Environmental Impact Statement: Transportation Improvements Within the Riverview Corridor Study Area in the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota

RCRRA, in consultation with the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, has decided to conduct a Major Investment Study (MIS) to assist local decision-making, even though the separate MIS requirement was eliminated by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) legislation. The transportation improvements are being defined in the MIS for the study area. The MIS includes the NEPA scoping process, the identification and evaluation of multi-modal transportation facility and/or service alternatives, and, if appropriate the selection of a preferred design concept and scope in the study area. Subsequently, alternative transportation facility alignments and designs that are consistent with the selected concept and scope may be addressed in an EIS for the study area. It is important to note that a final decision to prepare an EIS has not been made at this time. This decision will be made at the end of the Major Investment Study and will depend upon the nature of the selected concept and its expected impacts.

I. Scoping

The public scoping process was initiated by the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority on November 24, 1998, based upon approximately 60 interviews with individuals representing the local residential communities, businesses and other interests within the study area. This process was continued through February 1999. Additional meetings have been scheduled to ensure that all interested parties in the corridor and the

adjacent community are provided an opportunity to participate in the process of determining the scope of the study. Two scoping meetings will be held at different hours on the same day to facilitate attendance by interested agencies and the general public. An interagency scoping meeting will be held on March 25, 1999, from 10:00 am to 12:00 p.m. at the West Seventh Community Center, and a general public scoping meeting will be held on March 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the same location. FTA and RCRRA invite all interested individuals, organizations, and federal, state, and local public agencies to participate in the scoping process defining the alternatives to be evaluated in the MIS and identifying any significant social, economic or environmental issues related to the alternatives. FTA and RCRRA invite interested individuals, organizations, and public agencies to participate in the scoping process by attending the scoping meetings and participating in establishing the purpose, alternatives, time frame, and analysis approach, as well as an active public involvement program. The public is invited to comment on the public involvement approach, the alternatives to be addressed, the modes and technologies to be evaluated, the alignments and termination points to be considered, the environmental, social, and economic issues related to the alternatives, and the evaluation approach to be used to select a locally preferred alternative. People with special needs should call Kathy DeSpiegelaere at 651- 266-2762. The buildings for the scoping meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. To ensure that a full range of issues is addressed and all significant issues are identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or questions should be directed to Ms. Kathryn DeSpiegelaere at the address provided above.

II. Description of Study Areas and Project Need

The study area being analyzed for this MIS is the Riverview Corridor, which generally follows the Mississippi River between the eastern edge of the Saint Paul downtown area, the Fort Snelling site, the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport, and the Mall of America. The corridor includes two major roadways, West 7th Street and Shepard Road, which traverse the study area running parallel with the Mississippi River floodplain, and a railroad alignment located between the roads. The Riverview Corridor study area can be described as a long, narrow corridor aligned in a southwesterly to northeasterly direction. The study area limits are generally the Mississippi River on the south, West 7th Street on the north, Arcade Street at 7th Street on the northeast, and the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport and Mall of America on the southwest. The Riverview Corridor study area covers approximately 20 square miles in the City of Saint Paul, the City of Minneapolis, and the City of Bloomington. Potential alignments for crossing the Mississippi River and connecting with the airport and Mall of America are located in the cities of Minneapolis and Bloomington and on federal lands where Fort Snelling and the adjacent Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport are located. There are several issues that have been identified in the Riverview Corridor study area that relate to transportation. These include mobility limitations, redevelopment activity within the study area, projected growth of residential population, changing demographics in the local population that would correlate with an increased proportion of transit captive residents, projected growth of employment, lack of east-west connections along the corridor, lack of an efficient connection from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport to the Saint Paul Central Business District (CBD), congestion (especially along I-35E and State Highway 5), and pedestrian and vehicular safety.

III. Alternatives

It is expected that the public scoping process and written comments will be a major source of candidate alternatives for consideration in the study. The types of transportation alternatives suggested in a prior study for consideration in the Riverview Major Investment Study include: No-Build, Transportation Demand Management (TDM), Transportation Systems Management (TSM), Busway Alternatives, and Light Rail Transit Alternatives. 1. No-Build Alternative--Existing and planned transit services and programmed new transportation facilities to the year 2020. 2. Transportation Demand Management (TDM)--Strategies to reduce automobile usage such as carpooling programs, parking fee increases and employer-based programs. 3. TSM Alternative--Low cost improvements, such as enhanced bus service, or signal coordination or ramp metering to enhance the capacity of the existing roadway system. 4. Busway Alternative--Exclusive lanes for buses to move transit riders more quickly. 5. Light Rail Transit Alternative--Light rail transit service that would connect the Saint Paul CBD with the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and Mall of America, and eventually link to other proposed busway and/or light rail lines as part of an integrated regional transit system. The previous study of the Riverview Corridor also concluded that the following alignments should be examined for transportation improvements in the study area: West Seventh Street Busway; Canadian Pacific Railroad Corridor Busway; Canadian Pacific Railroad Corridor Light Rail Transit; and West Seventh Street Light Rail Transit. Based on public input received during scoping and subsequent technical analyses, variations of the above alternatives and other transportation-related improvement options will be considered for the study area.

IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis

Issues and impacts to be considered during the study analyses include potential changes to: the physical environment (air quality, noise, water quality, aesthetics, etc.); the social and manmade environment (land use, development, neighborhoods, etc.); vehicular circulation, parking and in-street operation of buses and rail; parklands and historic resources; transportation system performance; capital, operating and maintenance costs; available financial resources; and positive or negative financial impact on the region. Evaluation criteria will include consideration of the local goals and objectives established for the study area, measures of effectiveness identified during scoping, criteria established by FTA for ``New Start'' transit projects, consistent with the applicable Federal, State of Minnesota, and local standards, criteria, regulations, and policies. Mitigation measures will be explored for any adverse impacts that are identified as part of the analyses.

V. Procedures

In accordance with the regulations and guidance established by CEQ, as well as with 23 CFR 450 and 23 CFR 771 of the FHWA/FTA planning and environmental regulations and policies, the MIS and possible Draft EIS (DEIS) will include an evaluation of the social, economic, and environmental impacts

of the alternatives. The MIS will also comply with the requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) and with the Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice. After its publication, the MIS and DEIS will be available for public and agency review and comment. If a DEIS is prepared, a public hearing will be held. On the basis of the MIS and DEIS, and the comments received, RCRRA and the MPO will select a locally preferred alternative for a major investment strategy. The locally preferred alternative will then be reaffirmed by the MPO for inclusion into the Transportation Policy Plan for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (regional transportation plan) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The MIS shall lead to specification of the project's mode, the design concept and scope in sufficient detail to meet the requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency's transportation conformity regulations [40 CFR 93 and 23 CFR 450.322(b)(8)]. RCRRA and the MPO will then seek approval from FTA to continue with Preliminary Engineering and the preparation of the Final EIS.

Issued on: March 8, 1999. Joel P. Ettinger, Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Chicago, Illinois. [FR Doc. 99-6152 Filed 3-11-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-57-U