Home > California HSR releases final environmental document
Written by Tris Thomas on 27/05/2024 in News
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) has released the final environmental document for the more than 48km segment between Palmdale and Burbank in Southern California featuring some 48km of tunnelling, including 44.8km through mountains.
This is the last key environmental document needed to connect San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles. The document is on track to be presented to the Authority’s Board of Directors for consideration during a two-day board meeting June 26 and 27.
“This is a huge milestone for the project and it represents the culmination of years of analysis and stakeholder engagement to connect high-speed rail between two of the state’s major metropolitan centers, San Francisco and Los Angeles,” said Authority CEO Brian Kelly. “With board approval, the project will have environmental clearance for 463 miles (740.8km) of the Phase 1 system between downtown San Francisco and downtown Los Angeles.”
At speeds up to 220mph, this section will connect the Antelope Valley to the San Fernando Valley in a roughly 17-minute train trip – more than twice as fast as traveling by car. The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section will connect two key population centers in Los Angeles County by linking future multimodal transportation hubs in Palmdale and Burbank.
The Final EIR/EIS includes analysis of all six build alternatives and the No Project Alternative. The preferred alternative is the SR14A Alternative, which runs along State Route 14 and is approximately 60.8km. It will be a grade-separated, high-speed rail-only system. Trains operating on the Preferred Alternative would be underground through the community of Acton and much of the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. Tunnelling through these regions minimizes impacts to communities and environmental resources in the region.
The Authority serves as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Draft EIR/EIS was circulated for public review and comment from early September through early December 2022. The Authority has considered all substantive comments received during the public comment period and responses to the comments are documented in the Final EIR/EIS. The document includes:
An analysis of alternatives, including impacts and effects.
Mitigation measures proposed to reduce environmental impacts and effects.
Public comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS and responses to those comments.
Revisions to the Draft EIR/EIS made in response to comments.
Pending Board approval, the Authority can begin preparing this segment for construction as funding becomes available. All that remains to environmentally clear the full 790km Phase 1 system of the project is the Los Angeles to Anaheim segment, which the Authority expects to finalize next year.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) has released the final environmental document for the more than 48km segment between Palmdale and Burbank in Southern California featuring some 48km of tunnelling, including 44.8km through mountains.
This is the last key environmental document needed to connect San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles. The document is on track to be presented to the Authority’s Board of Directors for consideration during a two-day board meeting June 26 and 27.
“This is a huge milestone for the project and it represents the culmination of years of analysis and stakeholder engagement to connect high-speed rail between two of the state’s major metropolitan centers, San Francisco and Los Angeles,” said Authority CEO Brian Kelly. “With board approval, the project will have environmental clearance for 463 miles (740.8km) of the Phase 1 system between downtown San Francisco and downtown Los Angeles.”
At speeds up to 220mph, this section will connect the Antelope Valley to the San Fernando Valley in a roughly 17-minute train trip – more than twice as fast as traveling by car. The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section will connect two key population centers in Los Angeles County by linking future multimodal transportation hubs in Palmdale and Burbank.
The Final EIR/EIS includes analysis of all six build alternatives and the No Project Alternative. The preferred alternative is the SR14A Alternative, which runs along State Route 14 and is approximately 60.8km. It will be a grade-separated, high-speed rail-only system. Trains operating on the Preferred Alternative would be underground through the community of Acton and much of the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. Tunnelling through these regions minimizes impacts to communities and environmental resources in the region.
The Authority serves as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Draft EIR/EIS was circulated for public review and comment from early September through early December 2022. The Authority has considered all substantive comments received during the public comment period and responses to the comments are documented in the Final EIR/EIS. The document includes:
An analysis of alternatives, including impacts and effects.
Mitigation measures proposed to reduce environmental impacts and effects.
Public comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS and responses to those comments.
Revisions to the Draft EIR/EIS made in response to comments.
Pending Board approval, the Authority can begin preparing this segment for construction as funding becomes available. All that remains to environmentally clear the full 790km Phase 1 system of the project is the Los Angeles to Anaheim segment, which the Authority expects to finalize next year.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
06/02/2024
Transport for London (TfL) has launched a public consultation on proposals for a £1bn extension of the Docklands Light Railway…
11/04/2024
Sydney Metro West is gearing up to build Sydney’s second under-harbour railway crossing with the final TBMs arriving on site….
15/02/2024
DC Water has awarded CBNA, Halmar, COWI, and Hatch the design-build contract for the construction of the Potomac River Tunnel…
The latest from the Tunneling Journal direct to your inbox.
TGS Media Ltd
The Old Library
Webster House
Dudley Road
Tunbridge Wells
TN1 1LE
United Kingdom
© Tunnelling Journal. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions. Admin
Related
Related posts:
- Last Unapproved Segment Of California's High-Speed Rail up for Environmental Approval In June – California Globe – California Globe
- $3.6B Ohio River Bridge Project Clears Federal Environmental Review – Engineering News-Record
- Press Release: California leaders visit China to strengthen climate partnerships, advance global climate action | CalEPA – California Environmental Protection Agency
- California's Cap-and-Trade Program Funds $28 Billion in Climate Investments Over Last Decade | California Governor – Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
Powered by YARPP.