NTRAC Final Study - Nebraska Department of Roads - State of ...

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CHAPTER 7 – ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACTS The commuter rail alternative would generate jobs related to improvements in the track, construction of stations and a maintenance facility, and ongoing operations. The express bus alternatives would generate jobs related to construction of new park-and-ride in facilities in Blair and Fremont and ongoing operations. SUMMARY This analysis has not identified a fatal flaw pertaining to the development of the commuter rail and express bus alternatives. That noted, some form of environmental documentation will be required prior to the selection and implementation of the alternatives. The extent to which environmental documentation is performed is dependent on the anticipated impacts. There are three levels of environmental documentation: Categorical Exclusion, Environmental Assessment, and Environmental Impact Statement. A Categorical Exclusion (CE) is appropriate if the proposed actions are not anticipated to individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment. Specific items that are eligible for categorical exclusion are listed under 23 CFR 771.117. It should be noted that CE documentation satisfy NEPA requirements only and does not provide exemptions and exclusions from the requirements of other environmental laws such as historical and cultural resources, wetlands impacts, channel impacts, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, endangered species, etc. Separate documentation may be required from the governing agencies to document absence of impacts. Preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) is needed for an action where the significance of the social, economic and environmental impact is not clearly established. The EA analyzes the impact of the alternatives on various social, environmental and economic factors within the study area. If the conclusions of the EA identify significant impacts to the environment, then preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement would be necessary. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a document that evaluates the significance of the impacts of the alternatives upon environmental, social and economic factors and includes proposed mitigation to avoid, minimize or compensate for project impacts to the extent possible. The EIS contains in-depth studies of the areas where impacts are anticipated and ranks the alternatives according to the environmental impacts and benefits. Given the potentiality of various kinds of impacts identified in this analysis, the commuter rail and express bus alternatives would most likely require an Environmental Assessment. (Rail right of way improvements may be exempt from environmental review, but new station development outside the existing right of way would not be.) Many of the activities proposed under the alternatives are described in the 23 CFR 771.117(c) and (d) lists of projects already approved for CE status. Consultation with the governing agencies would be conducted to determine which level of documentation would be most appropriate. 384180 NEBRASKA TRANSIT CORRIDORS STUDY Page 7 - 6 WILBUR SMITH ASSOCIATES
Chapter 8 FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION The purpose of this chapter is to present a financial and economic evaluation of the three potential transit service scenarios for Nebraska. Scenario A: DMU commuter rail service between Lincoln and Omaha; express bus service (commuter buses) between Fremont and Omaha and between Blair and Omaha. Scenario B: Express bus service between Omaha and Lincoln, between Fremont and Omaha, and between Blair and Omaha. Scenario C: Express bus service between Lincoln and Omaha. The financial evaluation has three parts. First is a pro forma evaluation of the scenarios over a 20-year period. Second is a review of funding sources for which the commuter rail and bus scenarios could qualify. Third is an assessment of the scenarios using criteria established by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for New Starts transit projects. The economic valuation looks at direct and indirect traveler benefits of diverting commuters from their cars to transit. The paper concludes with a qualitative comparative evaluation of the three scenarios and identification of next steps for implementation. FINANCIAL EVALUATION The purpose of this evaluation is to extrapolate the ridership, revenue and costs for each of the three service scenarios over 20 years. The 20-year pro forma financial evaluation is a conventional tool to assess the feasibility of capital projects. It documents projected costs and revenues, and demonstrates the reasonableness of key assumptions underlying a project. Also, it is a key input to the cost effectiveness evaluation that follows in this chapter. Recognizing the importance of sound financial planning to the successful implementation of transit capital investments, Section 3(a)(2)(a) of the Federal Transit Act states “No grant or loan shall be provided under this section unless the Secretary determines that the applicant has or will have the legal, financial, and technical capacity to carry out the proposed project.” It is to demonstrate the financial implications of the scenarios over time and thus to help identify a preferred alternative for Nebraska – one that will be able to qualify for FTA funds – that this pro forma evaluation has been undertaken. Scenario A Financial Performance This scenario has rail and bus components, as showing in Table 8-1 below. Ridership for each is forecast in a range from low to high. The forecasts in the first and last revenue years are summed and then compared to determine the difference and the percent change over the 20 384180 NEBRASKA TRANSIT CORRIDORS STUDY Page 8 - 1 WILBUR SMITH ASSOCIATES
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Nebraska Transit Corridors Study Co
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY between 141,000 a
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 8 Financi
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Chapter 1 STUDY PURPOSE AND METHODO
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CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION Table 1-1
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CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION services,
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North Platte Lexington Kearney Gran
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NEBRASKA CORRIDORS STUDY Figure 2-2
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EXISTING CONDITIONS TRAVEL PATTERNS
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EXISTING CONDITIONS Table 2-3: Summ
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EXISTING CONDITIONS changing lanes,
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EXISTING CONDITIONS expressway. Als
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EXISTING CONDITIONS CORRIDOR RAIL L
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EXISTING CONDITIONS airports, which
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Chapter 3 RIDERSHIP POTENTIAL INTRO
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CHAPTER 3 - RIDERSHIP POTENTIAL the
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CHAPTER 3 - RIDERSHIP POTENTIAL Gre
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CHAPTER 3 - RIDERSHIP POTENTIAL Tab
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CHAPTER 3 - RIDERSHIP POTENTIAL 2.
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CHAPTER 3 - RIDERSHIP POTENTIAL SUM
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Page 99 and 100: CHAPTER 6 - EXPRESS BUS PLANS Table
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Page 107 and 108: Chapter 7 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL
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Page 137 and 138: Chapter 9 NEXT STEPS TOWARD IMPLEME
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Page 141: APPENDICES
Page 144 and 145: APPENDIX A - RIDERSHIP COMPARISONS
Page 147: Appendix B COMMUTER RAIL COSTS Appe
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Page 154 and 155: Table B-2b Omaha Suburban Station E
Page 156 and 157: Table B-2d Lincoln at N. 48th St. S
Page 158 and 159: Table B-3a Lincoln Maintenance Faci
Page 160 and 161: Table B-4a Melia Siding Description
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Table B-4c Chalco Siding Descriptio
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Table C-1 Fremont Park-and-Ride Cos
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Appendix D NTRAC MEMBERS The follow
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