Action
Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Summary
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) (the Federal lead agency) and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Cincinnati region (the local lead agency), intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the I-71 Light Rail Transit Project. In March of 1998, OKI completed a Major Investment Study (MIS) which studied four alternatives for the I-71 Corridor: Light Rail Transit, No-Build, Transportation Systems Management (TSM), Busway and High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes. The OKI selected the Light Rail Transit as the Locally Preferred Strategy. The EIS is being prepared in conformance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and will also satisfy the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA). The EIS will evaluate the following transportation alternatives: a No-Build Alternative, a Transportation Systems Management (TSM) Alternative, and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Alternative. Key stakeholders include the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK), Hamilton County, Kenton County, and the cities of Cincinnati, Covington, Blue Ash, and Montgomery.