LIRR Main Line Corridor Improvements EIS
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(Click here for an Adobe Acrobat version of this document)DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATION
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), DOT.
SUMMARY: The
FTA, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) on a proposal to make LIRR Main Line Corridor improvements between
The FTA is the
lead federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA). The project is being conducted by LIRR, the project sponsor.
The EIS will be prepared in accordance with NEPA and
the applicable regulations for implementing NEPA, as set forth in 23
CFR part 771 and 40 CFR parts 1500-1508, as well as applicable laws and
regulations, including Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation
Act of 1966, the Clean Air Act, and Executive Order 12898 on Environmental
Justice As sponsor of the proposed project, the LIRR
will ensure that the EIS and the environmental review process will also
satisfy the requirements of the New York State Environmental Quality
Review Act (SEQRA).
The Proposed Action would consist of the addition
of a new third track to the existing two track configuration between
the Queens Interlocking in
The EIS will evaluate a No Action Alternative and
various Build Alternatives, and any additional alternatives generated
by the scoping process. Scoping
will be accomplished through meetings and correspondence with interested
persons, organizations, and Federal, State, regional, and local agencies.
DATES: The public is invited to
participate in project scoping on June 14th, 16th,
and 21st 2005 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
at the locations identified under the ADDRESSES below
to ensure that all significant issues are identified and considered. Presentation boards depicting the project concept
will be available for review at the meeting locations. Formal presentations by the LIRR regarding
the project will be made at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., each followed by
the opportunity for the public to make comments on the scope of the EIS. LIRR representatives will be available for
informal questions and comments throughout the duration of each scoping
meeting. Those wishing to speak
are requested to register at the meeting location upon arrival. However, additional speakers will be invited
until there are no other speakers requesting to be heard. Subsequent opportunities for public involvement
will be announced on the Internet, by mail, and through other appropriate
mechanisms, and will be conducted throughout the study area. Additional project information may be obtained
from the MTA Web site: http://www.mta.info (click
“Inside the MTA” then “Planning Studies,” and “LIRR Main Line Corridor
Improvements”). Written comments
on the scope of the EIS should be sent to Mr. Peter Palamaro, the LIRR
Public Affairs Representative by August 31, 2005 extended
through December 31, 2005 at the address given under ADDRESSES below.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meetings
will be held:
·
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 at
·
Thursday, June 16, 2005 at
Floral Terrace - 250
·
Tuesday, June 21, 2005 at
Antuns Hicksville -
The
scoping meeting sites are accessible to mobility-impaired people and
interpreter services will be provided for hearing-impaired people upon
request. Written comments will be taken at the meeting
or may be sent to the following address at any time during the scoping
period, which is through August 31, 2005 extended
through December 31, 2005: Mr. Peter
Palamaro, Long Island Rail Road Company, Jamaica Station, 1131,
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Nancy Danzig, Community Planner,
Federal Transit Administration, (212) 668-2180.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
FTA
and the LIRR invite interested individuals, organizations, and Federal,
State, and local agencies to provide comments on the scope of the Main
Line Corridor Improvements EIS. During the scoping process, comments
should focus on specific social, economic, or environmental issues to
be evaluated, and on suggesting alternatives that may be less costly
or have fewer environmental impacts while achieving similar transportation
objectives. To assist interested
parties in formulating their comments, a scoping information packet has
been prepared and is available on the MTA Web site address noted above,
or upon request from the LIRR representative identified above. The
scoping information packet includes the project’s purpose and need, a
preliminary list of alternatives, and environmental issues that will
be addressed during the course of the study. An
outline of the on-going public participation program is also contained
in the information packet and on the Internet site given above.
II. Description of the Project Area
The
The project area includes approximately 11.5 miles
of the LIRR Main Line between
The project corridor is highly developed with primarily
residential and commercial land use adjacent to the
A total of eight roadway grade crossings exist within
the project corridor. The Main
Line Corridor Improvement initiative will evaluate the potential for
five of the eight roadway grade crossings to be separated and/or closed
as part of the future design of
·
Covert Avenue in New
·
·
New
·
School Street in Westbury;
and
·
Urban Avenue in New Cassel.
III. Problem Identification
The LIRR is expecting a significant increase in its
service levels by the year 2030. This
increase is a result of a number of factors including the forecast of
ridership growth, desire to increase reverse peak and intra-island service
opportunities, desire to further reduce non-revenue car miles, and planned
future service growth to
Roadway grade crossings throughout the project corridor
cause substantial traffic delays that reduce roadway level of service
and present safety concerns. Roadway
grade crossings also require train horn soundings that increase ambient
noise for adjacent noise-sensitive receptors.
IV. Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The
purpose of the proposed Main Line Corridor Improvements, particularly
the addition of a new third track, is to provide additional capacity
for the railroad, provide operational flexibility, reduce severe congestion
during peak travel periods, allow for sufficiently frequent reverse and
intra-island commuting service to draw riders out of their automobiles,
and accommodate anticipated service growth throughout the LIRR system. The addition of a third track will also improve
on-time performance within the corridor, particularly during peak periods.
The
need for the proposed improvements is detailed in the LIRR’s Long Term
Operations and Maintenance Strategy Report of 1999 and LIRR’s Network
Strategy Study of 1994. Specific
needs associated with the limiting aspects of the existing
·
Limited peak-direction train movement because
of the necessity to operate reverse-peak direction trains;
·
Limited ability to expand reverse peak
service to Mineola and Hicksville and to other
·
Constrained future growth of the LIRR system
within the LIRR service territory.
V. Alternatives
The
EIS will evaluate alternatives and options for the Proposed Action which
will: (1) Provide feasible, cost
effective and beneficial transit improvements that enhance connections
to the existing transportation system and Long Island land uses; (2)
meet the anticipated increase in transit use on the LIRR, (3) enhance
Long Island and the region’s economic vitality and quality of life. Alternatives
to be evaluated will include:
·
No
Action Alternative. This
alternative provides for minor improvements, repairs, and other maintenance
actions to the existing LIRR system between
·
Build
Alternatives. Addition
of a new third track to the existing two track configuration, roadway
grade crossing improvements, and station area improvements will be grouped
into a set of specific Build Alternatives. Each distinct Build Alternative will be evaluated
against the No Action Alternative, and other Build Alternatives to determine
the advantages and disadvantages of each. Build Alternatives may include elements of
phasing. For example, a first phase
might include construction of the portion of alignment from
Although
compatible with and contributing to the functionality of the overall
improvements, some elements of the Build Alternatives such as station
rehabilitation elements or roadway grade crossing elements are functionally
independent of the other elements of the Proposed Action. Although the current plan is to evaluate all
of the elements in the EIS, as the project elements are developed and
as schedules and construction phasing plans develop, it is possible that
some of the independent elements may be advanced via separate environmental
evaluations under NEPA.
VI. Potential
Effects
Upon
completion, the proposed Main Line Corridor improvements are anticipated
to eliminate existing deficiencies in LIRR service noted above and generate
positive impacts for
Impacts that may occur as a result of the improvements
will be evaluated in the EIS. The
LIRR has identified several areas of concern, including: property acquisition,
historic and archaeological resources, parks and Section 4(f) properties,
traffic and grade-crossings, noise and vibration, water quality, wetlands,
and threatened and endangered species. Potential construction-related impacts associated
with the construction phase include noise, vibration, business disruption,
impacts on pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and air quality.
The
EIS will describe the methodology used to assess impacts; identify the
affected environment; and identify opportunities and measures for mitigating adverse
impacts. Principles of environmental
construction management, resource protection and mitigation measures,
and the LIRR Sustainable Design/Design for Environment – Generic Guidelines
(March 2003), developed pursuant to New York State Executive Order No.
111 “Green and Clean,” will be considered for incorporation into the
Build Alternatives.
VII. FTA
Procedures
During
the NEPA process, FTA will also comply with the requirements of Section
106, National Historic Preservation Act, Section 4(f) of the Department
of Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 303), the Clean Air Act, and other applicable
federal and state environmental statutes, rules, and regulations, in
accordance with FTA procedures.
Through
the NEPA scoping process and as project development advances, it will
be determined whether certain elements of the Full Build Alternative
should be advanced independently or in combination with other elements,
or be deferred for evaluation at a future time, in order to meet the
transportation needs of
A Draft EIS will be prepared and made available
for public and agency review and comment. One or more public hearings will be held on
the Draft EIS. On the basis of
the Draft EIS and the public and agency comments thereon, a preferred
alternative will be selected and will be fully described and further
developed in the Final EIS.
Issued
on: May 6, 2005
Letitia
Thompson
Regional
Administrator, Region II