[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2270-2272]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-725]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Transit Administration
Major Investment Study/Environmental Impact Statement: Northeast
Corridor in Indianapolis, Indiana; Hamilton and Marion Counties
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit
Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) are jointly issuing this notice to advise
the public that a Major Investment Study (MIS)/Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) is being prepared for proposed transportation
improvements in the Northeast Corridor of the Indianapolis region. The
MIS, which is currently underway, will be used as input to the EIS.
DATES: A public scoping and information meeting will be held on
Tuesday, January 26, 1999 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a
presentation at 5:30 p.m. in Indianapolis. Written comments on the
scope of the alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent
by March 15, 1999.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Indiana Government Center
South Conference Center, Room A, located at 100 North Senate Avenue, in
downtown Indianapolis. Written comments on the scope of the
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent to:
Steve Cecil, Chief, Pre-Engineering and Environment Division at the
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), 100 North Senate Avenue,
Indiana Government Center North, Room N848, Indianapolis, IN 46204,
scecil@indot.state.in.us;
or,
Lori Miser, Transportation Planning Manager, 200 East Washington
Street, Suite 1841, Indianapolis, IN 46204, lmiser@indygov.org.
[[Page 2271]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Joel P. Ettinger, FTA Region 5,
200 West Adams St, Suite 2410, Chicago, IL 60606: Telephone: (312) 353-
2789. Ms. Joyce Newland, FHWA--Indiana Division, 575 N. Pennsylvania
Street, Room 254, Indianapolis, IN 46204, Telephone: (317) 226-5353.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA and FTA, in cooperation with the
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Indianapolis
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), will prepare a MS and a Draft
EIS (DEIS) for transportation improvements in the Northeast Corridor of
the Indianapolis region. The MIS/DEIS is being prepared in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended,
and implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and in accordance to FHWA/FTA's
planning and environmental impact procedures and regulations (23 CFR
450 and 23 CFR 771).
A major investment study in the Northeast Corridor is underway to
consider a range of alternative investment strategies for
transportation improvements that will include: Transportation System
Management (TSM) and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), High-
Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) facilities, public transit improvements
including bus system enhancements, commuter rail, light rail, and other
transit technologies, roadway and freeway improvements, as well as a
No-Action Alternative. (No-Action Alternative includes existing and
committed elements of the region's transportation plan, except for the
proposed new start or investment.) Alternatives generated through the
scoping process will also be considered. Scoping will be accomplished
through written correspondence with interested persons, organizations,
and federal, state, and local agencies as well as through the public
meeting listed in DATES and ADDRESSES.
Scoping
FHWA, FTA, INDOT, and the MPO invite all interested individuals,
organizations, and federal, state, and local agencies to participate in
the scoping process defining the 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 purpose and need of the project, the proposed
alternatives, the impact areas to be evaluated, the citizen involvement
program, and the preliminary project schedule will be mailed to
affected federal, state, and local agencies and will be provided upon
request to interested parties on record. Requests for the scoping
materials should be directed to Ms. Lori Miser at the address above or
by calling her at (317) 327-5136. Scoping comments may be made verbally
at the public scoping meeting, or in writing. See the DATES and
ADDRESSES sections above for the location and time. During the scoping
phase, comments should focus on identifying specific social, economic,
or environmental impacts to be evaluated and suggesting less costly or
less environmentally damaging alternatives that achieve similar
objectives. However, scoping is not the appropriate time to indicate a
preference for a particular alternative. Comments on 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 Lori Miser as previously described.
Description of Study Area and Project Needs
The Northeast Corridor is a major travel corridor that stretches
from Noblesville in the northeast to just south of the Indianapolis
Central Business District (CBD). Major highway facilities in the
corridor include I-69 south and west of 126th Street, I-465 from just
west of the US 31 interchange to the I-70 interchange, and I-70 from
the east leg of I-465 to the CBD. In addition, the study area includes
SR 37/Fall Creek Parkway from just north of Noblesville to the CBD, US
31 from north of Carmel to the CBD, and Allisonville Road, Keystone
Avenue, and the Meridian Street corridor.
Alternatives
Transportation alternatives to be considered within the corridor
include new and/or improved bus services, busways (facilities
exclusively for buses), light rail, commuter rail, TSM/TDM/ITS
strategies and roadway and highway expansion.
Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis
FHWA, FTA, INDOT, and the MPO plan to evaluate in the MIS/DEIS all
significant social, economic, and environmental impacts of the
alternatives. Among the primary issues are transportation service
changes, including transit cost, service, patronage change, and its
financial implications as well as the effect on traffic movement and
railroad operations. Other key issues include community impacts,
including land use planning and zoning compatibility, neighborhood
compatibility, local and regional economic change, aesthetics, and
utility relocation; cultural resource impacts, including effects on
historic, archaeological, and park resources; and natural resource
impacts, including air quality, noise and vibration, removal of pre-
existing hazardous wastes, water resources, natural features, and
ecosystems. The proposed impact assessment and its evaluation criteria
will take into account both positive and negative impacts, direct and
indirect impacts, short-term (construction) and long-term (operation)
impacts, and site-specific and corridor-wide impacts. Evaluation
criteria will be consistent with the applicable Federal, State of
Indiana, and local standards, criteria, regulations, and policies.
Mitigation measures will be explored for any adverse impacts that are
identified as part of the analyses.
Procedures
In accordance with the regulations and guidance established by CEQ,
as well as with 23 CFR part 450 and 23 CFR part 771 of the FHWA/FTA
planning and environmental regulations and policies, the MIS/DEIS will
include an evaluation of the social, economic, and environmental
impacts of the alternatives. The MIS/DEIS will also comply with the
requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) and with
the Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice. After its
publication, the MIS/DEIS will be available for public and agency
review and comment, and a public hearing will be held. On the basis of
the MIS/DEIS and the comments received, INDOT and the MPO will select a
locally preferred alternative for a major investment strategy. The
locally preferred alternative will then be reaffirmed by the MPO for
inclusion into the Indianapolis Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and
the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The MIS shall lead to
specification of the project's mode, the design concept and scope in
sufficient detail to meet the requirements of the US Environmental
Protection Agency's transportation conformity regulations [40 CFR part
93 and 23 CFR 450.322(b)(8)]. INDOT and the MPO will then seek approval
from FHWA and FTA to continue with Preliminary Engineering and the
preparation of the Final EIS.
[[Page 2272]]
Issued on: January 6, 1999.
Lawrence D. Tucker,
Planning and Program Development Manager, Federal Highway
Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Joel P. Ettinger,
Region 5 Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Chicago,
Illinois.
[FR Doc. 99-725 Filed 1-12-99; 8:45 am]
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