53682 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 16, 2008 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Early Scoping Notice for an 

Alternatives Analysis of Proposed 

Transit Improvements in the Harbor 

Subdivision Transit Corridor of Los 

Angeles, CA 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

DOT. 

ACTION: Early Scoping Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) and the Los 

Angeles County Metropolitan 

Transportation Authority (LACMTA) 

issue this early scoping notice to advise 

other agencies and the public that they 

intend to explore, in the context of the 

Council on Environmental Quality’s 

early scoping process, methods of 

improving transit capacity and service 

in the Harbor Subdivision Transit 

Corridor of Los Angeles, California. The 

early scoping process is part of a 

planning Alternatives Analysis (AA) 

required by Title 49 United States Code 

(U.S.C.) § 5309, that will lead to the 

selection of the alternatives that will be 

subject to the appropriate 

environmental process. Early scoping 

meetings have been planned and are 

announced below. 

The Harbor Subdivision Transit 

Corridor is approximately 35 miles in 

length and includes; 26.36 miles of the 

Harbor Subdivision that is owned by 

LACMTA (BNSF Railway currently has 

some freight operations on the ROW), 

approximately 2.5 miles to the north of 

the LACMTA-owned portion right-ofway that would provide the connection 

to downtown Los Angeles, and 

approximately 3.5–6 miles south of the 

LACMTA-owned portion of the right-ofway that would provide a possible 

connection to the Metro Harbor 

Transitway, Metro Blue Line, Port of Los 

Angeles Waterfront Red Car Line or any 

other destinations or transit facilities 

that would attract potential ridership. 

The Metro-owned Harbor Subdivision 

Line extends 26.36 miles from Harbor 

Junction at the north, near downtown 

Los Angeles just east of the intersection 

of Washington Boulevard and Santa Fe 

Avenue and Watson Yard at the south, 

in Wilmington just east of Pacific Coast 

Highway (U.S. Highway 1) and Alameda 

Street. The Harbor Subdivision connects 

or runs adjacent to major destinations 

and transportation hubs including Los 

Angeles International Airport (LAX), 

Metro Blue Line, Harbor Transitway and 

the Port of Los Angeles. The Corridor 

traverses twelve jurisdictions including 

the cities of Los Angeles, Vernon, 

Huntington Park, Inglewood, El 

Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale, 

Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, 

Torrance, Carson and the County of Los 

Angeles. As it passes through these 

communities, it traverses residential 

neighborhoods, commercial and 

warehousing districts and industrial 

areas including oil fields and refineries. 

LAX lies to the west of the rail line 

along Aviation Boulevard near Century 

Boulevard. 

The conclusion of the planning 

Alternatives Analysis is expected to be 

the selection of a set of alternatives by 

the LACMTA and the Southern 

California Association of Governments 

(SCAG), which is the official 

metropolitan planning organization for 

Los Angeles. The set of alternatives will 

then be the ‘‘proposed action’’ that are 

subject to an appropriate environmental 

review under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). If the 

selected set of alternatives would have 

significant impacts, an environmental 

impact statement (EIS), combined with 

a California environmental impact 

report (EIR) would be initiated with a 

Notice of Intent in the Federal Register 

and distribution of a Notice of 

Preparation (NOP) required under the 

California Environmental Quality Act 

(CEQA). Public and agency scoping of 

the EIS/EIR would be conducted at that 

time. In particular, the purpose and 

need for the project, the range of 

alternatives to be considered in the EIS/ 

EIR, the environmental and community 

impacts to be evaluated, and the 

methodologies to be used, would be 

subject to public and interagency review 

and comment, in accordance with 23 

U.S.C. 139 and CEQA. 

DATES: Written comments on the scope 

of the planning Alternatives Analysis, 

including the alternatives to be 

considered and the impacts to be 

assessed, should be sent to LACMTA at 

the address below by October 9, 2008. 

See ADDRESSES below for the address to 

which written public comments may be 

sent. Early scoping meetings to accept 

comments on the scope of the 

Alternatives Analysis will be held on 

the following dates: 

• Tuesday, September 23, 2008, from 

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Torrance Cultural 

Arts Center, Nakano Theater, 3330 Civic 

Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503. 

• Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 

from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Banning’s 

Landing Community Center, Gertrude 

#2 Room, 100 E. Water Street, 

Wilmington, CA 90748. 

• Thursday, September 25, 2008, 

from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Westside Park 

Community Center, 2061 E. Gage 

Avenue, Huntington Park, CA 90255. 

• Tuesday, September 30, 2008, from 

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. El Segundo Public 

Library, Friends of the Library Meeting 

Room, 111 W. Mariposa Avenue, El 

Segundo, CA 90245. 

The draft purpose and need for the 

project and the initial set of alternatives 

proposed for study will be presented at 

these meetings. The buildings and 

facilities used for the scoping meetings 

are accessible to persons with 

disabilities. Any individual who 

requires special assistance, such as a 

sign language interpreter, to participate 

in scoping should contact Ms. Devon 

Cichoski, LACMTA at 213–922–6446 or 

CICHOSKID@metro.net. 

Scoping materials will be available at 

the meetings and are also available on 

the LACMTA Web site at http:// 

www.metro.net/harborsubdivision. Hard 

copies of the scoping materials are 

available from Ms. Devon Cichoski, 

LACMTA at 213–922–6446 or 

CICHOSKID@metro.net. 

An interagency scoping meeting will 

be held on Tuesday, September 30, 

2008, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at 

LACMTA, One Gateway Plaza, 3rd Floor 

Union Station Conference Room, Los 

Angeles, CA 90012. Representatives of 

Native American tribal governments and 

of all Federal, State and local agencies 

that may have an interest in any aspect 

of the project will be invited by phone, 

letter or e-mail. 

It should be noted that, in addition to 

the early scoping meetings described 

herein, the agency and scoping meetings 

required under NEPA and CEQA to 

identify the nature and scope of 

environmental issues that should be 

addressed in the EIS/EIR will be held 

following the selection of alternatives to 

go through the environmental process 

and issuance of the NOI and NOP. The 

dates and locations for the EIS/EIR 

scoping meetings will be announced at 

that time and will be included in the 

NOI and NOP, which will be distributed 

in the same manner as this Early 

Scoping Notice. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this 

Early Scoping Notice should be sent to 

Ms. Kathleen McCune, Project Manager, 

Los Angeles County Metropolitan 

Transportation Authority, One Gateway 

Plaza MS 99–22–3, Los Angeles, CA 

90012, phone 213–922–7241, e-mail 

MCCUNEK@metro.net. The locations of 

the early scoping meetings are given 

above under DATES. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Ray Tellis, Team Leader, Los Angeles 

Metropolitan Office, Federal Transit 

Administration, 888 South Figueroa 

Street, Suite 1850, Los Angeles, CA 


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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 16, 2008 / Notices 53683 

90017, phone 213–202–3950, e-mail 

ray.tellis@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Early Scoping 

The FTA and LACMTA invite all 

interested individuals and 

organizations, public agencies, and 

Native American tribes to comment on 

the scope of the planning Alternatives 

Analysis, including the purpose and 

need for transit improvements in the 

corridor, the alternatives to be 

considered, and the types of impacts to 

be evaluated. Comments at this time 

should focus on the purpose and need 

for transit improvements in the corridor; 

alternatives that may be less costly or 

have less environmental impact while 

achieving similar transportation 

objectives; and, the identification of any 

significant social, economic, or 

environmental issues that should be 

considered in developing the 

alternatives. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The Harbor Subdivision project is 

expected to serve multiple 

transportation markets and address 

unmet mobility needs throughout Los 

Angeles County. Purposes of the project 

and needs of the community include: 

• Improve mobility in southwestern 

Los Angeles County by introducing 

reliable, high-frequency transit service 

options. 

• Enhance the regional transit 

network by interconnecting existing and 

planned rapid transit lines. 

• Provide an alternative mode of 

transportation for commuters who 

currently use the congested I–405 and 

I–110 corridors. 

• Encourage denser, transit-oriented 

development and land use policies 

around station areas. 

• Improve transit accessibility for 

residents of underserved communities 

along the corridor. 

• Encourage a mode shift to transit, 

reducing air pollution and greenhouse 

gas emissions. 

Alternatives 

A broad range of alternatives are being 

considered including various transit 

technologies, corridor alignments, 

configurations and operations, station 

types and locations, and Transportation 

Systems Management (TSM) 

improvements. In addition to these 

various types of actions, the 

implications of taking no action (i.e., the 

‘‘no build’’ alternative) will be 

considered in the analysis. The 

following summarizes the general types 

of alternatives to be considered in the 

analysis, understanding that a broad 

variety of possible alternatives, and 

combinations thereof, will be initially 

identified and then undergo evaluation 

to define the alternatives for 

advancement to the environmental 

process. Further description of this 

process is provided below under FTA 

Procedures. 

Alternative Technologies could 

include proven transportation systems 

such as the following: Bus Rapid Transit 

(BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), Electric 

Multiple Unit (EMU), Diesel Multiple 

Unit (DMU) in which service must 

conform to Metro’s Clean Fuel Policies, 

and Commuter Rail. In every case 

service would be along a portion or all 

of the Harbor Subdivision corridor. 

Alignment alternatives will generally 

follow the Harbor Subdivision corridor 

as much as possible. Other routings will 

also be examined as part of the planning 

Alternatives Analysis using a 

comparative methodology to evaluate 

their feasibility. Potential alignment and 

improvement options outside the 

immediate Harbor Subdivision corridor 

that will be studied in the planning 

Alternatives Analysis include a 

Northern Terminus option where the 

Harbor Subdivision’s northern terminus 

is approximately 2.5 miles south of 

downtown Los Angeles. Consideration 

will be given for connections to 

Metrolink, Metro Gold, Red and Purple 

Lines at Los Angeles Union Station, or 

the Metro Blue, Red, Purple and Expo 

Lines in the downtown area, a Southern 

Terminus option where the southern 

terminus of the Harbor Subdivision 

ends in Watson Yard in Wilmington just 

north of the Port of Los Angeles. 

Analysis of alternatives will consider 

the most logical location for a southern 

terminus. Consideration will be given as 

to whether it should connect to the 

existing Metro Blue Line, Harbor 

Transitway, Downtown Torrance area, 

Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Red Car 

Line, or some other transit facility or 

destination, and a Phased Segment 

option where the Harbor Subdivision is 

over 26 miles in length, so shorter 

alignment and modal alternatives will 

be considered in discrete segments that 

can operate as cost-effective stand alone 

projects. As part of the examination of 

discrete segments of the Harbor 

Subdivision, connections with the 

Crenshaw Transit Corridor, LAX and 

potential Metro Blue or Green Line 

interfaces will be evaluated. Rail & Bus 

Division Support Facilities where each 

modal alternative will require storage 

and maintenance facilities that can 

efficiently service the project. Locations 

and alternatives for such facilities will 

be identified in order that fair 

comparisons can be made. Station 

alternatives will include variations in 

the number, interval distance, location, 

design including whether above ground 

or below ground and whether standalone or integrated as part of another 

use, and operational characteristics. 

Future No-Build Alternative—The 

study will consider the transportation 

and environmental effects if no new 

major transit investments beyond those 

that have already been environmentally 

cleared or are implemented in this 

corridor. This alternative will include 

the highway and transit projects in the 

current Metro Long Range 

Transportation Plan and the 2008 

Southern California Association of 

Governments Regional Transportation 

Plan through 2030. For purposes of the 

Alternatives Analysis, the major fixed 

guideway investments under study for 

the Exposition Transit Corridor Phase 2 

and Crenshaw Transit Corridor projects 

would not be included in the Future NoBuild Alternative. The completion of 

the Metro Rapid Bus Program would be 

included as well as possible additional 

feeder bus networks to serve the region’s 

major activity centers. 

Transportation System Management 

(TSM) Alternative—The study will 

consider the effects of modest 

improvements in the highway and 

transit systems beyond those in the 

Future No-Build Alternative. The TSM 

Alternative would evaluate low-cost 

enhancements to the Future No-Build 

Alternative and would emphasize 

transportation system upgrades such as 

intersection improvements, minor road 

widening, traffic engineering actions, 

bus route restructuring, shortened bus 

headways, expanded use of articulated 

buses, reserved bus lanes, contra-flow 

lanes for buses and High Occupancy 

Vehicles (HOVs) on freeways, special 

bus ramps on freeways, expanded 

park/ride facilities, express and limitedstop service, signalization 

improvements, and timed-transfer 

operations. 

In addition to the alternatives 

described above, other reasonable 

alternatives identified through the early 

scoping process will be considered for 

potential inclusion in the planning 

Alternatives Analysis. Alternative 

modes, vertical or horizontal 

alignments, or station locations may 

emerge from the early scoping process. 

FTA Procedures 

Early scoping is an optional element 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) process that is particularly 

useful in situations where, as here, a 

proposed action (the locally preferred 

alternative) has not been identified and 


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53684 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 16, 2008 / Notices 

alternative modes and major alignment 

variations are under consideration in a 

broadly-defined corridor. While NEPA 

scoping normally follows issuance of a 

notice of intent, which describes the 

proposed action, it ‘‘may be initiated 

earlier, as long as there is appropriate 

public notice and enough information 

available on the proposal so that the 

public and relevant agencies can 

participate effectively.’’ See the Council 

on Environmental Quality’s ‘‘Forty Most 

Asked Questions Concerning CEQ’s 

National Environmental Policy Act 

Regulations,’’ 46 FR 18026, 18030 

(1981). In this case, the available 

information is more than adequate to 

permit the public and relevant agencies 

to participate effectively in early 

scoping and the planning Alternatives 

Analysis. 

LACMTA may seek New Starts 

funding for the proposed project under 

49 U.S.C. § 5309 and will, therefore, be 

subject to New Starts regulation (49 

Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] part 

611). The New Starts regulation requires 

a planning Alternatives Analysis that 

leads to the selection of a Locally 

Preferred Alternative by LACMTA and 

the inclusion of the locally preferred 

alternative in the long-range 

transportation plan adopted by the 

Southern California Association of 

Governments. The planning 

Alternatives Analysis will examine 

alignments, technologies, station 

locations, costs, funding, ridership, 

economic development, land use, 

engineering feasibility, and 

environmental factors in the corridor. 

The New Starts regulation also requires 

the submission of certain projectjustification information in support of a 

request to initiate preliminary 

engineering. After the identification of a 

proposed action at the conclusion of the 

planning Alternatives Analysis, if 

preparation of an environmental impact 

statement is warranted, a NOI will be 

published in the Federal Register and 

the scoping of the EIS/EIR will be 

completed by soliciting and considering 

comments on the purpose and need for 

the proposed action, the range of 

alternatives to be considered in the 

EIS/EIR, and the potentially significant 

environmental and community impacts 

to be evaluated in the EIS/EIR. 

Concurrent with publication of the 

NOI pursuant to NEPA, a NOP will be 

distributed pursuant to CEQA. In 

conjunction with this final scoping of 

the EIS/EIR and consistent with 

provisions of 23 U.S.C. 139 and CEQA, 

invitations will be extended to other 

Federal and non-Federal agencies that 

may have an interest in this matter to be 

participating agencies. A plan for 

coordinating public and agency 

participation in the environmental 

review process and for commenting on 

the issues under consideration at 

various milestones of the process will be 

prepared and posted on the LACMTA 

Web site at http://www.metro.net/ 

harborsubdivision. 

Issued on: September 9, 2008. 

Leslie T. Rogers, 

Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal 

Transit Administration. 

[FR Doc. E8–21615 Filed 9–15–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 


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