Kosciuszko Bridge Project Pin X729.77.123
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DRAFT NEPA SCOPING MEMORANDUM: DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT KOSCIUSZKO BRIDGE PROJECT PIN X729.77.123 Project Limits Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE)/Interstate 278 Between Morgan Avenue and the Long Island Expressway (LIE) Interchange Kings and Queens Counties April 2002 New York State U.S. Department of Transportation Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Kosciuszko Bridge Project Draft NEPA Scoping Memorandum I. Introduction The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will study and document possible improvements to the Kosciuszko Bridge, focusing on a 1.1-mile segment of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) portion of I-278, from Morgan Avenue in Kings County to the Long Island Expressway (LIE) interchange in Queens County. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), a public "scoping" process will be conducted to identify the social, economic, and environmental issues to be evaluated in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). This process ensures that the DEIS is a concise, accurate and comprehensive document that covers all concerns and issues for public and agency review. This Draft Scoping Memorandum is one of the first steps in the preparation of the DEIS for the Kosciuszko Bridge Project. It presents: (1) background information on the project, (2) the types of alternatives to be considered and the methods to be used to select alternatives for consideration in the DEIS, and (3) the projected procedures and methodologies to be followed in the preparation of the DEIS. Information on the project’s extensive public outreach program is also provided. This memorandum also outlines the Kosciuszko Bridge Project's goals and objectives, the alternatives selection process and expected environmental issues, each of which is discussed in later sections of this memorandum. II. Overview of the Kosciuszko Bridge Project Project Location The Kosciuszko Bridge Project will study possible solutions for the rehabilitation or replacement of the Kosciuszko Bridge, focusing on a 1.1-mile segment of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), from Morgan Avenue in Kings County to the Long Island Expressway (LIE) interchange in Queens County (see Figure 1). North of the bridge, the BQE connects to the LIE, the Grand Central Parkway (GCP), which extends to LaGuardia International Airport, and across the Triborough Bridge leading into Manhattan and the Bronx. To the south, the BQE connects to the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, as well as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, leading into Manhattan, and continues south as the Gowanus Expressway and across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, leading to Staten Island. As one of New York City’s few north-south interstates, I-278 serves commuter and local traffic as well as a significant amount of truck traffic, which is prohibited from neighboring parkways. Need for Improvements The Kosciuszko Bridge Project will address three primary problems identified with this segment of the BQE: 1 Kosciuszko Bridge Project Draft NEPA Scoping Memorandum • Traffic Congestion. The bridge, built in the 1930’s, cannot safely carry the present volume of traffic. The bridge’s narrow lanes (11 feet), steep grades (4 percent), lack of shoulders, and short merge/weave distances near ramps and interchanges do not meet current highway design standards. These design shortcomings, combined with the approximately 170,000 vehicles using the bridge each day, result in stop-and-go conditions during the morning and evening peak periods and severe congestion throughout much of the midday. The delay that results on the bridge encourages many drivers to seek alternate routes around the highway congestion by diverting onto already crowded arterials and neighborhood streets in adjacent communities. As the expected growth in highway volumes continues, these problems will increase as well. • Traffic Safety. The same design problems that affect traffic flow, as noted above, also T r i B - B r id o r LaGuardia g o e Airport N Gra Li nd C nc A entra T ol l Pk un n wy ne T l T A H L Expwy N ong pwy Ex d an A Isl Holland Tun M s nel n ee u Q QUEENS V a Kosciuszko n W n Bridge y y l c k k o E o r x B p w y Pkwy y w p x E s u Kennedy n a w Airport o G lt e BROOKLYN B Be l t no S aza P IE err kwy V idge Br FIGURE 1. KOSCIUSZKO BRIDGE LOCATION affect traffic safety conditions on the bridge and adjacent highway segments. Those problems collectively result in an accident rate more than four times higher than found on comparable roads elsewhere in New York State. 2 Kosciuszko Bridge Project Draft NEPA Scoping Memorandum • Structural Conditions. The structural condition of the bridge is deteriorating. The 60- year old bridge underwent a major rehabilitation in the 1960s, followed by a series of major roadway and structural repairs starting in the late 1980s. However, recent inspections have indicated that despite these aggressive maintenance efforts by NYSDOT, the structural deficiencies are increasing. The frequent maintenance and repair efforts and their associated lane closures, while necessary to maintain the bridge, exacerbate the congestion and traffic diversion problems mentioned above and do not provide a long-term solution to the structure’s underlying problems. Project Goals and Objectives During the EIS process, alternatives will be developed to address the traffic capacity, safety, and structural needs noted above. NYSDOT, working with local elected officials, community boards and groups, and other agencies, is establishing a series of goals and objectives that any proposed alternatives should seek to achieve. Any alternative being considered will then be evaluated against these goals and objectives, balancing the needs of the project with a broad range of social, economic, and environmental concerns. Prior to the start of the public scoping process, NYSDOT held several open houses in Brooklyn and Queens and meetings with community boards, along with discussions with other agencies and elected officials. From these efforts, NYSDOT gained an initial understanding of what issues were of most concern to community members, business groups, planning agencies and other stakeholders. Using this information, the following goals and objectives have been developed for the project: Transportation Goals: • Improve traffic operations in the corridor, reducing delays and increasing efficiency and reliability. • Reduce the frequency and severity of traffic accidents in the corridor by eliminating non-standard elements on the bridge and associated highway sections and ramps. • Minimize diversion of highway auto and truck traffic to local streets, both during construction and long-term. • Substantially conform to established project design criteria to ensure safe operation and a smooth flow of traffic. • Be consistent with regional transportation plans in the I-278 corridor and any related highway, transit or freight plans potentially affected by decisions in the project corridor. • Provide a cost-effective solution to problems in the corridor, including both required capital construction costs and recurring operations and maintenance expenses. • Improve the opportunities for pedestrian/bicycle travel in the corridor. • Increase effectiveness of mass transit modes in the corridor. 3 Kosciuszko Bridge Project Draft NEPA Scoping Memorandum Social, Economic & Environmental Goals: • Minimize the displacement of residences, commercial establishments, parks and other valued community assets during construction and in the final build condition. • Minimize adverse impacts on the operation of commercial, residential and industrial properties, historic sites, and educational, religious or recreational facilities, during construction and in the final build condition. • Minimize adverse environmental impacts in the surrounding communities during construction and in the final build condition. • Be consistent with existing and committed transportation, community development, and land use plans and projects. This list will be refined and expanded during the scoping process based on additional input from agencies, elected officials, and the general public. As part of the alternatives analysis process, screening criteria, reflecting these goals and objectives, will be developed and used to evaluate the project alternatives and select those to receive detailed consideration in the EIS. This alternatives analysis process is discussed further in Section IV. III. Environmental Review and Scoping Process Based on its review of the potential impacts of the proposed Kosciuszko Bridge Project, FHWA and NYSDOT concluded that it was appropriate to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project. Therefore, FHWA published a “Notice of Intent” (NOI) to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register, consistent with NEPA regulations, while under parallel SEQRA guidelines, NYSDOT published a similar “Positive Declaration” in the Environmental Notice Bulletin. The Draft and Final EIS documents, to be completed in compliance with NEPA and SEQRA regulations, will be used by the FHWA, NYSDOT and other involved agencies to consider environmental concerns when making decisions. These documents will also serve as a public disclosure of the project's environmental effects. Scoping Process The scoping process is the earliest opportunity