temberMarch 2008 ENT OF TRAN TM SP R OR PA T E A D T . IO .S N U
TRANSIT FINAL
F E SCOPING D N E IO R T AL RA TR IST ANSIT ADMIN DOCUMENT
NORTHERN BRANCH CORRIDOR
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Sponsored by: U.S. Department of Transportation n Federal Transit Administration n NJ TRANSIT Northern Branch Corridor DEIS Final Scoping Document
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION...... 1 1.1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...... 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE SCOPING DOCUMENT...... 3 2. STUDY OVERVIEW...... 4 2.1 HISTORY OF PROJECT PLANNING ...... 4 2.1.1 West Shore Region Study...... 4 2.1.2 Post West Shore Region Study Developments ...... 5 2.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF POST-WEST SHORE REGION STUDY DEVELOPMENTS...... 7 2.3 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) ...... 7 2.4 SCOPING PROCESS ...... 8 2.5 RELATED PROJECTS...... 10 2.6 RELATED STUDIES AND ACTIVITIES...... 11 2.7 SCHEDULE AND CONTACTS ...... 11 3. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION ...... 12 3.1 PURPOSE AND NEED...... 12 3.2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES...... 13 4. ALTERNATIVES...... 16 4.1 NORTHERN BRANCH CORRIDOR EIS ALTERNATIVES ...... 16 4.2 FUTURE CONNECTION TO MANHATTAN ...... 17 4.2.1 Tri-County Rail Concept Plan...... 17 4.2.2 Northern Branch Commuter Rail Conversion ...... 18 5. SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ...... 19 5.1 LAND USE, ZONING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ...... 19 5.2 LAND ACQUISITION AND DISPLACEMENTS ...... 20 5.3 CONSISTENCY WITH LOCAL PLANS ...... 21 5.4 PARKLANDS ...... 21 5.5 AESTHETICS...... 22 5.6 COMMUNITY DISRUPTION ...... 22 5.7 TRAFFIC, PARKING, TRANSIT, PEDESTRIANS AND FREIGHT RAIL ...... 23 5.8 AIR QUALITY ...... 23 5.9 NOISE AND VIBRATION ...... 24 5.10 WATER QUALITY...... 25 5.11 WETLANDS...... 25 5.12 FLOODING ...... 26 5.13 NAVIGABLE WATERWAYS AND COASTAL ZONES ...... 26 5.14 ENDANGERED SPECIES...... 27 5.15 HAZARDOUS WASTE ...... 27 5.16 ENERGY AND POTENTIAL FOR CONSERVATION ...... 28 5.17 ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS...... 28 5.18 SAFETY AND SECURITY...... 28 5.19 CONSTRUCTION...... 28 5.20 HISTORIC PROPERTIES AND RESOURCES...... 29 5.21 ARCHAEOLOGY...... 30 5.22 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE...... 30
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5.23 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ...... 31 6. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM...... 32 6.1 NEWSLETTERS ...... 32 6.2 STUDY WEBSITE...... 32 6.3 CITIZENS LIAISON COMMITTEE (CLC)...... 32 6.4 BREAK-OUT SESSIONS ...... 33 6.5 AGENCY COORDINATION ...... 33 6.6 SMALL TOWN MEETINGS...... 33 6.7 SCOPING MEETINGS/PUBLIC HEARING(S) ...... 33 APPENDIX A – NOTICE OF INTENT ...... 34
APPENDIX B – DRAFT SCOPING DOCUMENT COMMENTS ...... 35
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Project Description
The Northern Branch Corridor project is proposed to address the transportation needs of southeastern Bergen County through the re-introduction of passenger rail service on an existing freight line that services customers between North Bergen and Northvale.
The Northern Branch Corridor is a densely settled suburban environment in northeastern Hudson County and southeastern Bergen County, New Jersey. The project area can generally be described as following the existing Northern Branch railroad right-of-way from south to north, roughly parallel to the Hudson River. Specifically, the study area begins in the vicinity of the existing North Bergen Bus Park-and-Ride in the Township of North Bergen, Hudson County, and continues north through North Bergen into the Bergen County municipalities of Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia, Englewood, and Tenafly, ending near the Tenafly/Cresskill border. To ensure full evaluation of all alternatives, the communities of Cresskill, Demarest, Closter, Norwood and Northvale are also included. An overview of the study area is provided in Figure 1.
Historically, transportation links have fueled the development of this area. Most significant was the arrival of the Erie Railroad (later Erie-Lackawanna) Northern Branch Line in the nineteenth century, which spurred the rapid growth of moderately dense dormitory communities throughout the study area. Residents utilized the railroad to reach jobs in Jersey City, Newark, and New York City (via Hudson River ferries and the Hudson Tube trains, now known as PATH). The railroad also encouraged the growth of a significant industrial and manufacturing sector, primarily in the southern half of the study area.
Throughout the twentieth century, the combination of many national and regional economic, political and transportation factors led to the deterioration of both passenger and freight rail services in the Northern Branch Corridor, much like many other railroad corridors in the country. These changes led to the discontinuation of passenger rail service in the Northern Branch corridor in the 1960s. Freight services decreased to one round trip per day.
As the area enters the twenty-first century, its character as a series of primarily bedroom communities continues. The area continues to grow as communities are redeveloped. Former industrial areas, primarily located in the southern portion of the corridor, are rapidly changing into commercial and even residential uses. However, unlike earlier periods of growth during which the railroads provided a reliable travel option, residents now depend entirely on the roadway system for mobility within the corridor.
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Page 1 NE N W EW J ER YO Rockland SE R Y K County Figure 1
Borough of Project Study Area Northvale
Borough of GSP Norwood Northern Branch Corridor
Borough of Closter
17 PIP VU Borough of Damarest
9W Borough of ¤£ NEW YORK Cresskill
Bergen County GSP NEW JERSEY Borough of Tenafly Westchester VU4
Atlantic Ocean
City of ¤£ Englewood
¨¦§80 Borough of VU17 Leonia Municipal Boundary 95 ¨¦§ Municipalities within the VU17 Borough of Project Study Area Palisades Park ¤£46 Major Roadways Bronx Proposed Northern Branch Rail Borough of Ridgefield Hudson Bergen Light Rail Freight Only r 95 e v ¨¦§ i R n 95 o s ¨¦§ d u Township of H North Bergen Hudson Manhattan County Tonnelle Avenue
¨¦§495 ¨¦§95 Queens I0 2.5 5Miles ¤£1 Brooklyn Northern Branch Corridor DEIS Final Scoping Document
1.2 Purpose of the Scoping Document
This Scoping Document for the Northern Branch DEIS is one part of a process, which is a requirement under the regulations and guidelines issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and in conformance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations. The purpose of the Scoping Document is to provide information to the public and agencies regarding the Northern Branch DEIS process, issues, alternatives and methodologies. The broader purpose of the scoping process is to provide an opportunity for the public and agencies to comment on and provide input to the Northern Branch DEIS as it is initiated.
This Scoping Document for the Northern Branch DEIS discusses the following topics:
Overview: outlines the history of project planning, describes the scoping process for the study, defines the study area, identifies related projects and studies, and presents the project schedule and contacts.
Purpose and Need for the Project: describes the purpose and need for improved transportation services in Bergen and northern Hudson Counties and identifies the related goals and objectives of the study.
Alternatives: summarizes the preliminary alternatives that will be examined in this Northern Branch DEIS.
Social, Economic and Environmental Impacts: identifies the types of environmental issues and the manner in which they will be analyzed in the Northern Branch DEIS.
Public and Agency Involvement: summarizes the public and agency participation program and identifies the public participation program elements. The outreach plan will remain flexible throughout the study to accommodate changing public needs.
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2. STUDY OVERVIEW
2.1 History of Project Planning
2.1.1 West Shore Region Study
Passenger rail services, once operated on rail lines throughout Bergen County, were abandoned throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The growth of automobile usage and accompanying roadway congestion in subsequent decades led planners and officials to search for solutions to the growing traffic problems in the Bergen County area. Routes once used for passenger rail services were identified as opportunities to create new travel options to address roadway congestion.
In response to these growing concerns about congestion and its impact in the region, NJ TRANSIT, Bergen County and Rockland County initiated the West Shore Region Study in 1996 to examine mobility issues in Bergen County, New Jersey, and Rockland County, New York. Previous studies in the area, including the West Shore Commuter Rail Planning Study Phase I Final Report (Kaiser Engineers, December 1988) and the West Shore Line Evaluation Study (Sverdrup, April 1995), had examined only specific corridors and modes. The West Shore Region Study was undertaken to provide a comprehensive examination of multiple modal opportunities throughout the entire study area. The Alternatives Analysis Report (December 1999) for the West Shore Region Study was prepared to document the process which examined a broad range of preliminary alternatives and led to the selection of the Northern Branch Build Alternative for further analysis in the Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (MIS/DEIS). The Build Alternative recommended for further study in the MIS/DEIS was an extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system from the vicinity of 85th Street in North Bergen to Tenafly. This Build Alternative assumed that the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail would be extended to the Vince Lombardi Park-and-Ride on the NJ Turnpike.
In June 2001 the FTA published a Notice of Intent to prepare an MIS/DEIS for the Northern Branch Corridor, which included a No Build Alternative and a Build Alternative, the Hudson- Bergen Light Rail extension from 85th Street to Tenafly. A Draft Scoping Document was prepared and a scoping meeting was held in July 2001. The Final Scoping Document was published in December 2001; no additional alternatives were carried forward into the MIS/DEIS. NJ TRANSIT initiated work on the analyses required to evaluate the environmental impacts of the No Build and Build Alternatives. During the time that these analyses were being conducted, several significant developments occurred that required a re-evaluation of the mode used to restore rail passenger service on the Northern Branch Corridor.
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2.1.2 Post West Shore Region Study Developments
The West Shore Region Study considered several alternatives for providing passenger rail service to the Northern Branch Corridor communities, as well as various modes, including commuter rail, electric light rail, diesel light rail, and automated guideway. At that time, only commuter rail could operate in mixed freight traffic; automated guideway required a separate track, and both electric and diesel light rail required either separate tracks or rescheduling freight service to overnight operation. All modes with the exception of the electric light rail were eliminated from further study due to the limited right-of-way in the area of 69th Street to 85th Street, where it was assumed that the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail would be constructed. As a result, the recommended alternative for the Northern Branch Corridor in the 1999 AAR was an electric light rail system from Tenafly to 85th Street in North Bergen, where it would then continue on Hudson-Bergen Light Rail track to Hoboken Terminal.
Below is a summary of the more significant developments that occurred after the publication of the West Shore Region Study which generated the need to take a fresh look at the analysis and ultimate recommendations contained in the West Shore Region Study.
2000 Census and Market Needs According to the 2000 Census, there are more than 884,000 residents in Bergen County. Projections for growth indicate this number will increase to almost 1,000,000 by 2030. Bergen County’s population increase is part of a much larger migration as estimates anticipate more than 1.5 million people locating west of the Hudson by 2030. The current commuting patterns in Bergen County’s Northern Branch Corridor indicate two significant destinations: Manhattan and New Jersey’s Hudson River Waterfront. Presently, of all the commuters in the Northern Branch Corridor, approximately 26,000 cite either Manhattan (87%) or the Waterfront (13%) as their primary travel destination. Equally as significant is the mode of transportation indicated, of the more than 23,000 who commute from the Corridor to Manhattan, 92% use either cars or buses thus contributing to the region’s traffic congestions on local roads and river crossings. Even the 3,400 that daily commute to the Waterfront prefer their cars by 85%. The situation only becomes more acute when the growth projections for new jobs in Manhattan are considered. It is anticipated that by 2030 almost 400,000 new jobs will be created in midtown Manhattan alone, significantly increasing the demand for cross-Hudson commuting options. This growth places increasing pressures on the region’s already congested roads and river crossings as well as on the bus traffic through the at-capacity Lincoln Tunnel.
Modern DMU Technology In February 2002, Colorado Railcar Manufacturing introduced a modern self-propelled diesel- multiple-unit (DMU) vehicle meeting the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) newest structural requirements, as defined in 49 CFR Part 238, for vehicles operating in mixed freight traffic. The availability of this technology, which had previously been considered unproven, as well as the advancement of THE Tunnel project, enabled NJ TRANSIT to reconsider the interconnection of northern New Jersey with the existing commuter rail system. Additionally, the DMU provides an opportunity for the efficient reuse of existing freight lines to provide commuter rail service. This is particularly important in densely settled environments, such as Bergen
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County, where reuse of existing rail infrastructure can reduce or eliminate environmental and/or community disruptions caused by new construction.
Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) Concurrent with the West Shore Region MIS/EIS, NJ TRANSIT, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, initiated a multi-phase study entitled Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) Major Investment Study (MIS). Phase 1 of the ARC MIS identified 137 alternatives for initial screening, including commuter railroad (five corridors), subway (extensions of existing service and new service), Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) service (extensions and connections to NYC subway), bus, ferry, light rail, multimodal, new technology, freight, and automobile. Subsequent screening culminated in the publication of the ARC MIS Summary Report was published in 2003. This report recommended two alternatives for advancement, one of which was dropped early in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) analysis. In July 2006, the Federal Transit Administration approved the initiation of Preliminary Engineering for THE Tunnel. The DEIS for the ARC Project was published in February 2007 and public hearings were held in March 2007. A Supplemental DEIS (SDEIS) that describes refinements to the Build Alternative analyzed in the DEIS was published in March 2008. Public hearings on the SDEIS are scheduled for late March and early April.
Hudson Bergen Light Rail MOS I, II, III The West Shore Region Study assumed the northern terminus of the HBLR (MOS II) to be at 85th Street in North Bergen. This is significant in that it anticipated the construction of a highly expensive and difficult section through the North Bergen freight yard. That expectation helped support the West Shore Region Study’s recommendation of light rail on the Northern Branch. Ultimately, however, the HBLR terminated at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen and never confronted the obstacles of running non FRA-compliant light rail vehicles through an active freight yard. Additionally, HBLR MOS III did not advance to the Vince Lombardi Park and Ride in Ridgefield, a modification which would also impact the Bergen-Passaic Corridor as discussed below. These changes presented an opportunity to rethink the passenger rail network both north and west of North Bergen. The availability of the DMU further supported a new perspective when considering alternatives.
Passaic-Bergen Corridor The West Shore Region Study’s light rail alternative for the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad in western Bergen and eastern Passaic Counties was also rethought in response to the final construction of the HBLR and the advance of new rail technologies. As a shared use freight/passenger rail corridor, the DMU now offered a significant financial relief from the expense of maintaining time or physically separated operations. Additionally, with the termination of the HBLR at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, a light rail system for the Passaic- Bergen Corridor would not benefit from the expense of connections already made through the North Bergen freight yard.
Meadowlands The emergence of the Meadowlands Xanadu as a major entertainment destination refocuses attention on the application of light rail as a suitable transportation alternative. Not susceptible to the requirements of sharing track with freight, a proposed extension of the HBLR to this
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location in Secaucus would enable a one-seat ride from major population centers of Hudson County. Additionally, the employment opportunities created in the service, amusement and hospitality industries by the Xanadu development could be accessed by the same market via light rail.
2.2 Significance of Post-West Shore Region Study Developments
The developments mentioned above significantly change the baseline assumptions against which the original West Shore Region Study’s recommendations were made. Whether considered individually or in combinations, the effect of the following developments require a re-evaluation of the original Study’s conclusions:
• The advancement of DMU passenger rail technology opens the use of shared freight corridors and eliminates the need for time or physical separated operations as well as reducing the impact and inconvenience of construction on surrounding communities and environments • The termination of the HBLR at North Bergen’s Tonnelle Avenue as opposed to 85th Street requires special consideration as Northern Branch light rail vehicles will be required to traverse an active freight yard (North Bergen freight yard) to connect to the HBLR service. • The increase in congestion on Bergen County’s local roads and river crossings as well as the at-capacity of buses using the Lincoln Tunnel • The current size and projected growth of Bergen County’s population and its increasing dependence on auto and bus commuting to the New Jersey waterfront and Manhattan • The anticipated increases in Hudson County-based and Manhattan-based jobs and the need to provide an alternative to the automobile and bus • The advancement of THE Tunnel and its ability to connect commuter rail networks with Manhattan
As a result, an analysis of the vehicle technology needs to be conducted for this Corridor. FTA and NJ TRANSIT have, therefore, reissued the Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for this Corridor to include a DMU alternative as well as the previously recommended light rail alternative, an extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, given the developments since that recommendation was made.
2.3 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) requires federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of their proposed actions. As such, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for the Northern Branch Rail Corridor passenger rail service restoration project. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will serve as the lead federal agency for the environmental review. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the following: NEPA (as amended) and the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) implementing
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regulations for NEPA; Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Act of 1966; FTA NEPA regulations (23 C.F.R. Part 771); and other applicable federal and state laws and regulations.
The EIS Development Process is shown in Figure 2.
2.4 Scoping Process
The purpose of the scoping process is to provide an opportunity for the public and agencies to comment on and provide input to the Northern Branch EIS as it is initiated. On October 2, 2007, FTA published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to initiate the Northern Branch EIS, the subject of this Final Scoping Document. This effort builds upon the planning and public outreach activities previously conducted as they relate to development of goals and objectives, screening of alternatives, and evaluation of impacts. Analyses will be updated as necessary to reflect conditions that may have changed since the previous scoping process was concluded. A copy of the NOI is included in Appendix A.
A Draft Scoping Document was prepared as one part of the scoping process to provide information to the public and agencies on the Northern Branch DEIS process, issues, alternatives and methodologies. This Draft Scoping Document for the Northern Branch EIS was mailed to pertinent federal, state, and local agencies and provided upon request to any interested party. Comments on the Draft Scoping Document were made orally at the public scoping meeting, or in writing throughout the scoping process. A Final Scoping Document was prepared as a revision to the Draft Scoping Document based on the comments received from the public and agencies during the scoping process.
Agency and public scoping meetings were held to review the study scope and approach and to receive comments and suggestions for consideration. Both groups were asked to comment on the purpose and need for the Northern Branch Corridor improvements, on the study’s goals and objectives, alternatives to be evaluated, social, economic or environmental issues of concern, and the proposed public participation program.
The general public and interest groups were invited via various advertising and outreach mechanisms, and federal, state, and local agencies were invited by letter to participate in the scoping process.
The general public scoping meetings for the Northern Branch Corridor EIS were held:
Wednesday, October 24, 2007 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Crowne Plaza Englewood Hotel 401 S. Van Brunt St. Englewood, NJ 07631
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FIGURE 2 EIS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Notice of Intent & Scoping Procedures
Draft EIS
Agency/Public Review & Comment
Final EIS
Record of Decision
Agency Action
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Registration to speak at the general public scoping meeting began at 2:30 p.m. and remained open until 4:30 p.m. for the afternoon session; registration to speak began at 6:30 p.m. and remained open until 8:30 p.m. for the evening session.
Information and scoping materials was posted on the project website http://NorthernBranchCorridor.com. Additionally, interested parties were able to post questions and/or sign up for the mailing list on the website.
The agency scoping meeting for the Northern Branch Corridor EIS was held:
Wednesday, December 19, 2007 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm NJ TRANSIT Headquarters One Penn Plaza East Newark, NJ 07105
The formal scoping comment period closed on November 7, 2007. A summary of the comments received is included in Appendix B
2.5 Related Projects
NJ TRANSIT and NJDOT are currently implementing a number of major network expansion projects that have relevance to the Northern Branch Corridor EIS. These projects include:
• 69th Street Bridge, a new bridge at 69th Street in North Bergen to grade separate the roadway over the CSX and NYS&W railroads • U.S. Route 1/9 widening • Meadowlands Commuter Rail Project, an extension of commuter rail service via the Pascack Valley Line and a new station to serve the New Jersey Meadowlands area, including the Sports Complex • Hudson-Bergen Light Rail 8th Street Extension in Bayonne • Pascack Valley Line sidings • Passaic-Bergen Rail Restoration, a project to provide rail passenger service between Hawthorne and Hackensack, serving up to nine new stations along the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway (NYS&W) Main Line rail corridor. The new service will demonstrate the use of diesel-multiple-unit (DMU) rail vehicles compliant with Federal Railroad Administration standards that allow the vehicles to share the railroad right-of- way with freight trains. • Access to the Region’s Core (ARC), the construction of a new trans-Hudson tunnel that will more than double the capacity of NJ TRANSIT train service to midtown New York to accommodate present and future demand, to offer added one-seat ride service to existing rail lines, and to provide reliability and system redundancy to the existing 100- year-old infrastructure. Major elements include two new single-track Hudson River rail tunnels, a new station expansion under 34th Street in New York, construction of new track connections in Secaucus, and additional rail yard in Kearny, and other related infrastructure improvements that support full utilization of the new tunnel’s capacity.
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2.6 Related Studies and Activities
NJ TRANSIT is studying a number of major network expansion proposals and engaging in other activities that have relevance to the Northern Branch Corridor EIS. These related studies and activities with which the EIS will be coordinated include:
• West Shore DEIS, a study by NJ TRANSIT that will examine the potential benefits, costs, and social, economic, and environmental impacts of reasonable and feasible alternatives for improving access in the West Shore study area • Meadowlands Phase II, a further extension of commuter rail service from the Sports Complex Station to NJ TRANSIT’s Bergen County and Main Lines • Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Meadowlands Extension, an extension of the Hudson- Bergen Light Rail from North Bergen through Secaucus to the New Jersey Meadowlands area
2.7 Schedule and Contacts
The schedule for completion of the Northern Branch Corridor EIS is outlined below.
Publish Notice of Intent to Prepare EIS October 2, 2007 Draft Scoping Document October 2, 2007 Agency and Public Scoping Meetings October/November 2007 Scoping Comment Period November 7, 2007 Final Scoping Document March 2008 Preparation of DEIS Fall 2007/Winter 2008 DEIS Distribution Summer/Fall 2008 DEIS Comment Period Summer/Fall 2008 Public Hearing(s) on DEIS Fall 2008
The contact people for FTA and NJ TRANSIT are listed below:
Rebecca Reyes-Alicea Linda A. Mosch, P.E. Community Planner Project Director, Northern Branch EIS Office of Planning and Program Development Capital Planning & Programs Federal Transit Administration NJ TRANSIT One Bowling Green, Room 429 One Penn Plaza East New York, NY 10004-1415 Newark, NJ 07105-2246 212-668-2203 (voice) 973-491-8481 (voice) 212-668-2136 (fax) 973-995-4445 (fax)
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3. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION
3.1 Purpose and Need
The purpose of the Northern Branch project is to address the transportation needs of southeastern Bergen County through the re-introduction of rail transit service. The project area is heavily populated and is centrally located in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. The area is directly west of the Hudson River, in close proximity to Manhattan. The area’s location relative to New York City has played an important role in its development and continues to be an important factor in the economy of the area.
Most of the transportation problems in the project area are the result of the great changes that have taken place during the past 30 years. While Bergen County’s population had not changed significantly until 1990, there have been other significant changes. The number of households has grown, resulting in smaller households and more workers per household than in the past. Even more significant has been the growth in employment from 1960 to today. The number of jobs only tells part of the story about the project area’s economy. The economy is diversifying. A growing number of the jobs are now service oriented, with fewer in the manufacturing sector. This shift has contributed to the area’s transportation problems because service sector businesses generate more trips than manufacturing businesses, especially during the off-peak travel periods.
The growth in households and the diversification of the economy have caused an increase in travel in the project area in recent years. The increases have been during the peak travel periods, the off-peak weekday periods, and the weekend periods. Congestion on the roads is a growing problem, which is reducing overall mobility in the area and could constrain future economic growth, and may affect the area’s very high standard of living.
While the transportation system continues to provide a fairly high level of mobility for some residents and businesses, many parts of the system are straining to accommodate the new demands caused by a growing economy. The area’s roadways provide the best evidence of the strains on the system. While more roads are congested for longer periods, there are few opportunities to expand local or regional roadway capacity. The project area has a substantial transit system. However, there is evidence that the system is not providing service for all of the markets that could be served. Further investments in transit would improve mobility in Bergen County, alleviate some traffic congestion, and support continued economic growth. Provision of new transportation service in the Northern Branch Corridor would address:
• Commuting to New York City (trans-Hudson) from Bergen County; • Inter- and intra-corridor commuting, both to employment centers within the project corridor, and from the project corridor to employment locations in other areas of New Jersey; and, • Non-work trips including business, shopping, recreational, and education to New York City, within the corridor, and to destinations outside the corridor in New Jersey.
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3.2 Goals and Objectives
Based on the needs identified in the project area, goals and objectives in the Northern Branch Corridor were identified in the early planning studies and are as follows.
Goal 1: Meet the needs of travelers in the project area.
Objectives: • Attract riders to transit. A central goal of the project is to attract more riders to rail transit in the Northern Branch corridor. In spite of its proximity to New York, eastern Bergen County continues to have high single occupancy vehicle commutation. The goal of re-introducing rail transit is to encourage a greater transit ridership both on opening day and into the future. • Improve travel time. Travelers in the project area put a high value on their time, and are looking for travel options that will improve their travel time and reliability. • Improve convenience. Travelers are looking for new travel options that will make traveling in the region more convenient. They are looking for frequent service, adequate parking at stations, competitive travel times, and convenient connections to other transit services, such as ferries, PATH, and feeder services. • Provide more options for travelers. Today, travelers are severely limited in their travel options. Transit can be used for only a very small portion of the area’s travel needs. Travelers want more travel options to meet their diverse travel needs. Options could include service to many destinations, including Midtown, Lower Manhattan, the Hudson River Waterfront, Newark, and recreational areas, such as the Sports Complex and the Jersey Shore, especially on weekends and at night. • Improve services for the low-income/minority/transit dependent travelers. Transit dependent residents in the project area need good transit options to more of the region’s jobs, not only the jobs in Manhattan, but growing employment centers in New Jersey, like the Hudson River Waterfront area, Newark, the Meadowlands, and Bergen and Rockland employment centers.
Goal 2: Advance Cost-Effective Transit Solutions
Objectives: • Support favorable farebox recovery. For the vast majority of transit systems, fare revenue does not cover the cost of providing service. However, higher farebox recovery ratios allow transit agencies to maximize the amount of service that can be provided for the same dollar of public operating subsidy. One of the goals of the Northern Branch project is to introduce rail transit to the corridor in a manner that is sensitive to the need to minimize the operating subsidy required to run the service. This will help ensure that the provision of transit service in the corridor is financially sustainable. • Advance cost-effective transit solutions. The objective is to advance a project that, from a cost-benefit perspective, provides the greatest overall benefit at the lowest capital cost. • Support future expansion, scalability and affordability. The Northern Branch project should allow for future transit expansion while at the same time provide a solution that is affordable to construct. With limited capital funds, the ability to advance projects in
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phases helps to keep the projects affordable. Project scalability allows projects to be constructed without precluding future expansion projects. One of the criteria on which the Northern Branch project will be evaluated is the degree to which one phase of a project integrates into a more global planning effort for transportation improvement in the region.
Goal 3: Encourage economic growth.
Objectives: • Provide transportation capacity to support growth. Population and employment growth in and around Bergen County and Hudson County is expected to continue in the future. Additional transportation capacity and new travel options will be needed to support this growth, providing access between the jobs in the counties and surrounding residential communities. Growing congestion will continue to have negative impacts on the area’s economy in the future. • Help attract new businesses. Companies looking to locate new facilities, or expand existing facilities in Bergen County and Hudson County, will be looking for assurances that steps are being taken to provide the area with new travel alternatives. One of the major assets of this area is its proximity to New York City and its role in sustaining the strength of the State Plan’s Metropolitan Planning Area. New transportation choices that improve access to New York and the rest of the region will help Bergen County and Hudson County to maintain their competitive advantage in the region.
Goal 4: Improve regional access.
Objectives: • Provide connections to a variety of locations within the region. With the one exception of Manhattan, Bergen County’s access to the rest of the region is almost entirely by auto, on highways that are becoming increasingly congested. With the completion of the Secaucus Transfer, the areas served by the Main, Bergen, and Pascack Valley lines now benefit from rail access to the growing Hudson River Waterfront area, to Newark, to Trenton, and to the major recreational attractions, like the Meadowlands and the New Jersey Shore.
Goal 5: Reduce roadway congestion.
Objectives: • Provide more travel options for travelers trying to avoid highway congestion. Major regional highways in the project area are heavily congested. There are a limited number of major highways, each serving intra-county and regional travel needs. Congestion in Bergen County is a growing problem, which is likely to become more serious in the future. Transit strategies are unlikely to substantially reduce congestion, but can provide useful new travel alternatives for travelers trying to avoid congestion.
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Goal 6: Enhance the transit network.
Objectives: • Eliminate gaps in the rail network. Bergen County’s transit share for trips to Manhattan is lower than any other part of northern New Jersey. This is due to several gaps in the transit network serving the area. For example, there is no rail service in eastern Bergen County. The closest rail line is the Pascack Valley Line, which is west of the Hackensack River. This inconvenient and capacity-constrained line is not an option for most residents of eastern Bergen County. Also, rail service is infrequent during off- peak periods. Rail service is best to Lower Manhattan, via PATH and ferry, less effective to the Valley, between Canal Street and 34th Street, via PATH, and most difficult to Midtown. • Eliminate gaps in the bus network. The bus network in eastern Bergen County also has some gaps. First, the network only serves Midtown Manhattan. Also, in the eastern most parts of the county, there is little or no bus service. In the more central parts of the study area there are many bus routes. However, these routes are generally slow because they travel on local roads and make many stops along the route to pick up passengers.
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4. ALTERNATIVES
4.1 Northern Branch Corridor EIS Alternatives
The following alternatives are recommended for further analysis in the Northern Branch Corridor EIS:
• No Build Alternative • Diesel-Multiple-Unit Vehicle Alternatives o Terminus at Hudson Avenue in Tenafly o Terminus at NJ Route 4 in Englewood • Electric Light Rail Vehicle Alternatives o Terminus at Hudson Avenue in Tenafly o Terminus at NJ Route 4 in Englewood
No Build Alternative
The No Build Alternative includes the existing transportation network, as well as any roadway and transit projects that will be completed by 2030. The FTA defines the No Build Alternative as including only “committed” improvements, which typically includes the projects in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) or other local capital programs, plus other minor transit service expansions or adjustments. The No Build Alternative reflects conditions in the future if no new actions are taken from the proposed project. For the Northern Branch Corridor EIS, the No Build Alternative includes the current transportation network plus programmed and committed projects, such as THE Tunnel.
Diesel-Multiple-Unit Vehicle Alternative
The Northern Branch Corridor Diesel-Multiple-Unit (DMU) Vehicle Alternative would provide service to municipalities along the corridor between North Bergen and Tenafly, linking to the Hudson River waterfront via the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail at a transfer station in North Bergen. Mobility would be improved to and from towns along the line, Midtown Manhattan via transfer at Weehawken, and Downtown Manhattan via transfer at Hoboken.
The Northern Branch Corridor DMU Vehicle Alternative will involve construction of new transportation infrastructure, including stations and yards. A vehicle storage facility will be investigated in the vicinity of North Bergen. Stations in the following communities will be investigated:
• North Bergen • Fairview • Ridgefield • Palisades Park • Leonia
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• Englewood • Tenafly
Additional analyses will be conducted to evaluate the impacts of terminating the service at NJ Route 4 in Englewood.
Electric Light Rail Vehicle Alternative The Electric Light Rail Vehicle Alternative would provide service to municipalities along the corridor between North Bergen and Tenafly, linking to the Hudson River waterfront via an extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system. Mobility would be improved to and from towns along the line, Midtown Manhattan via transfer at Weehawken and Downtown Manhattan via transfer at Hoboken. This service will be time-separated from the freight operations – passenger service would operate between 5:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. while freight service would operate between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
The Electric Light Rail Vehicle Alternative will involve construction of new transportation infrastructure, including stations and yards. A vehicle storage facility will be investigated in the vicinity of Englewood. Stations in the following communities will be investigated:
• Fairview • Ridgefield • Palisades Park • Leonia • Englewood • Tenafly
Additional analyses will be conducted to evaluate the impacts of terminating the service at NJ Route 4 in Englewood.
Analyses will also be conducted to evaluate the impacts to the communities north of Tenafly – Cresskill, Demarest, Closter, Norwood and Northvale – due to the proposed nighttime operation of the freight service to accommodate the time-separated electric light rail vehicle alternative.
4.2 Future Connection to Manhattan
The restoration of rail passenger service on the Northern Branch Corridor addresses current mobility issues and is, therefore, proposed as part of NJ TRANSIT’s overall master plan. In addition, there is a future opportunity to connect the Northern Branch Corridor to THE Tunnel, which would be the subject of a separate, future environmental process.
4.2.1 Tri-County Rail Concept Plan
The potential for future connections to Manhattan is a central element in a much larger transportation plan for northern New Jersey. In 2004, NJ TRANSIT proposed the Tri-County
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Rail Concept Plan, a passenger rail initiative designed to combine existing rail infrastructure, the majority of which is the reuse of freight lines, with new construction to create an inter-connected network of rail lines serving Hudson, Bergen, and Passaic Counties.
The major components of the current Tri-County Rail Plan are:
• DMU passenger service between Tenafly and North Bergen (Northern Branch) • A future connection from the Northern Branch to THE Tunnel • Future northern expansion of the Northern Branch to Closter, Demarest and the New York State line • DMU passenger service on the NYS&W between Hawthorne and Hackensack (Passaic- Bergen) • A future connection from the Passaic-Bergen line to THE Tunnel • Future westward expansion of the Passaic-Bergen line to Sparta • HBLR service west to the Meadowlands • Commuter rail connections to the Meadowlands from the Bergen and Pascack Valley lines
This wider transportation vision for northern New Jersey builds on the work done in the West Shore Region Study and further develops two of the Study’s three proposed commuter lines: Northern Branch and Passaic-Bergen. Originally proposed as light rail systems, the Tri-County Plan utilizes DMUs on these lines to: in the short term, provide passenger rail service within their respective corridors; and in the long term, provide for a one-seat ride via a THE Tunnel connection and dual-powered locomotives. 4.2.2 Northern Branch Commuter Rail Conversion
Northern Branch passenger rail service to Manhattan can also be accomplished independent of the methodology expressed in the Tri-County Rail Concept Plan. Regardless of the passenger rail technology selected for the first phase, a subsequent conversion of the system to FRA- approved commuter rail can also provide the same Manhattan connection.
For a diesel-multiple-unit system, the conversion would require:
• The use of dual-powered (electric and diesel) locomotives for travel through THE Tunnel • The lengthening of platforms at Northern Branch stations to accommodate longer consists
For an electric light rail system, the conversion would require:
• The use of FRA-approved electric commuter rail vehicles • The lengthening of platforms at Northern Branch stations to accommodate longer consists • The conversion of the catenary system from electric light rail voltage to commuter rail voltage
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5. SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
The EIS will consider all potential direct, indirect and cumulative effects of the project alternatives upon the social, economic and environmental resources in the project area. Generally, the project area has been defined as 150 feet on either side of the railroad corridor between North Bergen and Tenafly. However, the study areas for each resource will vary with its area of potential effect. Resources such as contaminated materials and archaeology, which can be directly affected by project construction, will have study areas confined to the limits of disturbance.
The impacts will be evaluated for the construction period and for the long-term period of operation. Measures to mitigate any significant adverse impacts will be considered. The analysis areas include:
• Land Use, Zoning and Economic Development • Land Acquisition and Displacements • Consistency with Local Plans • Parklands • Aesthetics • Community Disruption • Traffic, Parking, Transit, Pedestrians, and Freight Rail • Air Quality • Noise and Vibration • Water Quality • Wetlands • Flooding • Navigable Waterways and Coastal Zones • Endangered Species • Hazardous Waste • Energy and Potential for Conservation • Electric and Magnetic Fields • Safety and Security • Construction Impacts • Historic Properties and Resources • Archaeology • Environmental Justice • Cumulative Impacts
5.1 Land Use, Zoning and Economic Development
Existing Conditions Existing land use patterns will be identified and mapped. A generalized land use profile will be developed for each alternative and in the immediate vicinity of each station or yard site under study. Existing land use condition information will include identification of sensitive uses along
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the corridors and at station areas for use in other technical areas of the EIS (i.e., noise and vibration, parklands, traffic, etc.). For each proposed station area (the area within approximately ½ mile from the proposed station location), a general estimate of the existing level of development will be prepared and recent development activity will be characterized. This work will be based upon field observations, a review of building permit data, and discussions with local planners and other appropriate officials. Information regarding the zoning at and around new stations and/or yard sites will be documented. Future development plans and any proposed changes in land use or zoning will be documented. Plans, policies or goals regarding economic development in station areas, at yard sites, or generally, throughout the alternative’s corridor, will be described.
Impact Assessment A land use impact assessment will be prepared, identifying the compatibility of new station and yards sites to existing and proposed land uses. Impacts to specific sensitive sites or areas, such as historic sites and recreational/parkland, will be identified. Land use plans developed by local, state, or federal agencies for localities within the study area will also be reviewed to determine the alternatives’ consistency with such plans. Compatibility issues with regard to existing zoning will be identified. Economic development impacts and benefits, associated with potential new stations and with new rail service access as a regional improvement, will be qualitatively described.
5.2 Land Acquisition and Displacements
Existing Conditions For each alternative, land acquisition requirements will be determined. If land acquisition is required, the existing characteristics of each property will be identified and documented, including size, ownership, value, assessment, location, use (tax code), number and condition of structures, status as occupied or vacant, etc.
Impact Assessment The inventory compiled of businesses and/or residences potentially displaced by each of the alternatives will be used to prepare the impact assessment. Operations of the proposed rail services would generally take place within the existing railroad right-of-way. The exception would be potential minor acquisitions for additional right-of-way and at stations for platforms. Acquisitions and displacements will likely be required for station parking lots, except where shared use arrangements with neighboring underutilized parking areas can be accommodated. Property acquisition will likely be required for a rail storage facility. All practical measures to avoid displacement of businesses and/or residences will be explored. Should displacement be necessary, guidelines set forth in the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policy Act of 1970 will be applied. The analysis will provide detailed information regarding each displacement, such as land use, assessed value and number of people potentially displaced. Temporary relocations of businesses and residences will also be analyzed, as needed.
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5.3 Consistency with Local Plans
Existing Conditions Local plans for municipalities in the Northern Branch Corridor and Bergen and Hudson Counties, and pertinent regional and statewide plans will be collected and reviewed. The plans to be reviewed will include master plans, zoning and site plan ordinances, resource conservation plans, and any additional plans identified as significant. The project area’s classification in the New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan (SDRP) will be identified. The Hackensack Meadowlands Development Corporation’s (HMDC) Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) will be taken into consideration. Local officials will be interviewed to determine the status of these plans and any ongoing plans or update efforts.
Impact Assessment The consistency of each alternative relative to the major topic areas of these plans (e.g., land use, site design/visual quality, transportation, etc.) will be summarized. Areas of major inconsistency will be discussed in greater detail. The potential impacts associated with the identified inconsistencies will be noted.
5.4 Parklands
Existing Conditions Alternatives that would take, use or impact publicly-owned parkland, recreation or open space areas would be subject to Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. In addition, acquisition of any parkland designated as a Section 6(f) resource (i.e., park property acquired or developed with Land and Water Conservation Fund assistance) which may be required for a given alternative must be evaluated in conformance with the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act provisions regarding conversion. In order to prepare the Section 4(f) and Section 6(f) assessments, an inventory of parkland or open space on or adjacent to the alignment, new station areas, and yards sites will be prepared and the type of parkland use will be described. Preliminary parkland areas for investigation include, but are not limited to, Marine and Willis Parks (Ridgefield), Sylvan and Overpeck Parks (Leonia), and Mackay Park (Englewood.)
Impact Assessment The direct effects on parklands will be analyzed. In Leonia, part of Overpeck Park has been proposed as a potential station site and impacts will be analyzed. Indirect effects of the project on parkland will also be identified, including potential impact on public access to parklands. If required, a Section 4(f) and/or Section 6(f) evaluation will be prepared for review by the FTA and the Department of the Interior. If the project requires the use of a parkland and state Green Acres or other funding was used by the municipality, diversion of use for such designated open space must be approved by the state house commission, and appropriate compensation provided.
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5.5 Aesthetics
Existing Conditions A thorough inventory of the existing aesthetic and visual resources will be made, paying particular attention to the designated scenic districts, view corridors and sheds, historic sites, parkland and recreation areas, scenic highways and waterways, and residential concentrations. The inventory will utilize existing information, such as previous reports, maps, and aerial photographs, and will be supplemented with field research and photoreconnaissance.
Preliminary areas of high potential for visual impact investigation include, but are not limited to: Brookside Cemetery District, former Englewood Station Building, North Van Brunt Streetscape (Englewood), Sylvan Park, Overpeck Park (Leonia), and Willis Park (Ridgefield.)
Impact Assessment An aesthetic impact analysis will be prepared, and will include evaluation of both temporary visual impacts arising from project construction, and permanent visual impact that would be created upon completion of this project. Temporary construction impacts could include the visual intrusion of contractor’s staging areas and the aesthetic impact of construction machinery for adjacent sensitive properties. Permanent impacts from new construction could include stations, park-and-ride lots, overhead catenary, electrical substations, bridges, aerial structures, train storage facilities, etc., especially where such facilities may be located near sensitive uses. The permanent impact analysis will include evaluation of positive impacts from the enhancements and design features of new construction that could contribute positively to the visual environment of the project area. Potential mitigation measures may include screening techniques, landscaping, relocation of facilities, sensitive architectural treatment, artwork, and other amenities or treatments.
5.6 Community Disruption
Impact Assessment Short-term and long-term community disruption impacts, which could result from the construction of and operation of each alternative, will be evaluated and described. These analyses will draw upon the existing condition and impact assessment analyses prepared in other DEIS tasks, including the sections on Land Acquisition and Displacements; Land Use, Zoning and Economic Development; Historic Properties; Parkland; Archaeology; Aesthetics; Environmental Justice; and Consistency with Local Plans. Disruption to community facilities in the project area as a result of the proposed actions will be investigated, in order to understand problem areas of noise, traffic, circulation, safety and access, as these facilities have special requirements in these impact areas. All community uses within 1,500 feet of the right-of-way will be identified.
Meetings held with community leaders through the Public Outreach process will also be used to gain information on community concerns about the alternatives, which could indicate characteristics that could be disruptive. For any communities that may be significantly and adversely affected by project-related disruption of activity patterns, neighborhood character, and other community-related effects, mitigation measures will be identified.
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5.7 Traffic, Parking, Transit, Pedestrians and Freight Rail
Existing Conditions Information on the existing traffic, parking, transit, pedestrian, and freight rail conditions in the project area will be identified. Documentation of existing traffic conditions will include identification of existing: primary arterials, secondary roads, and local streets; peak hour traffic volumes along key arterials and streets; vehicle classifications; major origin-destination patterns; and traffic levels-of-service. Existing parking condition documentation will include identification of major parking facilities, including their capacities, utilization levels, fee structures, and restrictions on their use. Existing pedestrian and transit conditions surrounding the station area areas will be documented as well. Existing freight rail conditions will be documented.
Impact Assessment Forecasts of future traffic volumes for the No Build and Build Alternatives will be prepared. The impact assessment will include definition of significant impacts under the various Build Alternatives; impacts on adjacent streets should diversions of traffic from existing roads be projected as part of the future conditions analyses; and identification of traffic improvements needed to mitigate potential significant impacts. Potential impacts to the street network, regarding conditions such as steep grades, signalization, sight lines, angles, volumes/congestion, capacity, grade crossings, access, vehicular/pedestrian circulation, and turn movements, will be examined at appropriate locations. Examples of possible mitigation measures include street widenings, channelization improvements, signal system modifications, turn prohibitions, etc.
Impact assessment will include analysis of the projected parking needs of the Build Alternatives over the No Build Alternative. Possible new parking facilities to be examined for impacts in the Build Alternative include proposed facilities at Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia, and Englewood/Tenafly. Impacts to local area parking will be assessed, in terms of sites, capacities, access needs, and compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Mitigation measures will be identified if necessary, such as needs for expansion of existing lots, reconstruction of existing parking lot layouts or other options particularly relevant to the station site. Pedestrian access impacts and needs for the alternatives will be identified, as well as any mitigation measures, as necessary. Positive and negative transit impacts will be identified, including documentation of estimated new transit riders, and travel time changes, if applicable. Impacts to freight rail resulting from the proposed passenger services will be assessed.
5.8 Air Quality
Existing Conditions The relevant ambient air quality standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be described as they relate to mobile and rail-source emissions for the study area. Existing ambient air quality levels will be described for the study area. The project area’s status relative to air quality attainment will also be examined. All project air quality analyses will conform to the goals set forth in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA).
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Impact Assessment Three potential impact areas will be addressed in the air quality analysis: regional emissions, localized or microscale effects and area source impacts. Regional reductions in emissions analysis will be determined by calculating overall changes in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), then applying an emissions model to calculate changes in levels of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. For the localized or microscale analysis, air quality analysis locations will be selected based on the projected changes in traffic, where the greatest incremental increases in CO levels would be expected to occur, and other areas where significant increases in CO are anticipated. Results of this analysis will be compared to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the one- and eight-hour CO levels. Incremental increases in CO between the No Action Alternative and the Build Alternatives will be identified and impacts will be predicted. As necessary, mitigation measures will be investigated to minimize potential air quality impacts. An area source analysis for parking facilities will be analyzed, based on a “worst case” parameter, such as a high percentage of cold starts. A similar analysis will be prepared for the train storage yard(s), assuming operating conditions such as train idling or start-up. The analysis will address potential changes in levels of hydrocarbons and particulate matter related to the operation of diesel service. A “worst case” scenario will be assessed, with emissions compared to established Federal and State guidelines. Air source analysis results will be compared to the NAAQS for CO to determine if the project will result in air quality impacts. The air quality analysis will determine compliance with the State Implementation Plan for PM and CO.
5.9 Noise and Vibration
Existing Conditions Existing noise conditions will be determined through an ambient noise monitoring program. Noise monitoring locations will be considered in the project corridor where noise-sensitive land uses, such as residences, parks, schools, and other sensitive areas identified in the natural and built environment, adjoin the Northern Branch Corridor. Background noise level estimates in the project study area will be affected by the significant population density and the existing rail service. The study area follows a traditional rail corridor, over which rail freight continues to be operated. Approximately one freight train per day in each direction operates in the Northern Branch Corridor. Potentially significant noise and vibration impacts on sensitive cultural and institutional receptors (historical structures, hospitals, schools, libraries, churches, etc.) and on adjacent residential communities will be identified.
Continuous 24-hour monitoring and short-term monitoring will be conducted at residences to estimate the existing conditions at different types of areas of the study corridor. Short-term monitoring will be conducted at schools and other sensitive daytime land uses during the busiest time of day for the sensitive land use. Noise levels will be reported in A-weighted hourly Leq, and in Ldn for continuous 24-hour monitoring locations, and in A-weighted hourly Leq for the short-term monitoring locations.
Impact Assessment Future conditions for wayside train noise, station noise, vehicular noise, and general vibration associated with the train will be determined using the FTA guidance manual Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment (May, 2006). A noise impact assessment will be prepared that will
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show the predicted noise impact contour for each of the Build Alternatives. The estimated project noise will be compared to the existing noise levels to determine the distance from the track within which there may be an impact. A similar contour will be estimated for vibration impacts. Mitigation measures for noise and vibration will be identified, if required, and the reduced impact area after mitigation measures are in place will be identified through additional contour maps. The impacts of horn blowing will also be considered.
5.10 Water Quality
Existing Conditions Water bodies within the Northern Branch Corridor will be identified. Of particular interest will be water bodies crossed by the alternatives, such as Bellmans Creek and Wolf Creek. Existing water quality data from various sources such as New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, county and local agencies, and other sources will be researched and identified. This information will be used to develop a description of the existing water quality conditions in the Northern Branch Corridor.
Impact Assessment An assessment of the potential for direct and indirect discharge of pollutants into surface water bodies, including wetlands, will be conducted for each alternative. Any alteration of the existing pattern of runoff will be assessed. This assessment will include surface drainage patterns and impacts upon the water table from activities such as dewatering, potential contamination of groundwater via aquifer recharge areas, or other means. The impact assessment will include evaluation against the State of New Jersey Water Quality Standards. Permitting requirements will be described. Mitigation measures will be identified for significant water quality impacts, as required.
5.11 Wetlands
Existing Conditions Federal and state wetlands will be identified using existing information to make a preliminary determination of the extent and types of freshwater wetlands present in the project area. Existing readily available information may include the Bergen and Hudson County Soil Survey, New Jersey Department Environmental Protection 2002 digital ortho-photography, United States Geological Survey topographic mapping, U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Wetland Inventory mapping and NJDEP Freshwater Wetlands mapping. This will be augmented with field reconnaissance where necessary. Limits of wetlands will be identified on project maps.
Impact Assessment The extent and class of potentially impacted wetlands for each alternative will be identified and evaluated. The evaluation will include the impacts on wetlands resulting from both the construction and operation of the alternatives. Preliminary investigations indicate that the vicinity of tributaries of Bellmans Creek (Ridgefield) and the vicinity of Overpeck Creek (Palisades Park, Leonia) will be included in this evaluation, in addition to the various scattered
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wetlands and man-made drainage channels adjacent to the corridor/station areas throughout this corridor.
Measures to minimize adverse impacts and avoid, to the extent possible, drainage, filling, or other disturbances of wetlands and the water resources supplying them, will be identified and evaluated. The hydrological resource and value to fish and wildlife, and recreational uses of wetlands will be considered in the evaluation process. If an alternative will have any impact on wetlands, an alternatives analysis will be prepared as required as part of the federal and state permitting process during the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The nature of the scope of this alternatives analysis will vary with the type and extent of potential wetlands impacts. The analysis will investigate whether there is any practical alternative to avoid impacts on the wetlands. If there are no practical alternatives, the analysis will identify whether all practical measures to minimize impacts have been included in the project design. Measures to mitigate impacts to wetlands must also be developed for implementation. In addition, the Northern Branch Corridor is located in the Hackensack Meadowlands District (HMD). Close coordination with HMDC will continue throughout preparation of the DEIS.
5.12 Flooding
Existing Conditions Existing floodplains will be identified and mapped utilizing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood insurance maps and NJDEP and county flood studies. The 100-year flood zone boundary will be delineated on project maps. These maps will be utilized to determine if the project area for each alternative lies within a 100-year floodplain, to comply with Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management. If so, a detailed analysis will be conducted that includes documentation of the reasons for the project’s location in the floodplain, the alternatives considered and, if no alternative is possible, the reasons why these alternatives were not considered practical. A statement indicating whether the proposed project conforms to state and/or local floodplain protection standards will also be included.
Impact Assessment A detailed analysis is required when actions involve changes in the existing runoff pattern, such as modification of the existing drainage system, channelization of existing runoff, and creation of additional impervious surfaces. The analysis will include a discussion of the measures to handle stormwater management runoff and water quality. If an alternative has the potential to increase stormwater runoff and induce flooding, the magnitude of the impact will be evaluated and the appropriate mitigation measures discussed. Design elements that will be employed to mitigate the impacts of flooding will be described and their impacts evaluated.
5.13 Navigable Waterways and Coastal Zones
Impact Assessment A determination will be made whether the Northern Branch Corridor is located in the coastal zone or near a navigable waterway that could potentially be affected by any of the alternatives. If within the coastal zone, the alternative’s compliance with pertinent state Coastal Zone
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Management (CZM) policies will be assessed and documented for review and approval by the New Jersey Department of State. Potential effects on navigable waterways, such as impacts from rehabilitation/construction of bridges, will be identified. The requirements of pertinent agencies, including the United States Coast Guard and the ACOE will be reviewed, and a list will be developed of permits that may be required.
5.14 Endangered Species
Impact Assessment The latest list of threatened and endangered fauna and flora published by the U.S. Department of the Interior will be reviewed and appropriate federal and state agencies will be consulted, including NJDEP and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Secondary source information will be verified to the extent necessary. Preliminary investigations indicate the following critical wildlife habitats may be present, requiring further analysis: Endangered, Indiana bat (Myotis sodalist); Threatened, Yellow Crowned night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) and wood turtle (Clemmys insculpta); Species of Special Concern, Eastern box turtle (Terrapane carolina).
If it is found that an alternative could affect the existence or habitat of an endangered species, the anticipated effects on the species, the nature of the habitat and the designation of the habitat will be described. Any specific mitigation measures, including possible alternative designs or alignment modifications, which can be taken to preserve endangered species and to avoid destruction or modification of critical habitats, will be discussed.
5.15 Hazardous Waste
Existing Conditions Baseline conditions concerning the potential for contamination in areas for each alternative that would be subject to new construction will be identified. A hazardous waste screening will be undertaken for these areas to identify the presence of known hazardous waste or contamination and the presence of environmental problems due to past or current land uses. This environmental assessment will include on-site inspections and interviews, regulatory file searches and interviews, regulatory agency database review and historic search. Appropriate federal and state agencies will be consulted, including NJDEP.
Impact Assessment The hazardous waste assessment will evaluate the extent and nature of contamination of sites that would potentially be impacted by construction of each alternative. For each site identified, a value ranking for potential site contamination will be provided. Sites requiring further analysis will be identified and the requirements for potential future testing and remediation will be described.
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5.16 Energy and Potential for Conservation
Impact Assessment Energy consumption effects of major infrastructure projects must be considered under regulations promulgated by FTA and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). An energy analysis to quantify and compare energy needed to construct and operate each of the alternatives under study will be conducted. Activities will include comparing operational and construction energy requirements of each alternative and identifying the payback period for each alternative relative to the operational energy savings. Estimates of energy savings and expenditures for automobile travel will be evaluated based on VMT estimates and average travel speed data. Rail energy estimates will be based on diesel or electrical requirements for rail vehicle propulsion and total annual rail vehicle-miles for each alternative.
5.17 Electric and Magnetic Fields
Impact Assessment The alternatives’ potential to increase the exposure of electric and magnetic fields (EMF’s) to residents and businesses adjacent to the alignment will be assessed. EMF’s will be examined for the alternatives that would use electric for motive power. Recent scientific literature will be reviewed for up-to-date information related to EMF exposure and its potential health impacts. Potential for EMF impacts for each of the alternatives will be described.
5.18 Safety and Security
Impact Assessment Safety and security issues relative to the construction and operation of each of the alternatives will be assessed. Safety issues regarding passenger rail services sharing the right-of-way with freight operations will be assessed. The study will review safety and security issues as they relate to operations at existing and potential new facilities. Construction activities will be assessed to determine if they involve unusual or particularly dangerous construction types, procedures, or locations that would have significant safety or security effects. The additional potential for safety and security incidents due to the operation of each alternative will be identified as a comparison to existing safety and security issues in the area under study. Coordination will take place with the Federal Railroad Administration, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and NYS&W Railroad.
5.19 Construction
Impact Assessment Short-term impacts due to construction of the alternatives will be identified. The extent, phasing, schedule and types of construction activities will be described, including identification of temporary easements required for construction access, if required. An impact analysis will be prepared; drawing in large part upon the existing conditions and impact assessment analyses
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prepared in other DEIS tasks for long-term operational impacts. Construction impacts will be assessed regarding air quality; noise and vibration; traffic, parking, transit, and pedestrians; safety and security; water quality; fish and wildlife resources; tidelands/riparian areas; wetlands; infrastructure / utilities; hazardous waste; land use; historic resources; parkland; archaeology; aesthetics and community disruption. The type of potential impact(s) will vary over the short term/construction phase as compared with the long term/operational phase. Measures to mitigate the short-term impacts will be qualitatively discussed.
5.20 Historic Properties and Resources
Existing Conditions The historic resource analysis will identify the historic and architectural resources of significance in the project study area. The historic resource analysis will be conducted in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and coordinated with the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), local historic groups, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). This identification process will include resources associated with the railroad and will include stations, bridges, and other extant structures associated with the railroad. In accordance with revisions to Section 106 local historic societies and coalitions will be notified from the onset about the study. Historic societies and organizations include the Bergen County Historical Society, the Leonia Historical Society, Englewood Historical Society, and the Tenafly Historic Preservation Commission.
Impact Assessment The historic resource impact assessment will identify any potential impacts that may be caused by each of the alternatives to the historic and architectural resources of significance identified in the existing conditions section. If impacts are identified, ways to avoid or mitigate the adverse impacts will be recommended. The investigation will focus primarily on direct impacts, visual and contextual impacts and construction impacts such as noise, air quality, and vibration. In coordination with NJ TRANSIT and the SHPO, the area of potential effect (APE) will be defined for areas identified for construction of a new station or yard site or new track construction. The APE would include the area that may be affected by direct physical impacts, such as demolition or alteration of a resource, or by indirect contextual impacts, such as changes in the visual character of the surrounding neighborhood or in the view from a resource. Historic resources within the APE that are listed on state and National Registers will be identified. A cultural resource survey will be conducted in those areas which have not previously been surveyed or for additional historic resources that appear to be eligible based on new information or that are recently over 50 years of age. A reconnaissance-level survey will be conducted, followed by intensive-level survey on those resources that appear to be eligible for inclusion on the National Register. Potentially eligible resource will be described, photographed and mapped. These sites will be considered, as appropriate, in the air quality, noise and vibration, and aesthetics impacts analyses. Recommendations as to the significance and eligibility for National Register listing will also be made. An Effects Assessment on the identified resources will be prepared and submitted to the SHPO. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation will be notified to determine Council participation in accordance with the Section 106 process. If adverse effects would result from a project alternative, an Alternatives Analysis will be conducted to
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demonstrate that all possible alternatives were identified to avoid the adverse effect. A Section 4(f) Evaluation would also be prepared for adversely affected historic architectural resources.
5.21 Archaeology
Existing Conditions Background research on archaeological resources in the project area will be prepared. The research process will include literature search, map search, review of general historical and environmental conditions, site-specific primary archival research for sensitive resources. Interviews with local residents, municipal officials, collectors and historians will be conducted in an effort to supply site-specific information about particular resources, if necessary. A site reconnaissance will be conducted to identify locations that have the potential to preserve archaeological remains. Based on this research, an archaeological inventory will be prepared including text, maps and photographs.
Impact Assessment The potential for the affected area to have hosted prehistoric and/or historical era resources of significance will be assessed; as for the assessment of potential impacts to historic resources, the area of potential effect (APE) for archeological resources will be defined in consultation with the SHPO in New Jersey and local historic societies. The likelihood that such resources have survived the subsurface disturbance concomitant with development will also be considered. Predictive models related to prehistoric land use will be generated which will draw on locations of known sites in the area as well as archaeological theory related to site formation and preservation. Models of prehistoric site formation will also take into account recent work performed by other archaeologists in the Hackensack Meadowlands. These predictive models will be used to identify areas of archaeological sensitivity that could potentially be impacted by the construction of each of the alternatives. Where the potential for archaeological resources is identified, mitigation measures in identified zones of archaeological sensitivity will be recommended.
5.22 Environmental Justice
Existing Conditions Executive Order 12898 (dated February 11, 1994) entitled “Federal Action to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations” directs all federal agencies to ensure that their actions do not have a “disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effect …on minority populations or low-income populations.” Existing socio-economic data will be collected and documented to inform the Environmental Justice impact assessment to address Executive Order 12898.
Impact Assessment The impact assessment will determine the presence of minority and/or low-income populations that may be affected by the alternatives through analysis of Census data and other socio- economic studies. The analysis will compare the populations potentially affected by the project alternatives to the demographic profile of the counties' and region’s populations, as a whole.
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The analysis will examine whether any potential adverse project impacts would fall disproportionately on minority and/or low-income populations in the study area, or, conversely, whether project benefits would accrue disproportionately to non-minority and/or high-income populations. The analysis will follow the guidance of the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Interim Final Guidance for Incorporating Environmental Justice Concerns in EPA’s NEPA Compliance Analysis, U.S. EPA, September, 1997, and the Department of Transportation Final Order on Environmental Justice – 62 Federal Register 18377 – 81, April 15, 1997.
5.23 Cumulative Impacts
Impact Assessment An assessment of cumulative impacts will be prepared, as required under NEPA regulations. Cumulative impacts are defined as those which result from the incremental impact of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions, regardless of which agency or person undertakes such actions. For alternatives having regional implications, such as those under consideration in this DEIS, the regional perspective provides the appropriate context for assessing cumulative impacts. Guidelines established in Considering Cumulative Effects Under the National Environmental Policy Act (Council on Environmental Quality, January 1997) will be used. The analysis will identify: the direct and indirect effects of the alternatives; which resources, ecosystems, and/or communities would be affected; and which effects, if any, positive or negative, on these resources are significant from the perspective of cumulative effects, i.e., which would likely be meaningful. The analysis will be qualitative. The assessment of cumulative impacts will include an overview of the New York/ New Jersey Metropolitan Region in order to place in context the more detailed description of the project area. The discussion will include such topics as regional geography, broad demographic data, major land use patterns, centers of economic activity, and the regional transportation network.
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6. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM
A public involvement program has been a part of the West Shore Region Study and subsequent planning activities. As the project moves into the EIS phase, this public involvement program will continue to be a critical element of the study. This public involvement program has been designed to inform the public and elected officials of the purpose of the study, explain the transportation alternatives under consideration, describe the evaluation of the alternatives, and inform the public of environmental review activities. Components of the public participation program are described on the following pages.
6.1 Newsletters
From time to time, it may be necessary to publish a project or study update as milestones are achieved. This can be accomplished through the use of a newsletter distributed to members of the Citizens Liaison Committee, and made available at public libraries, municipal buildings, community centers, etc., throughout the Corridor. A newsletter would be event-driven and published only when significant activity has occurred.
6.2 Study Website
Periodically, information regarding the study will be posted on the project’s website, www.NorthernBranchCorridor.com. The website can also be used by the public to post questions or ask for information. This will ultimately generate an e-mail list of interested stakeholders who will receive electronic versions of newsletters.
6.3 Citizens Liaison Committee (CLC)
A Citizens Liaison Committee (CLC) has been initiated to foster communication and build consensus between municipalities and stakeholders in the Northern Branch Corridor and the study team. Members of the Committee include mayors or their appointed representatives, town council members and residents. Community-based organizations such as Chambers of Commerce, local service groups, historical societies, etc., are also encouraged to participate. In addition, to maintain continuity with previous work, wherever appropriate, members of the predecessor West Shore Region Study’s CLC were invited to participate in the Committee. Solicitation to join the CLC was accomplished through direct invitation – targeted to municipal and community leadership or organizations – and continues via an open invitation to the general public available on the project’s website.
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6.4 Break-Out Sessions
When appropriate, Committee meetings will begin with a project’s status presentation to update the CLC. Committee members will then be encouraged to break into small discussion groups focused on specific issues related to their communities. These sessions will give committee members an opportunity to engage in conversations with each other about study issues and to speak directly with study team members. Meeting minutes may be kept and questions raised by CLC participants requiring follow up will be noted.
6.5 Agency Coordination
A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has been assembled to communicate with regulatory and review agencies in the region the status of the Northern Branch DEIS.
6.6 Small Town Meetings
At various points in the study process, meetings will be held with elected officials and citizens, in the towns along the study corridor. Attendees will be given the opportunity to voice their concerns and raise issues about new rail service in their community. As the study progress, more meetings with all towns being considered for stations will be held. Additionally, each community has received at least one briefing for the Town Council, Mayor, Business Administrator or combinations.
6.7 Scoping Meetings/Public Hearing(s)
These forums will be held during the Northern Branch DEIS to provide the general public an opportunity to learn about the study and to comment on its goals and objectives, alternatives, evaluation criteria, and environmental scope and findings.
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APPENDIX A – NOTICE OF INTENT
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Avenue, SE., Docket Operations, M–30, recipients in urbanized areas of 200,000 County, and Tenafly, Bergen County. West Building, Ground Floor, Room persons or greater to reduce barriers to The EIS will be prepared in accordance W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001. transportation services and expand the with the National Environmental Policy 4. Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of transportation mobility options Act (NEPA: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey available to people with disabilities 1969 and the regulations implementing Avenue, SE., Docket Operations, M–30, beyond the requirements of the NEPA set forth in 40 CFR Parts 1500– West Building, Ground Floor, Room Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1508 and 23 CFR Part 771, as well as W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001 of 1990. Grant recipients are required to provisions of the recently enacted Safe, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday make information available to the public Accountable, Flexible, Efficient through Friday, except Federal holidays. and to publish a program of projects Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Instructions: You must include the which identifies the subrecipients and Users (SAFETEA–LU). The purpose of agency name and docket number for this projects for which the State or this Notice is to alert interested parties notice at the beginning of your designated recipient is applying for regarding the plan to prepare the EIS, to comments. Submit two copies of your financial assistance. FTA uses the provide information on the nature of the comments if you submit them by mail. information to determine eligibility for proposed transit project, to invite For confirmation that FTA has received funding and to monitor the grantees’ participation in the EIS process, your comments, include a self- progress in implementing and including comments on the scope of the addressed stamped postcard. Note that completing project activities. FTA EIS proposed in this notice, and to all comments received, including any collects performance information from announce that public scoping meetings personal information, will be posted designated recipients in rural areas, will be conducted. This notice and will be available to Internet users, small urbanized areas and other direct supersedes the FTA notice of June 18, without change, to recipients for small urbanized areas 2001 entitled ‘‘Major Investment Study/ www.regulations.gov. You may review annually and collects performance Draft Environmental Impact Statement DOT’s complete Privacy Act Statement information from designated recipients for the Northern Branch Corridor, in the Federal Register published April in large urbanized areas on a quarterly Bergen County, New Jersey.’’ 11, 2000, (65 FR 19477), or you may basis. The information submitted DATES: Written comments on the scope visit www.regulations.gov. Docket: For ensures FTA’s compliance with of the EIS should be sent to Linda A. access to the docket to read background applicable federal laws and OMB Mosch, P.E., NJ TRANSIT Project documents and comments received, go Circular A–102. Manager, by November 7, 2007. Public to www.regulations.gov at any time. Respondents: State & local scoping meetings will be held on Background documents and comments government, private non-profit Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 3 to 5 received may also be viewed at the U.S. organizations and public transportation p.m. and at 7 to 9 p.m. at locations Department of Transportation, 1200 authorities. indicated under ADDRESSES below. An New Jersey Avenue, SE., Docket Estimated Annual Burden on interagency scoping meeting will be Operations, M–30, West Building, Respondents: 251 hours for each of the scheduled after agencies with an Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 206 respondents. interest in the proposed project have Washington, DC 20590–0001 between 9 Estimated Total Annual Burden: been identified. a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 122,374 hours. ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Friday, except Federal holidays. Frequency: Annual and quarterly. scope of the EIS should be sent to Linda FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Issued: September 26, 2007. A. Mosch, P.E, Project Director— David Schneider, FTA Office of Program Ann Linnertz, Northern Branch EIS, NJ TRANSIT, One Management 202–493–0175, fax: 202– Associate Administrator for Administration. Penn Plaza East, Newark, NJ 07105– 366–3475, or e-mail: [FR Doc. E7–19420 Filed 10–1–07; 8:45 am] 2246. Comments may also be offered at the public scoping meetings. The [email protected]. BILLING CODE 4910–57–P SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested address for the public scoping meeting parties are invited to send comments is as follows: Crowne Plaza Englewood regarding any aspect of this information DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Hotel, 401 S. Van Brunt St., Englewood, collection, including: (1) The necessity NJ 07631. This location is accessible by persons and utility of the information collection Federal Transit Administration with disabilities. If special translation or for the proper performance of the Intent To Prepare an Environmental signing services or other special functions of the FTA; (2) the accuracy Impact Statement on the Restoration of accommodations are needed, please of the estimated burden; (3) ways to Rail Service in the Northern Branch contact the Project Director, Linda A. enhance the quality, utility, and clarity Corridor, Bergen and Hudson Mosch, P.E., at (973) 491–8481 least 48 of the collected information; and (4) Counties, NJ hours before the meeting. A scoping ways to minimize the collection burden information packet is available on the without reducing the quality of the AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration NJ TRANSIT Web site at http:// collected information. Comments (FTA). NorthernBranchCorridor.com or by submitted in response to this notice will ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an calling the Project Director, Linda A. be summarized and/or included in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Mosch, P.E., at (973) 491–8481. Copies request for OMB approval of this will also be available at the scoping information collection. SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Title: 49 U.S.C. 5317, New Freedom Administration (FTA) and the New meetings. Program. Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. (OMB Number: 2132–NEW) TRANSIT) intend to prepare an Rebecca Reyes-Alicea, Community Background: 49 U.S.C. 5317, the New Environmental Impact Statement to Planner, Federal Transit Freedom Program, authorizes the study the restoration of rail passenger Administration, One Bowling Green, Secretary of Transportation to make service on the Northern Branch rail Room 429, New York, New York, grants to states and designated corridor between North Bergen, Hudson 10004–1415, telephone (212) 668–2203.
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Scoping The growth in households and the time, and are looking for travel options In accordance with Section 6002 of diversification of the economy have that will improve their travel time and SAFETEA–LU, FTA and NJT invite caused an increase in travel in the reliability. comment on the scope of the EIS, project area in recent years. The • Improve convenience. Travelers are specifically on project’s purpose and increases have been during the peak looking for new travel options that will need, the alternatives to be evaluated travel periods, the off-peak weekday make traveling in the region more that may address the purpose and need, periods, and the weekend periods. convenient. They are looking for and the impacts of the alternatives Congestion on the roads is a growing frequent service, adequate parking at considered. To ensure that these issues problem, which is reducing overall stations, competitive travel times, and are identified, the scoping meetings will mobility in the area and could constrain convenient connections to other transit begin with a formal presentation future economic growth, and may affect services, such as ferries, PATH, and followed by the opportunity for the the area’s very high standard of living. feeder services. public to comment on the scope of the While the transportation system • Provide more options for travelers. EIS. Oral and written comments may be continues to provide a fairly high level Today, travelers are severely limited in given at the scoping meetings; a of mobility for some residents and their travel options. Transit can be used stenographer will record all comments. businesses, many parts of the system are for only a very small portion of the Those wishing to speak are required to straining to accommodate the new area’s travel needs. Travelers want more register at the meeting location. demands caused by a growing economy. travel options to meet their diverse Registration to speak will begin at 2:30 The area’s roadways provide the best travel needs. Options could include p.m. and will remain open until 4:30 evidence of the strains on the system. service to many destinations, including p.m. for the afternoon session; While more roads are congested for Midtown, Lower Manhattan, the registration to speak will begin at 6:30 longer periods, there are few Hudson River Waterfront, Newark, and p.m. and will remain open until 8:30 opportunities to expand local or recreational areas, such as the Sports p.m. for the evening session. Written regional roadway capacity. The project Complex and the Jersey Shore, comments may be submitted at the area has a substantial transit system. especially on weekends and at night. • meeting or may be mailed to the project However, there is evidence that the Improve services for the low- manager at the address in ADDRESSES system is not providing service for all of income/minority/transit dependent above. the markets that could be served. travelers. Transit dependent residents in the project area need good transit II. Purpose and Need for the Proposed Further investments in transit would options to more of the region’s jobs, not Project improve mobility in Bergen County, alleviating some traffic congestion, and only the jobs in Manhattan, but growing The purpose of the Northern Branch supporting continued economic growth. employment centers in New Jersey, like project is to address the transportation Provision of new transportation service the Hudson River Waterfront area, needs of the Northern Branch Corridor in the Northern Branch Corridor would Newark, the Meadowlands, and Bergen through the re-introduction of rail address: and Rockland employment centers. transit service. The project area is • Commuting to New York City heavily populated and is centrally Goal 2: Advance Cost-Effective Transit (trans-Hudson) from Bergen County; Solutions located in the New York/New Jersey • Inter- and intra-corridor metropolitan area. The area is directly Objectives: commuting, both to employment centers • west of the Hudson River, in close within the project corridor, and from the Support favorable farebox recovery. proximity to Manhattan. The area’s project corridor to employment For the vast majority of transit systems, location relative to New York City has locations in other areas of New Jersey; fare revenue does not cover the cost of played an important role in its and, providing service. However, higher development and continues to be an • Non-work trips including business, farebox recovery ratios allow transit important factor in the economy of the shopping, recreational, and education to agencies to maximize the amount of area. New York City, within the corridor, and service that can be provided for the Most of the transportation problems to destinations outside the corridor in same dollar of public operating subsidy. in the project area are the result of the New Jersey. One of the goals of the Northern Branch great changes that have taken place Based on the needs identified in the project is to introduce rail transit to the during the past 30 years. While Bergen project area, goals and objectives in the corridor in a manner that is sensitive to County’s population had not changed Northern Branch Corridor were the need to minimize the operating significantly until 1990, there have been identified in the early planning studies subsidy required to run the service. This other significant changes. The number and are as follows. will help ensure that the provision of of households has grown, resulting in transit service in the corridor is smaller households and more workers Goal 1: Meet the Needs of Travelers in financially sustainable. per household than in the past. Even the Project Area • Advance cost-effective transit more significant has been the growth in Objectives: solutions. The objective is to advance a employment from 1960 to today. The • Attract riders to transit. A central project that, from a cost-benefit number of jobs only tells part of the goal of the project is to attract more perspective, provides the greatest story about the project area’s economy. riders to rail transit in the Northern overall benefit at the lowest capital cost. The economy is diversifying. A growing Branch corridor. In spite of its proximity • Support future expansion, number of the jobs are now service to New York, eastern Bergen County scalability and affordability. The oriented, with fewer in the continues to have high single occupancy Northern Branch project should allow manufacturing sector. This shift has vehicle commutation. The goal of re- for future transit expansion while at the contributed to the area’s transportation introducing rail transit is to encourage same time provide a solution that is problems because service sector a greater transit ridership both on affordable to construct. With limited businesses generate more trips than opening day and into the future. capital funds, the ability to advance manufacturing businesses, especially • Improve travel time. Travelers in projects in phases helps to keep the during the off-peak travel periods. the project area put a high value on their projects affordable. Project scalability
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allows projects to be constructed which is likely to become more serious Northern Branch Corridor right-of-way. without precluding future expansion in the future. Transit strategies are Terminal stations would be located at projects. One of the criteria on which unlikely to substantially reduce Tenafly, in the vicinity of Hudson the Northern Branch project will be congestion, but can provide useful new Avenue; or at NJ Route 4 in Englewood. evaluated is the degree to which one travel alternatives for travelers trying to Light rail vehicle: These alternatives phase of a project integrates into a more avoid congestion. would involve time-separated operation of rail passenger and freight operations global planning effort for transportation Goal 6: Enhance the Transit Network improvement in the region. using the Northern Branch Corridor Objectives: right-of-way. Rail passenger service Goal 3: Encourage Economic Growth • Eliminate gaps in the rail network. would operate between 5:30 a.m. and Objectives: Bergen County’s transit share for trips to 10:30 p.m. with freight operations • Provide transportation capacity to Manhattan is lower than any other part between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Terminal support growth. Population and of northern New Jersey. This is due to stations would be located at Tenafly, in employment growth in and around several gaps in the transit network the vicinity of Hudson Avenue; or at NJ Bergen County and Hudson County is serving the area. For example, there is Route 4 in Englewood. In order to expected to continue in the future. no rail service in eastern Bergen County. accommodate the shift of freight service Additional transportation capacity and The closest rail line is the Pascack to nighttime operation, corridor new travel options will be needed to Valley Line, which is west of the improvements would be constructed support this growth, providing access Hackensack River. This inconvenient between Tenafly and Northvale. between the jobs in the counties and and capacity-constrained line is not an The build alternatives will involve surrounding residential communities. option for most residents of eastern construction of new transportation Growing congestion will continue to Bergen County. Also, rail service is infrastructure, including tracks, stations have negative impacts on the area’s infrequent during off-peak periods. Rail and yards. As many as 11 station economy in the future. service is best to Lower Manhattan, via locations will be evaluated. Any • Help attract new businesses. PATH and ferry, less effective to the additional reasonable alternatives that Companies looking to locate new Valley, between Canal Street and 34th come to light during the scoping process facilities, or expand existing facilities in Street, via PATH, and most difficult to will also be evaluated. Bergen County and Hudson County, will Midtown. IV. Probable Effects be looking for assurances that steps are • Eliminate gaps in the bus network. being taken to provide the area with The bus network in eastern Bergen The FTA and NJ TRANSIT will new travel alternatives. One of the major County also has some gaps. First, the evaluate both project-specific and assets of this area is its proximity to network only serves Midtown cumulative changes to the social, New York City and its role in sustaining Manhattan. Also, in the eastern most economic and physical environment— the strength of the State Plan’s parts of the county, there is little or no including land use and socioeconomic Metropolitan Planning Area. New bus service. In the more central parts of conditions, ecology, water resources, transportation choices that improve the study area there are many bus historic and archaeological resources, access to New York and the rest of the routes. However, these routes are visual character and aesthetics, region will help Bergen County and generally slow because they travel on contaminated and hazardous materials, Hudson County to maintain its local roads and make many stops along transportation, air quality, noise and competitive advantage in the region. the route to pick up passengers. vibration, and environmental justice effects. Mitigation of all adverse impacts Goal 4: Improve regional access III. Alternatives Proposed for will be considered. Consideration Objectives: V. FTA Procedures • Provide connections to a variety of It is proposed that the EIS evaluate a locations within the region. With the Future No Build Alternative and Build In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105(a) one exception of Manhattan, Bergen alternatives of two modes: diesel- and 771.133, FTA will comply with all County’s access to the rest of the region multiple-unit service from North Bergen Federal environmental laws, is almost entirely by auto, on highways to Tenafly, with a connection to the regulations, and executive orders that are becoming increasingly Hudson-Bergen Light Rail at Tonnelle applicable to the proposed project congested. With the completion of the Avenue in North Bergen; and an during the environmental review Secaucus Transfer, the areas served by extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light process to the maximum extent the Main, Bergen, and Pascack Valley Rail from its existing terminus at practicable. These requirements lines now benefit from rail access to the Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen to include, but are not limited to, the growing Hudson River Waterfront area, Tenafly. Additionally, the EIS will regulations of the Council on to Newark, to Trenton, and to the major evaluate both modal alternatives with a Environmental Quality and FTA recreational attractions, like the terminus at NJ Route 4 in Englewood. implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts Meadowlands and the New Jersey Future No Build Alternative: the 1500–1508, and 23 CFR Part 771), the Shore. Future No Build consists of the project-level air quality conformity transportation system expected to be in regulation of the U.S. Environmental Goal 5: Reduce Roadway Congestion place in the project design year if the Protection Agency (EPA) (40 CFR part Objectives: proposed project were not built. It 93), the section 404(b)(1) guidelines of • Provide more travel options for includes all other projects currently in EPA (40 CFR part 230), the regulation travelers trying to avoid highway the North Jersey Transportation implementing section 106 of the congestion. Major regional highways in Authority’s 20-year metropolitan National Historic Preservation Act (36 the project area are heavily congested. transportation plan. CFR Part 800), the regulation There are a limited number of major Diesel-multiple-unit vehicle: These implementing section 7 of the highways, each serving intra-county and alternatives would involve Endangered Species Act (50 CFR part regional travel needs. Congestion in simultaneous operation of rail passenger 402), section 4(f) of the DOT Act (23 Bergen County is a growing problem, and freight operations using the CFR 771.135), and Executive Orders
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12898 on environmental justice, 11988 which requires an Environmental ADDRESSES: Written comments should on floodplain management, and 11990 Impact Report (EIR). The purpose of this be sent to Mr. Alan Patashnick, Project on wetlands. notice is to alert interested parties Manager and Director of South Bay Area Issued on: September 24, 2007. regarding the intent to prepare the EIS, Team, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Brigid Hynes-Cherin, to provide information on the nature of Transportation Authority, One Gateway the proposed project and possible Plaza, Mail Stop: 99–22–3, Los Angeles, Regional Administrator, FTA Region 2. alternatives, to invite public California 90012, e-mail address [FR Doc. E7–19434 Filed 10–1–07; 8:45 am] participation in the EIS process [email protected]. The BILLING CODE 4910–57–P (including providing comments on the locations of the public scoping meetings scope of the Alternatives Analysis/Draft are given above under DATES. Environmental Impact Statement (AA/ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DEIS), to announce that public scoping Ray Tellis, Team Leader, Los Angeles meetings will be conducted, and to Federal Transit Administration Metropolitan Office, Federal Transit identify participating and cooperating Administration, 888 South Figueroa agency contacts. Intent To Prepare an Environmental Street, Suite 1850, Los Angeles, CA Impact Statement for Proposed Transit DATES: Written comments on the scope 90017, phone (213) 202–3950, e-mail Improvements in the Crenshaw-Prairie of the EIS, including the project’s [email protected]. Transit Corridor, Los Angeles, CA purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, the impacts to be evaluated, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, and the methodologies to be used in the Scoping DOT. evaluations should be sent to LACMTA ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an on or before November 5, 2007 at the The FTA and LACMTA invite all environmental impact statement. address below. See ADDRESSES below for interested individuals and the address to which written public SUMMARY: The Federal Transit organizations, public agencies, and comments may be sent. Public scoping Administration (FTA) and the Los Native American Tribes to comment on meetings to accept comments on the Angeles County Metropolitan the scope of the EIS, including the scope of the EIS/EIR will be held on the Transportation Authority (LACMTA) project’s purpose and need, the following dates: alternatives to be studied, the impacts to intend to prepare an Environmental • Monday, October 15, 2007, from 6 Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed be evaluated, and the evaluation p.m. to 8 p.m., at Darby Park, 3400 W. methods to be used. Comments should Crenshaw-Prairie Transit Corridor Arbor Vitae Street, Inglewood, CA Project. The proposed project would focus on: Alternatives that may be less 90305. costly or have less environmental or provide for transit improvements within • Wednesday, October 17, 2007, from community impacts while achieving the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor, which 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Nate Holden extends approximately 10 miles from similar transportation objectives, and Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. the identification of any significant Wilshire Boulevard on the north to El Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA Segundo Boulevard on the south. social, economic, or environmental 90016. issues relating to the alternatives. The study area for the project • Saturday, October 20, 2007, from 9 includes portions of five jurisdictions: a.m. to 11 a.m., at Audubon Middle Purpose and Need for the Project the Cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood, School, 4120 11th Avenue, Los Angeles, The project purpose is to improve Hawthorne, El Segundo, as well as CA 90008. portions of unincorporated Los Angeles The project’s purpose and need, and public transit service and mobility in County, California. The study area is the initial set of alternatives proposed the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor between generally defined as the area extending for study will be presented at these Wilshire and El Segundo Boulevards. north to Wilshire Boulevard, east to meetings. The buildings used for the The overall goal of the proposed project Arlington Avenue, south to El Segundo scoping meetings are accessible to is to improve mobility in the corridor by Boulevard, and west to Sepulveda and persons with disabilities. Any connecting with existing lines such as La Tijera Boulevards. A variety of land individual who requires special the Metro Green Line or approved uses exist within the study area assistance, such as a sign language transit lines, such as the Exposition including single- and multi-family interpreter, to participate in a scoping Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line (under residences and commercial uses north meeting should contact Ms. Susan construction). The proposed project is of the Interstate 10 (I–10) freeway and Gilmore, Los Angeles County included in the current LACMTA Long- south of Slauson Avenue, commercial Metropolitan Transportation Authority Range Transportation Plan and in the uses along Crenshaw Boulevard and in (LACMTA) at 213–922–7287, or Southern California Association of Hawthorne, industrial and public land [email protected]. Governments’ 2004 Regional uses in Inglewood and El Segundo, as Scoping materials will be available at Transportation Plan (http:// well as redevelopment areas in Los the meetings and are available on the www.scag.ca.gov/rtp2004/2004/Final/ Angeles, Inglewood, and Hawthorne. LACMTA Web site (www.metro.net/ 07RTPProjectList.xls). The EIS will be prepared in crenshaw). Hard copies of the scoping Mobility issues in this corridor have accordance with the requirements of the materials may also be obtained from Ms. been well documented in many studies, National Environmental Policy Act Susan Gilmore, Los Angeles County including the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor (NEPA) and its implementing Metropolitan Transportation Authority Preliminary Planning Study (1994), the regulations. The Draft EIS will be (LACMTA) at 213–922–7287, or Route Refinement Study (2000), and the combined with the planning [email protected]. An interagency Major Investment Study (MIS) (2003). Alternatives Analysis required by 49 scoping meeting will be held on These reports are available for review on U.S.C. 5309 for New Starts-funded Tuesday, October 16, 2007 from 1 p.m. the LACMTA Web site (http:// projects. LACMTA will also use the EIS to 3 p.m. at LACMTA, One Gateway www.metro.net/crenshaw). Additional document to comply with the California Plaza (Gateway Conference Room, 3rd considerations supporting the project’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Floor), Los Angeles, CA 90012. need include:
VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:35 Oct 01, 2007 Jkt 214001 PO 00000 Frm 00086 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\02OCN1.SGM 02OCN1 rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES Northern Branch Corridor DEIS Final Scoping Document
APPENDIX B – DRAFT SCOPING DOCUMENT COMMENTS
NJ TRANSIT 3/11/08
Page 35 Comments by Primary Subject
106 and Section 4(f) Resources
In determining the area of potential effect under Section 106, NJT should review the Bergen County Historic The historic analysis will identify historic sites and resources Tenafly Historic Preservation 825 Tremble Sites Survey (1983) NJT should recognize the and will recommend appropriate, sympathetic elements where Commission appropriate traffic signal stanchion and street lighting required. stanchion in Tenafly.
The FTA determines who will be the “regulatory signator” on Tenafly Historic Preservation Request for a signatory status on any agreement 826 Tremble any agreements. NJ TRANSIT has no authority to make that Commission documents for the determination of adverse effects. determination.
In the process of exploring alternatives, evidence of earliest details of the construction of this line should be The SHPO generally requires that historic artifacts be recorded sought and preserved or recorded in text. Several Tenafly Historic Preservation or documented in an appropriate manner. NJ TRANSIT will 827 Tremble surviving mile markers and accessory structures are Commission comply with whatever agreement is reached with SHPO on this found along the route in Tenafly and elsewhere and we issue. would ask that NJT provide for their recording or preservation.
Air Quality
Diesel fuel engines are famous for pollution. Electric rail 700 Leonia resident Minkoff Air quality impacts will be analyzed in the DEIS. is preferred.
Residents of townhouse development are concerned 771 Meadow View Association Moore about air quality if the DMU is the selected vehicle Air quality impacts will be analyzed in the DEIS. mode.
Concerned about air quality and noise resulting from 809 Leonia resident Bergman Air quality and noise impacts will be analyzed in the DEIS. proposed project.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 1 of 25 March 11, 2008 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Community and Environmental Justice
Opposed to the parking facility in Tenafly. Concerned that parking will be used by people from out of town and Traffic impacts, parking capacity, and ridership will be analyzed 678 Haworth Resident Diaspara the influx of vehicles will create additional traffic in the DEIS. problems.
The proposed parking facility in Tenafly will cover a 679 Haworth Resident Diaspara Property acquisition, if required, will be analyzed in the DEIS. newly built music and dance center.
Impacts to Tenafly – terminus of the rail – should be The mitigation of impacts, if necessary and feasible, will be 692 Johnson minimized. part of the DEIS document.
Can or would NJ TRANSIT extend the Northern Branch The selection of a mode and alignment will be the result of the 712 Tenafly Lattif to Tenafly if community consensus were overwhelmingly analysis conducted through the DEIS process. Community opposed to passenger rail? support is generally taken into consideration.
Owners and tenants of properties will be notified well in What is the notification process should NJT want a piece 716 Tenafly Lattif advance of the need for acquisition. Notification is done by mail of property, including the timing of that process? and NJT representatives are available for site visits.
The parking facility for the Tenafly North Station will require the acquisition of a new performance arts Property acquisition, if required, will be analyzed in the DEIS. 719 Tenafly Lattif school. Is it possible to save this business? What NJT works with owners and/or communities to determine if would be the process for the property owner to have a alternatives to acquisition are possible. discussion with NJT?
Financial
The Scoping Document should include methodology for New Jersey Association of comparing operating and maintenance costs involved 661 May Operating costs will be included in the DEIS. Railroad Passengers with the two systems. Costs should be stated in net figures and also per passenger.
The scoping document specifically refers to methodologies which are not present in the document. Particularly missing are methodologies pertaining to New Jersey Association of 690 May operating and maintenance cost, farebox recovery, and Operating costs will be included in the DEIS. Railroad Passengers ridership vs. frequency. The influence of these elements is important to understand, and cannot be understood without methodologies.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 2 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Financial
The cost analysis does not specifically state that service 710 Woolley costs are included (see page 17 of the scoping Operating costs will be included in the DEIS. document).
Where is funding for the project coming from? How is NJT going to deal with this plan based on funding? Is Funding for the Northern Branch project is allocated in the the project going to be scaled back if there is less 728 Englewood Reddin Transit Rail Initiatives section of the FY 2008-2011 Statewide funding? How much money is NJT going to get? If NJT Transportation Improvements Program. receives money from the federal government, will there be restrictions placed on the project?
In Section 2.1, Passaic-Bergen Corridor, it states, "The DMU now offered a significant financial relief from the expense of maintaining time or physically separated operations." This expense is not significant if the line is New Jersey Association of operated with light rail cars on a time separated basis. 744 Railroad Passenger (Light Rail Miklos Operating and capital costs will be included in the DEIS. The cost of electrification is an investment which will pay Panel) for itself over the years and lower operating costs compared with DMUs which will see their cost increase as diesel fuel costs continue to rise. The reference to time separation as an expense also seems misleading.
I would like to see a thorough cost projection 844 Ceriros maintenance of both units, fuel cost of DMU, staffing Operating and capital costs will be included in the DEIS. needs and their related costs.
General
Goal 4 in section 3.2 states: “with the completion of the Secaucus Transfer, the areas serviced by the Main, Bergen, and Pascack Valley lines now benefit from rail access to the growing Hudson River…”. This is New Jersey Association of 669 May misleading. These lines, from their inception in the 19th Comment noted. Railroad Passengers century, operated to the waterfront, first to Jersey City (in the Newport City area) and then to Hoboken. Secaucus Transfer did not change that. This must be corrected or removed.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 3 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
General
There is an inconsistency in the dates for the end of the public comment period. Page 10 of the scoping New Jersey Association of Document specifies the date as November 7, while page 670 May The public comment period in the document is correct. Railroad Passengers 10 (column 2) of the October 2, 2007 edition of the Federal Register indicates November 5 as the closing date.
726 Englewood Reddin Looking forward to the project moving forward quickly. Comments noted.
Section 2.7 provides an approximate timeline for completion of Bergen Hudson Waterfront the Scoping process and DEIS. Project implementation can How long will this process take before the alternative is 820 Alliance/ North Bergen Kronick begin after the FTA has approved publication of a Final implemented? resident Environmental Impact Statement and issued a Record of Decision.
840 Medina I was wondering when they would finish the project! Project construction is estimated to take three years.
Land Use
Regarding Tenafly North – the land acquired for parking will come off the tax rolls in Tenafly, which will affect Tenafly’s tax base, while providing a service to residents An analysis of the economic impacts will be included in the 718 Tenafly resident Giordano from adjacent municipalities who will drive to Tenafly DEIS. and park. The service should be extended to Rockland County.
Proposed Leonia station is too close to existing An analysis of the effects of noise, air quality and economic 794 Logan townhouse development. It will create unnecessary impacts will be included in the DEIS. noise, pollution and decrease in housing values.
Noise and Vibration
Townhomes have been built within 100 feet of the rails, An analysis of the effects of horn blowing at grade crossings 698 Leonia resident Minkoff and horn sounding from the trains will be heard in the will be included in the DEIS. townhouse complex.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 4 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Noise and Vibration
Noise resulting from rail is a concern in Tenafly as well An analysis of the effect of horn blowing at grade crossings will 711 Tenafly Rustin as other communities. Quiet zones need to be be included in the DEIS. investigated.
What is New Jersey’s position on quiet zones? Who will A Quiet Zone is the result of an agreement between the pay for the cost of designing and constructing the quiet municipality and the Federal Railroad Administration. NJT zones? What assistance will NJT provide to does not have the authority to confer Quiet Zone status. municipalities applying to the FRA for quiet zone Communities must work with the FRA to achieve that 721 Tenafly Lattif certification? Can Bergen County be the applicant for all designation. Once that has been accomplished, NJT will fully affected municipalities within the county? What is the comply. The cost and responsibility of designing, lead time for an application for a quiet zone? What is implementing and maintaining the railroad infrastructure to the estimated time it takes for a municipality to complete support a new project Quiet Zone is NJT’s. a quiet zone application?
Noise and vibration levels generated by vehicles need to An analysis of noise and vibration impacts will be included in 745 Tenafly resident Liati be evaluated before the vehicle is selected. the DEIS.
An analysis of noise and vibration impacts will be included in the DEIS. A Quiet Zone is the result of an agreement between Concerned about voice and vibration from horns and the municipality and the Federal Railroad Administration. NJT 766 Meadow View Association Moore passing trains. Would our premises qualify for a quiet does not have the authority to confer Quiet Zone status. zone? Communities must work with the FRA to achieve that designation.
An analysis of noise impacts will be included in the DEIS. A Leonia Citizens Liaison Committee is concerned with Quiet Zone is the result of an agreement between the Leonia Citizens Liaison noise at grade crossings and would like quiet zones or municipality and the Federal Railroad Administration. NJT 805 Brennan Committee other mitigation, including stationary horns/bells, to be does not have the authority to confer Quiet Zone status. considered. Communities must work with the FRA to achieve that designation.
I want someone to verify that the train type selected has an acceptable level of noise. We had a very bad An analysis of noise and vibration impacts will be included in 843 Tenafly resident Liati experience with NJ TRANSIT with original trains in Bay the DEIS. Head. Current trains are somewhat better.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 5 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Pedestrians, Freight, Other
The scoping document should indicate that the DEIS project will determine the most advantageous operating windows for the public and indicate the methodology. Hours of operation for each mode will be discussed in the New Jersey Association of Freight operations should not limit the operation of DEIS. In the case of light rail, hours of operation are 656 May Railroad Passengers passenger service, a more accurate understanding of determined by the need to provide an appropriate freight freight requirements need to be looked at in the DEIS. window for serving customers in the corridor. The DEIS should figure out a way to narrow the time between passenger and freight operations.
The conflict caused by operating LRT and Freight on the same tracks is a non-issue. NJT has already worked 677 Union Resident Brusgard Comment noted. out operating agreements with freight carriers such as South Jersey River line and Newark City subway.
Section 1.1 the Introduction of Project Description expresses a greater concern over the impact of New Jersey Association of passenger service on freight operations than may be 734 Railroad Passengers (Light Miklos Comments noted. justified due to the current transition of land uses from Rail Panel) industrial to commercial and residential especially in the southern portion of the corridor.
The freight window can be compressed more than the Hours of operation for each mode will be discussed in the Transit Committee of Bergen scoping document indicates. For the DMU Alternative, DEIS. In the case of light rail, hours of operation are 779 Cafiero County deliveries to Admiration Oil will cause interference with determined by the need to provide an appropriate freight passenger service. Consider moving deliveries to night. window for serving customers in the corridor.
Hours of operation for each mode will be discussed in the The hours for freight train service should be four hours DEIS. In the case of light rail, hours of operation are 821 Tenafly resident McDermott instead of six. Detailed assumptions in scoping determined by the need to provide an appropriate freight documents should be accurate. window for serving customers in the corridor.
Hours of operation for each mode will be discussed in the New Jersey Association of DEIS. In the case of light rail, hours of operation are 831 Craig Description of freight service is misleading. Railroad Passengers determined by the need to provide an appropriate freight window for serving customers in the corridor.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 6 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
New Jersey Association of Feels that the document is slanted toward the DMU 655 May Comment noted. Railroad Passengers alternative.
The possibility of a future Northern Branch connection to the If the bellmouths are not included in the Trans-Hudson Trans-Hudson-Tunnel assumed feasibility via appropriate New Jersey Association of Express tunnel project, the connection should be 657 May design. Commentary regarding specific design features of the Railroad Passengers considered dead and the scope of this project should be Trans-Hudson-Tunnel is outside the scope of this project and narrowed to omit this connection. not part of the DEIS.
The Scoping document should mention the financial and New Jersey Association of No action required for the Scoping document. Financial 658 May institutional aspects involved in acquiring or leasing the Railroad Passengers aspects of the project will be described in the DEIS existing Northern Branch from CSX.
A section of the Scoping document should identify the New Jersey Association of different methodologies to be used for analysis. Effect Methodologies have been included in the Final Scoping 659 May Railroad Passengers of future plans as a decision making factor; tunnel document. Additional details will be provided in the DEIS. connection to Manhattan.
Scoping document and DEIS should discuss the relationship of frequency, ridership and operating cost. New Jersey Association of Scoping document should require the creation of a table No action required for the scoping document. A summary of 662 May Railroad Passengers containing columns for each frequency with its ridership and operating cost will be included in the DEIS. corresponding ridership and operating costs for each alternative.
A major omission in the DMU Vehicle Alternative section of 4.1 really disturbs me. It says “The construction of THE Tunnel and a future connection to it from the Northern Branch affords the opportunity to provide direct service from the Northern Branch to Midtown New Jersey Association of 663 May Manhattan.” But why was that statement omitted from Text has been revised to delete reference in the DMU section. Railroad Passengers the Electric Light Rail Alternative? It certainly applies to both alternatives. Or is NJT still implying “LRT precludes a one-seat ride to Manhattan forever?” Was this an inadvertent error? The Scoping document must be corrected.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 7 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
“Mobility would be improved to and from towns along the line to Midtown Manhattan via transfer at Weehawken, and Downtown Manhattan via transfer at Hoboken.” It is couched in such a way that the reader may not realize New Jersey Association of that this alternative requires a second transfer. In this 664 May Comment noted. Railroad Passengers case the omission can be rectified and clarity improved by stating specifically that in order to reach midtown or downtown Manhattan the DMU alternatives require passengers to transfer twice and the HBLRT alternatives require passengers to transfer only once.
There appears to be a subtle bias in the Scoping document, which I would not want to see happen in the New Jersey Association of 665 May DEIS: FRA-compliant DMUs are not a “new” passenger Text has been revised to change “new” to “modern.” Railroad Passengers rail technology; they have been in operation for much longer than half a century.
The Document states “The FRA-compliant Colorado Railcar is currently operating in Florida and contracts have been awarded for similar vehicles by transit properties in Oregon and North Carolina.” The cars were never built in North Carolina and the plan has failed to achieve FTA funding. New Jersey Association of In Florida, either a diesel locomotive has to be employed 666 May Text has been revised. Railroad Passengers to pull or push the DMU and trailer, or two DMUs have to be used to propel the Colorado Railcar trailer. I suggest that this information be removed from the Scoping Document or be rewritten to accurately present the facts that the operation of passenger services with new compliant DMUs are few and far between, with their success as yet unproven.
Section 4.2.2 states that “the conversion of the catenary system from electric light rail voltage to commuter rail voltage” will be needed if a one-seat ride through THE New Jersey Association of Tunnel is implemented. That would not be necessary if 668 May Comment noted. Railroad Passengers dual-voltage locomotives or dual-voltage multiple unit cars are utilized, as they are on Metro-North trains between Connecticut and New York City. That should be corrected.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 8 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
The Draft Scoping Document ignores the fact that the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) Project has been scaled back during the last few months and, as a result, will lack the capacity for future growth that NJT previously promised to the public residing in the Northern Branch Corridor and their elected officials. This is a legitimate concern that must be answered in the affirmative or the negative in the Environmental Impact Statements for both the Access to the Region’s Core Project and the Northern Branch Corridor Project. The two basic questions that must be answered in the DEIS for the Northern Branch Corridor are: 1) If the de-scoped design of THE Tunnel and its proposed 34th Street Station will have a capacity barely adequate to handle the half of the trains from the 10 lines identified in the DEIS for the ARC Project, how The possibility of a future Northern Branch connection to the Trans-Hudson-Tunnel assumed feasibility via appropriate New Jersey Association of does NJT explain how it will be able to accommodate 671 Craig design. These assumptions also extended to the issues of Railroad Passengers trains of up to the following six additional commuter rail lines in a future phase of the ARC Project (as illustrated capacity. Commentary on the Trans-Hudson-Tunnel is outside on Figure 3.1-2 NJT Rail Initiatives, Page 3.1-23, of the the scope of this project and not part of the DEIS. ARC Project DEIS): Northern Branch, Passaic-Bergen West Shore, Lackawanna Cut-off, Monmouth-Ocean- Middlesex; and West Trenton. 2) And if, somehow, it becomes possible for NJT to implement a second phase to the ARC Project that will bring trains from the Northern Branch directly into Midtown Manhattan, when is this likely to occur? If NJT does not wish to or cannot answer these questions, the numerous references in the draft Scoping document of the potential for one-seat ride commuter rail service between communities along the Northern branch and midtown Manhattan must be deleted from the final Scoping document and the DEIS upon which it will be based.
Prefers LRT over DMU, fewer transfers required with existing LRT in Hudson County. Should be extended to 672 Maywood Resident Smollin Comments noted. Tenafly and potentially further in the future. The sooner it is completed the better.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 9 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
Strong proponent of light rail transit alternative. LRT ridership would be greater. Provides greater frequency of service. Faster speed when related to stop and go. 673 Union Resident Brusgard Comments noted. Provides access to Hoboken Terminal, PATH, ferry and waterfront. Will increase property values of surrounding development.
NJT’s cost of $1 billion for LRT vs. $500 million for DMU prejudices LRT against DMU. The cost per passenger based on NJT projected ridership amounts to $40,000 674 Union Resident Brusgard Capital and operating costs will be included in the DEIS. per person for LRT and $100,000 per person for DMU. Fare box recovery cost is 71% for LRT and 18% for DMU.
In response to NJT comment from last year, there is no 675 Union Resident Brusgard Comment noted. difference in comfort between DMU and LRT.
DMU’s potential to offer one-seat ride to NYC may be The possibility of a future Northern Branch connection to the hindered by diesel-powered equipment that will not be Trans-Hudson-Tunnel assumed feasibility via appropriate 676 Union Resident Brusgard allowed to operate through the tunnel in NYC. Recent design. Commentary regarding specific design features of the decisions to cut the size of the new terminal in NYC from Trans-Hudson-Tunnel is outside the scope of this project and 8 to 6 tracks decreases the available train slots by 25%. not part of the DEIS.
I don't even think it's a bad idea to extend it up into 686 Ridgefield Council Avery Comment noted. Rockland.
The DMU is the best example of how to operate New Jersey Association of 704 Lee passenger service on a freight line. Transferring at Comments noted. Railroad Passengers North Bergen will not be such a big deal.
The service should extend all the way to Rockland The previous Major Investment Study identified Tenafly as the 705 Hackensack resident Schroeder County. northern terminus.
Prefers DMU. Diesel engines are not affected by power 706 Hackensack resident Schroeder Comment noted. failures.
707 Tenafly Rustin A one-stop ride to New York is needed. Comment noted.
The smart choice is electric light rail. Diesel creates too 708 Bergen County resident Emory Comment noted. much pollution.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 10 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
The service should extend to NY State, even beyond the The previous Major Investment Study identified Tenafly as the 713 Woolley Route 303 facilities. northern terminus.
The DMU locks NJT into a diesel fuel service. The LRT 714 Woolley Comment noted. allows more options in terms of energy sources.
Transfers, if well coordinated, are not a problem. The 715 Woolley difficulty is in selling transfers to people unfamiliar with Comment noted. riding.
If I understood correctly, if the Light Rail is picked, they’ll An analysis of the impacts on adjacent properties will be 720 Tenafly resident Giordano have to put in another track which will affect parking included in the DEIS. areas of existing businesses.
The light rail would be the preference over the diesel as 722 Tenafly resident Giordano Comment noted. far as pollution and noise.
723 New Milford resident Jones Transferring is not a problem. Comment noted.
Light rail would be the preference over the diesel as far 724 New Milford resident Jones Comment noted. as pollution and noise.
What is the impact to the communities and downtowns An analysis of the impacts on traffic will be included in the 727 Englewood Reddin of trains passing through and the gates coming down DEIS. and up and the timing of the lights?
New Jersey Association of Supports light rail: greater ridership projections, proven 729 Railroad Passengers (Light Heck success in Hudson County, greater environmental Comment noted. Rail Panel) benefits.
The possibility of a future Northern Branch connection to the New Jersey Association of Trans-Hudson-Tunnel assumed feasibility via appropriate The DEIS needs to assess the impacts of the 730 Railroad Passengers (Light Heck design. Commentary regarding specific design features of the downgrading of THE Tunnel. Rail Panel) Trans-Hudson-Tunnel is outside the scope of this project and not part of the DEIS.
Concerned that the DEIS is partial, favoring DMU. Why The DEIS identifies and analyzes project impacts on the New Jersey Association of is there no mention that light rail is a proven mode of environment, traffic, community, etc. Detailed commentary of 731 Railroad Passengers (Light Heck transportation and its use has grown more than any the popularity of a particular mode or lack thereof is not Rail Panel) other mode of transportation in the nation? appropriate and outside the purpose of the document.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 11 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
Section 2.1.2 The statement “In February 2002 Colorado New Jersey Association of Railcar Manufacturing introduced the first self-propelled 735 Railroad Passengers (Light Miklos Text has been revised to change “first” to “modern.” DMU unit …” is misleading. Self-propelled diesel rail Rail Panel) cars have been in existence since the 1920s.
Having separate freight and passenger service is Transit Committee of Bergen 738 Cafiero important in Englewood due to one track and Comment noted. County switching/deliveries to the Admiration plant.
Recommend studying connecting the proposed service Transit Committee of Bergen to the Meadowlands via a branch from Leonia along the Service to the Meadowlands is outside the scope of this 739 Cafiero County NJ Turnpike. They could use the Lombardi Park and project. Ride for the Sports Complex.
The Scoping Document, Section 1.2 Meadowlands, misleads one into thinking that service to the Meadowlands precludes any possible extension of the The DEIS and the project design will not preclude a future HBLRT to Tenafly or vice versa, the Tenafly one-seat extension of the system, regardless of mode, to the Sports New Jersey Association of ride service from Hudson County waterfront to Xanadu. Complex. This possible extension, however, is not a subject of 740 Railroad Passenger (Light Rail Miklos Both implications are false. Just as there are two study in the current DEIS. The DEIS is focused on an Panel) services on the southern end of the HBLRT to Hoboken operating corridor between North Bergen and either and West Side Avenue, there could also be two services Englewood or Tenafly. on the northern end of the line to Tenafly and to Meadowlands.
Light Rail storage should be considered in Englewood Transit Committee of Bergen An analysis of the impacts on floodplains will be included in the 741 Cafiero where the elevation would protect vehicles from a tidal County DEIS. surge.
Transit Committee of Bergen 742 Cafiero You want to have a minimum of transfers. Comment noted. County
The previous Major Investment Study identified Tenafly as the 743 Wallkill resident Vogel Light rail should go to New York State. northern terminus.
Leonia Citizens Liaison Looking forward to the project and favor light rail for 746 Marchant Comment noted Committee environmental reasons.
Hours of operation for each mode will be discussed in the Leonia Citizens Liaison Extend hours on the weekends, perhaps to 1 a.m. to DEIS. In the case of light rail, hours of operation are 747 Marchant Committee serve riders who attend events in NYC in the evenings. determined by the need to provide an appropriate freight window for serving customers in the corridor.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 12 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
Station locations are selected through dialog with the community and its representatives. They generally reflect Leonia Citizens Liaison property availability and local plans for economic development. 749 Marchant Move Route 4 Englewood station closer to I-95. Committee It is also important to keep stations a minimum of approximately one mile apart to reduce impact on service running times.
In Section 2.2 it further states, “The termination of the HBLRT at North Bergen’s Tonnelle Avenue as opposed to 85th Street which would have assumed solving the issue of bringing light rail operations through an active freight yard (North Bergen freight yard).” Again, this is misleading because, as shown on alignment drawings New Jersey Association of prepared in 2002 by NJT’s consultant, the HBLRT The alignment through North Bergen Yard will be discussed in 751 Railroad Passengers (Light Miklos extension beyond Tonnelle Avenue would not pass the DEIS. Rail Panel) through the CSX’s North Bergen freight yard but to the west of it in the 60-foot wide area between the tracks of the CSX and those of the New York Susquehanna and Western. Other light rail systems such as San Diego and Denver were able to operate their lines past active freight yards. Is the report saying that NJT is incapable of doing this as well?
Terminating service in Englewood should not even be The previous Major Investment Study identified Tenafly as the 752 Popkin an option. The service should continue to Tenafly and northern terminus. beyond.
Service should be light rail and consider orienting to 753 New Milford resident Jones other locations in New Jersey, such as the Garden State Comment noted. Plaza Mall, instead of always to New York City.
Opposed to DMU because of service area limitations 754 New Milford resident Jones Comment noted. and environmental consequences.
New Jersey Association of Based on the Goals and Objectives of the Scoping 755 Railroad Passengers (Light Miklos document, the light rail service should be superior to a Comment noted. Rail Panel) DMU Shuttle.
Consider a system for providing easy vehicular access Current station plans provide access via existing streets and between Route 4 and the station parking lot similar to highways. Future plans by NJDOT for access improvements 756 Wallkill resident Vogel Ramsey so cars can get off the highway and take a on Route 4 have been noted and will be reflected in station train. design when appropriate.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 13 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
In Section 4.2, Future connection to Manhattan: This section fails to note that if a connection is made to THE Tunnel it will not serve Secaucus Junction. This will make it difficult for people from the Northern Line to make transfers to points within New Jersey. To do so will require travel into New York where the new deep- New Jersey Association of th level terminal under 34 Street will require a long walk to 757 Railroad Passengers (Light Miklos Comment noted. get to NJT lines operating into the existing Penn Station. Rail Panel) The alternative will be to transfer to the HBLRT at North Bergen and then make another transfer at Hoboken or Exchange Place to connect with other rail services to New Jersey locations. Both of these options will work against the stated goal of eliminating gaps in the rail network.
New Jersey Association of Light rail vehicles will not have the capacity to move all 758 Lee Comment noted. Railroad Passengers of the passengers anticipated to ride this service.
763 Woolley Consider yarding LRTs in North Bergen yard. Alternative locations for yard facilities are being studied.
Transit Committee of Bergen In favor of the Northern Branch line to extend past The previous Major Investment Study identified Tenafly as the 764 Lenander County Tenafly. northern terminus.
768 Haines Concerned about the use of dual mode locomotives. Comment noted.
Can freight and light rail be physically separated in the The alignment through North Bergen Yard will be discussed in 769 Haines lower portion of the corridor, similar to the River Line? the DEIS.
The development around 91st Street should be geared Development in and around rail stations is a function of the 770 Haines toward transit-oriented development such as walk-able local community. It is not a subject for analysis in the project communities instead of car-oriented development. DEIS.
Station locations are selected through dialog with the community and its representatives. An attempt is made to situate at least one station per community. It is also important Is Leonia Station necessary given that there are planned to keep stations a minimum of approximately one mile apart to 774 Meadow View Association Moore stations in Palisades Park and Englewood? reduce impact on service running times. Because of its proximity to a major commuting roadway and bus route, the Leonia station has the potential to become an important Park and Ride location as well.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 14 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
Change terminology of alternatives to be less misleading: DMU should be “shuttle service to North Transit Committee of Bergen 776 Cafiero Bergen using DMU vehicles” and LRT should be “direct Comment noted. County one-seat service to transit connections in Hudson County, using electric LR vehicles.”
The DEIS and the project design will not preclude a future Project should be extended north to Rockland County. extension of the system, regardless of mode, to either Why was neither the question nor the reason to decide Transit Committee of Bergen Rockland County or the Sports Complex. Neither, however, is 777 Cafiero whether the HBLR should be extended north to Tenafly County a subject of study in the current DEIS. The DEIS is focused on or west to the Sports complex addressed in the Scoping an operating corridor between North Bergen and either document? Englewood or Tenafly.
Transit Committee of Bergen Delete referencing to one-seat ride. They bias the 778 Cafiero Comment noted. County scoping document against the LRT.
Just as the West Shore Region Study is discussed to provide a Transit Committee of Bergen contextual history, the Tri-County Rail Concept Plan is included 780 Cafiero Delete Section 4.2.1 from the Scoping Document. County to illustrate current proposals for regional interconnectivity and infrastructure reuse.
The Final Scoping Document should consider New Jersey Association of The previous Major Investment Study identified Tenafly as the 781 Craig restoration of passenger service over the full extent of Railroad Passengers northern terminus. the length of the Northern Branch.
The commuter pool being referenced is from the Northern The percentage of commuters traveling from Bergen Branch corridor only and not all of Bergen County. New Jersey Association of County to NYC and the Waterfront is misleading. Of the 782 Craig Additionally, the two stated destinations and the percentages Railroad Passengers 87% traveling to Manhattan, not all are going to that travel to them are derived from the 2000 Census. There is midtown. no reference to “midtown” in this section.
New Jersey Association of Revise language pertaining to status of DMU used in 783 Craig Comment noted. Railroad Passengers Florida and Oregon.
Statements on page 6 regarding the Hudson-Bergen The language in the document accurately reflects the HBLR New Jersey Association of 784 Craig Light Rail MOS I, II, and III and the Passaic-Bergen history and the proposed use of DMUs on the Passaic-Bergen Railroad Passengers Corridor bias the report toward DMU rail project.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 15 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
The DEIS and the project design will not preclude a future extension of the system, regardless of mode, to either New Jersey Association of Scoping document infers that a Xanadu connection and Rockland County or the Sports Complex. Neither, however, is 785 Craig Railroad Passengers the HBLR extension are mutually exclusive. a subject of study in the current DEIS. The DEIS is focused on an operating corridor between North Bergen and either Englewood or Tenafly.
The DEIS and the project design will not preclude a future extension of the system, regardless of mode, to either Revise alternatives to reflect three different termini per New Jersey Association of Rockland County or the Sports Complex. Neither, however, is 787 Craig vehicle mode: Northvale, Hudson Avenue in Tenafly, Railroad Passengers a subject of study in the current DEIS. The DEIS is focused on and NJ Rte 4 in Englewood. an operating corridor between North Bergen and either Englewood or Tenafly.
New Jersey Association of Revise scoping document to state that LRT alternative Future conversion is discussed in Section 4.2.2 of the Scoping 788 Craig Railroad Passengers can be converted to commuter rail in the future. document.
Hours of operation for each mode will be discussed in the Revise language to reduce prejudice against LRT New Jersey Association of DEIS. In the case of light rail, hours of operation are 789 Craig regarding hours of operation as a function of freight Railroad Passengers determined by the need to provide an appropriate freight conflicts. San Diego has no such conflicts. window for serving customers in the corridor.
New Jersey Association of Investigate an LRT yard near the DMU yard in North 790 Craig Alternative locations for yard facilities are being evaluated. Railroad Passengers Bergen.
Service should be extended north of Tenafly. Terminating in Tenafly will create a local traffic situation The previous Major Investment Study identified Tenafly as the 792 Perlmutter and other municipalities north of Tenafly will benefit from northern terminus. this service.
796 Logan Opposes diesel vehicle. Comment noted.
The Ridgefield and Palisades Park station locations are Station locations are selected through dialog with the very close to each other. Consider placing one station 797 Tarragon Corporation Giraldo community and its representatives. They generally reflect between Hoyt and Linden Avenue instead of in the property availability and local plans for economic development. designated redevelopment area.
798 Borough of Leonia Hawkins Supports LRT over DMU vehicle. Comment noted.
799 Haug Supports LRT alternative. Comment noted.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 16 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
The location of Ridgefield station should be Station locations are selected through dialog with the 800 Haug reconsidered. Consider using the old Pfister plant off of community and its representatives. They generally reflect Route 46 and Grand Avenue. property availability and local plans for economic development.
Consider diesel commuter service for the Northern 801 Baker Comment noted. Branch.
Leonia Citizens Liaison Leonia Citizens Liaison Committee favors light rail 802 Brennan Comment noted. Committee alternative into Tenafly.
Consider placing the Leonia Station beneath the I-95 overpass on the border of Leonia and Englewood or at Station locations are selected through dialog with the Leonia Citizens Liaison 803 Brennan the southern border of Leonia near the Shop Rite (near community and its representatives. They generally reflect Committee Palisades Park), or consider making the Overpeck Park property availability and local plans for economic development. station a Kiss and Ride served by a town jitney.
The North Bergen transfer station should be located Station locations are selected through dialog with the 806 Haines within a large central business district or in an area with community and its representatives. They generally reflect walk-able destinations. property availability and local plans for economic development.
In favor of light rail, it has a lower environmental impact; 807 Lodi resident Cannizaro Comments noted. less polluting, less noise, safer.
The proposed parking at the Leonia station should be Station locations are selected through dialog with the moved closer to the railroad station. It currently is 811 Leonia resident Bergman community and its representatives. They generally reflect located right across from the condo community and property availability and local plans for economic development. would result in extensive impacts to the housing area.
Supports the proposed railroad. Supports LRT. Electric 812 Leonia resident DeSantis is cleaner, less polluting than diesel. Diesel will result in Comments noted. extensive air pollution.
Section 4.1 Diesel Multiple Unit: The following sentence should be deleted “The construction of THE Tunnel and the future connection to and from North Bergen affords the opportunity to provide direct service on the Northern Transit Committee of Bergen 814 Cafiero Branch to midtown Manhattan.” Delete that sentence Text has been revised. County because the subjects that are handled fully in 4.2 and 4.2.2. Including in this section could lead to the impression that the DMU alternative is to be preferred because of THE tunnel.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 17 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
Going to the tunnel should not be considered in this Transit Committee of Bergen 816 Calfiero study except for the difference in cost in changing it to Comment noted. County the tunnel which is not much.
Transit Committee of Bergen Section 4.2 Operating costs should be taken into An analysis of the operating costs for each alternative will be 817 Cafiero County consideration when comparing the two alternatives. included in the DEIS.
Reference letter to NJT regarding Tenafly’s list of Letter from Tenafly and NJT response are included in the 830 Tenafly resident McDermott concerns. record.
Not against DMU or pro LRT but this project was New Jersey Association of 832 Wolff designed for LRT which is the right choice for this Comment noted. Railroad Passengers project.
Light rail vehicles cannot use THE Tunnel because they are Why can’t you transfer the electric of the LRT to go into 833 New Milford resident Jones not FRA-compliant and not approved to operate concurrently THE Tunnel? with commuter rail.
Powering the Northern Branch electrically would be a 835 Palisades Park resident Ardrire good first step toward reaching the 2020 goal for Comment noted. lowering greenhouse gas emission levels to 1990 levels.
A split system with diesel in the north and electric transit in the south does not allow for interchangeable trains 836 Palisades Park resident Ardrire and requires personnel who specialize in each mode. An Comment noted. all-electric system results in great savings in terms of operations and maintenance.
NJT and PSE&G should work together to meet the 2020 goal. Light rail stations could be retrofitted with solar panels and wind generators. Future stations could be 837 Palisades Park resident Ardrire designed with green power. The green power would be Comment noted. used for station power and excess could be put back into the power grid. This would result in reduced operating costs.
"A promise is a promise" - The residents of Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia, Englewood & 838 Palisades Park resident Ardrire Comment noted. Tenafly were promised a light rail electric system from the inception of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail plan.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 18 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Project Alternatives
By approval of the DMU system, NJT will spend millions of dollars fighting and settling law suits involving asthma cases due to pollution, quality of life issues due to noise 839 Palisades Park resident Ardrire Comment noted. levels, and other issues that are bound to come up. With the price of crude oil getting close to $100/barrel, renewable energy is the wave of the future.
I believe the rail service is imperative. Driving into NYC has become impossible, particularly on the upper level of the G.W. Bridge. A one-seat ride would make life 841 Tenafly Resident Green more bearable. I prefer the electric light rail, particularly Comment noted. from Tenafly since traffic from Tenafly to Englewood in peak hours is heavy. It certainly would be a bonus in economic growth for Tenafly.
Need to consider a station at Hudson Ave, Englewood, Station locations are selected through dialog with the since a lot of people live within walking distance of a 842 Barth community and its representatives. They generally reflect possible station at this location. Englewood Hospital is a property availability and local plans for economic development. major employer but nobody lives there.
I live one block from the proposed Palisades Park station. The location of this station should be moved to the lot next to the Rt. 46 and Grand Ave intersection, 1 block south of the proposed station. The current proposed station has NO highway access and will cause excessive traffic on Grand Ave. Also, our homes will 845 Comas have a direct line of sight view of the parking lot and the Comment noted. commotion. There is a business already across from the lot south of the proposed location and is much better suited for the station. I also strenuously object to the installation of a DMU. Clean electric light rail LRT is the future, and we do not need years of extra pollution from diesel trains.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 19 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Public Transportation
The Major Investment Study already indicated that due to growth of population and economic development in the region, Is the project necessary given that there is already bus 775 Meadow View Association Moore the restoration of passenger rail service was a necessity. The service in the area? need is further evidenced by congestion of cars and buses on area roadways, bridges and tunnels.
We were disappointed to learn that an alternative considering the use of shuttle bus service between the Bergen County Department of North Bergen Transfer Station and Midtown Manhattan 846 Planning & Economic Ahmad Bus service improvements are described in the DEIS. was not considered in the DEIS… We are requesting Development that this alternative be part of the process and included in the ridership projections.
Purpose and Need
The main objective of the project should be to maximize New Jersey Association of 654 May ridership and minimize travel time. This is best Comment noted. Railroad Passengers accomplished by extending LRT to Tenafly.
687 Bergen County McNerney Supports NJT. Bergen County needs rail service. Comment noted.
Bergen County needs a passenger rail service; 7 to 8 years ago the legislators said the primary line that 688 District 37 Weinberg Comment noted. should be funded was the Northern Branch. Please move forward quickly.
Rail transportation is needed into NYC. However, rail transportation within Bergen County is equally important 689 District 37 Weinberg Comments noted. to provide transportation for the workforce working in Bergen County, such as Englewood Hospital.
691 Johnson Rail service is needed, the roadways are congested. Comment noted.
The residents of Leonia need rail service due to heavy traffic congestion on the roadways. The majority of the 693 Leonia Cherchi Comment noted. residents want transportation to midtown Manhattan and the waterfront.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 20 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Purpose and Need
Rail transportation is needed due to car traffic and 703 Palisades Park Rotundo congestion. Whatever is chosen by NJT, the project Comment noted. should proceed quickly.
Section 2.1.2 Census and Market Needs states that Commuting patterns are based on 2000 Census information. 13% cited the waterfront as their destination and 87% The Scoping document was revised to better describe the cited Manhattan. This statement may be misleading statistical base. The 26,000 daily commuters is the number of New Jersey Association of since ridership to the waterfront should increase if good people in the Corridor who cite either Manhattan or the New 737 Railroad Passengers (Light Miklos public transit is provided, and as more employment Jersey Hudson River waterfront as their destination. Of that Rail Panel) centers are provided. The 87% figure should distinguish group, the split is 87% versus 13% respectively. There are where in Manhattan the passengers are traveling to. additional commuters in the Corridor who travel to locations Passengers headed to lower Manhattan may be better other than these. served by taking the ferry or PATH.
The goals of the project should include “quality of life” – Tenafly Historic Preservation 824 Tremble noise, air, cultural resource protection, passenger Comment noted. Commission comfort and stress relief.
Commuting patterns are based on 2000 Census information. The Scoping document was revised to better describe the statistical base. The 26,000 daily commuters is the number of New Jersey Association of The discussion of Manhattan jobs is questionable. Why people in the Corridor who cite either Manhattan or the New 834 Railroad Passengers (Light Heck couldn’t it just as easily substitute waterfront-based Jersey Hudson River waterfront as their destination. Of that Rail Panel) jobs? group, the split is 87% versus 13% respectively. There are additional commuters in the Corridor who travel to locations other than these.
Roadway Traffic
The EIS should address the environmental impacts of An analysis of the impacts on traffic and parking will be 694 Leonia Cherchi congested roadways vs. light rail, including accidents included in the DEIS. and pedestrian safety.
Traffic and parking issues resulting from the stations need to be resolved. Tenafly terminus impacts would An analysis of the impacts on traffic and parking will be 709 Tenafly Rustin result from traffic congestion and train crossings at five included in the DEIS. intersections.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 21 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Roadway Traffic
If they are not going to fix Route 4 then they should take New Jersey Association of some people off the roads and stick them on light rail. 760 Lee Comment noted. Railroad Passengers But if you have to accommodate freight trains, then you have to go with DMU.
Fort Lee Road has become an access road to the George Washington Bridge. The road cannot absorb An analysis of the impacts on traffic will be included in the 767 Leonia resident Day any more traffic and the layout for the Leonia station DEIS. parking lot and egress road needs to be re-evaluated.
Residents of the townhouse complex are concerned An analysis of the impacts on traffic will be included in the 773 Meadow View Association Moore about traffic congestion on Fort Lee Road and Station DEIS. Parkway.
Traffic on Fort Lee Road is already very bad. Adding An analysis of the impacts on traffic will be included in the 795 Logan the parking lot will make it even worse. A signal should DEIS. be installed at Station Parkway.
The expansion of Overpeck Park in Teaneck (amphitheater, sports complex, soccer and baseball fields) includes an exit onto Fort Lee Road. This An analysis of the impacts on traffic will be included in the 810 Leonia resident Bergman expansion in combination with the proposed station and DEIS. parking in Leonia will result in traffic congestion on Fort Lee Road.
Traffic impacts resulting from the proposed project are of An analysis of the impacts on traffic will be included in the 823 Tenafly resident McDermott great concern. In order to properly assess the Scoping DEIS. document can we get a copy of the ridership model?
Safety and Security
It would be a bad idea to combine freight trains, which 725 New Milford resident Jones carry industrial chemicals and passenger trains on the An analysis of safety issues will be included in the DEIS. same track.
Leonia Citizens Liaison Committee is concerned about Leonia Citizens Liaison the safety of students from Leonia HS crossing into 804 Brennan An analysis of safety issues will be included in the DEIS. Committee Overpeck Park. Consider an elevated walkway for pedestrians.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 22 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Station Access and Parking
One concern is parking in Tenafly. Parking needs to be 695 Tenafly resident Laugher An analysis of impacts on parking will be included in the DEIS. available.
The southern Englewood Station should be closer to the Station locations are selected through dialog with the 699 Leonia Cherchi border of Leonia so that people from Leonia can walk to community and its representatives. They generally reflect it. property availability and local plans for economic development.
The south central station in Tenafly (Tenafly Town An analysis of impacts on traffic and parking will be included in 717 Tenafly resident Giordano Center) requires a traffic study. The traffic there is the DEIS. horrendous and there is no place to park.
Station locations are selected through dialog with the Leonia Citizens Liaison Move the parking area at Leonia station closer to Fort 748 Marchant community and its representatives. They generally reflect Committee Lee Road. property availability and local plans for economic development.
Parking spaces in Leonia should be offered to residents Leonia Citizens Liaison Parking eligibility and/or restrictions at local train stations are 750 Marchant of Leonia first and then opened to people from outside Committee outside the scope of the DEIS. the community.
Can the DEIS include a discussion of providing shuttle Transit Committee of Bergen bus service to connect with the northern end in order to 765 Lenander An analysis of operational issues will be included in the DEIS. County avoid all major parking lots that would have to be built in Tenafly?
Station locations are selected through dialog with the Consider relocating Leonia station parking to alternate 772 Meadow View Association Moore community and its representatives. They generally reflect location away from townhouses. property availability and local plans for economic development.
The previous Major Investment Study analyzed the corridor The greatest density of population is along the river. Bergen Hudson Waterfront along the waterfront; however, the recent developments and 819 Kronick How are these people, from Edgewater to Weehawken, Alliance/North Bergen resident the improvements to River Road preclude extending the light going to get to the stations – monorail, bus, parking? rail line through this area.
The Scoping document should clearly discuss traffic and An analysis of impacts on traffic and parking will be included in 822 Tenafly resident McDermott parking. the DEIS.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 23 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Transit
New Jersey Association of The Scoping Document should include a discussion of The ridership modeling is being performed using the FTA 660 May Railroad Passengers the mathematical models used in predicting ridership. approved NJ TRANSIT model.
“Presently, the Northern Branch Corridor generates more than 26,000 daily commuters, of which 87% travel to Manhattan. Only 13% cite the waterfront as their destination.” These 87/13 statistics are also misleading, The Scoping document was revised to better describe the as by adding up to 100 percent, they imply that there statistical base. The 26,000 daily commuters is the number of aren’t any other destinations for the public in the people in the Corridor who cite either Manhattan or the New New Jersey Association of 667 May Northern Corridor. Tell us what the actual percentage of Jersey Hudson River waterfront as their destination. Of that Railroad Passengers Northern Corridor passenger travel is to New York City group, the split is 87% versus 13% respectively. There are and the waterfront if you must, even though you know additional commuters in the Corridor who travel to locations that would change significantly depending upon which other than these. alternative is built. But use the real percentages, based on all trips, or at least add the category, “other destinations”.
If a one-seat ride is not provided, “as much as perhaps 681 NJ Legislature - Senator Cardinale 2/3 of the ridership … will be lost.” Strongly encourages Comment noted. a one-seat ride.
The possibility of a future Northern Branch connection to the One-seat ride expectation for trans-Hudson trips will be Trans-Hudson-Tunnel assumed feasibility via appropriate constrained by THE Tunnel capacity, creating 761 Woolley design. Commentary regarding specific design features of the operations conflicts between the rail services in Bergen Trans-Hudson-Tunnel is outside the scope of this project and County. not part of the DEIS.
Recommend studying two branches for LRT – one from Service to the Meadowlands is outside the scope of this project 762 Woolley North Bergen to Tenafly and one from North Bergen to and is the subject of a separate study. Meadowlands.
New Jersey Association of Statements regarding waterfront access from Bergen 786 Craig Comment noted. Railroad Passengers County rail lines are misleading and inaccurate.
New Jersey Association of New Jersey’s Tri-County Rail Plan is subject to revision. 791 Craig Comment noted. Railroad Passengers The Scoping Document should reflect this.
No one from Leonia will take the train. There is already 793 Logan Comment noted. an express bus to Manhattan that stops on Grand Ave.
NJT needs to be more aggressive in preserving right-of- 808 Lodi resident Cannizzaro Comment noted. way and avoiding encroachment along rail lines.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 24 of 25 November 19, 2007 Comments by Primary Subject (continued)
Visual and Aesthetic
Parking area in Overpeck Park would affect the views 701 Leonia resident Minkoff from the townhome complex. Right now, they look at a Comment noted. nice green lawn.
Comments on Draft Scoping Document Page 25 of 25 November 19, 2007