Action
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
Summary
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for transportation improvements in Los Angeles County, California. In addition, the MTA will be jointly issuing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The purposes of the project are to improve east-west travel options in the San Fernando Valley and to provide a connection to other portions of a regional rail and bus network. The options being considered include Transportation Systems Management (TSM) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The latter alternative would be focused on the former Southern Pacific (SP) Burbank/Chandler railroad right-of-way. In the course of this study, FTA expects the MTA and the Southern California Association of Governments, which is responsible for transportation planning in metropolitan Los Angeles, to establish priorities for the proposed transit improvement in the San Fernando Valley and the myriad of other competing projects and transit needs in the region. This prioritization of proposed projects and other transit needs will involve, among other considerations, the development of a financial plan that identifies for each capital need the non-Federal funds to be used along with the proposed Federal funding.