[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 246 (Friday, December 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66007-66009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-31526]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement on a Transit 
Connection Between the 6400 West Light Rail Station and South Jordan in 
Metropolitan Salt Lake City, UT

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with 
the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) and Utah Transit Authority 
(UTA), is issuing this notice to advise interested agencies and the 
public that, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for a 
transit connection from the North-South Light Rail (TRAX) Station at 
6400 West, extending westward along, or near, an existing rail corridor 
to a logical terminus in the city of South Jordan. The need for the 
proposed

[[Page 66008]]

transportation project was identified in the South Salt Lake County 
``Transit Corridors Analysis'' completed in December 2000. In addition 
to the rail transit alternatives from the ``Transit Corridors 
Analysis,'' the No-Build Alternative and any new alternatives generated 
through the scoping process will be evaluated. Scoping will be 
accomplished through coordination with interested persons, 
organizations, and federal, state, and local agencies. FTA is serving 
as the federal lead agency for the project in anticipation of a grant 
application from UTA for its construction. Based on the results of the 
scoping process, FTA will establish the scope of the environmental 
review under NEPA, including the identification of environmental issues 
and effects to be addressed and the reasonable alternatives to be 
retained for detailed evaluation.

DATES: Interagency and public scoping and information meetings will be 
held on the following dates at the locations indicated:
    Interagency Scoping Meeting: Wednesday, January 9, 2002 from 2:00 
p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Wasatch Front Regional Council, 295 North 
Jimmy Doolittle Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84116.
    Public Scoping Meeting No. 1: Wednesday, January 9, 2002 from 5:00 
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Utah Transit Authority Board Room, located at 
3600 South 700 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84119-0810.
    Public Scoping Meetings No. 2: Saturday January 12, 2002 from 9:00 
a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the West Jordan City Hall, located at 8000 South 
Redwood Road, West Jordan, UT 84088.
    Written comments on the scope of the environmental study should be 
sent by January 28, 2002, to Barry Banks, Project Manager, Wasatch 
Front Regional Council, 295 North Jimmy Doolittle Road, Salt Lake City, 
UT 84116.

ADDRESSES: The addresses where scoping meeting will be held and where 
comments on the scope of the study may be sent, appear above in the 
DATES section. A Scoping Booklet is available from Barry Banks, Project 
Manager, Wasatch Front Regional Council, 295 North Jimmy Doolittle 
Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84116 or by calling the project information 
line at (801)-904-4127.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don Cover, Federal Transit 
Administration, 216 16th Street, Suite 650, Denver, Colorado 80202; 
telephone (303) 844-3242.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The WFRC and UTA will hold interagency and public scoping meetings 
as presented in the DATES section above. At these meetings, WFRC and 
UTA will present the results of the ``Transit Corridors Analysis'' and 
the alternatives proposed for detailed evaluation in the EIS. At the 
public meetings, interested persons will have an opportunity to speak 
individually with a WFRC or UTA representative. In addition, a WFRC or 
UTA person will be available to receive written and record verbal 
comments on the scope of the NEPA review. All scoping meeting locations 
are accessible to persons with disabilities. Individuals who require 
special accommodations, such as a sign language interpreter, to 
participate in the meeting should contact Ms. Sherry L. Repscher, ADA 
Compliance Officer, Utah Transit Authority, 3600 South 700 West, Salt 
Lake City, UT 84119-0810 or by telephone at (801) 262-5626 or TDD at 
(801)-287-4657. Interested individuals, organizations, and public 
agencies are invited to attend the scoping meetings and participate in 
identifying any important environmental impact issues related to the 
proposed alternatives and suggesting alternatives which would be more 
economical or would have less environmental impact while achieving 
similar transportation objectives. An information packet, referred to 
as the Scoping Booklet, will be distributed to all public agencies and 
interested individuals and will be available at the meetings. Others 
may request the Scoping Booklet by contacting Barry Banks at the 
address listed above in ADDRESSES. Anyone wishing to be placed on the 
project mailing list to receive meeting notices and further information 
as the project develops should also contact Barry Banks at the address 
listed in ADDRESSES or call the project information line (801) 904-
4127. Comments during the scoping period should focus on identifying 
the social, economic, and environmental concerns associated with the 
proposed action, and alternatives that deserve consideration, and not 
on a preference for a particular alternative. Comments regarding 
preference for a particular alternative may be submitted during 
subsequent public meetings or at a hearing on the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement, when it is published. Scoping comments may be made at 
the scoping meetings or may be directed in writing to Barry Banks, 
Project Manager, at the address given in ADDRESSES.

II. Description of the Project Area and Transportation Need

    The UTA North-South TRAX system that now includes the extension 
from the Salt Lake City Central Business District (CBD) to the 
University of Utah provides the spine for an expanded Light Rail 
Transit (LRT) system to serve more communities in Salt Lake County. 
Recent passage of a \1/4\ cent regional sales tax increase indicates 
broad public support for expansion and improvement of transit services 
throughout Salt Lake, Davis and Weber Counties. Expanded and improved 
bus service and extensions of the existing LRT system have been studied 
for several years by WFRC and UTA, and the Mid-Jordan Transit Corridor 
has been identified as a high priority for the proposed LRT extension.
    In December 2000, a ``Transit Corridor Analysis'' evaluated 
alternatives for transit improvements in the existing rail corridor 
extending from the North-South Light Rail (TRAX) line westward through 
the cities of Midvale and West Jordan. This analysis identified 
significant and growing demand for transit service in this corridor and 
concluded that implementation of rail transit in this corridor held 
advantages over other alternatives. A copy of the ``Transit Corridor 
Analysis'' (executive summary) is available for review by contacting 
Barry Banks, Project Manager, as previously presented, or on the 
Internet at www.wfrc.org. The proposed alternative emerging from this 
study was the extension of rail service, using either LRT or ``diesel 
multiple unit'' (DMU) technology, to the Salt Lake City Community 
College in West Jordan. The proposed alignment crosses Interstate 
Highway 15 and the Union Pacific mainline on existing structures and 
would connect several major trip generators in Midvale and West Jordan 
with TRAX. Since completion of this analysis in December 2000, 
Kennecott Development Corporation has announced a major planned 
residential community called ``Sunrise'' in South Jordan. The proposed 
project would extend westward to include service to this community, so 
the City of South Jordan is included within the study area boundary.
    The Mid-Jordan Transit Corridor Project is included in Phase I 
(2002-2012) of the Wasatch Front Regional Council's 2030 regional Long-
Range Transportation Plan, which is expected to be approved by spring 
of 2002. The proposed project will be coordinated with on-going efforts 
to preserve a Western Transportation Corridor (WTC) in Salt Lake 
County. The WTC has been

[[Page 66009]]

identified as a north-south, multi-modal corridor; located at 
approximately 5800 West. The regional Long-Range Transportation Plan 
calls for corridor preservation, construction of highway facilities and 
improved transit service in the WTC.

III. Alternatives To Be Studied

    A feasibility analysis was conducted as part of the South Salt Lake 
County Transit Corridors Analysis. During scoping, the alternatives, 
findings and issues covered in the earlier studies will be reviewed and 
will be either affirmed or, if necessary, reconsidered in detail during 
the NEPA process.
    The alternatives expected to be considered in detail in the EIS 
include:
    <bullet> A ``no-build'' alternative: This alternative represents no 
change in transportation services or facilities in the corridor beyond 
already committed projects. Committed projects include those transit 
improvements defined in the transportation agencies' Long-Range 
Transportation Plans and Transit Development Plans for which funding 
has been committed.
    <bullet> Transportation Systems Management Alternative: This 
alternative consists of low-cost infrastructure and bus transit 
improvements, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) improvements, 
improvements in bus routes and operations, and other transportation 
systems management improvements.
    <bullet> Rail Transit Alternatives: These alternatives represent 
the construction of a rail transit system using either LRT (electric 
powered from overhead wires) or DMU (diesel powered by on-board motors) 
technology. The eastern terminus of the project would be the North-
South (TRAX) LRT Line at the 6400 South Station. Opportunities for 
interlining with the existing (TRAX) system will be explored for the 
LRT alternative. The rail alternatives would also include all 
facilities associated with the construction and operations of a rail 
transit line, including right of way, structures, track, stations, 
park-and-ride lots, storage and maintenance facilities, and the 
respective rail and bus operating plans.

IV. Probable Effects

    The EIS will be prepared in accordance with NEPA and its 
implementing regulations including those of the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), 
and the FTA regulation on environmental procedures shared with the 
Federal Highway Administration (23 CFR part 771). The EIS will evaluate 
the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. 
Primary concerns to be addressed include: Safety at grade crossings, 
site contamination in railroad rights-of-way, property effects 
including business disruptions and relocation, impacts on local traffic 
and travel patterns, noise and vibration impacts, land use impacts, 
wetland impacts, and aesthetic/visual impacts. The cumulative impacts 
of the project together with other reasonably foreseeable actions and 
activities will be addressed.

V. FTA New Starts Procedures

    Following public review of the Draft EIS, the UTA will request FTA 
approval to initiate Preliminary Engineering, in accordance with the 
FTA New Starts regulation (49 CFR part 611). FTA will consider the 
merits of the project at that time, in comparison with other projects 
across the nation competing for New Starts funding, and either 
recommend or not recommend that the preferred alternative advance into 
Preliminary Engineering, which would include the preparation of the 
Final EIS.

    Issued on: December 12, 2001.
Lee O. Waddleton,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration.
[FR Doc. 01-31526 Filed 12-20-01; 8:45 am]
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