4-1 June 2021

Chapter 4: Analysis Framework

4.1 INTRODUCTION 

FRA prepared this EIS to comply with NEPA, (42 USC 4321 et seq.), CEQ’s Implementing 

Regulations for NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), 23 CFR Part 771, and 23 USC 139. This EIS 

identifies the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects to the human and natural environment 

resulting from the construction and operation of the Preferred Alternative. This includes the FRA’s 

evaluation of the Overbuild as an indirect impact resulting from construction of the Platform. This 

chapter describes the analysis framework that FRA used to evaluate potential environmental 

impacts in the EIS. 

Whenever applicable and practicable, FRA conducted the analyses in accordance with the 

environmental review policies and guidance of relevant Federal agencies as well as New York 

State and local environmental laws and regulations. Where relevant, this EIS also meets the 

requirements of CEQR, which applies to New York City agencies that may issue approvals for 

portions of the Project. To the extent practicable, the analyses FRA has conducted comply with 

the CEQR Technical Manual,

1

1 https://www1.nyc.gov/site/oec/environmental-quality-review/technical-manual.page

which addresses environmental processes and procedures as they 

relate to projects in New York City, as the basis of quantitative and qualitative analysis. The CEQR

criteria for adverse impacts are well suited for evaluation of effects in New York City, and therefore, 

were also used for purposes of NEPA, unless specific, more stringent NEPA criteria exist. FRA 

intends for the EIS analysis to support the review of the document by Federal, state, and local 

agencies from which permits or approvals are required for the Project. 

4.2 SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

4.2.1 ALTERNATIVES FOR ANALYSIS

CEQ’s NEPA regulations state that Federal agencies should “Use the NEPA process to identify 

and assess the reasonable alternatives to proposed actions that will avoid or minimize adverse 

effects of these actions upon the quality of the human environment” (40 CFR § 1502.2). This EIS 

considers the impacts of the No Action Alternative and the Preferred Alternative. Chapter 3, 

“Alternatives,” describes the alternatives development process FRA used to arrive at the Preferred 

Alternative for this Project. 
June 2021 4-2 

4.2.2 PROJECT SITE AND STUDY AREA

The Project Site is the 13-acre Western Rail Yard site (shown in Figure 1-1), which includes the 

area for both the Platform and Tunnel Encasement. For the EIS resource category technical 

analyses, FRA considered a Study Area representing the area where the Preferred Alternative

has the potential for community or environmental effects during construction and operation. In 

general, the Study Area included the Project Site and an approximate 1⁄2-mile radius around the 

Project Site. The Study Area is generally bounded by West 42nd Street to the north, Eighth Avenue 

to the east, West 21st Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west (see Figure 1-2). 

Each chapter describes the specific Study Area used for that resource where Study Areas differed 

due to the varying type and range of potential impacts resulting from different resource categories. 

4.3 APPROACH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 

This EIS analyzes the direct and indirect effects of the Preferred Alternative on its environmental 

setting both during construction and once completed. The Preferred Alternative would be 

constructed by 2026, and FRA has conservatively assumed the Overbuild would be completed by 

2030. Since construction and operation of the Preferred Alternative would take place in the future, 

its environmental setting is not the current environment, but instead the environment as it would 

exist during construction. 

The Affected Environment is the natural, cultural, and social conditions of an area that may be 

impacted by a proposed Federal action. The EIS used a wide range of data sources to describe 

the Affected Environment within the Study Area of each resource, which are summarized in the 

methodology description for each resource (see Appendix B). Each analysis describes the 

Affected Environment, independent of the No Action or Preferred Alternative. FRA determined the 

Affected Environment by first assessing the 2019 existing conditions and then including the 

projects that FRA assumed are reasonably anticipated to occur in the Study Area by 2026, as well 

as the changes likely to occur because of growth in population and traffic. The projects include

both development projects within the project Study Area and transportation and infrastructure

projects in the region that may affect the Preferred Alternative. The exception to this analysis 

framework for the Affected Environment are the transportation analyses, which consider an 

existing Affected Environment representing 2019 conditions, and an Affected Environment Future 

Conditions in 2023 representing the peak construction year for the Preferred Alternative, as 

described in detail in Chapter 6, “Transportation.” 

4.3.1 TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

The transportation and infrastructure projects that this EIS incorporates as part of the Affected 

Environment analysis are summarized below, included in Table 4-1, and shown on Figure 4-1. 
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W 34th St

W 25th St

W 35th St

Joe Dimaggio Hwy

W 31st St

Ninth Ave

W 26th St

Tenth Ave

W 22nd St

W 33rd St

Dyer Av

e

Eighth Ave

W 40th St

W 24th St

W 37th St

W 30th St

W 29th St

W 43rd St

Lincoln Tunnel

W 44th St

Eleventh Ave

W 38th St

W 27th Dr

W 21st St

W 41st St

W 36th St

W 42nd St

W 39th St

W 20th St

W 28th St

W 23rd St

W 27th St

Hudson Blvd E HUDSON RIVER

Chelsea

Park

Hudson

River

Park

E

A

I

C

B

H

G

D

F

J

WESTERN RAIL YARD INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

Transportation and Infrastructure Projects

Figure 4-1

4.19.21 Data source: NYC Dept. of City Planning

Project Site (Western Rail Yard) A

Study Area (1/2-mile perimeter)

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Transportation and Infrastructure Project 0 1,000 FEET
Chapter 4: Analysis Framework

4-3 June 2021

• Hudson Tunnel Project: The Hudson Tunnel Project proposes a new two-track 

passenger rail tunnel to carry the NEC under the Hudson River between New Jersey and 

Penn Station New York, referred to as the Hudson River Tunnel, and rehabilitation of the 

existing NRT. Upon completion of the project, the NEC will comprise four tracks (two in 

the new Hudson River Tunnel and two in the NRT) between New Jersey and Penn Station 

New York under the Hudson River, which would provide operational flexibility and 

redundancy for Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT passenger rail operations. The new Hudson 

River Tunnel would be parallel to, and south of, the existing NEC between Secaucus, New 

Jersey and New York Penn Station. The western terminus of the new tunnel and related 

tracks and infrastructure would be at approximately County Road in Secaucus, New 

Jersey, and the eastern terminus would be at approximately Ninth Avenue in Manhattan, 

New York. A staging and laydown area and fan plant would be located on Block 675, Lot 

1, on the east side of Twelfth Avenue between West 29th and West 30th Streets. In 

addition, the Hudson Tunnel Project would also require the use of a portion of the adjacent 

property on West 29th Street (Block 675 Lot 12). FRA is advancing the EIS of this project 

with NJ TRANSIT and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The DEIS indicates 

that the construction of the new Hudson Tunnel would be completed in 2026 and placed 

into service, and the rehabilitation of the existing NRT would be completed in 2030.The 

DEIS was published for public review in June 2017, and the Final EIS is presently under 

development. As the project was delayed, construction of the project is now anticipated 

to begin in 2022, with construction overlapping with construction of the Preferred 

Alternative. The new tunnel is now planned to be complete in 2030 and the rehabilitated 

tunnel planned to be complete in 2033. 

• West Side Yard/Hudson Yards Perimeter Protection: During Superstorm Sandy, flood 

waters entered West Side Yard/Hudson Yards from the Hudson River, damaging critical 

infrastructure including trackbeds, switches, and signals, and entering the NRT’s two 

tubes from their Manhattan portal at Tenth Avenue and their ventilation shaft at Eleventh 

Avenue. To protect this infrastructure from future flooding, the LIRR is planning a flood 

protection project that will include perimeter protection and drainage improvements 

around West Side Yard/Hudson Yards, which also encompasses the NRT’s vent shaft 

and portal. For perimeter protection, LIRR is proposing a new, permanent wall, with 

additional deployable barriers to be implemented across driveways and access points in 

advance of storm events. This project will protect not only the West Side Yard/Hudson 

Yards, but also the other existing railroad infrastructure connected to the yard, including 

the portal and ventilation shaft for the NRT, the smaller rail storage yards east of Tenth 

Avenue, and the tracks and platforms at New York Penn Station. The new perimeter wall 

will also protect the proposed new Manhattan portal for the proposed Hudson River 

Tunnel and the proposed Tenth Avenue fan plant. Installation of the perimeter protection 

is planned to be constructed in phases beginning in 2022 with estimated completion in 

2026. 
June 2021 4-4 

• Moynihan Station Project: The Moynihan Station Project will create a new passenger 

rail station within the historic James A. Farley Post Office Building (Farley Building), which 

is across Eighth Avenue from New York Penn Station and was designed by the same 

architecture firm as the original Penn Station building. Like the existing Penn Station 

facilities, the Farley Building is above the tracks and platforms of New York Penn Station. 

The project will create a new grand train hall for passengers and improved passenger 

amenities. The project is advancing in phases, and the first phase is now complete. Phase 

1 included the West End Concourse Expansion to create access to New York Penn 

Station’s tracks and platforms through the Farley Building, expand and rehabilitate the 

underground connecting corridor between the new West End Concourse and existing New 

York Penn Station, and new and reconfigured entrances for the Eighth Avenue subway 

lines (A/C/E) at New York Penn Station. The next phase, now in construction, will include 

a new train hall, internal pedestrian circulation space, and commercial development in the 

Farley Building, including transit-oriented and destination retail as well as other 

commercial uses. The transportation infrastructure component of the project was 

substantially completed in December 2020, with the train hall and associated passenger 

circulation elements opened for public use on January 1, 2021; final completion is planned 

for 2021. 

• East Side Access Project: MTA is currently constructing the East Side Access project, 

which will allow LIRR trains to terminate at Grand Central Terminal in addition to New 

York Penn Station. The project includes a new lower-level LIRR terminal beneath the 

existing terminal at Grand Central, a new tunnel from Queens to Grand Central, and many 

other improvements. The project is planned for completion by the end of 2022. Once 

complete, LIRR is anticipating a substantial increase in service with trains serving both 

Manhattan terminals. While service to Midtown will increase overall, LIRR will decrease 

service to New York Penn Station. 

• North River Tunnel (NRT) Interim Reliability Improvements: Amtrak is performing a 

feasibility study and options analyses on different repairs or improvements to the NRT that 

will improve service reliability and safety over the upcoming decade. Concepts that are 

determined to be feasible while maintaining service and result in a net decrease in 

operational risk will be moved into a preliminary engineering phase in fiscal year 2021. 

These improvements will then be progressed as needed and programmed. The measures 

that Amtrak has identified as priorities include leak mitigation for water infiltrating the 

tunnel and affecting systems, which is contributing to signal failures and deterioration of 

metal components and cables; drainage and track improvements to address deterioration 

and geometry issues; implementation of an enhanced inspection and asset management 

program that will identify problems more quickly; detailed signal system investigations with 

targeted equipment replacement; stray current monitoring and mitigation; and other 

proactive steps in advance of problems.

• Dock Bridge Replacement Project: Amtrak is proposing the replacement of the Dock 

Bridge, a pair of vertical lift bridges crossing the Passaic River at Newark, New Jersey. 

The existing bridges carry Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Port Authority Trans-Hudson 

(PATH) trains. Construction of a fixed bridge is anticipated to be completed by 2024. 

• NYCDOT Parking-Protected Bicycle Lane: A parking-protected bicycle lane on the east 

curb of Ninth Avenue will be installed between West 31st and West 33rd Streets. A midblock crossing will also be installed on Ninth Avenue between West 31st and West 33rd 

Streets. Three travel lanes will be maintained starting at 34th Street. Construction of this 

project is expected to be completed by 2022. 
Chapter 4: Analysis Framework

4-5 June 2021

• NYCDOT Street Modifications: The west sidewalk on Eighth Avenue, between West 

33rd and West 39th Streets, will be widened and the roadway will be narrowed to two 

travel lanes with left-turn bays and on-street parking. The existing parking-protected 

bicycle lane will be maintained. Signal timing and signal phasing modifications will be 

implemented. Construction of this project is expected to be completed by 2021. 

• NYCDOT Bicycle Lane Extension: The existing bicycle lane on Seventh Avenue, which 

currently terminates at West 30th Street, will be extended north through the Study Area. 

The taxi stand at Penn Station will also be modified. DOT is currently working on the 

design plans for these changes, which will be incorporated into the future conditions 

analyses. Construction of this project is expected to be completed by 2022. 

• New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) W. 33rd Street 

Viaduct: NYCEDC is leading the effort to regrade West 33rd Street between Eleventh 

and Twelfth Avenues in order to accommodate construction over Hudson Yards. The 

street is currently a partial viaduct that connects to the Eleventh Avenue Viaduct and 

transitions into a street supported by a retaining wall towards Twelfth Avenue. NYCEDC 

is in the process of procuring a design team for this work, which will be coordinated with 

the Platform construction and is expected to be completed within the next five years by 

2026. 

• Metro-North Penn Station Access: While this project would result in service to Midtown 

increasing overall, LIRR will decrease service to New York Penn Station. Taking 

advantage of capacity formerly used by LIRR, MTA is planning to add new Metro-North 

Railroad service to New York Penn Station, a project known as Penn Station Access 

(Metro-North is an operating agency within MTA). That project is currently in 

environmental review with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as the lead agency. The 

completion date for this project is not yet determined. 
June 2021 4-6 

Table 4-1 

Affected Enviornment – Transportation and Infrastructure Projects

Map 

ID 

No.* 

Address/

Name

Inside or 

Outside 1⁄2-

Mile Study 

Area? Block Lot Program

Build 

Year1

A Hudson 

Tunnel Inside N/A N/A New rail tunnel, associated ventilation infrastructure, and full rehabilitation of the NRT 20262

B 

NYCDOT 

ParkingProtected 

Bicycle Lane

Inside N/A N/A

A parking-protected bicycle lane on the east 

curb of Ninth Avenue will be installed between 

West 31st and West 33rd Streets. A mid-block 

crossing will be installed on Ninth Avenue 

between West 31st and West 33rd Streets.

2022

C 

Moynihan 

Station – 

Train Hall and

Platform 

Access

Inside 755 40

Includes 297,809 gsf of transportation 

infrastructure improvements, including platform 

access, and new Train Hall

2021

D 

NRT Interim 

Reliability 

Improvements

Inside N/A N/A

Various reliability Improvements for the NRT in 

advance of planned complete rehabilitation 

connected with the Hudson Tunnel Project.

TBD 

E 

West Side 

Yard/Hudson 

Yards 

Perimeter 

Protection

Inside

676 

and 

702

5, 

125, 

150, 

175, 

180

Resiliency project to construct protection for 

the West Side Yard 2026

F 

NYCEDC W. 

33rd Street 

Viaduct

Inside N/A N/A

West 33rd Street will be regraded between 

Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues in order to 

accommodate construction over Hudson 

Yards. 

2026

G 

NYCDOT 

Street 

Modifications

Outside N/A N/A

The west sidewalk on Eighth Avenue, between 

West 33rd and West 39th Streets, will be 

widened, and the roadway will be narrowed to 

two travel lanes with left-turn bays.

2021

H 

NYCDOT 

Bicycle Lane 

Extension

Outside N/A N/A

The existing bicycle lane on Seventh Avenue 

will be extended north of West 30th Street, and 

the adjacent taxi stand will be modified. 

2022

I 

East Side 

Access 

Project

Outside N/A N/A

The project provides for LIRR trains to travel to 

travel to Grand Central Terminal in addition to 

New York Penn Station

2022

J 

Metro-North 

Penn Station 

Access

Outside N/A N/A The project provides for Metro-North trains to 

travel to travel to New York Penn Station TBD 

K 

Dock Bridge 

Replacement 

Project

Outside N/A N/A

The Dock Bridge Project would replace a pair 

of vertical lift bridges crossing the Passaic 

River. 

2024

Notes: 

* See Figure 4-1. 1 Projects for which an expected date of completion is not available are assumed to be complete by 2026. 

Assumptions of completion dates provide for a conservative analysis of potential project effects. 2 Completion of the Hudson Tunnel project has been delayed from the 2026 completion indicated in the 

DEIS, but construction would still overlap with construction of the Preferred Alternative. This EIS has 

retained the earlier completion date for a conservative analysis of potential impacts. 

Sources: New York City Department of City Planning (correspondence dated January 4, 2021); AKRF 

research; Amtrak; media coverage.
Chapter 4: Analysis Framework

4-7 June 2021

4.3.2 DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

As confirmed by the New York City Department of City Planning (NYCDCP), there are a total of 

27 known development projects that are expected to be completed by 2026 and are included in 

the Affected Environment (see Table 4-2 and Figure 4-2). These projects represent a total of up 

to approximately 23.4 million gsf of new development, including: up to 12.4 million gsf of new office 

space, up to 682,767 gsf of new retail space, up to 400,863 gsf of new community facility space, 

4,539 new residential units, and 2,106 new hotel rooms. The amount of development surrounding 

Western Rail Yard reflects the zoning and public policy initiatives to accommodate and attract new 

development to the Far West Side, which included the opening of the 34th Street-Hudson Yards 

Station (at Eleventh Avenue) on the No. 7 Line Extension in 2015. The majority of these 

development projects have resulted from the implementation of several notable zoning initiatives

in the Study Area, include the following: Special Hudson Yards District; Special West Chelsea 

District; Special Garment Center District; Special Clinton District; and Special Hudson River Park 

District, as shown on Figure 4-2. 

4.3.3 EVALUATION OF IMPACTS

The CEQ regulations define impacts and effects that must be addressed and considered by 

Federal agencies in satisfying the requirements of NEPA. The CEQ also defines considerations 

of how to address both the context and intensity of such impacts and effects. FRA has 

characterized impacts and effects in the EIS according to the methodologies described in 

Appendix B. 

FRA analyzed and assessed the potential impacts of the No Action Alternative and the Preferred 

Alternative on environmental resources in each resource category. As described in Chapter 3, the 

No Action Alternative includes only those projects that are necessary to keep the Western Rail 

Yard and the associated LIRR facilities in service and provide continued maintenance. The No 

Action Alternative generally represents the conditions against which the effects of the Preferred 

Alternative are measured.

As mentioned above, the potential impacts of the Preferred Alternative were assessed during 

construction and once operational. 

• Construction Conditions: For assessing temporary impacts of the Preferred Alternative

during construction, FRA identified an analysis year during the period of peak construction as 

the “Peak Construction Condition,” and this analysis year has been specified in the relevant 

resource chapters in the EIS. Based on the construction schedules provided by the Project 

Sponsor, construction activities for the Preferred Alternative, including construction of the 

Platform and its associated infrastructure, and the Tunnel Encasement, would occur over an 

approximately 5-year period (late 2021 to late 2026). For most resource category analyses, 

that entire construction period was discussed and analyzed. However, it is possible that the 

year the Preferred Alternative’s construction activity would be the most intensive could be 

different years for different resource categories. For example, the peak construction traffic 

year may not be the same as the peak construction air quality analysis year; the peak 

construction analysis year has been determined from construction information provided by the 

Project Sponsor, including the construction schedules and stages, site logistics diagrams, and 

the way the construction equipment utilization information overlaps for each component of the 

Preferred Alternative. Each resource category includes the peak construction analysis year 

identified by FRA for that resource analysis. 
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W 34th St

W 25th St

W 35th St

Joe Dimaggio Hwy

W 31st St

Ninth Ave

W 26th St

Tenth Ave

W 22nd St

W 33rd St

Dyer Av

e

Eighth Ave

W 40th St

W 24th St

W 37th St

W 30th St

W 29th St

W 43rd St

Lincoln Tunnel

W 44th St

Eleventh Ave

W 38th St

W 27th Dr

W 21st St

W 41st St

W 36th St

W 42nd St

W 39th St

W 20th St

W 28th St

W 23rd St

W 27th St

Hudson Blvd E HUDSON RIVER

Chelsea

Park

Hudson

River

Park

10

6

11

4

7

16

15

14

5

21

20

9

18

3

12

25

19

24

26

17

2

1

8

27

23

22

13

WESTERN RAIL YARD INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

Development Projects in the Affected Environment

Figure 4-2

0 1,000 FEET

1.11.21 Data source: NYC Dept. of City Planning

Project Site (Western Rail Yard) 1

Study Area (1/2-mile perimeter)

Special Clinton District

Special Garment Center District

Special Hudson River Park District

Special Hudson Yards District

Special West Chelsea District

!1 Development Project in the Affected Environment
June 2021 4-8 

Table 4-2 

Affected Environment – Development Projects

Map ID 

No.* District Address/Name Block Lot Program

Build 

Year1

1 Special West Chelsea 220 Eleventh Avenue 697 1 170,311 gsf office 2021

5 Special West Chelsea 500 West 22nd Street 693 37 10 DU, 4,278 gsf retail, 25,307 gsf 

community facility 2026

7 Special West Chelsea 517 West 29th Street 701 24 60 DU, 10 parking spaces 2026

10 Special West Chelsea 162 Eleventh Avenue 694 1 13 DU, 242 gsf retail 2026

26 Special West Chelsea 555 West 22nd Street 694 5 145 DU, 49,160 gsf retail 2026

27 Special West Chelsea 540 West 21st Street 692 53 34 DU, 50,041 gsf retail 2026

6 Special West Chelsea 430 West 37th Street 734 16 304 DU, 14,580 gsf retail 2026

2 Special Hudson Yards 400 Eleventh Avenue 706 1 520,740 gsf office 2021

3 Special Hudson Yards 509 West 34th Street 706 17 2.55 million gsf office 2022

4 Special Hudson Yards 431 West 33rd Street 731 22 24 DU, 6,280 gsf retail 2026

9 Special Hudson Yards Hudson Yards Site 7 707

20, 26, 45, 

41, 31 and 

39

255 DU, 22,011 gsf retail, 1.66 million 

gsf office 2025

10 Special Hudson Yards 162 Eleventh Avenue 694 1 13 DU, 242 gsf retail 2026

12 Special Hudson Yards 550 West 41st Street 1069 1 499 DU, 72,552 gsf retail 2026

13 Special Hudson Yards Moynihan Station Development 

Project 755 40 123,000 gsf retail, 228,242 gsf community facility, 672,524 gsf office 2026

16 Special Hudson Yards 355 West 39th Street 763 7501 25 DU, 1,843 gsf retail, 723 gsf 

community facility 2026

17 Special Hudson Yards 460 West 41st Street 1050 1 60 DU, 62,607 gsf community facility 2026

18 Special Hudson Yards 555 West 38th Street 710 1 591 DU, 1,886 gsf retail 2026

19 Special Hudson Yards 450 11th Avenue 708 65 379 hotel rooms 2026

20 Special Hudson Yards 415 Tenth Avenue 705 39 2,581,748 gsf office 2026

23 Special Hudson Yards 442 West 33rd Street 729 61 164 hotel rooms 2026

24 Special Hudson Yards 401 West 31st Street 729 51 790 DU, 4,053,312 gsf office 2026

11 Special Garment Center 319 West 35th Street 759 29 166 DU, 3,909 gsf retail 2026

14 Special Garment Center 351 West 38th Street 762 6 490 hotel rooms 2025

15 Special Garment Center 338 West 39th Street 762 61 177 hotel rooms 2026

21 Special Hudson River Park 610 West 30th Street 675 39 277 DU, 160,906 gsf retail, 61 parking 

spaces

2026

22 Special Hudson River Park 601 West 29th Street 675 12 931 DU, 10,920 gsf retail, 186 parking 

spaces

2026

8 n/a Other Development Project 495 Eleventh Avenue 685 38

275 DU, 16,879 gsf retail, 755 hotel 

rooms, 49,748 gsf community facility, 

25,168 gsf office, 55 parking spaces

2024

25 n/a Other Development Project 300 West 30th Street 753 42 80 DU, 5,750 gsf retail 2026

Notes: 

DU= Dwelling Units

* See Figure 4-2. 1 Projects for which an expected date of completion is not available are assumed to be complete 2026 if currently under 

construction. Assumptions of completion dates provide for a conservative analysis of potential project effects. 2 Gsf was calculated based on the zoning square footage, multiplied by 1.15 (assuming a zoning to gross conversion factor of 15 

percent). 

Sources: New York City Department of City Planning (April, July, and October 2020), Department of Buildings; AKRF research 

and field visits (May, September, and December 2020); media coverage.
Chapter 4: Analysis Framework

4-9 June 2021

• Operational Conditions: FRA assessed the operational impacts of the Preferred Alternative

once it is operational. This analysis considers the year 2026 as the timeframe when the 

construction is completed and the Preferred Alternative would be operational.

Each chapter of the EIS summarizes the regulations that apply to the analysis and the 

methodologies used for the assessment; methodologies are detailed in the Methodology Report 

(see Appendix B).

4.3.4 MEASURES TO AVOID, MINIMIZE, OR MITIGATE IMPACTS

If applicable, each resource category analysis identifies measures that the Project Sponsor would 

take to minimize, avoid, or mitigate adverse construction impacts or operational impacts of the 

Preferred Alternative. FRA identified such measures for adverse impacts wherever practicable in 

the EIS may ultimately include them in a ROD. The Project Sponsor would be responsible for 

ensuring that these measures are implemented as part of the design, construction and/or 

operation of the Preferred Alternative, as applicable. The Project Sponsor (or its agents, i.e., 

Project Contractor) is responsible for meeting any permit requirements, design requirements, and 

mitigation commitments.

4.4 FORMAT OF THIS EIS

Subsequent chapters of this EIS each evaluate a different resource category. In general, for each 

resource category, the EIS discusses the Affected Environment; No Action Alternative Impacts; 

Operational Impacts of the Preferred Alternative; and Construction Impacts of the Preferred 

Alternative.

2

2 Chapters 16, 19, 22, and 23 do not follow the general DEIS outline discussing, the Affected Environment, 

No Action Alternative Conditions, Permanent Impacts of the Preferred Alternative, and Construction 

Impacts of the Preferred Alternative. 

In addition, there are several summary type chapters included in the EIS that provide 

additional information relevant to the environmental review process or the preparation of the EIS 

itself.3

3 Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 provide information on the NEPA process, supplemental supporting 

information to aid the reader, or information about the preparation and distribution of the EIS.

Appendix A includes information on where the analyses normally provided in a CEQR 

analysis can be found in this NEPA EIS. Potential indirect and cumulative effects of the Preferred 

Alternative, including those of the Overbuild, are considered in Chapter 20, “Indirect, Cumulative, 

and Other Impacts.” 