Today, METRO began the circulation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Section 4(f) Evaluation for proposed transit improvements in the Southeast Corridor.  This is the second study document released for the METRO Solutions Phase 2 Implementation Plan.  This voluminous document explores various alternatives to the proposed project, and the likely environmental consequences of those actions.  Impacts to the physical, biological and social environment are among the consequences considered and assessed in the document. 

 The DEIS is part of the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) process.  Section 4(f) Evaluation is an assessment of potential impacts to cultural resources, including parklands.  The DEIS will be circulated for 45 days to allow the community and other agencies involved in this project to review and comment on the contents.  The document will be available at area public libraries (see list on next page).  An electronic version is also available on the METRO Web site.

Before the end of the circulation period, there will be a Public Meeting/Question & Answer Session on August 17, followed by a Public Hearing on August 29, where METRO will formally receive comments from the community and agencies. 

 After the comments are received, the Final EIS (FEIS) is prepared.  This document includes a section where the comments submitted by the public and other agencies are set out and addressed.  This FEIS is then reviewed by decision-makers at METRO and Federal Transit Administration (FTA).  The information from the FEIS will be considered as "input" to the decision-making process that is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2006.  Preliminary Engineering is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2006, and final design and right-of-way acquisition is planned for 2007 through 2008. Construction on the corridor is scheduled to begin in mid-2007 and continue through 2010.  

The Southeast Corridor, approximately 6.8 miles from the downtown area to the vicinity of the Palm Center at MLK and Griggs (see map), is one of five transit corridors within the METRO Solutions Phase 2 Plan, a $2 billion program to create a rapid transit network to improve mobility for Houston by 2012.

Copies of the DEIS and Section 4(f) Statement
are also available for review in hard copy format at:

•  Central Library (Julia Ideson Building), 500 McKinney, Houston, TX 77002
• Lonnie E. Smith Library, 3624 Scott Street, Houston, TX 77004
• Young Library, 5260 Griggs, Palm Center, Houston, TX 77021
• University of Houston, M.D. Anderson Library, 4800 Calhoun, Houston, TX 77004
• Texas Southern University, Campus Library, 3100 Cleburne, Houston, TX 77004
• METRO Offices, 1900 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002
• Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons Lane, Suite 500, Houston, TX 77027

Comments regarding the DEIS should be submitted to Ms. Rhonda Boyer, METRO, P.O. Box 61429, Houston, TX, 77208-1429. The deadline for receipt of comments is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 11, 2006. Requests for a copy of the DEIS may be addressed to Rhonda Boyer at the address above or by phone: 713-739-6092.  A bound copy of the DEIS may be purchased for $50.00 (plus $6.00 for shipping and handling) or a CD of the document in Adobe Acrobat format for $5.50 (plus $1.00 for shipping and handling).

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