[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1872-1874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-652]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Major Investment Study and Draft Environmental Impact Statement
on the Proposed Schuylkill Valley Metro Project Between the City of
Philadelphia and the City of Reading and the Borough of Wyomissing,
Berks County, PA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent to conduct a Major Investment Study and
prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as Federal lead
agency, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA), as local lead agency, in conjunction with the Berks Area
Reading Transportation Authority (BARTA) intend to conduct a Major
Investment Study (MIS) and prepare a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) on a proposed investment strategy to improve mobility
in the Schuylkill Valley Corridor (Corridor). The Corridor is
approximately 62 miles long and varies from one half to two miles in
width from the City of Philadelphia to the City of Reading and the
Borough of Wyomissing in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Among the alternatives that the MIS/DEIS will evaluate are: (1) No
Build Alternative. This alternative involves no change to
transportation services or facilities in the Corridor beyond already
committed projects. (2) Transportation Systems Management (TSM)
Alternative. This alternative would optimize existing transportation
facilities with low-cost investments to meet the travel demand expected
over the next 20 years. Components of this alternative that will be
investigated include selected highway capacity enhancements and express
bus service. (3) Commuter Rail Alternative. This alternative would
utilize existing rail rights-of-way from Philadelphia to Reading and
share trackage with freight rail operations. (4) Light Rail
Alternative. This alternative would require dedicated trackage and
utilize existing rights-of-way for most of its length. Street running
of light rail vehicles through selected portions of Philadelphia may be
necessary. Other alternatives or revisions to the above alternatives
generated through the scoping process will also be considered.
Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence with interested
persons, organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies, and
three public meetings.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be submitted by
February 26, 1999. Written comments should be sent to Mr. Jim Fritz,
Senior Operations Planner and Project Manager, SEPTA, 1234 Market
Street, 9th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3780. Written comments may
also be provided at the public scoping meetings scheduled below: The
public scoping meetings will take place on: (1) February 9, 1999, (2)
February 10, 1999 and (3) February 11, 1999. See ADDRESSES below.
People with special needs should contact Mr. Jim Fritz at SEPTA at
the address below or by calling (215) 580-7438. The buildings in which
the scoping meetings will be conducted are accessible to people with
disabilities, and provisions will be made for the hearing impaired.
The meetings will be held in an ``open-house'' format, and
representatives will be available to discuss the project throughout the
time periods given. Informational displays and written material will
also be available throughout the time periods given.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Mr. Jim Fritz, Senior
Operations Planner and Project Manager, SEPTA, 1234 Market Street, 9th
Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3780. Written comments may also be made
at the public scoping meetings. The meetings will be held at the
following locations:
(1) February 9, 1999 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Winnet Student Life
Building Great Hall, Room S219, Philadelphia Community College, 1700
Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130.
(2) February 10, 1999 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Upper Merion Township
Building Freedom Hall, 175 West Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia, PA
19406.
(3) February 11, 1999 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Berks County Services
Center Multi-purpose Room, 2nd Floor, Berks County Courthouse, 633
Court Street, Reading, PA 19601.
[[Page 1873]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jim Fritz, Senior Operations
Planner and Project Manager, SEPTA, 1234 Market Street, 9th Floor,
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3780, (215) 580-7438, or fax (215) 580-7163.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
FTA, SEPTA, and BARTA invite interested individuals, organizations,
and Federal, State, and local agencies to participate in defining
transportation alternatives to be evaluated in the MIS/DEIS and
identifying any significant social, economic, or environmental issues
related to the alternatives. An information packet describing the
results of the Schuylkill Valley Metro Feasibility Report, the need for
improved mobility in the Corridor, the study area, the proposed
alternatives, and the impact areas to be evaluated is being mailed to
affected Federal, State, and local agencies. Other interested parties
may request the scoping materials by contacting Mr. Jim Fritz, Senior
Operations Planner and Project Manager, SEPTA, 1234 Market Street, 9th
Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3780, (215) 580-7438, or fax (215) 580-
7163. Scoping comments may be made in writing at the public scoping
meetings or may be sent to Mr. Fritz at the above address. See the
Scoping meeting DATES section above for the locations and times. During
scoping, comments should focus on identifying social, economic, or
environmental impacts to be evaluated and suggesting alternatives that
meet the identified mobility needs in a cost-effective manner. However,
scoping is not the appropriate time to indicate a preference for a
particular alternative. Comments on the preferences should be
communicated after the MIS/DEIS has been completed. If you wish to be
placed on the mailing list to receive further information as the
project develops, contact Mr. Jim Fritz, Senior Operations Planner and
Project Manager, SEPTA, 1234 Market Street, 9th Floor, Philadelphia, PA
19107-3780, (215) 580-7438, or fax (215) 580-7163.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
The study area, known as the Schuylkill Valley Corridor (Corridor),
extends approximately 62 miles from the central business district of
Philadelphia through Montgomery and Chester Counties to the City of
Reading and the Borough of Wyomissing in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
The axis of the Corridor is defined by the Schuylkill River, which runs
generally in a northwest-southeast orientation. Varying from one half
to two miles in width, the Corridor is comprised either wholly or
partially of 52 municipalities and portions of Philadelphia. Two
principal highways, the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) and the US Route
422 Expressway, form the Corridor's transportation spine.
The tremendous increase in population and employment over the past
two decades has established the Corridor as one of the primary growth
areas of southeastern Pennsylvania. As a result of rapid growth, the
Corridor's major highways and feeder roads are sustaining severe and
growing congestion. Land development has occurred rapidly and at low
densities resulting in the loss of farmland and open space. While most
new development and capital investment is occurring outside urbanized
areas, the older former industrial towns along the Schuylkill River are
in need of economic development. Public transportation in the study
area is limited, consisting of bus service oriented primarily toward
the ends of the Corridor and commuter rail service between Philadelphia
and Norristown.
The Corridor is a major employment destination in southeastern
Pennsylvania. High concentrations of jobs are found in the central
business districts of Philadelphia and Reading while major office,
industrial, and retail complexes are located along the Corridor's
highways.
The MIS/DEIS phase is the next step in transportation planning and
project development following the completion of the Schuylkill Valley
Metro Feasibility Report. The MIS/DEIS process employs a far-reaching
public involvement program, continuous coordination with affected and
interested agencies and community stakeholders, and a detailed
evaluation of a wide range of alternatives to meet the mobility needs
identified in the MIS/DEIS.
The MIS/DEIS process is designed to examine a number of
alternatives. Detailed analysis at a conceptual engineering level will
be performed for a set of multi-modal alternatives to identify cost,
ridership, cost-effectiveness measures, and environmental benefits and
impacts.
III. Alternatives
Among the alternatives that the MIS/DEIS will evaluate are: (1) No
Build Alternative. This alternative involves no change to
transportation services or facilities in the Corridor beyond already
committed projects. (2) Transportation Systems Management (TSM)
Alternative. This alternative would optimize existing transportation
facilities with low-cost investments to meet the travel demand expected
over the next 20 years. Components of this alternative that will be
investigated include selected highway capacity enhancements and express
bus service. (3) Commuter Rail Alternative. This alternative would
utilize existing rail rights-of-way from Philadelphia to Reading and
share trackage with freight rail operations. (4) Light Rail
Alternative. This alternative would require dedicated trackage over
most of its length and utilize existing rights-of-way for most of its
route. Street running of light rail vehicles through selected portions
of Philadelphia may be necessary. (5) Highway Alternative. Possible
improvements and/or additions to the existing highway network will be
considered. Other alternatives or revisions to the above alternatives
generated through the scoping process will also be considered.
IV. Probable Effects
FTA, SEPTA, and BARTA will evaluate, in the MIS/DEIS, all
significant social, economic, and environmental impacts at a level of
detail sufficient to identify alternatives and issues to be addressed
in the EIS. Among the primary transportation issues to be evaluated in
the MIS/DEIS are the expected increase in transit ridership including
recreational and work trips, the expected increase in mobility for the
transit dependent population, the support of the region's air quality
goals, the economic benefits, satisfying the overall transportation
needs of the Corridor, the capital outlays needed to construct the
project, the cost of operating and maintaining the facilities created
by the project, and the financial impacts on the funding agencies.
Potentially affected environmental and social resources to be evaluated
in the MIS/DEIS include, land use and neighborhood impacts, residential
and business displacements and relocations, traffic and parking impacts
near stations and along the alignments, visual impacts, noise and
vibration impacts, major utility relocation impacts, impacts on
cultural and archaeological resources, and impacts on wetlands and
parklands. Impacts on air quality, water quality, and hazardous sites
will also be covered. The impacts will be evaluated both for the
construction period and for the long-term period of operation. Measures
to mitigate significant adverse impacts will be considered.
[[Page 1874]]
V. FTA Procedures
The MIS/DEIS will review alternatives on the basis of conceptual
engineering, assess the social, economic, and environmental impacts of
the proposed alternatives, and consider means of minimizing and
mitigating any adverse impacts associated with the alternatives. After
its publication, the MIS/DEIS will be available for public review and
comment, and public hearings will be held. On the basis of the MIS/DEIS
and comments received, SEPTA and BARTA will select a Locally Preferred
Alternative that will be carried into the Final EIS. Following this
action by SEPTA and BARTA, SEPTA and BARTA will request FTA
authorization to proceed with the Final EIS and to initiate preliminary
engineering activities.
Issued on: January 7, 1999.
Sheldon A. Kinbar,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-652 Filed 1-11-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
