URS CORPORATION AMERICAS 7b - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Assumptions/Deliverables: ➢ One CEQA Addendum will be prepared to address both Phases 3 and 4. ➢ A total of 10 copies of the CEQA Addendum will be delivered to the City. ➢ Caltrans will not formally review or approve the CEQA Addendum. NEPA Compliance —As stated previously, a Written Evaluation under NEPA is required pursuant to 23 CFR 771.129(a) and (b) and FHWA Technical Advisory T6640.8A if major steps to advance the project have not occurred within three years of the approval of the Final EIS. Further, for projects that are proceeding to the next major federal approval, 23 CFR 771.129(c) provides that Caltrans must consult prior to requesting any major approvals (e.g., right-of-way acquisition, final design) from FHWA. The Written Evaluation is utilized to determine if: (1) there have been changes to project engineering; (2) the environmental setting and circumstances; changes in the nature and severity of impacts; (3) and changes to environmental commitments. Preparation of the required NEPA-compliant documentation and supporting technical studies will be coordinated with Caltrans' District 12 Local Assistance Office/Engineer. Provided below is a description of the key tasks included as part of the NEPA re-evaluation. Task 1 — Prepare Environmental Technical Studies Based on review of pertinent and available information related to the project (e.g., originally certified EIR) and initial field reconnaissance, it is assumed that technical studies for the topics listed below will be prepared to support the NEPA re-evaluation. It is assumed that all other resource topics for which technical studies are not prepared will be addressed through documentation in the NEPA-compliant document (i.e., no separate technical study will be prepared for those topics). Finally, an External Quality Control Certification will be signed by the author of each respective technical study for submittal to Caltrans to confirm conformance with applicable reporting requirements. Air Quality Study — An Air Quality Conformity Analysis, pursuant to Section 6005 Pilot Program under SAFETEA-LU, will be prepared for submittal to Caltrans and FHWA to assess potential operational -related impacts for key criteria pollutants (including, but not limited to, CO, PMIo, and PM2.5) pursuant to applicable local, state, and federal regulations. An important component of the air quality conformity assessment will be to determine if the project is a Project of Air Quality Concern (POAQC) pursuant to 40 CFR 93.123(b)(1) as it relates to PM2.5 and PMIo. In coordination with the City and Caltrans, URS will submit the necessary documentation to SCAG's Transportation Conformity Working Group (TCWG) to ascertain the project's conformity status. URS has recently coordinated with Caltrans to navigate projects, including the Grand Avenue widening project, successfully through the TCWG's POAQC determination process. This scope of work also includes re -quantifying criteria pollutant emissions from the construction and operational activities associated with the proposed project using the most recent methodology, so as to update the analyses included in the 1990 Final EIS/EIR. Construction and operational emissions will be quantified using project -specific data and the URBEMIS2007 Version 9.2.4 emissions inventory model. Total construction and operational emissions would then be compared to the applicable regional and localized significance emission thresholds set forth by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to determine whether the project would have a significant impact on air quality. Using the URBEMIS2007 emissions inventory model, project operational greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts will be determined by quantifying GHG emissions at each intersection for the AM and PM Peak scenarios for the project's opening year, for both the with -project and without -project scenarios for Phases 3 and 4. GHG 9