Action
Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Summary
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with the Alameda Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), will prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/ EIR) for the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project (East Bay BRT), an approximately 18-mile transit improvement through the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro. Project features include: dedicated bus lanes along arterial streets connecting downtown Berkeley, the University of California, downtown Oakland, downtown San Leandro, and the Bayfair shopping mall in San Leandro; light-rail-like stations and low-level boarding platforms; proof-of-payment fare verification; transit priority signal treatments; and modern, high-capacity, low- floor, multi-door buses. The IES/EIR will evaluate the following alternatives: (1) A No-Project Alternative; (2) a Build Alternative with alignment options,hereinafter referred to as the East Bay BRT Alternative; and (3) any additional reasonable alternatives that emerge from the study process. The East Bay BRT Alternative could be constructed in stages. The staging of improvements will be identified during the studies. Previous studies relevant to this action include the recently completed AC Transit Berkeley/Oakland/San Leandro Corridor Major Investment Study (AC Transit, September 2002) and the Alternative Modes Analysis (AC Transit and DKS Associates, April 1993). EIS/EIR preparation will be initiated through a formal NEPA scoping process, which solicits input on issues and potential project impacts to consider in the environment studies. Scoping will be accomplished through meetings and correspondence with interested persons, organizations, the general public, and federal, state, and local agencies. Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments have been sent to the appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and to private organizations and individuals. Scoping under NEPA is being complemented by informational meetings conducted under California CEQA (Californa Environmental Quality Act), which guides the preparation and content of the project EIR. AC Transit has conducted four information meetings in the study corridor, at which presentations were given on the environmental process to be undertaken and general features of the proposed project. Local, state and federal agencies and the general public were invited to these meetings, held May 28, June 2, June 4, and June 5, 2003. Comments on issues and impacts to be considered in preparation of the EIS/EIR were obtained and recorded in the project information database.