Notice of Public Information Sessions on Alternatives Analysis for the Proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York City, Queens County, New York

Citation84 FR 66438
Published date04 December 2019
Record Number2019-26071
SectionNotices
CourtFederal Aviation Administration
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 66438-66439]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-26071]
                =======================================================================
                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
                Federal Aviation Administration
                Notice of Public Information Sessions on Alternatives Analysis
                for the Proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project at
                LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York City, Queens County, New York
                AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation.
                ACTION: Notice of Public Information Sessions.
                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces its intent
                to hold Public Information Sessions to present the Alternatives
                Analysis for the Proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project
                Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New
                York City, Queens County, New York. The FAA is the lead agency on the
                preparation of the EIS and is providing this opportunity for the public
                to learn about the Alternatives Analysis that has been conducted.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Andrew Brooks, Environmental
                Program Manager, Eastern Regional Office, AEA-610, Federal Aviation
                Administration, 1 Aviation Plaza, Jamaica, NY 11434. Telephone: 718-
                553-2511.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As the lead federal agency for the
                preparation of the EIS for the Proposed Action at LaGuardia Airport
                (LGA or Airport) in New York City, Queens County, New York, the FAA is
                preparing the EIS in compliance with the National Environmental Policy
                Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and Council on
                Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural
                Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-15080). The preparation of the
                EIS follows FAA regulations and policies for implementing NEPA
                published in FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and
                Procedures and FAA Order 5050.4B, National Environmental Policy Act
                (NEPA) Implementing Instructions for Airport Actions.
                 The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority), the
                operator of LGA, proposes the following project components of the
                Proposed Action:
                 Construction of an above ground fixed guideway automated
                people mover (APM) system approximately 2.3 miles in length that
                extends from the LGA Central Hall Building to the Metropolitan
                Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) Subway 7
                Line Mets-Willets Point Station and the Port Washington Branch of the
                MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Mets-Willets Point Station;
                 Construction of two on-Airport APM stations;
                 Construction of one off-Airport APM station at Mets-
                Willets Point that provides connections to the Mets-Willets Point LIRR
                and NYCT Subway 7 Line stations;
                 Construction of on-airport passenger walkway systems to
                connect the APM stations to the passenger terminals, parking garages,
                public transportation, and ground transportation facilities;
                 Construction of a multi-level APM operations, maintenance,
                and storage facility (OMSF) that includes approximately 500 Airport
                employee parking spaces, 250 MTA employee parking spaces, 50 APM
                employee parking spaces, and 200 replacement parking spaces for Citi
                Field event parking;
                 Construction of three traction power substations: one
                located near the on-Airport East APM Station, another near the Willets
                Point APM Station, and the third at the OMSF to provide power to the
                APM guideway;
                 Construction of a 27kV main substation located within the
                OMSF structure; and
                 Construction of utilities infrastructure, both new and
                modified, as needed, to support the Proposed Action.
                 The Proposed Action also includes various enabling projects to
                allow construction and connected actions, including utility relocation
                and demolition of certain existing facilities; reconstruction and/or
                relocation of the Passerelle Bridge; modifications to the MTA LIRR
                Mets-Willets Point Station, including service changes to the LIRR Port
                Washington Line; and the relocation of several Flushing Bay World's
                Fair Marina facilities, including a boat lift, Travelift finger piers
                and floating dock, Marina office, and boat storage.
                 The Port Authority will be requesting to Impose and Use Passenger
                Facility Charges (PFC) for the construction of the Proposed Action. The
                FAA's decision over whether to approve a PFC application is a federal
                action that must first be reviewed under NEPA. The proposed action is
                also an undertaking that must be reviewed under Section 106 of the
                National Historic Preservation Act.
                 The FAA is required to consider a range of reasonable alternatives
                that could potentially meet the purpose and need: To provide a time-
                certain transit alternative for air passenger and employee access to
                LGA; to provide supplemental access to LGA; to reduce passenger vehicle
                trips to and from LGA; and to provide adequate airport employee
                replacement parking. A total of 47 project alternatives have been
                identified for the Proposed Action from various sources including the
                Port Authority, scoping comments, past studies, and the FAA. Because of
                the number of alternatives considered and the complexity of the
                alternatives analysis, the FAA is sharing the alternatives analysis to
                afford the public an opportunity to ask questions on the alternatives
                analysis prior to completion and release of the Draft EIS; the Draft
                EIS is currently scheduled to be released in summer 2020. We cannot
                accept verbal testimony or formal comments at the information session.
                Formal comments on the alternatives analysis and the overall project
                will be solicited during the review of the Draft EIS.
                 The alternatives evaluated have been categorized into ten groups,
                as follows:
                 Group One--No Action Alternative (1 alternative): Under this
                alternative, the Port Authority would take no action to develop an APM
                system or other alternative form of transportation to and from the
                Airport.
                 Group Two--Diversion of Air Traffic from LGA (2 alternatives):
                Transfer or shifting of aviation activity or air passengers to another
                existing public airport (or airports) in the New York metropolitan area
                or to another form of transportation.
                 Group Three--Use of Other Modes of Transportation (3 alternatives):
                Use of other modes of transportation, including, ferry service,
                helicopter service, or gondola service.
                 Group Four--Transportation Systems Management (3 alternatives):
                [[Page 66439]]
                Modifications to existing bus service to LGA.
                 Group Five--Transportation Demand Management (1 alternative): Use
                of measures to reduce vehicular travel to and from the Airport.
                 Group Six--Emerging Technologies (2 alternatives): Use of
                Transportation Network Companies (TNC) or autonomous vehicles.
                 Group Seven--Off-Airport Roadway Expansion (5 alternatives):
                Increase the capacity of roadways surrounding and providing access to
                the Airport such as the Grand Central Parkway or providing dedicated
                bus lanes or an elevated busway.
                 Group Eight--Subway Extension (7 alternatives): Extension of
                existing subway lines to LGA.
                 Group Nine--Fixed Guideway (20 alternatives): Construction of an
                elevated fixed guideway APM system to LGA.
                 Group Ten--Rail (3 alternatives): Extension of existing commuter
                rail or construction of a new commuter rail alignment to LGA.
                 The FAA developed screening criteria to evaluate the 47
                alternatives and conducted a screening analysis of all alternatives
                using those criteria. The purpose of the screening analysis is to
                assist the FAA in its determination of which of the alternatives to the
                Proposed Action are reasonable. The public information sessions will
                provide the public information on the alternatives evaluated, the
                screening criteria, the alternatives screening process, and the results
                of the screening evaluation. The FAA has not made a decision regarding
                the Proposed Action.
                 Two public information sessions for the general public will be
                held. The public information sessions will be held from 6:30 p.m. to
                8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 and from 6:30 p.m.
                to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. The public
                information sessions will be conducted at the New York LaGuardia
                Airport Marriott Hotel at 102-05 Ditmars Boulevard, East Elmhurst, New
                York. A legal notice will also be placed in newspapers having general
                circulation in the study area. The newspaper notice will notify the
                public that information sessions will be held to share the alternatives
                screening process and results. The public information sessions will be
                conducted in an open house format with project information displayed
                and representatives from the FAA and the EIS Team available to answer
                questions. Translation services, including an assistive listening
                device, and sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the
                information sessions, if requested 10 calendar days before the
                sessions. The information sessions will be open to all persons on a
                space-available basis. There will be no admission fee or other charge,
                including parking, to attend and participate (parking validation will
                be available).
                 More information about the LGA Access Improvement Project, the EIS,
                and the public information sessions can be found at:
                www.LgaAccessEIS.com.
                 Issued in Jamaica, New York, November 25, 2019.
                Evelyn Martinez,
                Manager, New York Airport District Office, Airports Division, Eastern
                Region.
                [FR Doc. 2019-26071 Filed 12-3-19; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
                

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT