[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 7 (Thursday, January 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1364-1365]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-89]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on 
the Jacksonville, Florida Rapid Transit System

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration, in cooperation with 
Jacksonville (Florida) Transportation Authority, is planning to prepare 
a programmatic environmental impact statement for the proposed 
expansion of and improvements to the Jacksonville Rapid Transit System, 
a busway serving the greater Jacksonville area. The programmatic 
environmental impact statement will be prepared in accordance with 
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, as 
supplemented by the joint Federal Transit Administration--Federal 
Highway Administration National Environmental Policy Act procedures. 
The purpose of this notice of intent is to alert interested parties 
regarding the plan to prepare the programmatic environmental impact 
statement, to provide information on the nature of the proposed transit 
program, to invite public participation in the impact statement 
process, including comments on this notice, and to announce that public 
scoping meetings will be conducted.

DATES: Written comments on this notice, including the scope of study 
and impacts to be considered, should be sent to Ms. Suraya Teeple, 
Senior

[[Page 1365]]

Transportation Planner, by February 1, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this notice should be sent to Ms. Suraya 
Teeple, Senior Transportation Planner, Jacksonville Transportation 
Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, Florida 32202.
    Public scoping meetings will be held at the following dates, times, 
and locations.

Monday, January 29, 2007, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Northwest Library, 1755 
Edgewood Avenue West, Jacksonville, Florida 32208.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. FCCJ Deerwood Center, 
9911 Old Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32256.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Regency Square 
Library, 9900 Regency Square Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida 32225.
Thursday, February 1, 2007, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. FCCJ Kent Campus, 3939 
Roosevelt Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida 32205.

    Individuals who may require special accommodations should contact 
Ms. Winova Hart, Project Coordinator, Jacksonville Transportation 
Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, Florida, 32203 
(Telephone (904) 630-3185) at least 48 hours in advance of a meeting in 
order for Jacksonville Transportation Authority to make the necessary 
arrangements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tajsha LaShore, Transportation 
Program Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, Atlanta Regional 
Office at (404) 562-3506.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Program: The proposed program 
grew out of a 1998 study of the Rapid Transit System, a busway serving 
the greater Jacksonville area, which has been funded in part by a one-
half cent sales tax approved in 2000. The Rapid Transit System's 
proposed alignments are located in major corridors--the North corridor, 
extending from the Jacksonville central business district (CBD) north 
to Norwood Avenue; the East corridor, extending from the CBD east to 
Regency Square Mall; the Southeast corridor, extending from the CBD 
southeast to Baymeadows Road; and the Southwest corridor, extending 
from the CBD southwest to 103rd Street/Timuquana Road--that serve and 
connect employment centers and residential areas. A full description of 
the system, complete with maps, may be obtained upon request, and will 
be available at each public scoping meeting. Additional information on 
the Regional Transit System can also be found on the Jacksonville 
Transportation Authority Web site at http://www.jtafla.org. The 
proposed program is consistent with the approved Long Range 
Transportation Plan of the First Coast Metropolitan Planning 
Organization. The objective of this programmatic--also known as Tier 
1--impact statement process is to settle on alignments within system 
corridors to enable right-of-way acquisition to proceed, thereby 
avoiding additional delays that would serve to increase the overall 
cost of the program.
    Purposes of and Need for the Proposed Program: Recent studies of 
the corridors to be served by the proposed program revealed the need 
for transportation improvements, including a wider range of mobility 
options, to meet increasing travel demand within and through the 
corridors. Transit service delivery options are undergoing major 
changes in the greater Jacksonville area in response to changing 
demographics. Jacksonville is geographically expansive, with multiple 
employment centers both downtown and in suburban areas. Additionally, 
Jacksonville has an increasingly elderly population occurring naturally 
with long term residents and with in-migration from other States and 
south Florida. Jacksonville also has experienced increases in suburban 
employment centers and increases in downtown residential development 
along with continued suburban residential development. Regional Transit 
System improvements are designed to accommodate these changing 
circumstances.
    Alternatives: By and large, the proposed program is substantially 
identical to a locally preferred alternative that was adopted in 2005 
at the conclusion of alternatives analysis studies. This programmatic 
impact statement process will examine the transit system as a whole 
with a view toward settling on alignments within the four corridors 
identified above. Refinements to various alignments will be explored. 
These refinements will be developed in consultation with State and 
local agencies and the surrounding community in the context of the 
programmatic impact statement. The intent of the refinements is to stay 
generally within the original corridor while seeking to enhance 
ridership potential, reduce costs where feasible, and mitigate adverse 
environmental impacts. Major components of the entire system will be 
phased in over time. A site-specific environmental process will be 
undertaken for each component.
    For this programmatic examination, the only other alternative 
currently under consideration is a no-build alternative. The no-build 
alternative serves as the baseline against which environmental effects 
of other alternatives, including the proposed program, may be measured.
    The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Process and the 
Role of the Public: The purpose of the programmatic impact statement 
process is to explore in a public setting potentially significant 
effects of implementing the proposed program, particularly as it 
relates to alignment options within the system, on the physical, human, 
and natural environment. Areas of investigation include, but are not 
limited to, land use, development potential, land acquisition and 
displacements, historic resources, visual and aesthetic qualities, air 
quality, noise and vibration, energy use, safety and security, and 
ecosystems, including threatened and endangered species. Measures to 
avoid, minimize, or mitigate any significant adverse impacts will be 
identified.
    Regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), as well as provisions of the joint Federal Transit 
Administration--Federal Highway Administration National Environmental 
Policy Act procedures, call for public involvement in the impact 
statement process. The scoping meetings announced above are designed to 
provide the public with the most meaningful opportunity to participate 
knowledgeably in this process.
    Comments in response to this notice on potentially significant 
environmental impacts that may be associated with the proposed program 
are welcomed. There will be additional opportunities to comment in the 
scoping process at the public meetings announced above.

    Issued on: January, 5, 2007.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region 4.
[FR Doc. 07-89 Filed 1-10-07; 8:45 am]
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