Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 7, 2005 / Notices 72871 

throughout the development of the EIS. 

In addition, a public hearing will be 

held. Public notice will be given of the 

time and place of the meetings and 

hearing. The draft EIS will be available 

for public and agency review and 

comment prior to the public hearing. 

To ensure that the full range of issues 

related to this proposed action are 

addressed and all significant issues 

identified, comments and suggestions 

are invited from all interested parties. 

Comments or questions concerning this 

proposed action and the EIS should be 

directed to the FHWA at the address 

provided above. 

(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: December 1, 2005. 

Walter Boyd, 

Field Operations Team Leader, Nashville, 

Tennessee. 

FR Doc. 05–23703 Filed 12–6–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Preparation of an Environmental 

Impact Statement for High-Capacity 

Transit Improvements in the Southern 

Corridor of Honolulu, HI 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) and the City and 

County of Honolulu, Department of 

Transportation Services (DTS) intend to 

prepare an EIS (and Alternative 

Analysis (AA)) on a proposal by the City 

and County of Honolulu to implement 

transit improvements that potentially 

include high-capacity transit service in 

a 25-mile travel corridor between 

Kapolei and the University of Hawaii at 

Manoa and Waikiki. Alternatives 

proposed to be considered in the AA 

and draft EIS include No Build, 

Transportation System Management, 

Managed Lanes, and Fixed Guideway 

Transit. Other transit alternatives may 

be identified during the scoping 

process. 

The EIS will be prepared to satisfy the 

requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy of 1969 (NEPA) 

and its implementing regulations. The 

FTA and DTS request public and 

interagency input on the purpose and 

needs to be addressed by the project, the 

alternatives to be considered, and the 

scope of the EIS for the corridor, 

including the alternatives and the 

environmental and community impacts 

to be evaluated. 

DATES: Scoping Comments Due Date: 

Written comments on the scope of the 

NEPA review, including the alternatives 

to be considered and the related impacts 

to be assessed, should be sent to DTS by 

January 9, 2006. See ADDRESSES below. 

Scoping Meetings: Meetings to accept 

comments on the proposed alternatives, 

scope of the EIS, and purpose of and 

needs to be addressed by the 

alternatives will be held on December 

13 and 14, 2005 at the locations given 

in ADDRESSES below. On December 13, 

2005, the public scoping meeting will 

begin at 5 p.m. and continue until 8 

p.m. or until all who wish to provide 

oral comments have been given the 

opportunity. The meeting on December 

14, 2005 will begin at 7 p.m. and 

continue until 9 p.m. or until all who 

wish to provide oral comments have 

been given the opportunity. The 

locations are accessible to people with 

disabilities. A court reporter will record 

oral comments. Forms will be provided 

on which to provide written comments. 

Project staff will be available at the 

meeting to informally discuss the EIS 

scope and the proposed project. 

Governmental agencies are also invited 

to a separate scoping meeting to be held 

on December 13 from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. 

Further information will be available at 

the scoping meeting and may also be 

obtained by calling (808) 566–2299, by 

downloading from http:// 

www.honolulutransit.org, or by emailing info@honolulutransit.org. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

scope of the EIS, including the 

alternatives to be considered and the 

related impacts to be assessed, should 

be sent to both the Department of 

Transportation Services, City and 

County of Honolulu, 650 South King 

Street, 3rd Floor, Honolulu, HI, 96813, 

Attention: Honolulu High-Capacity 

Transit Corridor Project, or by the 

Internet at http:// 

www.honolulutransit.org and Ms. Donna 

Turchie, Federal Transit 

Administration, Region IX, 201 Mission 

Street, Suite 2210, San Francisco, CA 

94105 or by e-mail: 

Donna.Turchie@fta.dot.gov. 

The scoping meetings will be held at 

the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Pikake 

Room, at 77 Ward Avenue on December 

13, 2005 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and at 

Kapolei Middle School Cafeteria, at 91–

5335 Kapolei Parkway on December 14, 

2005 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

FTA contact is Ms. Donna Turchie, 

Federal Transit Administration, Region 

IX, 201 Mission Street, Room 2210, San 

Francisco, CA 94105. Phone: (415) 744–

2737. Fax: (415) 744–2726. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Scoping 

The FTA and DTS invite all interested 

individuals and organizations, and 

Federal, State, and local agencies, to 

comment on the purpose and need, 

project alternatives, and scope of the 

EIS. During the scoping process, 

comments should focus on the purpose 

and need for a project, identifying 

specific transportation problems to be 

evaluated, or on proposing 

transportation alternatives that may be 

less costly, more effective, or have fewer 

environmental impacts while improving 

mobility in the corridor. At this time, 

comments should not focus on a 

preference for a particular alternative. 

The opportunity for that type of input 

will be after the release of the AA final 

report, which will compare various 

alternatives. 

Following the public scoping process, 

public outreach activities with 

interested parties or groups throughout 

the duration of work on the EIS will 

occur. The project Web site, http:// 

www.honolulutransit.org, will be 

updated periodically to reflect the status 

of the project. Additional opportunities 

for public participation will be 

announced through mailings, notices, 

advertisements, and press releases. 

Those wishing to be placed on the 

project mailing list may do so by 

registering on the Web site at http:// 

www.honolulutransit.org, or by calling 

(808) 566–2299. 

II. Description of Study Area 

The proposed project study area is the 

travel corridor between Kapolei and the 

University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH 

Manoa) and Waikiki. This narrow, 

linear corridor is confined by the 

Waianae and Koolau mountain ranges to 

the north (mauka direction) and the 

ocean to the south (makai direction). 

The corridor includes the majority of 

housing and employment on Oahu. The 

2000 census indicates that 876,200 

people live on Oahu. Of this number, 

over 552,000 people, or 63 percent, live 

within the corridor between Kapolei 

and Manoa/Waikiki. This area is 

projected to absorb 69 percent of the 

population growth projected to occur on 

Oahu between 2000 and 2030, resulting 

in an expected corridor population of 

72872 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 7, 2005 / Notices 

776,000 by 2030.Over the next twentyfive years, the Ewa/Kapolei area is 

projected to have the highest rate of 

housing and employment growth on 

Oahu. The Ewa/Kapolei area is 

developing as a ‘‘second city’’ to 

complement downtown Honolulu. The 

housing and employment growth in Ewa 

is identified in the General Plan for the 

City and County of Honolulu. 

III. Purpose and Need 

Existing transportation infrastructure 

in this corridor is overburdened 

handling current levels of travel 

demand. Travelers experience 

substantial traffic congestion and delay 

at most times of the day, both on 

weekdays and on weekends. 

Automobile and transit users on Oahu 

currently experience 42,000 daily 

vehicle-hours of delay. By 2030, this is 

projected to increase nearly seven-fold 

to 326,000 daily vehicle-hours of delay. 

Because the bus system primarily 

operates in mixed traffic, transit users 

experience the same level of delay as 

automobile drivers. Current morning 

peak-period travel times for motorists 

from Kapolei to downtown average 

between 40 and 60 minutes. By 2030 the 

travel times are projected to more than 

double. Within the urban core most 

major arterial streets will experience 

increasing peak congestion, including 

Ala Moana Boulevard, Dillingham 

Boulevard, Kalakaua Avenue, Kapiolani 

Boulevard, King Street and Nimitz 

Highway. Expansion of the roadway 

system between Kapolei and UH Manoa 

study corridor is constrained by 

physical barriers and by dense urban 

neighborhoods that abut many existing 

roadways. 

Numerous lower-income and minority 

workers live in the corridor outside of 

the urban core and commute to work in 

the primary urban center. Many of these 

workers rely on public transit because 

they are not able to afford the cost of 

vehicle ownership, operation, and 

parking. 

The intent of the proposed 

alternatives is to provide improved 

person-mobility in this highly congested 

east-west corridor. A high-capacity 

improvement project would support the 

goals of the regional transportation plan 

by serving areas designated for urban 

growth, provide an alternative to private 

automobile travel and improve linkages 

between Kapolei, Honolulu’s Urban 

Center, UH Manoa, Waikiki, and urban 

areas between these points. 

IV. Alternatives 

The alternatives proposed for 

evaluation in the AA and draft EIS were 

developed through a screening process 

that identified the best reasonable 

alternatives from the range of possible 

alternatives. At a minimum, FTA and 

DTS propose to consider the following 

alternatives: 

1. No Build Alternative, which would 

include existing transit and highway 

facilities and planned transportation 

projects to the year 2030. 

2. Transportation System 

Management (TSM) Alternative, which 

would provide an enhanced bus system 

based on a hub-and-spoke route 

network, community bus circulators, 

conversion of the present morning peak 

hour only zipper lane to both a morning 

and afternoon peak hour zipper lane 

configuration, and relatively low-cost 

capital improvements on selected 

roadway facilities to give priority to 

buses. These capital improvements may 

include: Transportation system 

upgrades such as intersection 

improvements, minor road widening, 

traffic engineering actions, bus route 

restructuring, shortened bus headways, 

expanded use of articulated buses, 

express and limited-stop service, 

signalization improvements, and timedtransfer operations. 

3. Managed Lanes Alternatives, which 

would include construction of a twolane grade-separated guideway between 

Waipahu and Downtown Honolulu for 

use by buses high-occupancy vehicles 

(HOVs), and toll-paying single-occupant 

vehicles. The lanes would be managed 

by setting the minimum occupancy for 

HOVs and the tolls for single-occupant 

vehicles at levels that would preserve 

free-flow speeds on the facility. 

4. Fixed-Guideway Alternatives, 

which would include the construction 

and operation of a fixed transit 

guideway between Kapolei and UH 

Manoa and Waikiki on one of several 

possible alignments. Alignment 

alternatives to be considered include, 

but are not limited to: 

• Kamokila Boulevard/Salt Lake 

Boulevard/King Street/Hotel Street/ 

Alakea Street/Kapiolani Boulevard 

Alignment, which would serve various 

communities and activity centers 

between Kapolei and UH Manoa, 

including UH West Oahu, Waipahu, 

Pearlridge, Aloha Stadium, Salt Lake, 

Kalihi, Downtown Honolulu, Kakaako, 

Ala Moana Center, and Moiliili. 

• North-South Road/Camp Catlin 

Road/King Street/Queen Street/ 

Kapiolani Boulevard Alignment, which 

would serve various communities and 

activity centers between Kapolei and 

UH Manoa, including UH West Oahu, 

Waipahu, Pearlridge, Aloha Stadium, 

Pearl Harbor, Honolulu International 

Airport, Salt Lake, Kalihi, Downtown 

Honolulu, Kakaako, Ala Moana Center, 

and Moiliili. 

• Ft. Weaver Road/Farrington 

Highway/Kamehameha Highway/ 

Dillingham Boulevard/Kaaahi Street/ 

Beretania Street/King Street/Kaialiu 

Street Alignment, which would serve 

various communities and activity 

centers between Kapolei and UH 

Manoa, including Kalaeloa, Ewa 

Villages, Waipahu, Pearlridge, Aloha 

Stadium, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu 

International Airport, Kalihi Kai, 

Downtown Honolulu, Thomas Square, 

and Moiliili. 

• North-South Road/Farrington 

Highway/Kamehameha Highway/ 

Airport/Dillingham Boulevard/Hotel 

Street/Kapiolani Boulevard with a 

Waikiki Spur Alignment, which would 

serve various communities and activity 

centers between Kapolei and UH 

Manoa, including Kalaeloa, UH West 

Oahu, Waipahu, Pearlridge, Aloha 

Stadium, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu 

International Airport, Kalihi Kai, 

Downtown Honolulu, Kakaako, Ala 

Moana Center, Moiliili, and Waikiki. 

After appropriate public involvement 

and interagency coordination, other 

alternatives suggested during scoping 

may be added if they are found to be 

environmentally acceptable, financially 

feasible, and consistent with the 

purpose of and need for major 

transportation improvements in the 

corridor. 

V. Probable Effects 

The EIS will evaluate and fully 

disclose the environmental 

consequences of the construction and 

operation of an expanded transit system 

on Oahu. The EIS will evaluate the 

impacts of all reasonable alternatives on 

land use, zoning, displacements, 

parklands, economic development, 

community disruptions, environmental 

justice, aesthetics, air quality, noise and 

vibration, wildlife, vegetation, 

threatened and endangered species, 

farmland, water quality, wetlands, 

waterways, floodplains, enemy, 

hazardous materials, and cultural, 

historic, and archaeological resources. 

Impacts to parklands and historic 

resources covered by Section 4(f) of the 

1966 U.S. Department of Transportation 

Act also will be addressed. 

To ensure that all significant issues 

related to this proposed action are 

identified and addressed, scoping 

comments and suggestions are invited 

from all interested parties. Comments 

and questions should be directed to the 

DTS as noted in the ADDRESSES section 

above. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 7, 2005 / Notices 72873 

VI. FTA Procedures 

The EIS is being prepared in 

accordance with: the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA), as amended, and its 

implementing regulations by the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–

1508); the FTA/Federal Highway 

Administration’s ‘‘Environmental 

Impact and Related Procedures’’

regulations (23 CFR part 771); and 

Federal transit law (49 U.S.C. 5300) and 

its implementing regulations for major 

capital improvements (49 CFR 611). In 

accordance with FTA policy, the NEPA 

process will also address the 

requirements of other applicable 

environmental laws, regulations, and 

executive orders, such as the National 

Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as 

amended, Section 4(f) of the 1966 U.S. 

Department of Transportation Act, the 

Executive Orders on Environmental 

Stewardship and Transportation 

Infrastructure Project Reviews, 

Environmental Justice, Floodplain 

Management, and Protection of 

Wetlands. 

The first step in preparation of the EIS 

will be an AA that will be consistent 

with both the requirements of NEPA for 

evaluation of a range of reasonable 

alternatives and the requirements of 

Federal transit law for consideration of 

alternatives during the development of 

major capital investment projects 

proposed for Federal funding. Upon 

completion, the AA final report will be 

available to the public and agencies for 

review and comment, and public 

hearings on the AA will be held at 

advertised locations within the study 

area. Based on the AA and public and 

agency comments received, the City and 

County of Honolulu will identify, a 

locally preferred alternative (LPA). The 

second step in preparation of the EIS 

will be the development of a Draft EIS 

to add further detail about the LPA and 

its impacts. Based on the findings in the 

Draft EIS and comments from the public 

and agencies, the City and County of 

Honolulu may decide to request that the 

LPA enter preliminary engineering (PE) 

of the LPA. FTA requires that the LPA 

be adopted and/or confirmed in the 

conforming Regional Transportation 

Plan (RTP) for Oahu as a condition for 

initiation of PE. With adoption into the 

RTP, and if the LPA meets the 

evaluation criteria identified in Federal 

law, FTA will approved the project into 

PE, which will include the 

simultaneous preparation of the Final 

EIS. 

Issued on: November 29, 2005. 

Leslie T. Rogers, 

Regional Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 05–23678 Filed 12–6–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping 

Requirements; Agency Information 

Collection Activity under OMB Review 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection abstracted below has been 

forwarded to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for review and 

approval. The nature of the information 

collection is described as well as its 

expected burden. The Federal Register 

Notice with a 60-day comment period 

soliciting comments on the following 

collection of information was published 

on September 9, 2005, and comments 

were due by November 8, 2005. No 

comments were received. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before January 6, 2006. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas Olsen, Maritime 

Administration, 400 Seventh Street, 

Southwest, Washington, DC 20590. 

Telephone: 202–366–2313; FAX: 202–

366–9580; or E-mail: 

Thomas.olsen@dot.gov. Copies of this 

collection also can be obtained from that 

office. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Maritime 

Administration (MARAD). 

Title: Determination of Fair and 

Reasonable Rates for Carriage of 

Agriculture Cargoes on U.S.-flag 

Commercial Vessels. 

Omb Control Number: 2133–0514. 

Type Of Request: Extension of 

currently approved collection. 

Affected Public: U.S. citizens who 

own and operate U.S.-flag vessels. 

Forms: MA–1025, MA–1026 and MA–

172. 

Abstract: This collection of 

information requires U.S.-flag operators 

to submit annual vessel operating costs 

and capital costs data to MARAD 

officials. The information is used by 

MARAD in determining fair and 

reasonable guideline rates for the 

carriage of preference cargoes on U.S.- 

flag vessels. In addition, U.S.-flag vessel 

operators are required to submit Post 

Voyage Reports to MARAD after 

completion of a cargo preference 

voyage. 

Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 740 

hours. 

Addressee: Send comments to the 

Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, 725 17th Street, Northwest, 

Washington, DC 20503, Attention 

MARAD Desk Officer. 

Comments are invited on: Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed information collection; ways 

to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

A comment to OMB is best assured of 

having its full effect if OMB receives it 

within 30 days of publication. 

Authority: 49 CFR 1.66. 

Issued in Washington, DC on November 30, 

2005. 

Joel C. Richard, 

Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. E5–6918 Filed 12–6–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping 

Requirements; Agency Information 

Collection Activity Under OMB Review 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection abstracted below has been 

forwarded to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for review and 

approval. The nature of the information 

collection is described as well as its 

expected burden. The Federal Register 

Notice with a 60-day comment period 

soliciting comments on the following 

collection of information was published 

on August 29, 2005, and comments were 

due by October 28, 2005. No comments 

were received. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before January 6, 2006.