Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report

Federal Transit Administration Issues Amended Record of Decision for Transbay Program

The Federal Transit Administration issued an Amended Record of Decision for the Transbay Program’s Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report on July 22, 2019. This document amends the 2005 Record of Decision for the Transbay Program and covers the required environmental analysis of refinements to the Downtown Rail Extension and other transportation improvements in the vicinity of the transit center. View the Amended Record of Decision and supporting attachments here. The supplemental environment work for the Transbay Program is described below.

FINAL Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report

The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), with the Federal Transit Administration as a joint lead agency and the Federal Railroad Administration as a cooperating agency, has issued a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Final SEIS/EIR) for the Transbay Program Phase 2 in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The Final SEIS/EIR is a limited scope document that evaluates refinements to the Transbay Program Phase 2 (the Downtown Rail Extension component) as well as other transportation improvements and development opportunities associated with the Transbay Program, as described in the Final SEIS/EIR. The Final SEIS/EIR supplements the Transbay Program Final EIS/EIR certified by the TJPA in 2004 and adopted by the FTA in 2005; portions of the 2004 Final EIS were adopted by the FRA in 2010.

The Final SEIS/EIR will be considered by the TJPA Board of Directors at its meeting on December 13, 2018 (9:30am) at City Hall, Room 416 (1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102). The meeting location is served by public transit and is ADA accessible.

2015 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report Refinements

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/EIR)to evaluate refinements to the Downtown Rail Extension (DTX) component of the Transbay Program, as well as other transportation improvements and development opportunities associated with the Transbay Program. The SEIS/EIR supplements and updates an earlier report certified by the TJPA in 2004 and adopted by the FTA in 2005.
 

The components evaluated in the Draft SEIS/EIR are shown below:

SEISMap
  1. Train Box Extension – The underground train box could be extended east one block to Main Street.
  2. Intercity Bus Facility – A new bus facility would be constructed above the extended train box between Beale and Main streets. It would serve operators such as Amtrak and Greyhound.
  3. Ventilation and Emergency Egress Structures –
    Six emergency ventilation/evacuation structures would be co-located with emergency tunnel exits at various locations along the DTX alignment.
  4. Taxi Staging Areas – Curbside passenger loading and unloading spaces for taxis would be provided on Natoma Street alongside the new intercity bus facility.
  5. BART/Muni Underground Pedestrian Connector
    A pedestrian connection would link the Embarcadero BART/Muni Metro Station to the Transit Center.
  6. Bicycle/Controlled Vehicle Ramp – A bicycle ramp would lead to below-grade bicycle facilities within the Transit Center. A separate controlled-access vehicle ramp to the Lower Concourse (for use by emergency and approved maintenance vehicles) would run parallel to the bicycle ramp.
  7. Widened Throat Structure – The proposed widened throat structure provides the connection between the underground tracks and the train box below the Transit Center. It will conform to design specifications required for high-speed rail service.
  8. Rock Dowels – Rock dowels are approximately 15-foot-long rods that would be installed along the mined tunnel segment.
  9. Parking at AC Transit Bus Storage Facility – The AC Transit bus storage facility would be used for off-hours/nighttime or special event parking when not in use by AC Transit for regular operations.
  10. Fourth and Townsend Underground Station Realignment – The underground station would be realigned to parallel Townsend Street.
  11. Tunnel Stub Box – A new below-grade train box at the west end of the Caltrain railyard near Townsend and Seventh streets would be constructed to accommodate future grade separations and expedite future arrival of below-grade Caltrain and high-speed trains.
  12. Additional Trackwork – A turnback track and maintenance of way storage track would be constructed within the existing Caltrain right-of-way between Hooper Street and Mariposa Street, immediately east of Seventh Street.