by 2020. The Red Line would terminate

at the North Hollywood station.

Highway and HOV projects would be

provided on a number of freeways.

Existing bus headways would be

maintained and the Rapid Bus

Demonstration project on Ventura

Boulevard would be implemented.

Transportation Systems Management/

Best Bus: This alternative would not

require major investment for capital cost

items, but would rather focus its efforts

on maximizing the efficiency of existing

facilities and expanding and improving

the existing bus system. Headways on

routes covered by the TSM would be

significantly reduced. TSM

improvements would include various

projects to enhance the performance of

bus transit on major arterials where bus

service frequencies would be increased.

Bus Rapid Transit Alternatives: Buses

would run along an exclusive roadway

built within the SP Burbank/Chandler

ROW between the North Hollywood

Metro Red Line Station on the east and

the Transit Hub in Warner Center.

Stations would be placed approximately

every mile along the 14-mile route, at

major cross streets and trip destinations.

Buses would be given priority at signals.

Headways within the busway would

vary between five and two and one-half

minutes during peak periods, and the

existing Valley bus network would be

integrated with the busway. In addition

to the busway, enough space is available

for a parallel bikeway along the

corridor.

The corridor is being considered in

two phases. If funding is limited, a

segment of the full project busway

between Woodman Avenue and Balboa

Boulevard would be constructed as an

initial phase, or Minimum Operable

Segment. This first phase would include

five stations. Buses would run on-street

along Oxnard Street and Victory

Boulevard to complete their runs from

North Hollywood to Warner Center, and

provide cross-Valley service.

Probable Effects: The FTA and MTA

will evaluate all significant

environmental, social and economic

impacts of the alternatives analyzed in

the draft EIS/EIR. Potential impact

categories which will be evaluated

include: Land Use and Development;

Economic and Fiscal Impacts;

Displacement and Relocation; Traffic

Circulation and Parking; Community

and Neighborhood Impacts;

Environmental Justice; Visual and

Aesthetic Impacts; Air Quality; Noise

and Vibration; Geotechnical

Considerations; Water Resources;

Natural Resources; Energy; Safety and

Security; Cultural Resources;

Community Facilities and Parklands;

and Construction Impacts. The impacts

will be evaluated both for the

construction period and the long-term

period of operation. Measures to

mitigate adverse impacts will also be

addressed.

FTA Procedures: The EIS process will

be performed in accordance with

Federal Transit Laws and FTA’s

regulations and guidelines for preparing

an Environmental Impact Statement.

The impacts of the project will be

assessed, and, if necessary, the scope of

the project will be revised or refined to

minimize and mitigate any adverse

impacts. After its publication, the draft

EIS will be available for public review

and comment. At least one public

hearing will be held. On the basis of the

draft EIS and comments received, the

project will be revised or further refined

as necessary and the final EIS prepared.

Date Issued: May 15, 2000.

Leslie Rogers,

Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–12639 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement on

the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor

in Los Angeles, CA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit

Administration (FTA), as the Federal

lead agency, and the Los Angeles

County Metropolitan Transportation

Authority (MTA), as the local lead

agency, are issuing this notice to advise

interested agencies and the public that

a joint Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS)/Environmental Impact Report

(EIR), referred to as an EIS/EIR, is being

prepared for transit improvements in

the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor

in Los Angeles, California in accordance

with the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969 and the California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The

EIS/EIR replaces the previous NEPA

reviews by FTA and MTA of transit

improvements in the Mid-City corridor,

the most recent being ‘‘Los Angeles Rail

Rapid Transit Project—Metro Rail Final

Supplemental EIS/EIR for the Mid-City

Segment from Wilshire/Western to Pico/

San Vicente,’’ August, 1992. The MidCity extension of Metro Rail was

suspended by the MTA Board of

Directors in January 1998. The present

EIS/EIR will study alternatives and

extensions to the suspended subway in

the Mid-City corridor and beyond to

Santa Monica. In the course of this

study, FTA expects the MTA and the

Southern California Association of

Governments, which is responsible for

transportation planning in metropolitan

Los Angeles, to establish priorities for

the proposed transit improvements in