Long Bridge public meeting coming up on September 14th
VRE is collaborating with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), CSX Transportation (CSXT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in analyzing potential railroad capacity solutions for Long Bridge.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) invite you to attend a public scoping meeting for the Long Bridge Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS):
Wednesday, September 14, 2016 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. L'Enfant Plaza Club Room, Promenade Level 470 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC L'Enfant Plaza Metro and VRE Station The Club Room is located in the hallway between retailers Gadget TLC and Jay Jewelers. For more detailed directions to the meeting room, go to http://longbridgepro...lic-involvement.
The EIS is being prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The scoping meeting will provide the public an opportunity to express their comments on a comprehensive study to address long-term railroad capacity and reliability issues for the Long Bridge corridor, which crosses the Potomac River from Arlington, VA into Washington, DC. The scoping meeting will focus on recent project activities, next steps in the NEPA process, the proposed EIS Study Area, purpose and need, alternatives evaluation criteria, environmental effects to be considered and evaluated, and methodologies to be used for evaluating effects.
The September 14th scoping meeting will be conducted as an open-house. Interested members of the public are invited to stop in at any point from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The current two-track Long Bridge was constructed in 1904 and is owned and maintained by CSX Transportation (CSXT). It is the only freight railroad crossing over the Potomac River between DC and VA. Currently, the bridge serves CSXT freight trains, Amtrak passenger trains, and VRE commuter trains. Norfolk Southern also has trackage rights on the bridge and connecting CSXT tracks.
The Long Bridge is located within the Washington Monumental Core. The EIS Study Area extends approximately 3.2 miles from VRE Crystal City Station in Arlington, VA to Control Point (CP) Virginia near Third Street, SW in Washington, DC. The Study Area includes federal park land managed by the National Park Service; historic and cultural properties; the Potomac River; offices, hotels, and apartment buildings; and transportation facilities (VRE Crystal City Station, VRE L’Enfant Station, Long Bridge, eleven other railroad bridges, and four roadway bridges); and numerous pedestrian and bicycle trails.
The goal of the EIS is to develop project alternatives; analyze the potential impacts of the alternatives on the social, economic, and environmental resources; identify measures to avoid and/or mitigate significant adverse impacts; identify a preferred alternative; and obtain a Record of Decision pursuant to NEPA. Preparation of the EIS will be coordinated with other federal and local laws and regulations, including Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 4(f) of the US Department of Transportation Act of 1966, and Section 139 of the FAST Act of 2015.
If you are from unable to attend the scoping meeting, FRA and DDOT are accepting public comments August 26 - September 26, 2016. For more information, visit www.longbridgeproject.com. or call 202-671-2218.