Action
Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Summary
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT), will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Sacramento Amtrak and Folsom Corridor LRT Extensions and Double Tracking project in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The EIS will consider alternatives for improving direct transit service within a corridor generally following U.S. Highway 50 between the Amtrak station in downtown Sacramento and downtown Folsom, California. The EIS will evaluate the following alternatives: a No- Build Alternative, a Transportation Systems Management (TSM) Alternative, and a Light Rail Transit (LRT) Alternative. The Major Investment Study (MIS) for this project, the U.S. 50 Corridor Major Investment Study, was completed by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments in December, 1997. Other previous studies include various program- and construction-level environmental analyses conducted by RT over the past eight years, and a City of Folsom Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a light-rail extension along the easternmost segment of the corridor. RT will perform additional preliminary engineering for the downtown Sacramento Amtrak extension, the Folsom extension, and double tracking, for a single, construction-level Draft EIS/EIR for the entire corridor. Scoping will be accomplished through meetings and correspondence with interested persons, organizations, the general public, federal and state agencies. Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments were sent to the appropriate federal, state and local agencies, and to private organizations and citizens who have expressed or are known to have interest in this proposal.