[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20094-20097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7897]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on the 
Durham-Orange Light Rail (LRT) Project, Durham and Orange Counties, NC

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), United States Department 
of Transportation (USDOT).

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Research 
Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority, dba ``Triangle 
Transit,'' intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
study a proposed premium transit service corridor in Durham and Orange 
Counties, North Carolina. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) of 
1969 and the regulations implementing NEPA set forth in 40 CFR Parts 
1500-1508 and 23 CFR Part 771, as well as provisions set forth in the 
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A 
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The purpose of this Notice is to: (1) 
Advise the public that FTA is serving as the lead Federal agency; (2) 
provide information on the proposed project, purpose and need for the 
project, and alternatives to be considered; and (3) invite public and 
agency participation in the EIS process.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written or electronic comments on the scope of 
the EIS, including the purpose and need for transportation action in 
the corridor, and alternatives and impacts to be considered should be 
sent to the project team (see ADDRESSES below) by Monday, June 18, 
2012.
    Scoping Meetings Dates: Scoping meetings will be held during the 
week of April 30, 2012 at the following times and locations. The 
scoping meeting locations are accessible by transit and to persons with 
disabilities. Confirmed times and locations will also be published in 
local notices and on the project Web site.
    Elected Officials and Partners Meeting: Tuesday, April 24, 2012; 10 
a.m.-12 p.m. noon; Extraordinary Ventures Center, 200 S. Elliott Rd., 
Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
    Agency Meeting: Thursday, May 3, 2012; 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; Durham 
Armory, 212 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701.
    Public Scoping Meetings: Wednesday May 2, 2012; 4 p.m.-7 p.m.; 
Extraordinary Ventures Center, 200 S. Elliott Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 
27514. Thursday, May 3, 2012; 4 p.m.-7 p.m.; Durham Armory, 212 Foster 
St., Durham, NC 27701.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to 
be studied should be sent to the project team via one of the following 
methods: Mail to Durham-Orange LRT Project, P.O. Box 580, Morrisville, 
North Carolina 27560; fax to Durham-Orange LRT Project at 919.461.1415; 
or email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a3cacdc5cce3ccd6d1d7d1c2cdd0cad7c5d6d7d6d1c68dc0ccce"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e0898e868fa08f95929492818e938994869594959285ce838f8d">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments may also be offered at 
the public scoping meetings. The addresses for the public scoping 
meetings are included above. All meeting locations are accessible by 
transit and to persons with disabilities. The project team must be 
contacted by Wednesday, April 25, 2012 regarding special needs such as 
signing or translation service for languages other than Spanish. 
Spanish translation services will be provided at the public meetings. 
The times and locations for the public scoping meetings will also be 
provided through display advertisements in local newspapers; 
newsletters that will be mailed to persons on the project database that 
have expressed an interest in the project; email notifications; media 
releases that will be distributed to all print and electronic media 
serving the corridor; and posting of information on the project Web 
site.
    The Scoping Information Booklet is available on the project Web 
site at http://www.ourtransitfuture.org/index.php/projects/durham-orange/. The booklet is also available in hardcopy form by contacting 
the project team as indicated below.
    Additional scoping information or other project information may be 
requested by calling the project hotline at 1-800-816-7817, visiting 
the Web site at http://www.ourtransitfuture.org/index.php/projects/durham-orange/, or by mailing a request to Durham-Orange LRT Project, 
P.O. Box 580, Morrisville, North Carolina 27560.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brian C. Smart, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, 230 Peachtree 
Street NW., Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30303, telephone (404) 865-5607.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    In accordance with Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU, FTA and Triangle 
Transit invite comment on the scope of the EIS, specifically on the 
proposed project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be evaluated 
that may address the purpose and need, and the impacts of the 
alternatives considered. Specific suggestions related to additional 
alternatives are welcome and will be considered in the development of 
the scope of the EIS. Scoping comments may be made at the scoping 
meetings or in writing no later than Monday, June 18, 2012 (see DATES 
and ADDRESSES above).
    Scoping materials will be available at the meeting or in advance of 
the meeting by contacting the project team as indicated above. If you 
wish to be placed on the mailing list to receive further information as 
the project continues, contact the project team (see ADDRESSES above).
    The relationships between concurrent projects such as the NC 54/I-
40 Corridor Study and other projects will be considered in the EIS.
    Subsequent to the completion of the Scoping Summary document and 
prior to initiation of the DEIS, a concluding

[[Page 20095]]

stakeholders meeting will be held during which interested federal, 
state and local government agencies will collectively process all input 
and formally develop the final scope of the EIS.

II. Purpose and Need for the Proposed Project

    The purpose of the proposed premium high-capacity transit 
investment in the Durham-Orange Corridor is to provide a transit 
solution that addresses the following mobility and development needs:
    <bullet> Need to enhance mobility: The Durham-Orange Corridor is 
forecast to absorb a significant share of the region's population and 
employment growth, which will translate into increased travel demand. 
By 2035, the corridor is projected to add about 74,000 people and 
81,000 jobs, which is expected to generate 255,000 additional daily 
trips, many of which will be made on local roadways. These trips will 
increase congestion during the highest AM and PM travel periods. 
Alternatives to the auto are needed to address the limited capacity of 
the roadway system to accommodate increased travel demand.
    <bullet> Need to expand transit options between Durham and Chapel 
Hill: Most bus service in the Durham-Orange Corridor is concentrated in 
downtown Durham and downtown Chapel Hill. Transit connecting these 
urban centers and serving the residential areas and retail developments 
between them is limited to two Triangle Transit routes and the Duke 
University Robertson Scholars Express Bus. Currently, these buses 
operate in mixed traffic along increasingly congested roadways, have 
limited capacity, and are not competitive with the auto for most trips. 
Furthermore, the Study Area does not currently offer the type of high 
quality premium transit service that is an attractive alternative to 
driving, particularly under congested conditions.
    <bullet> Need to serve population with high propensity for transit 
use: University students and employees, as well as transit-dependent 
populations, are a significant percentage of the population in the 
Durham-Orange Corridor. Expanding transit services and increasing 
access to each of the university campuses and medical centers, which 
offer pedestrian-friendly environments, limited parking, and free 
transit passes, will support increased mobility options for university 
students, employees and other patrons. Also, expanding reliable 
mobility options for lower income populations and transit users who may 
not be able to drive will enhance economic opportunities through 
improved access to major jobs centers along the corridor. Providing a 
transit option that supports the mobility of these groups satisfies an 
important need.
    <bullet> Need to foster compact development: Local governments 
recognize the need to limit sprawl and manage growth within the Study 
Area. Durham City/County, Chapel Hill, and Orange County have developed 
plans and implementation strategies that call for more compact, 
walkable, higher density, mixed-use development within the corridor. 
However, the existing transit infrastructure throughout the corridor is 
not fully supportive of these land use plans and implementation 
strategies and cannot facilitate long-term economic development. A 
proposed fixed guideway transit investment can channel future growth, 
provide a superior transit option appropriate for high density 
development, and help local communities realize their future goals and 
objectives.

III. Study Area Description

    Located in both Durham and Orange counties, the Durham-Orange 
Corridor Study Area extends approximately 17 miles, beginning in 
southwest Chapel Hill and encompassing the UNC campus, downtown Chapel 
Hill, suburban areas along NC 54, US 15-501, NC 147 (Durham Freeway), 
I-40, Duke University, and downtown and east Durham.

IV. Alternatives Analysis and Results

    The Durham-Orange County Corridor Alternatives Analysis (AA) Report 
(available at http://www.ourtransitfuture.org/index.php/projects/durham-orange/d-o-maps-reports#aa) responds to Federal regulations for 
transit projects seeking New Starts funding (Title 49 United States 
Code [U.S.C.] 5309.) The Durham-Orange County Corridor AA considered a 
Transportation Systems Management (TSM) Alternative, Bus Rapid Transit 
(BRT) alternatives, and a light rail alternative. The BRT and light 
rail routes included alignments on new location and within the right-
of-way of existing roads, with a variety of station locations. All of 
the alternatives that were evaluated would run from the terminus at the 
UNC Hospitals eastwards to Fordham Boulevard, east along NC 54, north 
parallel to I-40 and then within the US 15-501corridor to Erwin Road. 
The corridor follows Erwin Road past Duke University and Medical Center 
and turns east parallel to NC 147 through downtown Durham and 
terminates at Alston Avenue in east Durham. These alternatives were 
evaluated based upon their ability to meet the project's purpose and 
need statement (stated above), and considering factors such as 
ridership and transportation operations, land use, expansion potential, 
economic development potential, public and agency support, 
environmental impacts, technical and financial feasibility and cost. 
Triangle Transit conducted the AA in coordination with the 
jurisdictions and agencies with interests in the corridor, including 
Durham and Orange counties, the Town of Chapel Hill, City of Durham, 
Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC 
MPO), and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
    The AA concluded by identifying the most promising alternatives for 
further analysis. It identified LRT as the only mode that most fully 
satisfies the Purpose and Need for premium transit service in the 
Durham-Orange Corridor related to enhancing mobility, expanding transit 
options between Durham and Chapel Hill, serving populations with high 
propensity for transit use, and fostering compact development and 
economic growth. While an exclusive-running BRT Alternative has the 
potential to meet the project's purpose and need and is competitive in 
meeting most project goals, it does not perform as well as LRT in 
relation to supporting local and regional economic development, planned 
growth management initiatives, travel time savings, and cost 
effectiveness of expanding ridership capacity. Local and regional 
stakeholders place a high level of importance on economic development 
potential and focusing growth within the proposed transit corridor 
through transit-oriented development. The LRT Alternative has a high-
level of demonstrated public support and a proven record of producing 
local and regional economic development benefits by enhancing and 
focusing growth within LRT corridors. On February 8, 2012, the DCHC MPO 
Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) (MPO's policy board) 
unanimously adopted the LRT Alternative as the preliminary locally 
preferred alternative (LPA). The Alternatives Analysis findings are 
available on the project Web site at http://www.ourtransitfuture.org/index.php/projects/durham-orange.

IV. Potential EIS Alternatives

    The results of the AA have led FTA and Triangle Transit to consider 
for inclusion in the EIS the following range of alternatives, on which 
FTA and Triangle Transit request public and

[[Page 20096]]

agency comments. The EIS will evaluate the following alternatives 
between the University of North Carolina (UNC) Hospitals and east 
Durham: A No-Build alternative; a Transportation System Management 
(TSM) alternative consisting of an enhanced bus network that provides a 
level of transit service and capacity roughly equivalent to that of a 
fixed-guideway transit service; and a Light Rail Transit (LRT) 
alternative consisting of a new fixed-guideway rail alignment and 
support facilities. Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence 
with interested persons, organizations, and federal, state, and local 
agencies, and through public and agency meetings. The FTA and Triangle 
Transit 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, and/or 
environmental issues related to the alternatives.

1. No-Build

    The No-Build alternative includes all highway and transit 
facilities identified in the fiscally constrained joint Durham-Chapel 
Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)--Capital Area 
MPO 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), with the exception of 
the comprehensive system-wide rail transit network, part of which is 
the subject of this EIS. The No-Build alternative is used as a starting 
point to provide a comparison of all Build alternatives in terms of 
costs, benefits, and impacts.

2. Transportation System Management

    The TSM alternative is required for inclusion in the EIS by the FTA 
when federal funds are sought for capital improvements. The primary 
purpose of the TSM alternative is to develop an enhanced and robust bus 
network in the Durham-Orange Corridor that provides a level of transit 
service and capacity roughly equivalent to that of a fixed-guideway 
improvement. The intention is to compare the efficiency and cost-
effectiveness of a significant bus network in the corridor with fixed-
guideway improvements to determine the impact on transit ridership, 
travel time, and other measures. The backbone of the TSM alternative 
would be a new bus route operating between UNC Hospitals and east 
Durham, covering a distance of approximately 19 miles from Chapel Hill 
to Durham. Buses would operate at 10-minute headways in the peak 
periods and 20-minute headways in the off-peak periods. Travel time 
between the UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and Alston Avenue in east 
Durham is estimated to be 57 minutes. The high-frequency bus route 
would closely follow that of the LRT alternative, as described below.

3. Light Rail Transit

    The LRT alternative would operate light rail transit vehicles 
between UNC Hospitals and east Durham, covering a distance of 
approximately 17.1 miles. The LRT would operate at 10-minute 
frequencies during peak hours and 20-minute frequencies during off-peak 
hours. LRT travel time is estimated to be 35 minutes between the UNC 
Hospitals Station in Chapel Hill and the Alston Avenue Station in east 
Durham. The alignment would be double-tracked throughout, with one 
track for each direction of travel. The alignment would primarily run 
at-grade in a dedicated right-of-way parallel to existing roadways, 
with elevated sections throughout to mitigate potential traffic impacts 
and/or impacts to environmental resources.

V. Probable Effects

    The EIS evaluation will analyze the social, economic, and 
environmental impacts of the alternatives. Major issues to be evaluated 
include air quality, noise and vibration, aesthetics, community 
cohesion impacts, potential natural resource impacts, and possible 
disruption of neighborhoods, businesses and commercial activities. The 
impact areas and level of detail addressed in the EIS will be 
consistent with the requirements of SAFETEA-LU Section 6002 and the 
FTA/Federal Highway Administration environmental regulation 
(Environmental Impact and Related Procedures, 23 CFR Part 771 and 40 
CFR Parts 1500-1508) and other environmental and related regulations. 
Among other factors, the EIS will evaluate the following:
    <bullet> Transportation service including future corridor capacity.
    <bullet> Transit ridership and costs.
    <bullet> Traffic movements and changes, and associated impacts to 
local facilities.
    <bullet> Community impacts such as land use, displacements, noise 
and vibration, neighborhood compatibility and aesthetics.
    <bullet> Resource impacts including impacts to historic and 
archeological resources, parklands, cultural resource impacts, 
environmental justice, and natural resource impacts including air 
quality, wetlands, water quality, wildlife, and vegetation.
    The proposed impact assessment and evaluation will take into 
account both positive and negative impacts, direct and indirect 
impacts, short-term (during the construction period) and long-term 
impacts, and site-specific as well as corridor-wide and cumulative 
impacts. Mitigation measures will be considered for any significant 
environmental impacts identified. Other potential impacts may be added 
as a result of scoping and agency coordination efforts.

VI. FTA Procedures

    The EIS is being prepared in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, and implemented by 
the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR Parts 
1500 to 1508) and FHWA environmental impact regulations (49 CFR Part 
622, 23 CFR Part 771, and 23 CFR Part 774) and Section 6002 of the 
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A 
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) of 2005. This EIS will also comply with 
requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
of 1966, as amended (36 CFR Part 800), Section 4(f) of the U.S. 
Department of Transportation Act of 1966 (23 CFR 771.135), the 1990 
Clean Air Act Amendments, Executive Order 12898 (Federal Actions to 
Address Environmental Justice in Minority and Low-Income Populations), 
Executive Order 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), the regulation 
implementing Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR Part 402), 
and other applicable federal laws, rules, and regulations. This EIS 
will also satisfy local and state environmental review requirements.
    Regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of SAFETEA-LU, 
call for enhanced agency and public involvement in the EIS process. An 
invitation to all Federal and non-Federal agencies and Native American 
tribes that may have an interest in the proposed project will be 
extended. In the event that an agency or tribe is not invited and would 
like to participate, please contact Brian Smart at the contact 
information listed above. The public coordination and outreach efforts 
will include public meetings, open houses, a project Web site, 
stakeholder advisory and work groups, and public hearings.
    The project sponsor may identify a locally preferred alternative in 
the DEIS when made available for public and agency comments. Public 
hearings on the DEIS will be held. On the basis of the DEIS and the 
public and agency comments received, the Project Sponsor will identify 
the locally preferred alternative in the FEIS. The FEIS will serve as 
the basis for federal and state environmental findings and

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determinations needed to conclude the environmental review process.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on 
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)

    Issued on: March 27, 2012.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-7897 Filed 4-2-12; 8:45 am]
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