Project Facts about the I-710 Corridor Project and RDEIR/SDEIS

Transcription

1 Project Facts about the I-710 Corridor Project and RDEIR/SDEIS What is the I-710 Corridor Project? The Interstate 710 (I-710) Corridor Project proposes to improve I-710 from Ocean Boulevard in the City of Long Beach to State Route 60 (SR-60) in East Los Angeles, a distance of approximately 19 miles. In addition to widening the existing highway, the proposed project includes improvements to the interchanges of I-710 with I-405, SR-91, and I-5, as well as the I- 710 interchanges with local arterial streets throughout the project limits. What is an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS)? An EIR/EIS is a document required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It evaluates potential impacts that a proposed project might have on people or the environment and addresses issues such as air quality, health risk, noise, visual disruption, and construction impacts, among others. A Draft EIR/EIS was prepared and circulated for the project in Since then, new information and additional public input led to the revision of the proposed alternatives, and a Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (RDEIR/SDEIS) evaluating these revised alternatives has been prepared. Why prepare an EIR/EIS? For a proposed project to move forward to construction, the extent of environmental impacts must first be determined according to State of California and federal law. If potentially significant impacts are anticipated, or if the project is considered controversial, an EIR/EIS is required. The EIR/EIS process simultaneously ensures that the requirements for documenting and reducing environmental impacts of a project are met. Additionally, the process provides for technical analysis, as well as public input and participation. It provides the information needed to make an informed decision regarding the Preferred Alternative for improvements in the I-710 Corridor. Why is this project needed and what are the project goals? The I-710 Corridor is a vital transportation artery, linking the communities along it and the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and Port of Long Beach (POLB) to Southern California and beyond. An essential component of the regional, statewide, and national transportation system, it serves both passenger and goods movement vehicles. As a result of population growth, employment growth, increased demand for goods movement, increasing traffic volumes, and aging infrastructure, the I-710 Corridor experiences serious congestion and safety issues. Notably, the existing I-710 Corridor has elevated levels of health risks related to high levels of diesel particulate emissions, traffic congestion, high truck volumes, high accident rates, and many design features in need of modernization (the original freeway was built in the 1950s and 1960s).

2 The purpose of the I-710 Corridor Project includes: Improving air quality and public health Improving traffic safety Modernizing the freeway design Addressing projected traffic volumes Addressing projected growth in population, employment, and activities related to goods movement Where can I view the I-710 RDEIR/SDEIS? The Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (RDEIR/SDEIS) can be viewed online at: Hardcopies, an electronic version of the I-710 Corridor Project Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (RDEIR/SDEIS), and a hard copy of the Executive Summary in Spanish are available for review at the following locations: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7 Office 100 South Main St., Los Angeles, CA on weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm. Metro - Dorothy Peyton Grey Transportation Library One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Monday Thursday 9 am to 4 pm, or Friday by appointment. Please contact the library, at (213) or library@metro.net, to make a Friday appointment. Gateway Cities Council of Governments Paramount Blvd., Paramount, California 90723, on weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm. City of Commerce Public Library Bristow Park Branch 1466 S. McDonnell Ave., Commerce, CA County of Los Angeles Public Library Hollydale Library S. Garfield Ave., South Gate, CA County of Los Angeles Public Library East Rancho Dominguez Library 4220 E. Rose St., E. Rancho Dominguez, CA Long Beach Public Library Main Library 101 Pacific Ave., Long Beach, CA Long Beach Public Library Bret Harte Library 1595 W. Willow St., Long Beach, CA 9081 Electronic versions of the I-710 Corridor Project RDEIR/SDEIS and a hardcopy of the Executive Summary in Spanish are available for review at the following locations: AC Bilbrew Library S. Broadway, Los Angeles CA City Terrace Library 4025 E. City Terrace Dr., Los Angeles CA Florence Library 1610 E. Florence Ave., Los Angeles CA Graham Library 1900 E. Firestone Blvd., Los Angeles CA Clifton M. Brakensiek Library 9945 E. Flower St., Bellflower CA Willowbrook Library S. Wilmington Ave., Los Angeles CA Bell Library 4411 East Gage Avenue, Bell CA Bell Gardens Library 7110 S. Garfield Ave., Bell Gardens CA Malabar Library 2801 Wabash Avenue, Los Angeles CA Benjamin Franklin Library 2200 E. 1 st Street, Los Angeles CA Robert Louis Stevenson Library 803 Spence Street, Los Angeles CA Dr. Martin Luther King Library S. Avalon Blvd., Carson CA Carson Library 151 E. Carson St., Carson CA Central Library 5655 Jillson St., Commerce CA Atlantic Branch Library 2269 S. Atlantic Blvd., Commerce CA

3 Greenwood Branch Library 6134 Greenwood Ave., Commerce CA Compton Library 240 W. Compton Ave., Compton CA Cudahy Library 5218 Santa Ana St., Cudahy CA Downey City Library Brookshire Ave., Downey CA Huntington Park Library 6518 Miles Ave., Huntington Park CA Angelo M. Iacoboni Library 4990 Clark Ave., Lakewood CA George Nye Jr. Library 6600 Del Amo Blvd., Lakewood CA Alamitos Library 1836 E. Third St., Long Beach CA Ruth Bach Library 4055 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach CA Bay Shore Library 195 Bay Shore Ave., Long Beach CA Brewitt Library 4036 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach CA Burnett Library 560 E. Hill St., Long Beach CA Dana Library 3680 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach CA El Dorado Library 2900 Studebaker Rd., Long Beach CA Los Altos Library 5614 E. Britton Dr., Long Beach CA Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, 5870 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach CA Mark Twain Library 1401 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach CA North Library 5571 Orange Ave, Long Beach CA Anthony Quinn Library 3965 E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles CA East Los Angeles Library 4837 E. 3 rd St., Los Angeles CA El Camino Real Library 4264 E. Whittier Blvd., Los Angeles CA Lynwood Library Bullis Rd., Lynwood CA Maywood Cesar Chavez Library 4323 E. Slauson Ave., Maywood CA Paramount Library Colorado Ave., Paramount CA Signal Hill Library 1770 E. Hill Street, Signal Hill CA Leland R. Weaver Library 4035 Tweedy Blvd., South Gate CA Wilmington Branch Library 1300 N. Avalon Blvd., Wilmington CA San Pedro Regional Branch Library 931 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro CA How long do I have to review the I-710 RDEIR/SDEIS and when are comments due? The public comment period on the RDEIR/SDEIS is 63 days and written comments must be submitted to Caltrans by Friday, September 22, If I submit comments on the RDEIR/SDEIS, will I receive a letter back from Caltrans addressing my comments and questions? No, all comments received on the RDEIR/SDEIS are addressed in the Final EIR/EIS; Caltrans does not send response letters to each commenter. Under NEPA, the Final EIS is made available to the public for a 30-day period prior to any decision being made on the project. How can I comment on the RDEIR/SDEIS? There are many ways to comment during the Public Comment Period, which closes on Friday, September 22, 2017: o Mail your comment letter to: Caltrans District 7, Division of Environmental Planning Attention: Ronald Kosinski 100 South Main Street, MS 16A Los Angeles, CA

4 o Electronically via the online public comment form at: o During one of the three public hearings: Verbally during the public comment portion of the hearing (comments will be recorded by a court reporter) Verbally with a court reporter for people who do not wish to speak during the public comment portion of the hearing In writing via a comment card When and where will the I-710 RDEIR/SDEIS public hearings be held? Three public hearings will be held to provide the public with an opportunity to obtain first-hand project information and provide comments and concerns about the proposed project. Public hearings are scheduled as follows: Wednesday, August 23, :00 PM 9:00 PM Commerce Senior Center, 2555 Commerce Way, Commerce, CA Saturday, August 26, :00 AM 1:00 PM Paramount Community Center/Senior Center, Paramount Blvd., Paramount, CA Thursday, August 31, :00 PM 9:00 PM Cesar E. Chavez Park Community Center, 401 Golden Ave., Long Beach, CA These meetings will begin with an open house format where project exhibits can be reviewed and project team members will be available to answer individual questions. The open house will be followed by a brief presentation and a formal comment period where individuals can speak and provide official comments. Participants will also be able to submit written comments as indicated above. How do I find out if my property is impacted by the project? Information on property impacts is available in the I-710 Corridor Project RDEIR/SDEIS document. In addition, maps and assistance regarding property impacts will be available at the Public Hearings. To see if your property is potentially impacted by one of the build alternatives, please refer to the maps in Appendix L, Parcel Acquisitions, of the I-710 Corridor Project RDEIR/SDEIS. How do I find out what the freeway will look like from my area? There are several places in the I-710 Corridor Project RDEIR/SDEIS where you can find photo simulations and maps showing where the project is proposed. Section 3.6, Visual, in the I-710 Corridor Project RDEIR/SDEIS identifies the visual impacts of the proposed build alternatives. This section includes photo simulations of the freeway alternatives at 25 locations throughout the I-710 Corridor. Appendix O, Concept Plans, includes aerial maps upon which engineering drawings of the project build alternatives are displayed. 4

5 Where are the locations for any proposed soundwalls? You can review the proposed soundwall location maps in Section 3.14, Noise, as well as in Appendix O, Concept Plans, in the RDEIR/SDEIS. How do I find out the air quality impacts of the project in my area? Section 3.13, Air Quality, of the RDEIR/SDEIS analyzes the air quality impacts of the project. The section is based on the updated Air Quality and Health Risk Assessment (AQ/HRA) technical studies completed for the project in Given the existing air quality/health risk concerns in the I-710 Corridor and the unique goods movement component of the project, special analyses were conducted which were beyond the standard Caltrans analyses typically done for roadway/freeway projects. The I-710 Corridor Project s effects on air quality were evaluated for three different geographic areas: the South Coast Air Basin (SCAB); the I-710 Area of Interest (AOI), which generally corresponds to the overall I-710 Corridor Project Study Area; and the I-710 freeway corridor. Maps of the AQ/HRA results are provided in Appendix Q of the RDEIR/SDEIS. How does this project affect growth in the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles? A key element of the project purpose of the I-710 Corridor Project is to address projected growth in population, employment, and economic activities related to goods movement. Section 3.2, Growth, of the I-710 Corridor Project RDEIR/SDEIS reviews growth trends and constraints related to goods movement and port activity. This chapter incorporates recent relevant studies related to container shipping and cargo forecasts into the analysis and project alternatives. Section 3.25, Cumulative Impacts, of the I-710 Corridor Project RDEIR/SDEIS provides additional information on the interaction of other projects in the Study Area/Region with the two build alternatives, and the potential direct and/or indirect impacts that might contribute to cumulative impacts to resources of concern. Who will approve the I-710 EIR/EIS? The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) was responsible for preparing the RDEIR/SDEIS and is responsible for approving the Final EIR/EIS. Caltrans will make this approval in consultation with Metro, Gateway Cities Council of Governments, and consideration of recommendations from the I-710 Executive Committee and Metro s Board of Directors. What are the next steps in this process? At the conclusion of the public comment period for the RDEIR/SDEIS, Caltrans and the I-710 project team will review and analyze all comments received, and then develop a staff recommendation on the Preferred Alternative by fall The project team will then work through the Community Participation Structure for this project to meet with the different stakeholder committees to gather feedback on this recommendation. The I-710 Executive Committee will then provide their feedback and recommendation to Metro s Board of Directors for further review and a final recommendation on the Preferred Alternative in winter The Board s approved recommendation will then be forwarded to Caltrans for consideration. As the CEQA/NEPA lead agency, Caltrans will approve the Final EIR/EIS. When will construction begin? At this time, funding to construct the proposed improvements evaluated in the I-710 Corridor Project has not been secured. It is expected that the earliest that these improvements could begin is 2020, with a phased approach. 5

6 What will the proposed construction cost? Based on 2017 costs, it is estimated that the project will cost between $4.63 and $8.12 billion to construct, depending upon the build alternatives and any options selected. The construction costs by alternative are as follows. However, these values only include right-of-way, utilities, and capital construction costs. They do not include programmatic element costs or support costs: Alternative 5C: $4.67 billion Alternative 5C, Option 1A: $4.63 billion Alternative 5C, Option 2A: $4.71 billion Alternative 5C, Option 3A: $4.8 billion Alternative 7: $7.97 billion Alternative 7, Option 1B: $7.96 billion Alternative 7, Option 3B: $8.12 billion Including all construction costs, programmatic costs, and support costs, the total project costs of the alternatives range between: Alternative 5C, Design Option 1A: $6.52 billion (lowest alternative and option scenario) Alternative 7, Design Option 3B + Option 7ZE (Zero-emissions only freight corridor): $11.83 billion (highest alternative and option scenario) 6