[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57692-57694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27832]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for the BART-Oakland Airport
Connector in Oakland, California
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the San Francisco
Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) intend to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and an Environmental Impact Report
(EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for a
proposed BART-Oakland Airport Connector (OAC). The transportation
improvements are being defined in conjunction with a Major Investment
Study (MIS), which will include the NEPA/CEQA scoping process and the
selection of alternatives to be addressed in the joint environmental
document. The EIS/EIR will evaluate a no build alternative, a quality
bus alternative,
[[Page 57693]]
and various automated guideway transit technologies, as well as other
options that surface during the scoping process. Based on the
presentation of the proposed action, project alternatives, and breadth
of the environmental analysis described below, please let us know of
your agency's views regarding the scope and content of the EIS/EIR.
Your thoughts can be offered at the scoping meeting or sent in written
form to the contact person identified below.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments regarding the scope of
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent to BART by
December 6, 1999. Scoping Meeting: A public scoping meeting is
scheduled for Thursday, November 4, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. at the East
Oakland Multipurpose Senior Center. See ADDRESSES below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on project scope should be sent to Mr.
Jerry Goldberg, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, PO Box
12688, Oakland, CA 94604-2688, Mail Stop 1KB6. The scoping meeting will
be held at: East Oakland Multipurpose Senior Center, 9255 Edes Avenue,
Oakland, CA, (Located at the corner of Edes & Jones Avenue). BART
Coliseum Station to AC Transit Bus Route 45.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Donna Turchie, Federal Transit
Administration, Region 9, (415) 744-3115.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
FTA and BART invite interested individuals, organizations, and
federal, state, and local agencies to participate in defining the
alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS/EIR and identifying any
significant environmental issues related to the alternatives. The
meeting is also being advertised in The Oakland Tribune and the San
Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Edition. An information packet describing
the purpose of the project, the proposed alternatives, the impact areas
to be evaluated, the citizen involvement program, and the preliminary
project schedule will be made available at the scoping meeting. Others
may request the scoping materials by contacting Mr. Jerry Goldberg at
BART at (510) 464-6427. People with special needs should call BART at
(510) 464-6300. The building used for the scoping meeting is accessible
to persons with disabilities.
During scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific
environmental impacts to be evaluated and suggesting alternatives that
are less environmentally damaging, which achieve similar objectives.
Comments should focus on the issues and alternatives for analysis, and
not on a preference for a particular alternative. Individual preference
for a particular alternative should be communicated during the comment
period for the Draft EIS/EIR. If you wish to be placed on the mailing
list to receive further information as the project continues, contact
Mr. Jerry Goldberg at BART as previously described.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
Since the early 1970s, the concept of an improved transit linkage
between the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport and BART has
been explored, and various feasibility, engineering, and environmental
studies have been undertaken. The major expansion program currently
underway at the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport signals a
substantial increase in travel by air passengers arriving and leaving
the airport, as well as growth in the commute pattern of employees at
the airport. As one of the three primary airports serving the San
Francisco Bay Area, air traffic at the Metropolitan Oakland
International Airport is projected to increase to serve more of the
region's air passengers and air cargo. While the major improvement and
construction program at the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport
bears witness to the ever-growing demand to move passengers, goods, and
service through this gateway, the ability to get to the airport via the
automobile, airport shuttles, taxis, and vans has become ever more
challenging and likely to encounter delays. Programmed improvements to
enhance the regional freeways do not appear to be sufficient to
accommodate expected growth and eliminate congestion.
Air passengers and employees who take transit to the airport either
ride BART to the Oakland Coliseum station and transfer to the AirBART
bus shuttle, or they ride AC Transit (local Route 58). However, even
with programmed improvements to remedy local congestion and increase
capacity on the local roadways, the growth at the airport is expected
to create periods of congestion and delay. As a result, the minimum
running time of 12 to 15 minutes on AirBART between the Oakland
Coliseum Station and the airport often exceeds 20 minutes and is
projected to lengthen and, more significantly for air passengers, is
likely to become more unpredictable.
Because of foreseeable growth in airport use, local roadway
congestion and delay, the demand for transit alternatives is expected
to rise. To maintain the capacity, convenience, and reliability of
transit services, the Proposed Action would be intended to improve
access to the airport using direct, coordinated connections from the
existing BART system. By reducing projected vehicle trips, the action
would help alleviate regional roadway congestion and benefit local and
regional air quality. The action would also be intended to improve the
convenience and reliability of taking BART to the Metropolitan Oakland
International Airport.
In light of the purpose of the project and the regional and local
need for an improved transit connection, the following preliminary
objectives are identified for the OAC:
Provide reliable, scheduled service between the BART
system and the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport.
Offer operational flexibility to reduce headways during
periods of increased travel demand between the BART system and the
Metropolitan Oakland International Airport.
Offer a competitive alternative travel mode to those who
drive to the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport by providing
predictable connections and travel time savings.
Provide a convenient, safe, and comfortable connection
between the BART system and the Metropolitan Oakland International
Airport.
Increase BART's systemwide ridership.
Design a cost-efficient system, recognizing BART's budget
constraints and available funding.
A ``seamless'' transit connection between the airport and the BART
regional rail transit system would enable both air passengers and
employees to access the airport without relying on an increasingly
congested regional and local road network. To meet the above
objectives, BART is currently examining the desirability of linking the
95-mile, four-County rapid rail network with the airport via an
automated transit system that would operate on its own fixed guideway,
and to which intermediate stops could be added in the future.
The OAC would travel a length of approximately 3 miles, with
termini at the BART Oakland Coliseum Station and the new main terminal
at the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport. Transit vehicles
would operate along a guideway that would be separated from street
traffic--a separation that would allow reliable service and a travel
time of less than 6 minutes from one terminus to the other. In the year
of opening (currently
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proposed to be 2004), the OAC would be projected to carry about 1
million passengers. By the year 2010, annual passengers could grow to
about 3 million.
III. Alternatives
Specific alternatives to the Proposed Action are expected to evolve
during the environmental review process and in response to the public
scoping process. At this juncture, project alternatives expected to be
evaluated in the EIS/EIR include:
A No Build, or No Project, Alternative that considers the
consequences of not improving transit services between BART and the
Metropolitan Oakland International Airport. This alternative would
involve continuation of the existing AirBART shuttle between the BART
Oakland Coliseum Station and the Metropolitan Oakland International
Airport.
A ``Quality Bus'' Alternative that considers technical and
operational transit improvements using buses. The system is called a
``quality bus'' alternative, in part, because it seeks to emulate the
service levels provided by a fixed guideway rail system. Amenities
would be provided at stations, and portions of the route could be
constructed with exclusive transit lanes or other transit preferential
treatments in order to bypass areas of localized traffic congestion.
An Automated Guideway Transit Alternative (AGT) that would
operate on its own exclusive guideway. The system would be fully
automated, with a transfer station providing direct connection to the
BART system at one end and a station at the Metropolitan Oakland
International Airport at the other end. A specific technology has not
been selected for evaluation in this EIS/EIR. A specific technology
would be selected for implementation only if the proposed AGT project
is approved after completion of the environmental evaluation. The term
``Automated Guideway Transit'' encompasses a group of technologies that
provide medium capacity transit service on an exclusive guideway.
Examples of Automated Guideway Transit systems include people movers,
shuttle transit, and advanced light rail transit.
IV. Probable Effects
The purpose of the EIS/EIR is to fully disclose the social,
economic, and environmental consequences of building and operating the
OAC in advance of any decisions to make substantial financial or other
commitments to its implementation. The EIS/EIR will explore the extent
to which the project alternatives result in potentially significant
social, economic, and environmental effects and identify appropriate
actions to reduce or eliminate these impacts. Issues that will be
investigated in the EIS/EIR include transportation, traffic, and
circulation effects; land use compatibility and consistency with
locally adopted plans; potential effects on local businesses and
employment; disturbance to sensitive visual and cultural resources;
geologic and hydrology effects; potential disturbance to sensitive
wildlife and vegetation species and habitats; air and noise emissions
from project-related construction and operation; public health and
safety concerns related to exposure to hazardous materials; community
service and utility demand; direct or indirect effects to public
parklands, significant historic resources, or wildlife refuges; and
environmental justice concerns from any disproportionate impacts of the
project alternatives on low-income or ethnic minority neighborhoods.
V. FTA Procedures
The Draft EIS/EIR for the BART-Oakland Airport Connector will be
prepared in conjunction with a Major Investment Study. After its
publication, in accordance with the Federal Transit Act, as amended,
and FTA policy, the Draft EIS/EIR will be available for review and
comment by interested public members and local, state, and federal
agencies, and a public hearing will be held. Based on the Draft EIS/EIR
and comments received, BART will identify a locally preferred
alternative for further assessment in the Final EIS/EIR. FTA and BART
must approve the Final EIS/EIR prior to making any decisions regarding
the project.
Issued on: October 19, 1999.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-27832 Filed 10-25-99; 8:45 am]
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