[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2120-2123]
[FR Doc No: 2012-603]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

Environmental Impact Statement for New Orleans Rail Gateway
(NORG), Jefferson and Orleans Parishes, LA

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that it will
prepare an EIS with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development (LA DOTD) to evaluate environmental and related impacts of
upgrading the New Orleans Rail Gateway (NORG) and infrastructure in
Jefferson and Orleans Parishes, Louisiana (proposed action). FRA is
also issuing this notice to solicit public and agency input into the
development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that
outreach activities conducted by LA DOTD and its representatives will
be considered in preparation of the EIS. FRA is issuing this Notice to
alert interested parties, to provide information on the nature of the
proposed action, including the purpose and need for the proposed
action, possible alternatives to be considered in the preparation of
the EIS, potentially significant impacts to the natural and built
environment of those alternatives, and to invite public participation
in the EIS process.

DATES: Two public scoping meetings will be advertised locally and will
be held from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the following dates and locations.
     February 7, 2012 at the Xavier University of Louisiana,
University Center, 3rd Floor, Mary and William McCaffrey Ballroom B,
4980 Dixon Street, New Orleans, LA 70125

     February 8, 2012 at the Joseph S. Yenni Building, Council
Chambers, 1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Jefferson, LA 70123
    Information on the meeting locations is also available on the
following Web site: http://www.dotd.la.gov/administration/public_info/projects/NORG/.
    Persons requiring special assistance in order to participate in
these public scoping meetings should contact Mr. Dean Goodell,
Intermodal Transportation Manager, Louisiana Department of
Transportation and Development, 1201 Capitol Access Road, Room S-515,
Baton Rouge, LA 70802, or by telephone at<PHONE_NUMBER>, at least five
(5) working days prior to the public meetings dates.
    To ensure all significant issues are identified and considered, the
public will be invited to comment on the proposed action. Comments on
the scope of the EIS, including the proposed action's purpose and need,
the alternatives to be considered, the impacts to be evaluated, and the
methodologies to be used in the evaluations will be accepted at the
public scoping meetings. Those attending the public scoping meetings
will be asked to register at the meeting location and may comment in
written form, or orally. Interested parties may also provide written
comments on the scope of the EIS to Mr. Dean Goodell, Intermodal
Transportation Manager, Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development, 1201 Capitol Access Road, Room S-515, Baton Rouge, LA
70802, telephone<PHONE_NUMBER>. Comments will be considered if
postmarked within ten (10) calendar days following the meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Catherine Dobbs, Environmental
Protection Specialist, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington 20590, telephone:<PHONE_NUMBER> or Mr. Dean
Goodell, Intermodal Transportation Manager, Louisiana Department of
Transportation and Development, 1201 Capitol Access Road, Room S-515,
Baton Rouge, LA 70802, telephone<PHONE_NUMBER>. Information and
documents regarding the environmental review process will be made
available through the following Web site: http://www.dotd.la.gov/administration/public_info/projects/NORG/.

Environmental Review Process

    The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA and the FRA's Procedures for
Considering Environmental Impacts as set forth in 64 FR 28545 dated May
26, 1999 (Environmental Procedures). The EIS will also address Section
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 4(f) of the U.S.
Department of Transportation Act of 1966 (49 U.S.C. 303) and other
applicable Federal and state laws and regulations.
    The study will result in a NEPA document that will address broad
overall issues of concern, including but not limited to:
     Describing the purpose and need for the proposed action.
     Describing the environment likely to be affected by the
proposed action.
     Developing evaluation criteria to identify alternatives
that meet the purpose and need of the proposed action and those that do
not.
     Identifying the range of reasonable alternatives that
satisfy the purpose and need for the proposed action.
     Developing the no-build alternative to serve as a baseline
for comparison.
     Describing and evaluating the potential environmental
impacts and mitigation associated with the proposed alternatives.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FRA and the LA DOTD will prepare the EIS
for the New Orleans Rail Gateway Program and infrastructure in
Jefferson and Orleans Parishes, Louisiana in coordination with the New
Orleans Regional Planning Commission (NORPC) and the railroads
operating in the New Orleans metropolitan area. The Class I railroads,
which are members of the Association of American Railroads (AAR),
include Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), Canadian National
(CN), CSX, Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS), Norfolk Southern
Railroad (NS), and Union Pacific (UP) railroads, the terminal switching
railroad, the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB), and the National
Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). LA DOTD and these railroads
are advancing the proposed action as a public-private partnership (P3)
among these entities.

I. New Orleans Rail Gateway (NORG)

    The NORG is a rail corridor within Jefferson and Orleans Parishes,
beginning on the west bank of the Mississippi River near the St.
Charles/Jefferson Parish line. From the Parish line it proceeds
easterly along tracks of the UP and BNSF through the Avondale Yard at
West Bridge Junction (WBJ) and crosses the Mississippi River on the
Huey P. Long Bridge (HPLB), which is owned and operated by the New
Orleans Public Belt Railroad. At the base of the HPLB, it traverses
East Bridge Junction (EBJ) to the Back Belt tracks owned and operated
by the NS. The NORG proceeds along the Back Belt, entering the City of
New Orleans at the 17th Street Canal. It proceeds through the City of
New Orleans along the Back Belt, and connects with CSX trackage at
Elysian Fields Avenue, and continues on CSX trackage crossing the Inner
Harbor Navigation Canal on the Almonaster Bridge, traversing the CSX
Gentilly Yard and proceeding easterly through New Orleans East to its
terminus near Industrial Parkway.

II. Study Area

    For the purpose of the EIS, a Study Area has been established that
includes the above described NORG corridor and the other existing rail
corridors within the New Orleans metropolitan area, and is of
sufficient geographic extent to allow for a variety of alternatives to
be considered and potential impacts to the human, natural, and cultural
environments to be assessed. The Study Area encompasses approximately
110 square miles and is roughly bounded on the west by the Jefferson/
St. Charles Parish line; on the north by I-10 within Jefferson Parish
then turns north along the Jefferson/Orleans Parish line, eastward
along Filmore Avenue, north along Franklin Avenue, northeast near Leon
C Simon Drive and Lakeshore Drive, southeast along Martin Drive,
southwest along Wales Street, southward along Press Drive and then
continuing eastward along Dwyer Road; on the east along Maxent Canal
near Bayou Sauvage; and on the south following the Intracoastal
waterway and Mississippi River, then crossing the Mississippi River at
Louisiana Street following US 90 to where it meets the Jefferson/St.
Charles Parish line.

III. Purpose and Need

    The NORG serves six Class I Railroads and three Amtrak passenger
rail routes and the NOPB railroad links the Port of New Orleans, the
eighth largest tonnage port in the United States, to the national rail
network.
    The Gateway is a critical link in the national freight rail system.
It is one of five major rail interchange points between the eastern and
western Class I Railroads and also has one of the four major
Mississippi River rail bridges. It is one of only three national rail
gateways that are both rail interchange hubs and major Mississippi
River rail crossings.
    Throughout the NORG, trains must observe a maximum speed of 20 mph,
necessitated, in part, by antiquated control systems and switches.
Flood gates at various locations are closed up

to 24 hours prior to and following storm events, such as Hurricane
Katrina in 2005, limiting the railroads' ability to transport evacuees
and emergency supplies. The NORG includes the existing Almonaster
Avenue Bridge across the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC), an 80
year old structure that is subject to frequent breakdowns. The
electrical and mechanical components of the bridge are obsolete and are
the cause of continual maintenance problems. In the closed to
navigation position, the bridge has virtually no vertical clearance for
marine traffic.
    Due to its existing design and limited capacity, the NORG cannot
efficiently handle current traffic volumes, routinely resulting in
delays to both rail and road traffic.
    The 29-mile NORG handles approximately 35 freight trains per day
with a combined delay of 29.7 hours per day for train meets, including
deceleration and acceleration. Each of the 20 at-grade crossings along
the NORG handles over 20 trains per day. Several of these crossings are
moderate to high volume arterials, carrying between 10,000 and 20,000
vehicles daily. Average daily delays to vehicles and trucks at these
crossings are 112.4 hours and 12.1 hours, respectively.
    The NORG is not able to accommodate anticipated future freight
demand. The U.S. Department of Transportation forecasts that import and
export freight tonnage could double by 2020 and domestic freight
tonnage could increase by approximately 60 percent. Growth of shipping
port traffic will increase rail traffic in the NORG. This results in
negative impacts to the community and decreased regional economic
competitiveness.
    The purpose of the proposed action is to:
     Correct physical and operational deficiencies to improve
rail traffic flow to better serve existing and future users of the
Gateway,
     Improve the reliability of marine traffic passing through
the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal under the Almonaster Avenue Bridge,
     Improve the safety of rail and vehicle operations in the
affected area,
     Reduce vehicle congestion at street crossings,
     Improve emergency evacuation conditions, and
     Improve overall environmental quality.

IV. Previous Studies

    Over the past 35 years, the FRA, the LA DOTD, the New Orleans
Community and the railroads have examined rail improvements within the
Gateway that would reduce delays and improve rail service to rail
customers in the greater New Orleans region. Most recently, the LA
DOTD, NORPC, and the AAR, representing Amtrak and the six Class I
freight railroads serving New Orleans, studied improvements to the New
Orleans Rail Gateway that would:
     Improve rail service,
     Reduce rail impacts on the adjacent communities, and
     Further the economic recovery and development of the
metropolitan area.
    Studies in 2002, 2004, and 2007 evaluated potential physical and
operational improvements to eliminate the worst chokepoints and improve
freight movement.
    The 2007 NORG Infrastructure Feasibility Analysis (2007 Study)
evaluated possible improvements to the Back Belt, Front Belt along the
Mississippi River, and the Middle Belt along the Earhart Expressway/I-
10 Corridor. Improvements to the Front Belt were determined to be
unfeasible due to the adjacent development and numerous at-grade
crossings. Back Belt improvements included grade separating numerous
highway-railroad crossings to improve highway traffic flow and would
provide limited additional rail capacity with minimal track
construction. Middle Belt improvements included creating a new route
between East Bridge Junction and East City Junction by linking
existing, but lightly used rail lines through Jefferson and Orleans
Parishes. Commonly known as the ``Carrolton Curve'', this route was
first identified in 1955 and would reroute trains to the Earhart
Expressway/I-10 corridor to provide additional rail capacity through a
more industrial part of the City of New Orleans. While the Back and
Middle Belt improvements both improved public safety by eliminating or
separating most highway-rail grade crossings, the Middle Belt
improvements appeared to offer the best benefits for both the public
and the railroads, and would improve emergency evacuation procedures by
eliminating flood-prone highway underpasses on I-10 and Airline
Highway.

V. Alternatives To Be Considered

    Preliminary alternatives identified include a No-Build Alternative
and various Build Alternatives. The No-Build Alternative is defined to
serve as the baseline for comparison of all alternatives. The No-Build
Alternative represents the transportation system (highway and rail) as
it exists, and as it would exist after completion of programs or
projects currently funded or being implemented. The No-Build
Alternative would draw upon the following sources on information:
     State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
     New Orleans Urbanized Area Transportation Improvement
Program (for all travel modes)
     Freight and passenger rail plans.
    The Build Alternatives would include a program of rail and roadway
infrastructure and operations improvements (program of projects) that
are cost-feasible and satisfy the stated purpose and need. Improvements
to be considered could include, but not be limited to, closing or
grade-separating crossings, reconfiguring or adding trackage, upgrading
structures (including culverts and over/underpass structures),
improving signal systems, and incorporating positive train control
(PTC) and/or centralized train control (CTC). The Build Alternatives
would include the alternatives evaluated in the 2007 Study and
additional alternatives identified during scoping and the alternatives
development process.

VI. Possible Effects

    The FRA and LA DOTD will evaluate direct, indirect and cumulative
changes to the social, economic, and physical environment--including
land use and socioeconomic conditions, ecology, water resources,
historic and archaeological resources, visual character and aesthetics,
contaminated and hazardous materials, transportation, air quality,
noise and vibration. Environmental justice will be examined for all
alternatives, and Limited English Proficiency and Title VI requirements
documented. The evaluation will take into account both beneficial and
adverse affects and identify measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate
adverse community and environmental impacts. The analysis will be
undertaken consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act,
Council on Environmental Quality regulations defined previously,
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered
Species Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, FRA's Environmental
Procedures, LA DOTD guidance, and Section 4(f) of the Department of
Transportation Act of 1966, along with other applicable Federal and
state regulations.

VII. Scoping Process

    To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposal is
addressed and all significant issues identified, comments and
suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or

questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be
directed to the LA DOTD at the address above. Letters describing the
proposed action and soliciting comments have been sent to the
appropriate Federal, State and local agencies, Native American tribes
and to private organizations who have previously expressed or who are
known to have an interest in this proposal. Federal agencies with
jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to potential
environmental issues will be requested to act as a Cooperating Agency
in accordance with 40 CFR 1501.6.
    LA DOTD will lead the outreach activities, beginning with the
scoping meetings identified under DATES above. Public involvement
initiatives, includ- ing public meetings, newsletters, and outreach to
engage low-, minority-, and other environmentally-disadvantaged groups
will be held throughout the course of this study. Opportunities for
public participation will be announced through mailings, notices,
advertisements, press releases and a project Web site: http://www.dotd.la.gov/administration/public_info/projects/NORG/.
    Two public hearings on the Draft EIS will be held following its
issuance. Public notice will be given, in local newspapers, of the time
and place of the meetings and hearings. The Draft EIS will be available
for public and agency review prior to the public hearings.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 10, 2012.
Paul Nissenbaum,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Policy and Development, Federal
Railroad Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012-603 Filed 1-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P