Memo To: Whom it may concern From: Jen Higginbotham, Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization Date: August 12, 2020 Re: Green Line Rapid Transit Study DEIS: Status The Green Line is a proposed a rapid transit solution for the northeast corridor of Central Indiana, from Downtown Indianapolis to Noblesville, primarily using the Nickel Plate Railroad corridor. In 2014, the Indiana General Assembly passed enabling legislation that would allow the use of County Option Income Taxes for transit maintenance and improvement in counties and townships who opted in. The enabling legislation also prohibited the use of these transit taxes on rail technology. In 2015, during the environmental study phase of the Green Line, feasibility issues including route, vehicle technology, and financial sustainability were identified. With technology and source of funding in question, the Federal Transit Administration encouraged the MPO to put the remainder of the environmental study on hold until more specifics on the future of the Green Line could be determined. As a result, this project has not completed FTAs legal sufficiency review. At a joint meeting on July 31, 2017 the City of Fishers, City of Noblesville, and Hamilton County Commissioners voted to convert the Nickel Plate line into a recreational trail from 96th Street in Fishers to Pleasant Street in Noblesville. With the rail corridor now unavailable for transit, and technology and funding questions remaining, the MPO has no timeline for resuming Green Line planning. Attached to this memo is the August 18, 2015 Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which has not been updated since that date, and a letter from FTA, dated March 11, 2016. If you have additional questions, please feel free to call me at 317.327.7587. 1 PRELIMINARY August 18, 2015 GREEN RAPID TRANSIT LINE MARION AND HAMILTON COUNTIES, INDIANA DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT & SECTION 4(f) EVALUATION PREPARED PURSUANT TO: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 USC § 4321, et.seq.); Federal Transit Administration implementing regulations (23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 771; Federal Transit Laws (49 USC § 5301(e); 49 USC § 303 (formerly Department of Transportation Act of 1966, § 4(f); implementing regulations (23 CFR 774); National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, § 106 (16 USC § 470f); Executive Order 11990 (Protection of Wetlands); Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management); Executive Order 12898 (Environmental Justice); Clean Air Act as amended (42 USC §7401 et seq, and 40 40 CFR Parts 51 and 93); the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 USC §1531-1544); the Clean Water Act (33 USC §1251-1387); the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended (42 USC §4601); Title VI of the1964 Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C §§ 2000d - 2000d-7); and the American with Disabilities Act (42 USC §126). By the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION And the INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA In cooperation with the INDIANAPOLIS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION CORPORATION CENTRAL INDIANA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY Marisol Simón Anna Gremling Regional Administrator, Region V Executive Director Federal Transit Administration Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization Date of Approval Date of Approval DRAFT Environmental Impact Statement & Section 4(f) Evaluation Acronyms and Abbreviations ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACS American Community Survey APE Area of Potential Effects BRT Bus Rapid Transit CAC Corridor Advisory Committee CITTF Central Indiana Transit Task Force CIRTA Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority CFR Code of Federal Regulations CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement DAC Downtown Advisory Committee DEIS Draft Environmental Impact Statement DMD Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development DMU Diesel Multiple Unit DTC Downtown Transit Center EIS Environmental Impact Statement EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency FPPA Farmland Protection Policy Act FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FEIS Final Environmental Impact Statement FTA Federal Transit Administration FWHA Federal Highways Administration HD Historic District HHPA Hoosier Heritage Port Authority HHS Department of Health and Human Services IDEM Indiana Department of Environmental Management INDOT Indiana Department of Transportation IndyGo Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation IRTC Indianapolis Regional Transportation Council IRTIP Indianapolis Regional Transportation Improvement Program ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers PRELIMINARY i 8/18/2015 DRAFT Environmental Impact Statement & Section 4(f) Evaluation Acronyms and Abbreviations ITM Indiana Transportation Museum PA Preferred Alternative LDMU Light Diesel Multiple Unit (Aka Diesel Light Rail) LOS Level of Service LRT Light Rail Transit MAC Minority Advisory Committee MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization MSA Metropolitan Statistical Area MSATs Mobile Source Air Toxics NAAQs National Ambient Air Quality Standards NCSS National Cooperative Soil Survey NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHRP National Register of Historic Places NOI Notice of Intent NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service O&M Operations and Maintenance PMT Project Management Team RTP Regional Transportation Plan ROD Record of Decision SSMP Safety and Security Management Plan SHPO State Historic Preservation Officer SIP State Implementation Plan STOPS Simplified Trips-on-Project Software (FTA sponsored forecasting tool) TIP Transportation Improvement Program TOD Transit-Oriented Development USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USDOT U.S. Department of Transportation USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service VHT Vehicle-Hours of Travel VMT Vehicle-Miles of Travel PRELIMINARY ii 8/18/2015 DRAFT Environmental Impact Statement & Section 4(f) Evaluation Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ ES-1 ES.1 Regulatory Basis......................................................................................................................... ES-1 ES.2 DEIS, FEIS, and Record of Decision .............................................................................................. ES-1 ES.3 Project Background .................................................................................................................... ES-1 ES.4 Project Purpose and Need .......................................................................................................... ES-2 ES.5 Green Rapid Transit Line Alternatives ......................................................................................... ES-2 ES.5.1 Downtown Indianapolis Alignments ...............................................................................................................ES-4 ES.5.2 Stations ............................................................................................................................................................ES-4 ES.5.3 Maintenance and Storage Facility ..................................................................................................................ES-4 ES.5.4 Operating Plans ...............................................................................................................................................ES-9 ES.5.5 Summary of Build Alternatives .......................................................................................................................ES-9 ES.6 Cost and Impacts of Alternatives ................................................................................................ ES-9 ES.6.1 Estimated Cost of Build Alternatives ........................................................................................................... ES-10 ES.6.2 Transportation System Impacts ................................................................................................................... ES-10 ES.6.3 Environmental Impacts ................................................................................................................................ ES-11 ES.6.4 Section 4(f), Parks, Recreation, and Historic Properties............................................................................. ES-12 ES.7 Alternatives Comparison .......................................................................................................... ES-13 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1-1 1.1 Project Overview .........................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 Project Background ......................................................................................................................1-1 1.2.1 Summary of Previous Studies .......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2.2 Current Study .................................................................................................................................................... 1-5 1.3 Project Setting .............................................................................................................................1-5 1.3.1 Existing Roadway Infrastructure .....................................................................................................................