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| SFMTA home > Transit > Projects & Planning > Central Subway > Environmental Process | |
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Update The above file requires Adobe Reader 8 or later. PDF help is available. Accessibility: These PDF files have been tagged for accessibility, but contain some tables, graphics, and scanned documents that are not accessible to screen readers. If you need assistance reading this document, please contact Joan Kugler, 415.575.6925. The Central Subway Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/SEIR) was released for public review on October 17, 2007. This important document includes analyses of three alternatives for the Central Subway project. Information in the report and public comments will be used to make a final decision on the subway alternatives and design. The public review period ended the week of December 10, 2007. Two community meetings were held on October 30, 2007, and November 8, 2007, to provide information on the environmental document and findings. The San Francisco Planning Commission held a public hearing on the adequacy and the accuracy of Draft SEIS/SEIR on November 15, 2007. In addition to the comments at the public hearing, approximately 41 comment letters and comment forms were received from agencies, interest groups and individuals. SFMTA adopted a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), based on the SEIS/SEIR information, in February of 2008. The LPA was selected from one of the three alternatives, Alternative 3B, evaluated in the Draft SEIS/SEIR and will provide enhanced transit service from the South of Market area to Chinatown. Responses to each of the comments received on the document will be included in the Final SEIS/SEIR which is expected to be completed in July 2008. Copies of the Final SEIS/SEIR will be sent to all agencies, organizations and persons who commented on the document. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is expected to issue a Record of Decision (ROD) in the fall of 2008, which is the last step of the federal environmental review process. Construction is expected to start in 2010 and operation is expected to begin in 2016. Why was the SEIS/SEIR prepared? An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required by federal law for major projects that receive federal funding or require federal approval and have the potential for significant impacts. An EIS is conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In addition, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). A Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR) was completed in 1998 for the Third Street Light Rail project, which included the Central Subway. Since then, the SFMTA has made some important improvements to the original design of the Central Subway. These improvements have resulted in changes to the project’s alignment and design and reflect the input we have received from the public. State and federal regulations require that changes to the original project design be analyzed in detail in a supplemental environmental document prior to project approval. What is in the SEIS/SEIR? The SEIS/SEIR describes the environmental, community and transportation impacts of alternatives for the Central Subway and identifies actions to minimize significant impacts. The term “supplemental” is used because the document updates the 1998 FEIS/FEIR that was based on the original design of the two-phase Third Street Light Rail project. Phase 1 opened for operation in April of 2007. Phase 2, the Central Subway, will extend rail service from Fourth and King Streets north to Chinatown. What alternatives were evaluated? Three alternatives were evaluated in the SEIS/SEIR: Alternative 1: No Project/Transportation System Management (TSM): Includes the Phase 1 T-Third Line with enhanced bus service along the project corridor alignment. Alternative 2: Enhanced EIS/EIR Alignment: Includes changes to the 1998 FEIS/FEIR design, including the design and location of stations, the use off-sidewalk station access in some locations, the provision for emergency ventilation shafts, and a barrier fare-collection system.
Alternative 3: Fourth/Stockton Alignment: Includes two options for an alignment along Fourth and Stockton Streets. Beginning at Fourth and King Streets, the alignment would operate on the surface of Fourth Street and go underground through a portal (tunnel entrance) located between Townsend and Brannan Streets (Option A) or between Bryant and Harrison Streets (Option B). It would operate underground in both directions along Fourth Street and Stockton Street to an endpoint in the vicinity of Stockton and Jackson Streets in Chinatown. Option A includes three subway stations at Moscone, Union Square/Market Street, and Chinatown. Option B includes an additional surface platform station at Fourth and Brannan Streets. The station locations and designs vary for each option.
What are the changes that were studied in the report? Some of the changes since the original 1998 FEIS/FEIR include a new Fourth/Stockton alignment, new options for locating the portals (tunnel entrances), a barrier fare-collection system, the use of deep tunneling for construction, changing station access from the sidewalks to off-street adjacent properties in some locations, the addition of above-ground emergency ventilation shafts for the tunnels and stations and the potential extension of construction tunnels under Columbus Avenue to North Beach for removing the tunneling equipment. Whom should I contact for more information on the SEIS/SEIR? Requests for additional information on the environmental review process should be directed to Ms. Joan Kugler by mail at the San Francisco Planning Department at 1650 Mission Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94103, by leaving a message at 415.575.6925, or by email at "Joan A. Kugler" <jakugler-planning@sbcglobal.net>. |
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