Environmental Assessment for the All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project - West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida October 31, 2012 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND SECTION 4(F) EVALUATION FOR THE ALL ABOARD FLORIDA PASSENGER RAIL PROJECT WEST PALM BEACH TO MIAMI, FLORIDA Prepared Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 4332, 49 U.S.C. § 303 and 64 Fed. Reg. 28545 All Aboard Florida – Stations LLC and All Aboard Florida – Operations LLC (AAF) jointly prepared this Environmental Assessment (EA)/Section 4(f) Evaluation for their proposed All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project – West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida. AAF prepared the EA/Section 4(f) Evaluation to support an application to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for funding under the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program to construct the Project. FRA reviewed and commented on draft versions of the document and approved this version for release for public circulation and comment. Written comments should be provided in writing to AAF at the address noted below on or before December 3, 2012. The following persons may be contacted for information on the Environmental Assessment: Federal Railroad Administration 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE Washington, DC 20590 Attn: Sydney Schneir 202.493.6041 [email protected] All Aboard Florida – Stations LLC All Aboard Florida – Operations LLC c/o URS Corporation 7650 West Courtney Campbell Causeway Tampa, FL 33607-1462 Attn: Martin A. Peate, AICP 813.636.2477 [email protected] 1 Environmental Assessment for the All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project - West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida October 31, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED 16 1.1 Introduction 16 1.1.1 Project System 17 1.1.2 Project Stations and Vehicle Maintenance Facility 23 1.1.3 Project Goals 23 1.2 Project History and Project Area 27 1.3 Project Description 28 1.3.1 Existing System Description 28 1.3.2 Proposed System Description 28 1.3.3 Proposed Station Description 35 1.3.4 Proposed Vehicle Maintenance Facility 36 1.4 Statement of Purpose and Need 38 1.5 FRA Decision 41 1.6 Connected Actions 41 1.6.1 West Palm Beach Station Locations 42 1.6.2 Fort Lauderdale Station Locations 44 1.6.3 Downtown Miami Station Locations 46 1.7 Potentially Applicable Regulations and Permits 48 2.0 ALTERNATIVES 50 2.1 Introduction 50 2.2 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Further Analysis 52 2.3 No-Build Alternative 53 2.4 System Alternatives 55 2.5 Station and VMF Alternatives 56 2.5.1 Downtown West Palm Beach 57 2.5.1.1 West Palm Beach-North 59 2.5.1.2 West Palm Beach-Central 59 2.5.2 Downtown Fort Lauderdale 62 2.5.2.1 Fort Lauderdale-North 64 2.5.2.2 Fort Lauderdale-South 64 2.5.3 Downtown Miami 67 2.5.3.1 Miami-South at Grade 70 2.5.3.2 Miami-Central Elevated 71 2.5.4 Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF) 72 2.6 Preferred Build Project Alternative 74 2.6.1 System 74 2.6.2 West Palm Beach Station 76 2.6.3 Fort Lauderdale Station 79 2.6.4 Miami Station 81 2.6.5 VMF 84 2 Environmental Assessment for the All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project - West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida October 31, 2012 Section Page 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 85 3.1 Physical Environment 87 3.1.1 Air Quality 87 3.1.2 Water Quality 93 3.1.2.1 Surface Water Quality 96 3.1.2.2 Sole Source Aquifer 97 3.1.2.3 Wellfield Protection Zones 97 3.1.3 Waterbodies and Waterways 99 3.1.3.1 Navigation 100 3.1.3.2 Special Designations 100 3.1.4 Floodplains 101 3.1.5 Wetlands 104 3.1.5.1 Essential Fish Habitat 107 3.1.6 Coastal Zones 108 3.1.7 Noise and Vibration 110 3.1.7.1 Methodology for Evaluating Impacts 110 3.1.7.2 Affected Environment 118 3.1.7.3 Environmental Consequences 119 3.1.7.4 Mitigation Measures 123 3.1.7.5 Summary of Potential Project Impacts 126 3.2 Biological Environment 128 3.2.1 Ecological Systems 128 3.2.2 Threatened and Endangered Species 132 3.3 Human Environment 143 3.3.1 Transportation 143 3.3.1.1 Rail Transportation 143 3.3.1.2 Regional Roadway Network 145 3.3.1.3 Local Vehicular Transportation 145 3.3.1.4 Parking 168 3.3.2 Land Use 178 3.3.3 Demographics and Environmental Justice 180 3.3.4 Barriers to the Elderly and Handicapped 193 3.3.5 Public Health and Safety 194 3.3.6 Contaminated Sites and Hazardous Materials 198 3.3.6.1 Hazardous Materials Use, Storage and Transportation 202 3.3.7 Cultural Resources 204 3.3.7.1 Existing FECR Corridor and ROW 205 3.3.7.2 Station Locations 217 3.3.8 Section 4(f) and Recreational Resources 226 3.3.9 Municipal Services 231 3.3.10 Energy Resources 232 3.3.11 Aesthetics 234 3.4 Construction Impacts 234 3.5 Potential Secondary and Cumulative Impacts 236 3 Environmental Assessment for the All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project - West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida October 31, 2012 Section Page 4.0 COORDINATION AND CONSULTATION 243 5.0 LIST OF PREPARERS 251 6.0 DISTRIBUTION LIST 253 APPENDICES 254 4 Environmental Assessment for the All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project - West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida October 31, 2012 Appendices Appendix A Bridge Aerial Photography Appendix B Conceptual Station Plans Appendix C Municipal Services Plans Appendix D South Florida East Coast Corridor (SFECC) Purpose and Need Statement Appendix E Proposed Track Charts and Typical Sections Appendix E-1 Proposed Upgrades at Crossings Appendix F Air Quality Model Results Appendix F-1 Water Quality Standards Appendix G Wetland Evaluation Technical Memorandum Appendix H Endangered Species Biological Assessment Appendix I Transportation Appendix J Long Range Plans Maps Appendix K Contamination Screening Evaluation Technical Memorandum Appendix L Coordination 5 Environmental Assessment for the All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project - West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida October 31, 2012 LIST OF TABLES Table Page Section 1 PURPOSE AND NEED 1-1.1 FEC Corridor Usage 2006 and Proposed Opening Year of 2015 18 1-1.2 Comparative Matrix Preferred Build Project Alternative, 2006 Peak and Current Conditions 19 1-3.1 Summary of Bridge Work 33 1.7-1 Potential Permits 49 Section 2 ALTERNATIVES 2-5.1 West Palm Beach – Comparative Analysis 61 2-5.2 Fort Lauderdale – Comparative Analysis 66 2-5.3 Miami – Comparative Analysis 73 2-6.2 Project Evaluation Matrix 75 Section 3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 3-1.1 Ridership and Vehicle Diversion by Station Pair 88 3-1.2 Freight Train Criteria Pollutant Emissions for each County 89 3-1.3 Passenger Train Criteria Pollutant Emissions for each County 89 3-1.4 VMF Switching Locomotive Criteria Pollutant Emissions 90 3-1.5 VMT Reduction Criteria Pollutant Emissions by Station Pair 90 3-1.6 Difference between VMT Reduction Emissions and Passenger Train Emissions 90 3-1.7 Highest Traffic Volumes and Modeling Results For Intersections in the Vicinity of the Stations 92 3-1.8 Highest Traffic Volumes and Modeling Results For Rail Road Crossings 92 3-1.9 Pre- and Post-Drainage Conditions 95 3-1.10 Station Alternatives – Impaired Waterbodies 96 3-1.11 Waterbody and Waterway Crossings 99 3-1.12 FEC Corridor Right-of-Way within the 100-Year Floodplain 102 3-1.13 Wetlands within FEC ROW 106 3-1.14 Project Area - Essential Fish Habitat 108 3-1.15 FTA Noise Sensitive Land Uses 111 3-1.16 FTA Ground-Borne Vibration and Ground-Borne Noise Operational Impact Criteria 115 3-1.17 General Assessment Criteria for Construction Noise 117 3-1.18 Construction Vibration Damage Criteria 118 6 Environmental Assessment for the All Aboard Florida Passenger Rail Project - West Palm Beach to Miami, Florida October 31, 2012 Table Page 3-1.19 Summary of Unmitigated Noise Impact Results No-Build Alternative 119 3-1.20 Summary of Unmitigated Noise Impact Results Preferred Build Project Alternative 120 3-1.21 Average Traffic Volumes and Noise Levels Around Station Sites 122 3-1.22 Summary of Unmitigated Construction Noise Impact Results 123 3-1.23 Summary of Mitigated Noise Impact Results Preferred Build Project Alternative With Stationary Grade-Crossing Horns 124 3-2.1 Existing Natural Communities Adjacent to the Project Limits 128 3-2.2 Listed Species Potentially in the Project Area 134 3-3.1 FEC Railroad Crossing Delay Estimates 144 3-3.2 Level of Service (LOS) Criteria 147 3-3.3 Mainline Railroad Crossing PM Peak Hour Delay and LOS Palm Beach County 150 3-3.4 Mainline Railroad Crossing PM Peak Hour Delay and LOS Broward County 151 3-3.5 Mainline Railroad Crossing PM Peak Hour Delay and LOS Miami-Dade County 153 3-3.6 2030 Daily Boardings at AAF Stations Station Access, Mode Split and Volumes 156 3-3.7 Trip Generation Summary for Proposed Stations (NET new trips) 157 3-3.8 West Palm Beach North Alternative – Existing and Future LOS 160 3-3.9 West Palm Beach Central Alternative – Existing and Future LOS 161 3-3.10 Fort Lauderdale Alternatives – Existing and Future LOS 163 3-3.11 Miami South at Grade Alternative – Existing and Future LOS 165 3-3.12 Miami South Elevated Alternative – Existing and Future LOS 166 3-3.13 Existing Parking that Occurs within the Proposed Development Area West Palm Beach 170 3-3.14 Off-Street Parking Facilities Available to the General Public Within the Quarter Mile Buffer West Palm Beach 170 3-3.15 Off-Street Parking Facilities Available to the General Public Within the Half Mile Buffer West Palm Beach 170 3-3.16 Parking Demand Estimate – West Palm Beach Station 171 3-3.17 Existing Parking that Occurs within the Proposed Development Area Fort Lauderdale 173 3-3.18 Off-Street Parking Facilities Available to the General Public Within the Quarter Mile Buffer Fort Lauderdale 173 3-3.19 Off-Street