Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 181 / Tuesday, September 18, 2001 / Notices 48159
December 24 through the first Saturday Transportation System Management impacts to be evaluated; and suggesting in January (14 CFR 93.227(l)). This alternative defined as low cost, alternative options that are less costly or provision, in addition to the limited operationally oriented improvements to have fewer environmental impacts extension of the usage policy to address the transportation problems in while achieving similar transportation accommodate the summer scheduling the corridor; and a Bus Rapid Transit objectives. An Expanded Environmental season, provides carriers with adequate (BRT) system along existing roadway Notification Form (ENF) dated July 26, time to adjust their operations if rights-of-way and other rights-of-way 2001 prepared in accordance with the necessary. The FAA also notes that owned by the MBTA and local provisions of the Massachusetts carriers, who may experience usage jurisdictions. Scoping will be Environmental Policy Act 301 CMR issues for the September/October or accomplished through meetings and 11.00 is being circulated to all Federal, November/December reporting period correspondence with interested persons, state, and local agencies having may utilize the provisions of the buy- organizations, the general public, jurisdiction in the Project. Other sell rule to make slots available to other Federal, State and local agencies. interested parties may request this operators through the transfer process. DATES: Comment Due Date: Written document by contacting Fran Dowling In the past when circumstances comments on the scope of alternatives at (978) 371–4221 or by email to dictated that relief of general and impacts to be considered should be [email protected] applicability from the slot usage sent to the MBTA by October 30, 2001. II. Description of the Study Area and requirement was necessary, the agency See ADDRESSES below. Scoping Meeting: Transportation Needs has waived the slot usage requirement A joint FTA and MBTA public scoping The Urban Ring Project is an initiative for all carriers at certain High Density meeting will be held on Wednesday, of the MBTA to improve the regional Traffic Airports. The FAA advises that October 3, 2001, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., transportation system in Greater Boston. the recent events in the New York and Massachusetts Transportation Building, The roughly circular Urban Ring Washington, DC areas, which resulted 10 Park Plaza, Second Floor, Conference Corridor (hereafter known as the in the temporary cessation of all Rooms 2 and 3, Boston, MA 02116. Corridor) includes portions of Chelsea, commercial air service in the United People with special needs should Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, States, warrant similar consideration. contact Claire Barrett by calling (617) Brookline and Boston. Approximately Consequently, the agency currently is 492–4996 for information and considering the appropriate relief and 15 miles long and one mile wide, the arrangements. The building is accessible Corridor is growing faster than the will publish such policy in the Federal to people with disabilities. It is located Register in the near future. regional average and will contain over near MBTA Bus Routes #43 and #55, the 314,000 residents and over 360,000 jobs Issued in Washington, DC on September Boylston Station stop on the Green Line, by the year 2025. 13, 2001. and the New England Medical Center The Corridor has been the subject of David G. Leitch, stop on the Orange Line. Copies of the many past transportation studies that Chief Counsel. Expanded Environmental Notification have focused on several critical [FR Doc. 01–23287 Filed 9–14–01; 11:24 am] Form (ENF), including the Executive transportation needs. These studies, BILLING CODE 4910–13–P Summary of the Major Investment Study which span nearly 40 years, have (MIS) will be available at the meeting. identified solutions ranging from a A presentation of the project will be highway to a new circumferential rail DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION made and comments solicited. See transit line and new bus routes ADDRESSES below. augmented by low-cost traffic Federal Transit Administration ADDRESSES: Written comments on the engineering improvements. scope of the analysis and impacts to be Every MBTA commuter rail, heavy Environmental Impact Statement on considered should be sent to Mr. Peter and light rail transit line, the Silver Line the Urban Ring Project Phase II, C. Calcaterra, Project Manager, (currently under construction) as well as Located in Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Massachusetts Bay Transportation over half of all MBTA bus routes, Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline, Authority, 10 Park Plaza, Room 5750, currently cross the Corridor, yet Massachusetts Boston, MA 02116. A scoping meeting directness of transit travel along the AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration will be held at the following location: Corridor today remains poor. Transit (FTA), DOT. Massachusetts Transportation Building, trips to and from the Corridor require ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Conference Rooms 2 and 3, 10 Park twice as many transfers as the average Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts. for the metropolitan region, and transit See DATES above. trips travel at an average speed of less SUMMARY: The Federal Transit FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. than 8 miles per hour compared to a Administration (FTA) and the Richard H. Doyle, Regional regional average of over 15 miles per Massachusetts Bay Transportation Administrator, Federal Transit hour. This poor performance is largely Authority (MBTA) intend to prepare an Administration Region 1, 55 Broadway, due to the indirect routing that transit Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Cambridge, MA 02142, Telephone: (617) travelers must currently use for cross- for Phase II of the Urban Ring Project 494–2055. town trips, compounded by inadequate located in Boston and adjacent SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: connections with the radial transit and communities. The EIS will be commuter rail system. undertaken in accordance with the I. Scoping To date, improvements have been National Environmental Policy Act The FTA and the MBTA invite limited and no comprehensive program (NEPA). The MBTA will ensure that the interested individuals, organizations to address these mobility problems has EIS also satisfies the requirements of the and federal, state, and local agencies to been implemented. As summarized Massachusetts Environmental Policy participate in: defining the options to be below, the project is planned to connect Act (MEPA). evaluated in the EIS for Phase 2 of the the existing radial transit lines with a The EIS will evaluate the following Urban Ring Project; identifying the multi-modal circumferential transit alternatives: a No-Build alternative; social, economic and environmental system to facilitate travel and help to
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relieve existing congestion, and to help No-Build Alternative: Consists of the IV. Probable Effects reduce trip times and frustration for transportation network contained in the The MBTA will consider probable travelers. Regional Transportation Plan for the effects and potentially significant year 2010 in the absence of any other III. Alternatives impacts to social, economic and transportation improvements in the environmental factors associated with To address these needs, the MIS study corridor; TSM Alternative: the Phase II alternatives under developed alternatives ranging from Consists of continued operation of the evaluation in the EIS. Potential low-cost conventional buses to Bus proposed Phase I TSM bus routes within environmental issues to be addressed Rapid Transit (BRT), light and heavy the 2010 network with no other will include: land use, historic and rail systems and various combinations transportation improvements in the archeological resources, traffic and of each. Each alternative was evaluated study corridor; and BRT Alternative: parking, noise and vibration, to identify benefits, costs and potential Consists of the seven proposed BRT environmental justice, regulatory environmental issues. A community- routes plus the supporting elements and floodway/floodplain encroachments, based planning process was used continued operation of the non- coordination with transportation and throughout the study, including redundant Phase I bus routes. A more economic development projects, and extensive participation from citizen, detailed description of the BRT construction impacts. Other issues to be business and environmental groups, and Alternative follows. addressed in the EIS include: natural municipalities, as well as For Phase II, a fleet of low emission, areas, ecosystems, rare and endangered representatives from many of the areas low-floor, 60-foot articulated BRT species, water resources, air/surface largest educational and medical vehicles would be purchased and water and groundwater quality, energy, institutions. The extensive public additional BRT vehicle maintenance potentially contaminated sites, involvement program included facility capacity provided. The Phase II displacements and relocations, and workshops, outreach briefings and BRT routes and vehicle maintenance parklands. The potential impacts will be general public meetings with a working evaluated for both the construction committee and its subcommittees, facilities are planned for providing input and guidance implementation in coordination with period and long operations period of throughout the process. the MBTA Silver Line service and each alternative considered. In addition, Though this public process, the range facilities that will be operational at that the cumulative effects of the proposed of alternatives was steadily reduced time. The TSM bus routes from Phase I project alternatives will be identified. from fifteen down to three. All three would continue where not redundant to Measures to avoid or mitigate adverse alternatives consist of Transportation the BRT service. The BRT routes would impacts will be developed. operate at frequencies comparable to System Management (TSM) measures, V. FTA Procedures BRT service, supporting elements such existing transit lines. During Phase II the A Draft EIS will be prepared to as new commuter rail stops at Urban environmental filings would be made to document the evaluation of the social, Ring interfaces, and rail service. They select the subsequent rail system to be economic and environmental impacts of differ in the type of rail service. added in Phase III. the alternatives. Upon completion, the Alternatives A1 and B include Light Phase II would include segments of Draft EIS will be available for public Rail while Alternative A2 utilizes Heavy exclusive busway, Intelligent Rail. A multi-phase implementation Transportation Systems features, and and agency review and comment. A concept and schedule was developed supporting elements to improve public hearing on the Draft EIS will be where each phase builds upon the connections with radial transit and held within the study area. On the basis previous one until all the components of commuter rail lines. Some of the BRT of the Draft EIS and the public and the alternatives are in place. routes in Phase II would be new, and agency comments received, a locally preferred alternative will be selected Phase I: TSM other are modified or converted versions Phase II: TSM + BRT and supporting of the Phase I bus routes. A total of and described in full detail in the Final elements seven BRT routes are proposed in Phase EIS. Phase III: TSM + BRT and supporting II. Issued: September 13, 2001. elements + Rail Transit Richard H. Doyle, Supporting Elements: New or Expanded The phased approach enables tangible Commuter Retail Stations Regional Administrator. service improvements to occur sooner [FR Doc. 01–23255 Filed 9–17–01; 8:45 am] and enables the level of investment and Downtown Chelsea: Expand and BILLING CODE 4910–57–M service to increase with demand and improve existing station on available levels of funding. In Phase I, Newburyport/Rockport Line. Transportation System Management Sullivan Square: New station stop DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (TSM or Bus Optimization) elements not near junction of Newburyport/Rockport requiring major new construction are and Haverhill Lines. Federal Transit Administration proposed. In Phase III, the rail Gilman Square: New station stop on Environmental Impact Statement on technology and alignment will be the Lowell Line. determined during a subsequent the Santa Clara/Alum Rock Light Rail Union Square: New station stop on environmental process. The subject of Transit Project in San Jose, CA the Fitchburg Line. this EIS, and the focus of the scheduled AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, Yawkey: Expand and improve scoping session, will be the BRT and DOT. supporting commuter rail connections existing station on the Framingham/ Worcester Line. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an proposed in Phase II of the Project. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). For Phase II of the Urban Ring Project Ruggles: Expanded stop with three alternatives were examined during platforms on both sides of Northeast SUMMARY: The Federal Transit the MIS. These alternatives will be Corridor. Administration (FTA) and the Santa examined in greater detail during the Uphams Corner: Improved stop on the Clara Valley Transportation Authority EIS as follows: Fairmont Line. (VTA) intend to prepare an
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