[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23299]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: September 21, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for the Georgetown Branch
Transitway and Trail, Montgomery County, MD
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
(EIS).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Maryland Mass
Transit Administration (MTA) intend to undertake an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). MTA will ensure that the EIS also satisfies the
requirements of the Maryland Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).
This effort will be performed in cooperation with the Montgomery
County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Other key supporting
agencies include the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
(MWCOG), the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA),
and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-
NCPPC).
The EIS will evaluate transportation improvements in the corridor
between the central business districts (CBDs) in Bethesda and Silver
Spring, Maryland. In particular, the focus will be on the former CSX
Railroad Georgetown Branch right-of-way (ROW) which has been purchased
by Montgomery County. Additionally, the corridor will connect the
Bethesda and Silver Spring Metrorail stations located in the respective
CBDs. In addition to a proposed transitway, which may be either a
busway or light rail transit in conjunction with a parallel hiker/biker
trail, the EIS will evaluate the No-Build and the Transportation System
Management (TSM) alternatives and any new alternatives generated
through the scoping process. Scoping will be accomplished through
correspondence with interested persons, organizations, and federal,
state, and local agencies, and through a public meeting. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below for details.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives
and impacts to be considered should be sent to the MTA by October 26,
1994. See ADDRESSES below.
Scoping Meeting: The public scoping meeting will be held on
Wednesday, October 5, 1994, between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Armory
Place. See ADDRESSES below. People with special needs should contact
Lisa Colletti or Diane Melia at the MTA at the address below or by
calling (410) 333-3376 or (410) 333-3389. A TDD number is also
available: (410) 539-3497. The building is accessible to people with
disabilities. It is located within two (2) blocks of the Silver Spring
Metrorail station and is served by major Metrobus and Ride-On bus
routes.
The meeting will be held in an ``open-house'' format and project
representatives will be available to discuss the project throughout the
time period given. Informational displays and written materials will
also be available throughout the time period given. In addition to
written comments which may be made at the meeting or as described
below, a stenographer will be available at the meeting to record
comments.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on project scope should be sent to Mr.
Ernest Baisden, Project Manager, Maryland Mass Transit Administration,
300 West Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. The Scoping meeting
will be held at the following location: Armory Place, 925 Wayne Avenue,
Silver Spring, MD 20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John T. Garrity, Jr.,
Transportation Program Specialist, Federal Transit, Administration,
Region III, (215) 656-6900.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
FTA and the MTA invite interested individuals, organizations, and
federal, state, and local agencies to participate in defining the
alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS and identifying any significant
social, economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives.
Scoping comments may be made at the public scoping meeting or in
writing. See DATES and ADDRESSES sections above for locations and
times. During scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific
social, economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated and
suggesting alternatives which are more cost effective or have less
environmental impact while achieving similar transit objectives.
Scoping materials will be available at the meeting or in advance of
the meeting by contacting Lisa Colletti or Diane Melia at the MTA as
indicated above.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
The study area and corridor is wholly within Montgomery County. It
is approximately 4\1/2\ miles long and connects the CBDs of Bethesda
and Silver Spring. The corridor also connects two heavily used Metro
stations and two major employment centers.
Existing transit service in the study area is provided by Ride-On
and Metrobus. Existing traffic is primarily carried by East-West
Highway (MD 410) with high traffic volumes and poor level-of-service at
many of the signalized intersections.
The proposed transitway is intended to provide a high quality
connection between the two branches of the Metro Red Line; to support
economic viability of the Bethesda and Silver Spring CBDs through
greater transit accessibility; contribute to higher transit modal
splits for work trips to the CBDs and employment centers; improve
cross-county movement by public transportation to help achieve regional
clean air goals; and improve travel time in the Bethesda-Silver Spring
corridor including improved access to the Bethesda and Silver Spring
Metrorail stations.
III. Alternatives
The alternatives proposed for evaluation include: No-Build which
involves no change to transportation services or facilities in the
corridor beyond those improvements currently programmed; the TSM
alternative which focuses on operational and low-cost capital
improvements to transit routes and services in the corridor; the light
rail transit (LRT) alternative which consists of providing light rail
service along the 4.4 mile right-of-way, primarily using single-track
with double-track passing sections, with a parallel hiker/biker trail;
and the busway alternative which consists of providing bus service
along the 4.4 mile right-of-way with a parallel hiker/biker trail. Five
stations are proposed for both the light rail transit and busway
alternatives: Bethesda, Connecticut Avenue, Lyttonsville, Spring
Street, and Silver Spring, with future stations to be studied for
operational feasibility.
IV. Probable Effects
FTA and MTA plan to evaluate in the EIS all significant social,
economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. Among the
primary issues are the expected increase in transit ridership, the
expected increase in mobility for the corridor's transit dependent, the
support of the region's air quality goals, 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. Environmental and social impacts proposed for
analysis include land use and neighborhood impacts, traffic and parking
impacts near stations, health and safety impacts, impacts on wetland
and parkland areas, and noise and vibration impacts. Impacts on natural
areas, rare and endangered species, and air and water quality, will
also be covered. The impacts will be evaluated both for the
construction period and for the long term period of operations.
Measures to mitigate adverse impacts will be identified.
V. FTA Procedures
In accordance with federal transportation planning regulations (23
CFR Part 450), the draft EIS will be prepared in conjunction with a
major transportation investment study and document the results of that
study, including an evaluation of the social, economic, and
environmental impacts of the alternatives. Upon completion of the MIS/
DEIS, and on the basis of the comments received, the MTA Administrator
in concert with the Secretary of the Maryland Department of
Transportation (MDOT) and in consultation with Montgomery County,
MWCOG, and other affected agencies, will select a locally preferred
alternative. Then MTA, as lead agency, will seek to continue with
further preliminary engineering and preparation of the Final EIS.
Issued on: September 15, 1994.
Sheldon A. Kinbar,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-23299 Filed 9-20-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
