Environmental Impact Statement on the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor in Los Angeles, CA

[Federal Register:  May 19, 2000  (Volume 65, Number 98)]
[Notices]               
[Page 31956-31958]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19my00-103]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

 
Environmental Impact Statement on the Mid-City/Westside Transit 
Corridor in Los Angeles, CA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as the Federal lead 
agency, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation 
Authority (MTA), as the local lead agency, are issuing this notice to 
advise interested agencies and the public that a joint Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR), referred to 
as an EIS/EIR, is being prepared for transit improvements in the Mid-
City/Westside Transit Corridor in Los Angeles, California in accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and the 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The EIS/EIR replaces the 
previous NEPA reviews by FTA and MTA of transit improvements in the 
Mid-City corridor, the most recent being ``Los Angeles Rail Rapid 
Transit Project--Metro Rail Final Supplemental EIS/EIR for the Mid-City 
Segment from Wilshire/Western to Pico/San Vicente,'' August, 1992. The 
Mid-City extension of Metro Rail was suspended by the MTA Board of 
Directors in January 1998. The present EIS/EIR will study alternatives 
and extensions to the suspended subway in the Mid-City corridor and 
beyond to Santa Monica. In the course of this study, FTA expects the 
MTA and the Southern California Association of Governments, which is 
responsible for transportation planning in metropolitan Los Angeles, to 
establish priorities for the proposed transit improvements in

[[Page 31957]]

the Mid-City corridor and the myriad of other competing projects and 
transit needs in the region. This prioritization of proposed projects 
and other transit needs will involve, among other considerations, the 
development of a financial plan that identifies for each capital need 
the non-Federal funds to be used along with the proposed Federal 
funding.
    FTA and MTA seek comments by interested parties and agencies on the 
scope of the Mid-City/Westside EIS/EIR. The date and location of public 
scoping meetings are provided below. The closing date for receiving 
comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR, and the address to which written 
comments should be sent, are also provided herein.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the study 
should be sent, by June 23, 2000, to Mr. David Mieger of the Los 
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the address 
given below in ADDRESSES.
    Scoping Meeting Dates: Please refer to ADDRESSES below for the 
dates, times, and locations of the public scoping meetings.

ADDRESSES: For Written Comments: Written comments on the scope of the 
EIS/EIR should be sent by June 23, 2000, to Mr. David Mieger, Los 
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway 
Plaza, Mail Stop 99-22-5, Los Angeles, California 90012. Written 
comments may also be turned in at the scoping meetings.
    For Scoping Meetings: Public scoping meetings for the EIS/EIR will 
be held at the following locations at the dates and times indicated:
    <bullet> Tuesday, May 23, 2000, Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036 (5 p.m.-8 p.m.)
    <bullet> Wednesday, May 31, 2000, Veteran's Administration Hospital 
of West Los Angeles, 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90038 (5 
p.m.-8 p.m.)
    <bullet> Tuesday, June 6, 2000, Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th 
Street, Santa Monica, CA (5 p.m.-8 p.m.)
    <bullet> Wednesday, June 7, 2000, California African-American 
Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA 90037 (5 
p.m.-8 p.m.)
    <bullet> Thursday, June 8, 2000, Veteran's Memorial Complex, 4117 
Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232 (5 p.m.-8 p.m.)
    The scoping meetings will be held in an ``open house'' format with 
MTA representatives available to discuss the project alternatives 
throughout the time periods given. Informational displays and written 
material will also be available. Comments may be submitted in writing 
at the public scoping meetings. All locations are accessible to persons 
with disabilities. Spanish-speaking MTA staff will be present. If 
hearing-impaired services will be needed, please notify Mr. David 
Mieger at the MTA address above, or call TTY (800) 252-9040. Other 
questions about the scoping workshops may be directed by voice 
telephone to Mr. Mieger at (213) 922-3040 or e-mail at miegerd@mta.net.
    For MIS Review: A Major Investment Study (MIS) of the 
transportation needs in the Mid-City/Westside Corridor, dated February, 
2000, and related environmental studies are available for review at the 
MTA Library at One Gateway Plaza, 15th Floor; Los Angeles, CA 90012 
during normal business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ervin Poka or Ray Tellis, Federal 
Transit Administration/Federal Highway Administration Los Angeles 
Metropolitan Office. Phone: (213) 202-3950.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS/EIR will present a comparative 
analysis of the environmental impacts, transportation benefits, and 
costs of reasonable transit alternatives in the Mid-City/Westside 
Corridor and will determine the appropriate mitigation measures for 
adverse impacts.
    Scoping: The initial set of alternatives for the Mid-City/Westside 
Corridor were defined through a Major Investment Study (MIS) completed 
in February 2000 by the MTA, in accordance with USDOT regulations. 
Additional alternatives that may emerge from the scoping process will 
be considered.
    FTA and MTA invite interested individuals, organizations, and 
public agencies to attend the scoping meetings and participate in 
identifying the scope and content of the EIS/EIR, including any 
significant environmental, social, or economic issues associated with 
the alternatives. The public is invited to comment specifically on the 
alternatives to be addressed, the transit 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 preferred alternative. 
During scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific social, 
economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated and suggesting 
alternatives that are less costly or less environmentally damaging, 
while meeting the identified transportation and other needs in the Mid-
City/Westside Corridor. Scoping is not the appropriate time to indicate 
a preference for a particular alternative. Comments on preferences 
should be communicated after the Draft EIS/EIR has been issued for 
public review.
    An information packet describing the purpose of the project, the 
location, the proposed alternatives, and the impact areas to be 
evaluated is being mailed to affected Federal, State, and local 
agencies. Others may request these scoping materials by contacting Mr. 
David Mieger at (213) 922-3040 or by writing to him at his address 
above. If you wish to be placed on the project mailing list, please 
call the Project Hotline at 310-366-6443.
    Description of Study Area and Project Need: The Mid-City/Westside 
Corridor is approximately bounded on the north by Sunset Boulevard, on 
the east by Hill Street, on the south by Manchester Boulevard, and on 
the west by the Pacific Ocean. The projected trip-making increase and 
resulting congestion would occur because of expected population growth, 
from 1.5 million persons in 1994 to 1.9 million in 2020, and of 
expected employment growth, from one million jobs in 1994 to 1.2 
million jobs in 2020. The purposes of the project are to improve east-
west travel options in the Mid-City/Westside areas of Los Angeles and 
to provide a connection to the previously completed Metro Rail Red Line 
and other portions of the regional rail and bus network.
    Alternatives: In order to address current and long-range traffic 
congestion in the Mid-City and Westside areas of the Los Angeles Basin, 
the MTA has examined a wide range of east-west transit alternatives, 
including Bus Rapid Transit, Light Rail Transit such as the Blue Line 
to Long Beach, and Heavy Rail Transit such as the Red Line to 
Hollywood. In accordance with the intent of the MIS process, the MIS, 
in conjunction with the guidance provided by the MTA Board of 
Directors, resulted in a set of refined alternatives to be evaluated in 
detail in the EIS/EIR. These alternatives are: (1) No Build; (2) 
Transportation System Management; (3) Wilshire Bus Rapid Transit (BRT); 
(4) Exposition BRT; (5) Exposition Light Rail Transit (LRT); (6) Phased 
length combinations of Wilshire BRT and Exposition BRT or LRT; (7) Any 
additional alternatives that may result from the scoping process. 
Alignments for BRT extend from the Metro Red Line in downtown Los 
Angeles to downtown Santa Monica and include Wilshire Boulevard and the 
former Exposition railroad right-of-way. An alignment for LRT extends 
from downtown Los

[[Page 31958]]

Angeles to downtown Santa Monica along the Exposition railroad right-
of-way. The TSM Alternative is not specific to an alignment but would 
rather improve service levels of existing bus service in the general 
Westside Corridor. Additionally, a No Build Alternative will evaluate 
the impacts of doing nothing to improve transit service during the 
twenty year planning timeframe of the project, beyond those 
improvements already scheduled and funded.
    Probable Effects: The FTA and MTA will evaluate all significant 
environmental, social and economic impacts of the alternatives in the 
Draft EIS/EIR. Potential impact categories which will be evaluated 
include: Land Use and Development; Economic Impacts; Displacement and 
Relocation; Traffic Circulation and Parking; Community and Neighborhood 
Impacts; Environmental Justice; Visual and Aesthetic Impacts; Air 
Quality; Noise and Vibration; Geotechnical Considerations; Water 
Resources; Natural Resources; Energy; Safety and Security; Cultural 
Resources; Community Facilities and Parklands; and Construction 
Impacts. The impacts will be evaluated both for the construction period 
and the long-term period of operation. Measures to mitigate adverse 
impacts will also be addressed.
    FTA Procedures: After the scope of the EIS/EIR evaluation has been 
determined, FTA and MTA will conduct the analyses and interagency 
coordination necessary to prepare a Draft EIS/EIR. The Draft EIS/EIR 
will be made available for public and agency review and comment, and a 
public hearing will be held. On the basis of the Draft EIS/EIR and 
comments received, MTA will select a Locally Preferred Alternative. If 
FTA approves of advancing the Locally Preferred Alternative into 
Preliminary Engineering (PE), the Final EIS/EIR responding to comments 
received and incorporating the results of PE, would then be prepared 
and released.

    Issued on: May 15, 2000.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-12638 Filed 5-18-00; 8:45 am]
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