April 12, 2017
Contact: Joseph Vinsh
Phone: (804) 861-1666
Email: jvinsh@craterpdc.org
Tri-Cities Multimodal Station Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) Report Released for Public Comment
Petersburg, VA – The Crater Planning District Commission in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is seeking public comment on the Draft Environmental Assessment for the Tri-Cities Multimodal Station, a project to consider the construction of a new regional rail station in the Tri-Cities area of Virginia, which includes the Cities of Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell and the Counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George. The existing Petersburg Station in Ettrick currently hosts Amtrak passenger rail service, however additional investment is required to attract and accommodate increased ridership, improve accessibility to the local and regional transportation network, improve ADA accessibility, and provide capacity to support future high speed rail service.
The EA study complies with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process, whereby a study must be prepared by a federal agency before any major federal action that could potentially affect the quality of the natural and built environment is implemented. The FRA is the federal lead agency for this project.
Following the screening of 13 initial locations, incorporation of initial technical findings, and public input, the EA ultimately considered four locations and concepts for evaluation: Ettrick (existing), Boulevard, Branders Bridge, and Collier South. The proposed preferred location of the Boulevard location was recommended by the FRA to best provide for convenient access to population centers in the region, establish a visible and direct linkage between rail service and the I-95 corridor, and integrate into a built environment that supports existing transit and future improvements to walk/bike access. At this stage, this is a preliminary recommendation and not a final decision. A final decision will be made by FRA following comments received during this comment period.
The Draft EA will be available for public review and comment for 30 days beginning April 21, 2017. Comments must be received on, or before May 22, 2017. Federal, state, and local agencies, and interested members of the public, are invited and encouraged to review and comment on the draft EA. Following this comment period, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is anticipated, to affirm no significant impacts on the quality of the environment and reflect all applicable comments and responses.
The draft EA is available online at:
http://craterpdc.org/transportation/documents/NEPA_Study_2014/Tri-Cities%20Signed%20Draft%20EA_FULL%20Document.pdf
The entire document is 150 megabytes in size. The Executive Summary is also provided as a separate file and is much smaller in size.
A physical copy of the Draft EA will be available for public viewing during normal business hours at the Crater Planning District Commission office located in the Monument Professional Building, 1964 Wakefield Street, Petersburg, Virginia 23805 and at the following public libraries in the Tri-Cities:
• Petersburg Public Library
201 West Washington Street
Petersburg, VA 23803
804-733-2387
• Prince George Public Library
6605 Courts Drive
Prince George, VA 23875
804-458-6329 ext. 3700
• Hopewell Public Library
209 East Cawson Street
Hopewell, VA 23860
804-458-6329
• Ettrick-Matoaca Library
4501 River Road
Petersburg, VA 23803
804-316-8688
• Colonial Heights Public Library
1000 Yacht Basin Drive
Colonial Heights, VA 23834
804-520-9384
• Dinwiddie Library
14103 Boydton Plank Road
Dinwiddie, VA 23841
804-458-6329 ext. 2920
• Ettrick-Matoaca Library
4501 River Road
Petersburg, VA 23842
804-526-8087
• Enon Library
1801 Enon Church Road
Chester, VA 23836
804-751-2275
How to comment:
Written comments may be mailed to Mr. Joseph Vinsh, Special Projects Coordinator, at Crater Planning District Commission, 1964 Wakefield Street, Petersburg, Virginia 23805. Comments may also be emailed to jvinsh@craterpdc.org
About the Crater Planning District Commission:
The Crater Planning District Commission is comprised of 11 local governments in south central Virginia. These are the cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell and Petersburg, and the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Prince George, Surry and Sussex. The major focus of the Commission's Work Program is economic, industrial and small business development, reflecting the priorities which have been established by the member localities.