What is an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)?
An Environmental Impact Statement is an environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and its implementing regulations. The EIS for the Detroit Transit Options for Growth Study will follow completion of the AA, and will contain more detailed information on the locally preferred alternative, including environmental mitigation measures that will be required for construction and operation of the project.
What is a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA)?
The term locally preferred alternative refers to a project alternative selected by the local jurisdiction that best meets the corridor's long-term transportation needs. If the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) believes the LPA has merit, the agency will approve the project to advance into preliminary engineering. Frequently, the FTA will ask for more data or information about the LPA prior to approving it.
What Rapid Transit Alternatives will be considered?
Currently there are a number of alternatives that are still under consideration. The overall alternatives under consideration are:
- No Build Alternative
- Transportation System Management Alternative
- Bus Rapid Transit Alternative
- Fixed Guideway Alternative (light rail transit, streetcar, peoplemover, heavy rail, etc.)
In addition to different types of rapid transit, a number of corridors in the study area will be identified and assessed for building rapid transit.
How will the Rapid Transit System be funded?
An application will be made to the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) New Starts program to fund construction of the system. Generally, Federal funds cover approximately 50% of the costs to build a rapid transit system. The remaining money generally comes from state and local sources. Annual operating costs are expected to be paid for through passenger fares and other non-Federal funding sources.
What is Scoping?
Scoping is the official beginning of public involvement in the project process and represents the first step in the project environmental review required under state and federal law. During the scoping process, the general public and governmental agencies are asked to provide input and suggestions about the purpose and need for the project, the study alternatives, the modes and technologies to be evaluated, the alignments to be considered, and the environmental, social, and economic impacts to be analyzed in the Alternatives Analysis and Environmental Impact Statement. Early scoping meetings were held in July 2007.
What is a No-Build Alternative?
The No-Build Alternative includes all highway and transit facilities and services of the existing transportation system plus highway and transit improvements from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) financially constrained long range transportation plan and proposed short-range transit service and capital improvements. Basically, regardless of whether or not the recommended DTOGS project is implemented, the projects associated with the No-Build Alternative would be funded and built.
What is a Transportation System Management Alternative?
Transportation System Management (TSM) refers to the concept of making relatively small improvements to existing transportation systems to maximize the effectiveness of the system. The transit project team will be evaluating changes to the existing bus system and small construction projects, such as improved signals to provide transit priority that would be substantially less expensive than either the managed lanes or fixed-guideway alternative to determine what benefits a relatively small investment could provide.
