Notice2021-24181
Early Scoping Notice for the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority Proposed Everett Link Extension (EVLE) From Lynnwood to Everett, WA
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Published
November 5, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Transit Administration
Abstract
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) issue this early scoping notice to advise tribes, agencies, and the public that FTA and Sound Transit will explore potential route and station alternatives for the Everett Link light rail extension (EVLE or Project) and are starting to determine the scope of the environmental issues associated with the Project. The Project would extend Link light rail from the Lynnwood City Center Station to the Everett Station area in Snohomish County, Washington, and improve connections to the regional transit system and major activity centers. Potential alternatives for a light rail operations and maintenance facility (OMF North) in Snohomish County will also be explored to support the regional Link light rail program, including EVLE.
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 212 (Friday, November 5, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 212 (Friday, November 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61387-61389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24181]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Early Scoping Notice for the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit
Authority Proposed Everett Link Extension (EVLE) From Lynnwood to
Everett, WA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation
(DOT).
ACTION: Early scoping notice.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Central Puget
Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) issue this early
scoping notice to advise tribes, agencies, and the public that FTA and
Sound Transit will explore potential route and station alternatives for
the Everett Link light rail extension (EVLE or Project) and are
starting to determine the scope of the environmental issues associated
with the Project. The Project would extend Link light rail from the
Lynnwood City Center Station to the Everett Station area in Snohomish
County, Washington, and improve connections to the regional transit
system and major activity centers. Potential alternatives for a light
rail operations and maintenance facility (OMF North) in Snohomish
County will also be explored to support the regional Link light rail
program, including EVLE.
DATES: Two online public early scoping meetings will be held at the
following times (all times are Pacific Standard Time):
<bullet> Wednesday, November 17, 2021, from 12:00-1:30 p.m.
<bullet> Thursday, November 18, 2021, from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
These early scoping meetings will be conducted in a webinar format,
accessible via the internet and by teleconference. Registration for an
online public early scoping meeting can be done in advance of the
meeting at everettlink.participate.online.
FTA and Sound Transit have also scheduled an interagency and tribal
early scoping meeting on November 8, 2021, to receive comments from
tribes and agencies who have an interest in the proposed Project.
Invitations to the tribal and agency early scoping meeting will be sent
to appropriate federal, tribal, state, and local government units and
will include details on how to participate in the online meeting.
Supplemental information about the Project is provided in the
following sections. Sound Transit will also provide information on the
alternatives analysis at the early scoping meetings, along with
opportunities for comments. Information is also available on the Sound
Transit website at <a href="https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/everett-link-extension">https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/everett-link-extension</a>.
Written early scoping comments are requested by December 10, 2021,
and can be mailed or emailed to the addresses below. Comments can also
be provided via the online comment form available at the website
address below or left as a voicemail at the phone number below.
ADDRESSES: Kathy Fendt, Sound Transit, 401 S Jackson Street, Seattle,
WA 98104-2826, Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3c794a594e594848705552577f5351515952484f7c4f53495258484e5d524f554812534e5b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cd88bba8bfa8b9b981a4a3a68ea2a0a0a8a3b9be8dbea2b8a3a9b9bfaca3bea4b9e3a2bfaa">[email protected]</span></a>, Project
website: everettlink.participate.online, Voicemail Phone Number: 888-
512-8599. Information in alternative formats: 800-201-4900/TTY: 711 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5f3e3c3c3a2c2c363d3633362b261f2c302a313b2b2d3e312c362b71302d38"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0a6b69696f797963686366637e734a79657f646e7e786b6479637e2465786d">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Assam, Environmental Protection
Specialist, Region 10, Federal Transit Administration, 915 Second
Avenue, Suite 3142, Seattle WA 98174, phone: 206-220-4465, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#276a46554c09665454464a6743485309404851"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b0fdd1c2db9ef1c3c3d1ddf0d4dfc49ed7dfc6">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Early Scoping
Early scoping is an optional element of the NEPA process that is
intended to invite public, agency, and tribal comments at the earliest
reasonable time in project planning, as in the case for this Project,
where alignment and siting variations are under consideration in a
broadly defined study area. FTA is the lead federal agency under NEPA.
Early scoping is also being conducted under the Washington State
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) rules regarding expanded scoping
(Washington Administrative Code 197-11-410). Sound Transit is the lead
agency under SEPA.
Early scoping can ensure that tribes, agencies, and the public have
the opportunity to review and provide comments on the proposal that can
then be used to inform subsequent steps in the NEPA process.
Early scoping is being initiated for EVLE during the Project's
alternatives development phase. This early scoping notice invites the
public and other interested parties to comment on the scope of the
alternatives development analysis, including the following: (a) The
purpose and need for the Project; (b) the range of alternatives for
light rail route, station, and OMF locations; (c) the impacts and
benefits to the social, built, and natural environments; and (d) other
considerations that are relevant to the evaluation of alternatives.
These early scoping efforts are being
[[Page 61388]]
conducted in support of NEPA requirements and in accordance with the
Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for implementing NEPA.
Purpose and Need for the Project
The purpose of the EVLE is to expand the Link light rail system
from the Lynnwood City Center Station to the Everett Station area and
provide an operations and maintenance facility in order to:
<bullet> Provide high quality, rapid, reliable, accessible, and
efficient light rail transit service to communities in the Project
corridor as defined through the local planning process and reflected in
the Sound Transit 3 (ST3) Plan (Sound Transit 2016).
<bullet> Improve regional mobility by increasing connectivity and
capacity in the EVLE corridor from the Lynnwood Transit Center to the
Everett Station area to meet projected transit demand.
<bullet> Connect regional centers as described in adopted regional
and local land use, transportation, and economic development plans and
Sound Transit's Regional Transit Long-Range Plan (Sound Transit 2014).
<bullet> Implement a system that is technically and financially
feasible to build, operate, and maintain.
<bullet> Expand mobility for the corridor and region's residents,
including explicit consideration for transit-dependent, low-income, and
minority populations.
<bullet> Encourage equitable and sustainable growth in station
areas through support of transit-oriented development and multimodal
integration in a manner that is consistent with local land use plans
and policies, including South Transit's Equitable Transit Oriented
Development Policy (Sound Transit 2018) and Sustainability Plan (Sound
Transit 2019).
<bullet> Encourage convenient, safe, and equitable nonmotorized
access to stations, such as bicycle and pedestrian connections,
consistent with Sound Transit's System Access Policy (Sound Transit
2013) and Equity and Inclusion Policy (Sound Transit 2019).
<bullet> Preserve and promote a healthy environment and economy by
minimizing adverse impacts on the natural, built, and social
environments through sustainable and equitable practices.
<bullet> Provide an OMF with the capacity to receive, test,
commission, store, maintain, and deploy vehicles to support the
intended level of service for system-wide light rail system expansion.
<bullet> Develop an OMF that supports efficient and reliable light
rail service and minimizes system operating costs.
The Project is needed because:
<bullet> Chronic roadway congestion on Interstate 5 (I-5) and State
Route (SR) 99--two primary highways connecting communities along the
corridor--delays today's travelers, including those using transit, and
degrades the reliability of bus service traversing the corridor,
particularly during commute periods.
<bullet> These chronic, degraded conditions are expected to
continue to worsen as the region's population and employment grow.
<bullet> Puget Sound Regional Council (the regional metropolitan
planning organization) and local plans call for high-capacity transit
in the corridor consistent with VISION 2050 (Puget Sound Regional
Council 2020) and the Regional Transit Long-Range Plan (Sound Transit
2014).
<bullet> Snohomish County residents and communities, including
transit-dependent residents and low-income or minority populations,
need long-term regional mobility and multimodal connectivity, as called
for in the Washington State Growth Management Act (Revised Code of
Washington 36.70A.108).
<bullet> Regional and local plans call for increased residential
and/or employment density at and around high-capacity stations and
increased options for multimodal access.
<bullet> Environmental and sustainability goals of the state and
region, as established in Washington state law and embodied in Puget
Sound Regional Council's VISION 2050 (Puget Sound Regional Council
2020) and Regional Transportation Plan (Puget Sound Regional Council
2018), include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by prioritizing
transportation investments that decrease vehicle miles traveled.
<bullet> The current regional system lacks an OMF with sufficient
capacity and suitable location to support the efficient and reliable
long-term operations for system-wide light rail expansion, including
the next phase of light rail expansion in Snohomish and King counties.
<bullet> New light rail maintenance and storage capacity needs to
be available with sufficient time to accept delivery of and commission
new vehicles to meet fleet expansion needs and to store existing
vehicles while the new vehicles are tested and prepared.
Project Description
The Everett Link extension corridor is approximately 16 miles long
and extends Link light rail service north from the Lynnwood City Center
Station to the Everett Station area. The Project includes six new Link
stations and study of one additional provisional station during the
planning process. The new light rail stations would be located in the
following areas: (a) West Alderwood; (b) Ash Way; (c) Mariner Station;
(d) Southwest Everett Industrial Center; (e) State Route (SR) 526/
Evergreen; and (f) Everett. The provisional station is in the SR 99/
Airport Road area. From Lynnwood, the proposed Link route parallels I-5
to the Mariner Station area, and then travels westward along Airport
Road to the SW Everett Industrial Center and eastward along SR 526/
Evergreen Way, before it continues northward along I-5 to Everett. The
Project also includes a new operations and maintenance facility that
will support the system-wide Link light rail system (OMF North), to be
located along the alignment in Snohomish County.
Project Context and History
Sound Move, the first phase of regional transit investments, was
approved and funded by voters in 1996. Regional transit implemented as
part of the Sound Move Plan included various Sounder commuter rail,
regional Sound Transit Express bus, and Link light rail services that
are now operational, including the Central Link light rail system, and
the light rail extension to the University of Washington. In 2008,
voters authorized funding for additional regional transit services as
part of the Sound Transit 2 (ST2) Plan. The ST2 Plan extends Link light
rail by approximately 36 miles including extensions east to Bellevue,
south to Federal Way, and north to Northgate and Lynnwood. The
Northgate extension opened in October 2021, and the other projects are
currently under construction with the Lynnwood Link Extension opening
for revenue service in 2024. The third phase of regional transit
investments, ST3, was approved and funded by voters in 2016. ST3 will
further extend the Link light rail system east from Bellevue to
Redmond, south from Federal Way to Tacoma, north from Lynnwood to
Everett, and from downtown Seattle to West Seattle and Ballard.
Based on current revenue projections and cost estimates for the
Everett Link extension, Sound Transit anticipates opening service from
Lynnwood to SW Everett Industrial Center in 2037 and from SW Everett
Industrial Center to Everett Station in 2041. The OMF North is
currently planned for completion in 2034, and parking at Mariner and
[[Page 61389]]
Everett stations is planned for completion in 2046.
Potential Alternatives
Previous planning work done to support development of the ST3 Plan
included an examination of a range of potential high-capacity transit
modes and alignment options between Lynnwood and Everett, including
both bus rapid transit and light rail options on several potential
alignments including I-5, SR 99, SR 525 and SR 526. Based on the
analysis, a representative project was developed for the Everett Link
extension for the purposes of establishing project scope, cost
estimates, and ridership forecasts. The representative project
developed for all ST3 projects, including the Everett Link extension,
formed the basis of the ST3 Plan, financing for which was approved by
the voters in 2016. The ST3 representative project is being used to
establish the transit mode, corridor, number of stations, and general
station locations during alternatives development. It is also the
starting point for investigating other reasonable alternatives
consistent with the ST3 Plan.
As part of the alternatives development phase for the Project, FTA
and Sound Transit will explore alternative alignment, station, and OMF
North locations and design configurations that could meet the Project's
purpose and need. During this early scoping comment period, FTA and
Sound Transit invite comments on the Project purpose and need, the ST3
representative project, other potential alternatives, and environmental
issues of concern. Alternatives could include alignments on the west or
east side of I-5, or other alternatives that arise during the early
scoping comment period. During the alternatives development phase, FTA
and Sound Transit will evaluate the relative performance of
alternatives using performance measures that reflect the purpose and
need for the Project. Examples of these measures include projected
light rail ridership; capital, operations and maintenance costs; and
potential benefits or burdens to vulnerable populations in the
corridor. As part of early scoping, FTA and Sound Transit also invite
tribes, agencies, and the public to comment on the types of impacts or
benefits that should be considered during the alternatives development
phase.
Next Steps
Following early scoping, FTA and Sound Transit anticipate narrowing
the range of alternatives for further evaluation in a combined NEPA/
SEPA environmental document. If the resulting range of alternatives
involves the potential for significant environmental impacts requiring
an environmental impact statement (EIS), FTA will publish a Notice of
Intent to Prepare an EIS in the Federal Register, and Sound Transit
will publish a Determination of Significance/Scoping Notice. Tribes,
agencies, and the public will be invited to comment on the scope of the
EIS at that time.
Authority: 49 CFR 622.101, 23 CFR 771.111, and 40 CFR 1501.7.
Linda M. Gehrke,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2021-24181 Filed 11-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
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