[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4468-4469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1609]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Environmental Impact Statement on Transportation Improvements in
Pittsburgh, PA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), in cooperation with the Port Authority of Allegheny County
(PAT), is undertaking the preparation of an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for transportation improvements in the North Side,
Downtown, Hill/Midtown, and Oakland communities in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, referred to as the Spine Line Corridor. The draft EIS
will be prepared in conjunction with a major investment study (MIS)
being conducted by PAT and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional
Planning Commission (SPRPC). The EIS is being prepared in conformance
with: 40 CFR 1500-1508, Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ),
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 as amended; and 23 CFR Part
771, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration,
Environmental Impact and Related Procedures.
The Spine Line Corridor Study, completed by PAT in 1993, began as
an EIS with a Notice of Intent published in the Federal Register dated
March 11, 1988 and formal scoping meetings held on April 6, 1988. The
EIS was not completed because the Airport Busway project took
precedence. PAT and FTA are now re-scoping the project as described
below in Supplementary Information.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the
alternatives and impacts to be considered must be postmarked no later
than February 15, 1995 and sent to PAT, See ADDRESSES below.
Scoping Meetings: Four (4) separate public scoping meetings will be
held jointly by PAT and SPRPC on the following dates: Monday, January
30, 1995, between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the William Pitt Student Union
Ballroom in Oakland; Tuesday, January 31, 1995, between 7 p.m. and 9
p.m. at the King Elementary School in the North Side; Wednesday,
February 1, 1995, between 12 noon and 2 p.m. at the YWCA Assembly Room
in Downtown Pittsburgh; and Wednesday, February 1, 1995, between 7 p.m.
and 9 p.m. at the Hill House Auditorium/Canteen in Hill/Midtown. See
ADDRESSES below. People with special needs should call the Spine Line
HOTLINE at (412) 322-6000. The hearing impaired can access the hotline
through the Operator Relay Service. Each of the buildings for the
scoping meetings is accessible to people with disabilities.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the project scope can be made either orally at
the scoping meetings or sent in writing to Mr. Allen D. Biehler,
Director of Planning and Business Development, Port Authority of
Allegheny County, 2235 Beaver Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15233-
1080. The scoping meetings will be held in the following locations:
William Pitt Student Union Ballroom, Bigelow Boulevard & Fifth Avenue,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; King Elementary School Gymnasium, 50
Montgomery Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; YWCA Assembly Room, 305
Wood Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Hill House Auditorium/
Canteen, 1835 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. See DATES above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Garrity, Federal Transit
Administration, Region III, 1760 Market Street, Suite 500,
Philadelphia, PA 19103, (215) 656-6900.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
FTA and PAT invite interested individuals, organizations, and
federal, state, and local agencies to attend the [[Page 4469]] scoping
meetings to help establish the purpose, scope, framework, and approach
for the analysis. At each meeting, a presentation will be made which
will provide a description of the proposed scope of study using maps
and visual aids, as well as a plan for an active citizen involvement
program, a budgeted work schedule, and an estimated budget. The public
is invited to comment on: The alternatives to be assessed; the modes
and technologies to be evaluated; the alignments and termination points
to be considered; the environmental, social, and economic impacts to be
analyzed; and the evaluation approach to be used to select a locally
preferred alternative.
II. Corridor Description
Linking the North Side, Downtown, Hill/Midtown, and Oakland
communities, the Spine Line Corridor is one of the most heavily
traveled corridors in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan area. The corridor
generally encompasses the area of the lower North Side across the
Allegheny River to the Central Business District of Downtown
Pittsburgh, and through the Hill, Midtown, and Pittsburgh Technology
Center areas to Oakland.
III. Alternatives
It is expected that the scoping meetings and written comments will
be a major source of candidate alternatives for evaluation in the
study. In addition to any new alternatives proposed for evaluation at
the scoping meetings, other alternatives proposed for consideration
will include those evaluated in the previous analysis which was
completed in November 1993 as the Spine Line Corridor Study. One major
difference is that the eastern end of the corridor under the previous
effort was Squirrel Hill, whereas Oakland is the eastern end for this
MIS/DEIS. The following describes the No-Build, Transportation Systems
Management (TSM) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) Build Alternatives that
were evaluated in the previous study and are being suggested for
further study in the Spine Line MIS/DEIS:
1. No-Build Alternative--Existing transit service and programmed
new transportation facilities with level of transit service expanded as
appropriate to meet projected year 2015 travel demand.
2. TSM Alternative--Low-cost transportation improvements that could
include actions such as one-way streets, exclusive bus lanes,
intersection channelization, and enhanced levels of bus service.
3. LRT North Side to Downtown Alternative--The northern extension
of the LRT system would begin at the intersection of Federal Street and
North Avenue, cross the Allegheny River on either a new bridge or the
existing Sixth Street Bridge, and then connect with the existing subway
at Gateway Station.
4. LRT Downtown to Oakland via Centre Avenue Alternative--Beginning
at a junction with the existing LRT line under the Manor Building, the
line would head east in a tunnel under Centre Avenue, then proceed east
through Oakland under Fifth or Forbes Avenue under Morewood Avenue.
5. LRT Downtown to Oakland via Colwell Street Alternative--
Beginning at a junction with the existing LRT line under the Manor
Building, the line would run along Colwell Street parallel to Fifth
Avenue through the Hill and Midtown communities and then pass through
Oakland under Forbes or Fifth Avenue to Morewood Avenue.
6. LRT Downtown to Oakland via the Technology Center Alternative--
Beginning at a junction with the existing LRT line at First Avenue,
this eastern extension would use the former B&O Railroad right-of-way
and run east at-grade from the CBD to the Birmingham Bridge, where it
would pass over the Parkway East before entering a tunnel in Oakland
where it would be built under Fifth or Forbes Avenue to Morewood
Avenue.
In addition to the alternatives described above, new elements
proposed for study include an Intra-North Shore Circulator and West
Garage. To facilitate east-west movement within the North Shore area, a
local circulator system is envisioned to have its west terminus at a
new parking garage (or the West Garage) situated across North Shore
Drive from the Carnegie Science Center, and extend east to Sandusky
Street while connecting several major destinations in the Lower North
Shore Area. The circulator could take the form of enclosed walkways,
enclosed moving walkways, dedicated bus lanes, shuttle buses, or people
movers such as the one used at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The above represents the set of alternatives initially being
considered for study. Additionally, the MIS/DEIS will consider, based
on input received at the four public scoping meetings, variations of
the above alternatives and other transportation investments, both
transit and non-transit, for the Spine Line Corridor. The four public
scoping meetings are the critical first step to chart the course of the
MIS/DEIS and will be designed to actively encourage open discussion and
identification of all possible study alternatives.
IV. Probable Effects
Impacts proposed for analysis are potential changes on: The
physical environment (air quality, noise, water quality, aesthetics,
etc.); the social environment (land use, development patterns,
neighborhoods, etc.); parklands and historic resources; transportation
system performance; capital, operating, and maintenance costs; and
financial resources for transportation projects in the Southwestern
Pennsylvania region. Impacts will be identified for both the
construction period and for the long term operation of the alternatives
recommended for detailed study.
Evaluation criteria will include transportation, social, economic,
and financial measures to be developed by PAT and SPRPC including
consideration of measures recommended at the scoping meetings.
Mitigating measures will be explored for any adverse impacts that are
identified.
Comments on the environmental, social, and economic impacts should
focus on the completeness of the proposed sets of alternatives and the
evaluation approach. Other impacts or criteria judged relevant to local
decision-making will be identified.
Issued on: January 18, 1995.
Sheldon A. Kinbar,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-1609 Filed 1-20-95; 8:45 am]
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