80 FR 52360 - Limitation on Claims Against Proposed Public Transportation Projects

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 167 (August 28, 2015)

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for projects in the Cities of Seattle, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood, WA; New Orleans, LA; Tacoma, WA; and Fort Lauderdale, FL. The purpose of this notice is to announce publicly the environmental decisions by FTA on the subject projects and to activate the limitation on any claims that may challenge these final environmental actions.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 167 (Friday, August 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52360-52361]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21285]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Limitation on Claims Against Proposed Public Transportation 
Projects

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the 
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for projects in the Cities of 
Seattle, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood, WA; New Orleans, 
LA; Tacoma, WA; and Fort Lauderdale, FL. The purpose of this notice is 
to announce publicly the environmental decisions by FTA on the subject 
projects and to activate the limitation on any claims that may 
challenge these final environmental actions.

DATES: By this notice, FTA is advising the public of final agency 
actions subject to Section 139(l) of Title 23, United States Code 
(U.S.C.). A claim seeking judicial review of FTA actions announced 
herein for the listed public transportation projects will be barred 
unless the claim is filed on or before January 25, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy-Ellen Zusman, Assistant Chief 
Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, (312) 353-2577 or Terence Plaskon, 
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Environmental Programs, 
(202) 366-0442. FTA is located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that FTA has taken 
final agency actions by issuing certain approvals for the public 
transportation projects listed below. The actions on the projects, as 
well as the laws under which such actions were taken, are described in 
the documentation issued in connection with the projects to comply with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and in other documents in 
the FTA administrative record for the projects. Interested parties may 
contact either the project sponsor or the relevant FTA Regional Office 
for more information on each project. Contact information for FTA's 
Regional Offices may be found at http://www.fta.dot.gov.
    This notice applies to all FTA decisions on the listed projects as 
of the issuance date of this notice and all laws under which such 
actions were taken, including, but not limited to, NEPA [42 U.S.C. 
4321-4375], Section 4(f) of the

[[Page 52361]]

Department of Transportation Act of 1966 [49 U.S.C. 303], Section 106 
of the National Historic Preservation Act [16 U.S.C. 470f], and the 
Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q]. This notice does not, however, 
alter or extend the limitation period for challenges of project 
decisions subject to previous notices published in the Federal 
Register. The projects and actions that are the subject of this notice 
are:
    1. Project name and location: Lynnwood Link Extension, Cities of 
Seattle, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood, WA. Project 
sponsor: Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound 
Transit). Project description: The proposed project would extend the 
Sound Transit Link light rail system from Northgate in Seattle north 
into Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood in Snohomish County. 
The 8.5-mile project corridor would generally follow Interstate 5. 
Project components include traction power substations along the project 
alignment, new noise walls and relocation of existing noise walls, 
relocation of underground and overhead utilities, crossover tracks, 
stormwater management facilities, park-and-ride facilities, and 
intersection, street, and sidewalk improvements. Final agency actions: 
Section 4(f) de minimis impact determination; Section 106 finding of no 
adverse effect; project-level air quality conformity; and Record of 
Decision, dated July 10, 2015. Supporting documentation: Final 
Environmental Impact Statement, dated April 3, 2015.
    2. Project name and location: Cemeteries Transit Center Project, 
New Orleans, LA. Project sponsor: Regional Transit Authority. Project 
description: The proposed project would extend the Canal Streetcar Line 
from its present terminus at the end of Canal Street to the existing 
Cemeteries Transit Center located on Canal Boulevard. In addition, the 
project would move the existing Canal Streetcar Cemeteries stop at the 
intersection of Canal Street and City Park Avenue to the Cemeteries 
Transit Center at Canal Boulevard north of City Park Avenue. Final 
agency actions: Section 4(f) de minimis impact determination; a Section 
106 Memorandum of Agreement, dated June 16, 2015; and Finding of No 
Significant Impact, dated July 15, 2015. Supporting documentation: 
Environmental Assessment, dated February 2015.
    3. Project name and location: Tacoma Link Expansion, Tacoma, WA. 
Project sponsor: Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound 
Transit). Project description: The proposed project would extend the 
existing Tacoma Link system an additional 2.4 miles, connecting 
Tacoma's Central Business District to the Stadium and Hilltop Business 
Districts and to Tacoma's ``medical mile,'' which includes major 
hospitals and medical centers. The project includes six new stations, 
the relocation of one station, and expanding the existing operations 
and maintenance facility (OMF) on a property adjacent to the existing 
OMF. Final agency actions: No use determination of Section 4(f) 
resources; a Section 106 Programmatic Agreement, dated June 15, 2015; 
project-level air quality conformity; and determination of categorical 
exclusion. Supporting documentation: Documented categorical exclusion 
pursuant to 23 CFR 771.118(d), dated June 2015.
    4. Project name and location: Wave Modern Streetcar, Fort 
Lauderdale, FL. Project sponsor: South Florida Regional Transportation 
Authority. Project description: The proposed project is an 
approximately 2.8-mile modern streetcar system in Downtown Fort 
Lauderdale that will provide bi-directional service from S 17th Street 
and S Andrews Avenue to NE 6th Street and NE 3rd Avenue, primarily 
using Andrews Avenue, Bricknell Avenue, and E 3rd Avenue for north/
south movement. The FTA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI) for the project on September 10, 2012. Since issuance of the 
FONSI, the project sponsor proposed minor changes to the project, 
including a new location for the vehicle maintenance and storage 
facility, minor refinements to proposed station locations, minor 
refinements to the alignment along SE 6th Street and SE 7th Street, and 
an alternative end-of-line treatment at the northern terminus known as 
Flagler Loop. FTA prepared a Supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) 
for these design modifications. This notice only applies to the 
discrete actions taken by FTA at this time. Nothing in this notice 
affects FTA's previous decisions, or notice, for this project. Final 
agency actions: No use determination of Section 4(f) resources and 
Amended FONSI, dated June 10, 2015. Supporting documentation: 
Supplemental EA, dated March 27, 2015.

    Dated: August 21, 2015.
Lucy Garliauskas,
Associate Administrator Planning and Environment.
[FR Doc. 2015-21285 Filed 8-27-15; 8:45 am]
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