Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 190 / Friday, September 29, 2000 / Notices 58601

Interstate 85 is currently a four-lane

controlled-access freeway north of the

US–29/49 Connector with an average

daily traffic (ADT) volume of 60,000

vehicles per day (vpd). From the US–29/

49 Connector into the Center City of

Charlotte, I–85 is an eight-lane facility

with an ADT of 102,000 vpd. This

facility experiences severe congestion

and delays particularly during the peak

travel times and is considered one of the

major transportation problems facing

the northeast part of the Charlotte region

and Cabarrus County. Currently, I–85 is

rated as having very poor mobility (level

of service F in many sections during

peak periods). Future traffic volumes are

projected to increase by nearly 200% by

the year 2020, with the segment of I–85

between I–485 and Speedway Boulevard

having a projected ADT of 140,000 vpd.

The North Carolina Department of

Transportation (NCDOT) has

programmed the section of I–85 between

the US–29/49 and Speedway Boulevard

to be widened to an eight-lane facility,

scheduled to begin construction in

2004. Widening alternatives are

currently being evaluated for the section

between Speedway Boulevard and US–

601 in the City of Concord. However,

even with these roadway improvements,

a substantial portion of this corridor

will still experience peak period

congestion.

Future growth projections for the

region estimate a population increase of

57 percent and a 47 percent increase in

employment by the year 2025. The

Charlotte Metropolitan Area has

exceeded the Environmental Protection

Agency’s 1-hour and 8-hour standard for

ozone each of the past three years.

These violations will likely result in the

County being designated as a nonattainment area for ozone, which will be

officially stated by US EPA early next

year. The primary contributor of air

pollutants in the region is mobile

emissions.

III. Alternatives

The alternatives proposed for

evaluation include: (1) No-Build, which

involves no change to transportation

service or facilities in the corridor

beyond already committed projects; (2)

a Transportation System Management

alternative, which consists of low to

medium cost improvements to the

operations of the local bus service, the

Charlotte Area Transit System, in

addition to the currently planned transit

improvements in the corridor; and (3)

multiple ‘‘Build’’ alternatives including

bus rapid transit (BRT) facilities along

the I–85 corridor and other major

roadways in this vicinity, and various

modes of rail service including

commuter rail and light rail transit

(LRT) generally following the existing

Norfolk Southern railroad right-of-way

and/or major arterials within the study

corridor. The ‘‘Build’’ alternatives may

include alternative land use scenarios to

evaluate the potential for focusing

development around transit stations.

Additional reasonable alternatives

suggested through the scoping process

may also be considered.

IV. Probable Effects

FTA and the City of Charlotte will

identify potentially significant social,

economic, and environmental impacts

associated with the alternatives

considered in the MIS. The primary

environmental issues to be considered

include potential impacts to air quality,

noise and vibration, historical and

archaeological resources, visual quality,

wetlands, natural areas, rare and

endangered species, water quality and

potential contamination sites. The

primary social and economic impacts

proposed for analysis in the MIS

include potential changes in land use

and future developments, neighborhood

and community resource impacts,

relocations and displacement impacts,

and traffic impacts throughout the

project corridor. In addition, both

beneficial and adverse impacts to

minority and low-income groups will be

evaluated. The impacts will be

evaluated both for the construction

period and for the long-term period of

operation. Potential measures to

mitigate any significant adverse impacts

will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

In accordance with the federal

transportation planning regulations (23

CFR part 450), the MIS will be prepared

to include an evaluation of the social,

economic, environmental impacts and

benefits of the alternatives. The MIS

will consider the public and agency

comments received. At the conclusion

of the MIS, the Metropolitan Transit

Commission will select the preferred

mode and general alignment alternative

for the Northeast Corridor (the LPA).

Once the LPA has been included in the

Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan

Planning Organization’s adopted longrange transportation plan, this project

and associated alignment, design, and

other options will be further studied in

the Preliminary Engineering/

Environmental Impact Statement (PE/

EIS) phase of project development.

Opportunities for agency and public

involvement will be provided

throughout the MIS and PE/EIS phases.

Dated: September 22, 2000.

Jerry Franklin,

FTA Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–24861 Filed 9–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement for

Transportation Improvements Within

the Southeast Corridor, Charlotte, NC

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit

Administration (FTA), the Federal lead

agency, and the City of Charlotte, the

local lead agency, intend to prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS) in

accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for

transportation improvements within the

proposed Southeast Corridor in

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

The study corridor of approximately

13.5 miles extends from Uptown

Charlotte (the center city) in

Mecklenburg County to the border with

Union County to the south.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg region is

developing an integrated land use and

supportive transit plan. Building on the

2025 Integrated Transit/Land Use Plan

for Charlotte-Mecklenburg, four corridor

Major Investment Studies (MISs) are

being prepared for the North, Northeast

(University), Southeast (Independence),

and West (Airport) corridors. A

previously-prepared MIS for the South

Corridor resulted in a light rail transit

project for that corridor.

The EIS will be prepared following

completion of a MIS for the Southeast

Corridor. The Southeast Corridor MIS

will evaluate the land use, mobility, and

environmental benefits, costs and

impacts of various land use and

transportation alternatives. The MIS

will evaluate the following alternatives:

a No-Build alternative; a Transportation

System Management alternative

consisting of low to medium cost

improvements to the facilities and

operation of local bus services

(Charlotte Area Transit System) in

addition to currently planned transit

improvements in the study corridor; and

multiple ‘‘Build’’ alternatives including

bus rapid transit, various types of rail

transit facilities, and combinations of

these types of transit services, as well as

alternative land use scenarios. (See

58602 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 190 / Friday, September 29, 2000 / Notices

Section III. Alternatives for additional

information).

The sequence of events for the

planning and development for this

project include the following major

milestones:

Scoping Process—early opportunity

for public input to the study scope,

including alternatives and issues to be

evaluated.

Major Investment Study (MIS)—

evaluation of proposed improvement

alternatives, early consideration of

environmental factors, concluding with

the selection of a Locally Preferred

Alternative (LPA).

Preliminary Engineering/

Environmental Impact Statement (PE/

EIS)—detailed definition of the LPA,

evaluation of design options, assessment

of potential impacts, development of

mitigation measures, preparation and

circulation of the Draft EIS, public

meetings, and completion of a Final EIS.

Scoping will be accomplished

through correspondence with interested

persons, organizations, and federal,

state, and local agencies, and through

public and agency meetings.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written

comments on the scope of alternatives

and impacts to be considered should be

sent to Catondra Noye, Project Manager,

Charlotte Area Transit System, by

October 16, 2000. See ADDRESSES below.

Scoping Meetings:

Public scoping meetings will be held

on:

Tuesday, September 21, 2000, 6:30 pm

to 9:00 pm: Cokesbury United

Methodist Church, 6701 Idlewild

Road, Charlotte, NC

Thursday, September 26, 2000, from

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm: Matthews

Community Center, 200 McDowell

Street, Matthews, NC

Wednesday, September 27, 2000, 6:30

pm–9:00 pm: Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St.,

Charlotte, NC 28202 (Joint meeting

with all corridors—Center City focus)

Scoping material will be available at

the meeting or in advance of the

meeting by contacting Catondra Noye at

CATS.

An agency scoping meeting will be

held on Wednesday, September 27,

2000, 10 am to 1 pm at the CharlotteMecklenburg Government Center. See

ADDRESSES below.

Scoping is being conducted for three

other related corridors—Northeast

(University), North, and West

(Airport)—in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg

region at approximately the same time

with separate public scoping meetings,

as published in separate Notices of

Intent. The agency scoping meeting for

the Southeast Corridor will be held in

conjunction with the three other

corridors to address inter-related issues

and coordination.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the

scope of alternatives and impacts to be

studied should be sent to Catondra

Noye, City of Charlotte, 600 East Fourth

Street, Charlotte, NC 28202–2858.

Public scoping meetings will be held at

the following locations: The Cokesbury

United Methodist Church, 6701

Idlewild Road, Charlotte, NC; the

Matthews Community Center, 200

McDowell Street, Matthews, NC; and

the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government

Center, 600 E. Fourth St., Charlotte, NC

28202. See DATES above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Myra Immings, Federal Transit

Administration, Region IV, 61 Forsyth

Street SW, Suite 17T50, Atlanta, GA

30303; Telephone (404) 562–3508.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

The FTA and the City of Charlotte

invite interested individuals,

organizations, and federal, state and

local agencies to participate in defining

the alternative transit modes and

alignments to be evaluated and

identifying any significant social,

economic, or environmental issues

related to the alternatives. Primary

issues to be considered include the

changes in land uses and future

development as they relate to alternative

transit systems. Specific suggestions

related to additional alternatives to be

examined and issues to be addressed are

welcome and will be considered in the

final scope of the project. Scoping

comments may be made at the scoping

meetings or in writing no later than

October 16, 2000. (see DATES and

ADDRESSES above). During scoping,

comments should focus on identifying

specific social, economic, or

environmental impacts to be evaluated,

and suggesting alternatives that are less

costly or less environmentally damaging

which achieve similar transit objectives.

Comments should focus on the issues

and alternatives for analysis, and not on

a preference for a particular alternative.

An information packet, referred to as

the Scoping Booklet, will be circulated

to all Federal, State, and local agencies

with jurisdiction in the project area.

Scoping materials will be available at

the meeting or in advance of the

meeting by contacting the City of

Charlotte as indicated above. If you

wish to be placed on the mailing list to

receive further information as the

project continues contact Catondra Noye

at the Charlotte Area Transit System

(see ADDRESSES above).

II. Description of Corridor and Project

Need

The Southeast Corridor project is a

direct outgrowth of prior transit

planning activities for the region. The

2025 Integrated Transit/Land Use Plan

for Charlotte-Mecklenburg, developed in

1998, identified key centers of economic

activity and the five major

transportation corridors in the Charlotte

region. The 2025 Plan calls for

concentrating development along these

corridors and proposes a rapid transit

system as a means to support land use

initiatives to attain this vision in order

to sustain economic growth and protect

citizens’ quality of life. The 2025 Plan

identified the Southeast Corridor as a

high-priority transit corridor based on

current and future mobility needs, cost

feasibility and potential ridership.

The proposed project corridor extends

approximately 13.5 miles from Uptown

Charlotte (the center city) in

Mecklenburg County to the

Mecklenburg County border with Union

County to the south, includes portions

of the Town of Matthews and is

generally one to two miles wide.

Approximately the first 10 miles of the

corridor from Uptown is within the City

of Charlotte, while the rest of the

corridor (approximately 3.5 miles) lies

within the Town of Matthews or

unincorporated Mecklenburg County.

The corridor is primarily served by two

major thoroughfares, Independence

Boulevard (US 74) and 7th Street/

Monroe Road/John Street (State Route

1009). US 74 is a multi-lane, limited

access freeway from I–277 to Briar Creek

Road (approximately two miles). East of

Briar Creek Road US 74 is a multi-lane

divided road until I–485, where it

becomes limited access again. The

freeway portion of US 74 contains a

reversible High Occupancy Vehicle

(HOV) lane, which is currently being

used as an exclusive two-way busway

for express bus service. SR 1009 is a

multi-lane road. CSX Transportation

also owns and operates a double track

main line railroad through the corridor.

From the west (Uptown Charlotte), the

corridor includes parts of Charlotte’s

historic neighborhoods of Elizabeth,

Colonial Heights, Chantilly and

Commonwealth-Morningside. These

areas also include the main campus of

Central Piedmont Community College

and Presbyterian Hospital. East of these

neighborhoods, the corridor passes the

Independence Arena, Merchandise Mart

and Ovens Auditorium. East of

Wendover Road/Eastway Drive the

corridor contains a mix of nonVerDate 11<MAY>2000 18:17 Sep 28, 2000 Jkt 190000 PO 00000 Frm 00100 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\29SEN1.SGM pfrm01 PsN: 29SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 190 / Friday, September 29, 2000 / Notices 58603

residential uses along SR 1009 and older

retail centers along US 74 with

residential properties located behind the

retail. Further east, development along

US 74 continues to consist of shopping

centers, along with some offices and

residential (mostly apartments) fronting

the highway and residential areas

located behind the strip developments.

SR 1009 passes through office and light

industrial uses located along the CSX

railroad while there are residential areas

east of Idlewild. Near Sardis Road North

and McAlpine Creek, the Crown Point

area contains almost exclusively retail,

some office and some residential

development south of SR 1009.

Adjacent to Crown Point, the Town of

Matthews consists of mostly industrial,

warehouses, residential, some retail, a

hospital, an active compact historic

downtown, and some of the largest

tracts of undeveloped land in the

corridor.

Independence Boulevard (US 74) is

currently a divided four-lane to six-lane

highway within the study area and has

an annual average daily traffic volume

of as many as 107,000 vehicles per day

in the year 1998. This facility

experiences severe congestion and

delays throughout the day and is

considered to be one of the major

transportation problems facing this

rapidly growing region. Currently,

Independence Blvd. is rated as having

very poor mobility with a projected 50

percent increase in traffic volumes for

the year 2020. The thoroughfare plan

calls for the freeway/HOV to be

extended 1.5 miles to Albemarle Road

within the next five years. According to

the State Transportation Improvement

Plan, the freeway and possible HOV

lane may be extended the entire length

of the corridor sometime after 2005.

However, even with these roadway

improvements, a substantial portion of

this facility will still experience severe

congestion by the year 2015.

Future growth projections for the

region estimate a population increase of

57 percent and a 47 percent increase in

employment by the year 2025. Portions

of the Southeast Corridor study area are

among the fastest-growing communities

in the state.

The Charlotte Metropolitan Area has

exceeded the Environmental Protection

Agency’s 1-hour and 8-hour standard for

ozone each of the past three years.

These violations will likely result in the

County being designated as a nonattainment area for ozone, which will be

officially stated by US EPA early next

year. The primary contributor of air

pollutants in the region is mobile

emissions.

III. Alternatives

The alternatives proposed for

evaluation include: (1) No-Build, which

involves no change to transportation

service or facilities in the corridor

beyond already committed projects; (2)

a Transportation System Management

alternative, which consists of low to

medium cost improvements to the

operations of the local bus service, the

Charlotte Area Transit System, in

addition to the currently planned transit

improvements in the corridor; and (3)

multiple ‘‘Build’’ alternatives including

bus rapid transit (BRT) facilities along

the Independence Blvd. corridor and

various modes of rail service including

commuter rail and light rail transit

(LRT) generally following the existing

CSX railroad right-of-way and/or major

arterials within the study corridor. The

‘‘Build’’ alternatives may include

alternative land use scenarios to

evaluate the potential for focusing

development around transit stations.

Additional reasonable alternatives

suggested through the scoping process

may also be considered.

IV. Probable Effects

FTA and the City of Charlotte will

identify potentially significant social,

economic, and environmental impacts

associated with the alternatives

considered in the MIS. The primary

environmental issues to be considered

include potential impacts to air quality,

noise and vibration, historical and

archaeological resources, visual quality,

wetlands, natural areas, rare and

endangered species, water quality and

potential contamination sites. The

primary social and economic impacts

proposed for analysis in the MIS

include potential changes in land use

and future developments, neighborhood

and community resource impacts,

relocations and displacement impacts,

and traffic impacts throughout the

project corridor. In addition, both

beneficial and adverse impacts to

minority and low-income groups will be

evaluated. The impacts will be

evaluated both for the construction

period and for the long-term period of

operation. Potential measures to

mitigate any significant adverse impacts

will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

In accordance with the federal

transportation planning regulations (23

CFR part 450), the MIS will be prepared

to include an evaluation of the social,

economic, environmental impacts and

benefits of the alternatives. The MIS

will consider the public and agency

comments received. At the conclusion

of the MIS, the Metropolitan Transit

Commission will select the preferred

mode and general alignment alternative

for the Southeast Corridor (the LPA).

Once the LPA has been included in the

Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan

Planning Organization’s adopted longrange transportation plan, this project

and associated alignment, design, and

other options will be further studied in

the Preliminary Engineering/

Environmental Impact Statement (PE/

EIS) phase of project development.

Opportunities for agency and public

involvement will be provided

throughout the MIS and PE/EIS phases.

Dated: September 22, 2000.

Jerry Franklin,

FTA Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–24862 Filed 9–28–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement for

Transportation Improvements Within

the West Corridor, Charlotte, NC

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit

Administration (FTA), the Federal lead

agency, and the City of Charlotte, the

local lead agency, intend to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for

transportation improvements within the

proposed West Corridor in Mecklenburg

County, North Carolina. The study

corridor of approximately 12 miles

extends from Uptown Charlotte (the

center city) in Mecklenburg County to

the Catawba River that forms the border

between Mecklenburg and Gaston

Counties. There is a possibility that the

corridor may be extended an additional

16 miles to the West, to the City of

Gastonia in Gaston County.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg region is

developing an integrated land use and

supportive transit plan. Building on the

2025 Integrated Transit/ Land Use Plan

for Charlotte-Mecklenburg, four corridor

Major Investment Studies (MISs) are

being prepared for the North, Northeast

(University), Southeast (Independence),

and West (Airport) corridors. A

previously-prepared MIS for the South

Corridor resulted in a light rail transit

project for that corridor.

The EIS will be prepared following

completion of a MIS for the West