Action
Notice of intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
Summary
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) are issuing this notice to advise agencies and the public that, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the FTA and the MTA will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to assess the impacts of potential transit alternatives in the Red Line Corridor. This corridor extends from the Social Security complex in Baltimore County through the Baltimore City Central Business District (CBD) to Patterson Park in Baltimore, MD. The Red Line Corridor Transit Project would connect eastern and western communities of Baltimore City and Baltimore County, providing the first east-west fixed rail or bus rapid transit connection in Baltimore, and would provide convenient and efficient access to major employment centers in downtown and in Woodlawn. Growing traffic congestion in the Baltimore region has been identified, particularly in the western quadrant of Baltimore City and Baltimore County and there is an intent to improve access to jobs and improve air quality. Significant development and revitalization efforts are also underway in the corridor that will require additional transportation access. A 23-member Advisory Committee to MTA developed the Baltimore Region Rail System Plan and identified a transit project in the Red Line Corridor as a priority project for implementation. The Advisory Committee recommended "that the MTA immediately begin environmental analysis, planning and design studies" for the project, based on an assessment that this project will best provide an east-west link to jobs, tourism sites and the University of Maryland in the central business district; provide a link to the employment center with 20,000 jobs in the Social Security/Woodlawn area; provide improved transit service to East and West Baltimore communities; and provide connectivity to the existing bus, MARC commuter and Metro rail lines in Baltimore. The project is also included in the Baltimore Region Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan. The purpose of the Red Line Corridor Transit Project DEIS is to examine the engineering feasibility, potential benefits, costs, and social, cultural, economic, built and natural environmental impacts of feasible alternatives in the corridor that will improve transit mobility in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The DEIS will examine and evaluate rail, bus rapid transit (BRT), transportation systems management and transportation demand management (TSM/TDM) strategies, and a no-build alternative. Tunnel, surface and/or aerial construction options will be considered for rail and BRT alternatives. Scoping Meetings: Public scoping meetings for the Red Line Corridor Transit Project DEIS will be held on: