Appendix C: NCDOT and SCDOT FEIS/ROD 

Correspondence

 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

ROY COOPER J. ERIC BOYETTE

GOVERNOR SECRETARY

Mailing Address:

NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

RAIL DIVISION

1553 MAIL SERVICE CENTER

RALEIGH, NC 27699-1553

Telephone: 919-707-4700

Fax: 919-715-6580

Customer Service: 1-877-368-4968

Website: ncdot.gov

Location:

1 S. WILMINGTON STREET

RALEIGH, NC 27601

April 15, 2020

Ms. Kaycee Mertz

Intermodal Planning and Environmental Manager

Division of Intermodal

Georgia Department of Transportation

600 West Peachtree Street

Atlanta, Georgia 30308

Dear Ms. Mertz:

Thank you for your continued coordination with the North Carolina Department of Transportation 

Rail Division on the Atlanta to Charlotte Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). As 

you are aware, NCDOT provided comments during our conference call held on January 10, 2020. 

Additional comments in this letter are intended to supplement those previously provided.

As we understand, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and South Carolina 

Department of Transportation (SCDOT) both support the Greenfield Alignment as the preferred 

alternative. NCDOT concurs with the Greenfield Alignment as the preferred alternative, provided 

additional studies are conducted as a part of the Tier 2 NEPA process to determine how the

Greenfield Alignment can best access the Charlotte / Metrolina region. 

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss this in more detail, please either contact Eddie 

McFalls at ebmcfalls@ncdot.gov (919) 707-4727 or me at jorthner@ncdot.gov (919) 707-4714. 

Sincerely,

Jason Orthner, PE

Rail Director

cc: Julie White, Deputy Secretary for Multi-Modal Transportation

James Bridges, PE, Manager, Planning and Development Branch

Eddie McFalls, PE, Planning Consultant, Planning and Development Branch
1

From: Gatti, Jessie (FRA) <Jessie.Gatti@dot.gov>

Sent: Tuesday, August 4, 2020 3:14 PM

To: ebmcfalls@ncdot.gov

Cc: Winkle, John (FRA); Williford, Natalie (FRA); Brown, Randall (FRA)

Subject: Atlanta - Charlotte FEIS/ROD 

Hi Eddie, 

I am writing to provide notice that FRA will be issuing a combine FEIS/ROD for the Atlanta- Charlotte study. We felt that 

the circumstances of the project supported combing the FEIS/ROD rather than issuing a separate FEIS and ROD. Our 

environmental office asked that we provide notice to our DOT partners on this study in case you have any concerns. I’ve 

also linked US DOT guidance that helps to explain when we combine the FEIS/ROD versus issuing the documents 

separately. If you’d like to discuss, please let me know and we can set something up. 

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/mission/transportation-policy/permittingcenter/337371/feisrod-guidance-final-04302019.pdf

Thank you, 

Jessie Fernandez-Gatti 

Community Planner 

Federal Railroad Administration 

1200 New Jersey Ave SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

202-493-0454 
1

From: Gatti, Jessie (FRA) <Jessie.Gatti@dot.gov>

Sent: Tuesday, August 4, 2020 3:18 PM

To: fratedw@scdot.org

Cc: Winkle, John (FRA); Williford, Natalie (FRA); Brown, Randall (FRA)

Subject: Atlanta- Charlotte FEIS/ROD 

Hi Doug, 

I am writing to provide notice that FRA will be issuing a combined FEIS/ROD for the Atlanta- Charlotte study. We felt that 

the circumstances of the project supported combing the FEIS/ROD rather than issuing a separate FEIS and ROD. Our 

environmental office asked that we provide notice to our DOT partners on this study in case you have any concerns. I’ve 

also linked US DOT guidance that helps to explain when we combine the FEIS/ROD versus issuing the documents 

separately. If you’d like to discuss, please let me know and we can set something up. 

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/mission/transportation-policy/permittingcenter/337371/feisrod-guidance-final-04302019.pdf

Thank you, 

Jessie Fernandez-Gatti 

Community Planner 

Federal Railroad Administration 

1200 New Jersey Ave SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

202-493-0454 
1

From: Frate, Douglas W. <FrateDW@scdot.org> 

Sent: Friday, August 7, 2020 2:09 PM 

To: Gatti, Jessie (FRA) <Jessie.Gatti@dot.gov> 

Cc: Winkle, John (FRA) <john.winkle@dot.gov>; Williford, Natalie (FRA) <natalie.williford@dot.gov>; Brown, Randall 

(FRA) <randall.brown@dot.gov>; Lackey, Diane M. <LackeyDM@scdot.org> 

Subject: RE: Atlanta- Charlotte FEIS/ROD 

Jessie, 

We have no concerns with the identified approach. We appreciate the opportunity for comment. 

Thank you, 

Doug 

From: Gatti, Jessie (FRA) <Jessie.Gatti@dot.gov> 

Sent: Tuesday, August 4, 2020 3:18 PM 

To: Frate, Douglas W. <FrateDW@scdot.org> 

Cc: Winkle, John (FRA) <john.winkle@dot.gov>; Williford, Natalie (FRA) <natalie.williford@dot.gov>; Brown, Randall 

(FRA) <randall.brown@dot.gov> 

Subject: Atlanta- Charlotte FEIS/ROD 

Hi Doug, 

I am writing to provide notice that FRA will be issuing a combined FEIS/ROD for the Atlanta- Charlotte study. We felt that 

the circumstances of the project supported combing the FEIS/ROD rather than issuing a separate FEIS and ROD. Our 

environmental office asked that we provide notice to our DOT partners on this study in case you have any concerns. I’ve 

also linked US DOT guidance that helps to explain when we combine the FEIS/ROD versus issuing the documents 

separately. If you’d like to discuss, please let me know and we can set something up. 

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/mission/transportation-policy/permittingcenter/337371/feisrod-guidance-final-04302019.pdf

Thank you, 

Jessie Fernandez-Gatti 

Community Planner 

Federal Railroad Administration 

1200 New Jersey Ave SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

202-493-0454