Notice2022-10156
Early Scoping Notice for the Kitsap County Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority Proposed Seattle Fast Ferry Terminal Facility Project
Primary source
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Published
May 12, 2022
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Transit Administration
Abstract
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Kitsap County Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority (Kitsap Transit), the operator of Kitsap Fast Ferries, issue this early scoping notice to advise tribes, agencies, and the public that FTA and Kitsap Transit will explore potential expansion of passenger-only ferry facility capacity on the downtown Seattle waterfront for the Kitsap Transit Seattle Fast Ferry Terminal Facility Project (Project). The Project would improve regional transit service by addressing the current lack of passenger-only ferry landing site capacity on the Seattle waterfront, the most in-demand destination in downtown Seattle.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 92 (Thursday, May 12, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 92 (Thursday, May 12, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29212-29214]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10156]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Early Scoping Notice for the Kitsap County Public Transportation
Benefit Area Authority Proposed Seattle Fast Ferry Terminal Facility
Project
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation
(DOT).
ACTION: Early scoping notice.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Kitsap County
Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority (Kitsap Transit), the
operator of Kitsap Fast Ferries, issue this early scoping notice to
advise tribes, agencies, and the public that FTA and Kitsap Transit
will explore potential expansion of passenger-only ferry facility
capacity on the downtown Seattle waterfront for the Kitsap Transit
Seattle Fast Ferry Terminal Facility Project (Project). The Project
would improve regional transit service by addressing the current lack
of passenger-only ferry landing site capacity on the Seattle
waterfront, the most in-demand destination in downtown Seattle.
DATES: Two online public early scoping meetings will be held at the
following times (all times are Pacific Daylight Time):
<bullet> Monday, June 6, 2022, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
<bullet> Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Links for the online public early scoping meetings can be found at
the project web page: <a href="https://www.kitsaptransit.com/seattle-fast-ferry-terminal-siting-study">https://www.kitsaptransit.com/seattle-fast-ferry-terminal-siting-study</a>.
In addition, an interagency and tribal early scoping meeting will
be held Monday, June 6, 2022, 2:00-3:00 p.m., 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.
These early scoping meetings will be conducted in a webinar format,
accessible via the internet and by teleconference.
FTA and Kitsap Transit will offer individual meetings with
federally-recognized tribes having usual and accustomed (U&A) rights in
the project area at their convenience.
Additional information about the Project is provided in the
following sections and the Kitsap Transit Fast Ferry Terminal Siting:
Early Scoping
[[Page 29213]]
Information Report available on the project website identified below.
Kitsap Transit will also provide information on the alternative
analysis at the early scoping meetings, along with opportunities for
comment. Information is also currently available on the Kitsap Transit
website at the following project web page (<a href="https://www.kitsaptransit.com/seattle-fast-ferry-terminal-siting-study">https://www.kitsaptransit.com/seattle-fast-ferry-terminal-siting-study</a>).
Written early scoping comments are requested by June 12, 2022, 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: Steffani Lillie, Kitsap Transit Service and Capital
Development Director, 60 Washington Avenue, Suite 200, Bremerton, WA
98337, Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ccfe8f9fafafdf2f5d0dcf7f5e8effdece8eefdf2eff5e8b2fff3f1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="57042332313136393e1b173c3e2324362723253639243e237934383a">[email protected]</span></a>, Project website: <a href="https://www.kitsaptransit.com/seattle-fast-ferry-terminal-siting-study">https://www.kitsaptransit.com/seattle-fast-ferry-terminal-siting-study</a>,
Telephone: (360) 478-6931. Information for alternate formats: (360)
479-4348.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Assam, Environmental Protection
Specialist, Region X, Federal Transit Administration, 915 Second
Avenue, Suite 3142, Seattle, WA 98174, phone: (206) 220-4465, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#462b27342d68273535272b0622293268212930"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5a373b2831743b29293b371a3e352e743d352c">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Early Scoping
Early scoping is an optional step in the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) process that is intended to invite public, agency,
and tribal comments at the earliest reasonable time in project
planning. 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). Kitsap Transit is the lead agency under SEPA.
Early scoping is being initiated during this Project's site
screening and alternatives development phase. This early scoping notice
invites the public and other interested parties to comment on the scope
of the site screening and alternatives development analysis, including
the following: (a) The purpose and need for the Project; (b) the
assessment and criteria presented in the Early Scoping Information
Report; (c) the potential impacts and benefits of the Project; and (d)
other considerations that are relevant to the evaluation of
alternatives. These early scoping efforts are being conducted in
accordance with NEPA and its implementing regulations.
Purpose and Need for the Project
The purpose of the proposed Project is to improve regional mobility
through expanded passenger-only terminal facilities on the downtown
Seattle waterfront to:
<bullet> Increase vessel docking capacity.
<bullet> Increase passenger staging capacity and improve rider
amenities, including restrooms and bicycle storage.
<bullet> Incorporate shoreside infrastructure and equipment to
support electric vessel charging.
<bullet> Increase integration of passenger-only ferry travel with
other transit modes.
<bullet> Maintain or improve rider accessibility to Seattle
business, employment, cultural and retail destinations.
<bullet> Create opportunities for growth of regional passenger-only
ferry routes throughout the Puget Sound Region.
<bullet> Improve access to jobs and housing opportunities in
regional growth centers.
<bullet> Expand mobility options for minority and low-income
populations.
Additional terminal facilities are needed because:
<bullet> The current passenger-only ferry terminal in downtown
Seattle, Pier 50, is the only public facility of its kind. This
facility can only accommodate two vessels at one time.
<bullet> The Pier 50 passenger-only ferry terminal facility does
not have shore-side space for equipment and infrastructure needed to
support future electric vessel charging, such as energy storage
systems.
<bullet> Kitsap Transit's passenger-only ferry service frequency
cannot by increased during peak commute periods due to the limited
landing site capacity. Current service is limited to 12 landings from
the three Kitsap Transit routes within the peak period.
<bullet> Terminal docking congestion leads to cascading departure
delays and schedule disruptions.
<bullet> Access between the more affordable housing on the Kitsap
peninsula and the Downtown Seattle job center is constrained due to
limited frequency of the passenger-only ferry service. Alternatives to
passenger-only ferry service include auto/passenger ferry service
provided by WSF, bus transit, or driving; all of which result in travel
times roughly twice as long as Kitsap Transit's passenger-only ferry
routes.
<bullet> Additionally, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) 2020
Puget Sound Passenger-only Ferry Study identified the lack of landing
site capacity in downtown Seattle as a barrier to potential future
routes or service expansion.
Project Description
Kitsap Transit is exploring potential expansion of passenger-only
ferry facility capacity on the downtown Seattle waterfront to support
ongoing operations of Kitsap Fast Ferries and growth of regional
passenger-only ferry service. The first step in the Project is to
assess downtown Seattle waterfront locations to identify a preferred
downtown terminal location to support long-term passenger-only ferry
operations.
Project Context and History
Passenger-only ferry docking facilities at the Seattle waterfront,
the most in demand destination in downtown Seattle, are limited and
inhibit any increases to service on current routes or introduction of
new routes due to capacity constraints at the existing facility. The
PSRC forecasts in 2018 that the region will add 1.8 million people and
1.2 million jobs by 2050. This growth is supported by PSRC's regional
transportation forecasting models that predict continued growth over
the next 20 years.
Passenger-only ferry service to downtown Seattle, the region's
economic and cultural center, offers an alternative to the region's
capacity strained land-based transportation systems and complements
existing Washington State Ferries (WSF) service. Passenger-only ferry
transportation continues to expand, with Kitsap Transit implementing
three routes in the last four years (Bremerton-Seattle, Kingston-
Seattle, and Southworth-Seattle) with four vessels, and with ridership
growing on the two existing King County Water Taxi routes (West
Seattle-Seattle and Vashon Island-Seattle), operated by the
Metropolitan King County, Metro Transit Department, Marine Division
(King County Metro). In addition to existing operators, a recent PSRC
2020 Puget Sound Passenger-only Ferry Study identified additional
potential ferry routes into the congested downtown Seattle waterfront.
The Kitsap Transit passenger-only ferry program is an important
transportation link connecting the Kitsap Peninsula to downtown
Seattle. To ensure this service is reliable and meets rider needs,
adequate landing facilities must be available on both ends of the
routes. Kitsap Transit has built adequate landing facilities at two of
their four landing locations: Bremerton and Kingston. The Southworth-
Seattle route currently shares a single slip with
[[Page 29214]]
WSF at Southworth, and Kitsap Transit is working with WSF to make
facility improvements to expand docking facilities. However, all three
Kitsap Transit routes share two slips with the two King County Metro
routes at Pier 50 on the Seattle waterfront (Kitsap Transit's fourth
landing location). Pier 50's designed operating capacity is
insufficient for five distinct routes, serviced by six operating
vessels, arriving 20 times during both the morning and afternoon
commute periods.
Kitsap Transit is the secondary user at Pier 50 and must fit their
service schedule around King County Metro's schedule. Hence, the
driving factor in Kitsap Transit's service schedule is docking
availability. This means that landing times are limited to available
docking windows rather than customer preferences for arrival and
departure times. With 12 landings in the peak commute ridership periods
(5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.), Kitsap Transit's current
schedule fully utilizes the docking times not reserved for King County
Metro. Although there are a few remaining dock openings during the
commute window, they cannot be accommodated within Kitsap Transit
vessel headways and dwell times.
Additional challenges to maintaining service schedules occur when
Kitsap Transit and King County Metro vessels experience inevitable
transit delays due to weather conditions such as fog or marine traffic
that lead to cascading departure delays and service disruptions that
cannot be mitigated with two landing slips.
Kitsap Transit must stay within their docking windows in Seattle so
as not to disrupt King County Metro's schedule. To maintain docking
windows, Kitsap Transit routinely has to travel at higher than planned
speeds to maintain the Seattle arrival and departure schedule. At these
higher speeds, Kitsap Transit consumes more fuel leading to higher
carbon emissions and increased operating costs from higher fuel
expense. Higher-speed operations also place greater loads on vessel
engines and other vessel systems leading to increased maintenance
costs.
Kitsap Transit temporarily operated their Bremerton-Seattle route
from a leased private dock at Pier 54. The lease could not be renewed,
forcing Kitsap Transit to consolidate all three routes with King County
Metro's two routes at Pier 50 beginning May 2, 2022. With five routes
and six vessels operating from two slips, the risk of arrival and
departure delays and higher operating costs will increase.
Next Steps
Following early scoping, FTA and Kitsap Transit will use the
comments received from early scoping to help identify and narrow the
range of Project location 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 Kitsap 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. 2022-10156 Filed 5-11-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
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