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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 106 / Friday, June 4, 2021 / Notices
be built on PANYNJ property consistent with present as-of-right zoning. The Replacement Facility is necessary because the existing Port Authority Bus Terminal PABT has significant capacity and operational constraints, is aging and obsolete, and cannot meet forecasted increases in bus service demand. FTA, in coordination with PANYNJ, will prepare the EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act NEPA, the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act FAST Act, and, as appropriate, the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act SEQRA and City of New Yorks City Environmental Quality Review CEQR. This Notice of Intent NOI initiates public scoping for the EIS, and provides information on the Proposed Project, the Projects purpose and need, and the alternatives being considered for evaluation in the EIS.
This NOI invites public comments on environmental impacts that may be associated with the Proposed Project and alternatives. Interested members of the public, tribes, and agencies are invited to submit comments on the proposed scope of the EIS, PANYNJs purpose and need, the identification of alternatives to be considered, the environmental benefits and impacts to be evaluated, and any other projectrelated issues or analyses. In consideration of the Federal Governments COVID19 Emergency Declaration dated March 13, 2020, FTA
has determined that virtual public meetings and hearings are a permissible and useful tool to provide for public involvement in the NEPA process.
The 45-day public scoping period will begin on the date of publication of this Notice and continue through July 19, 2021. Written comments may be submitted in hard copy via mail, electronically via email, and through the project website to the addresses listed in ADDRESSES below.
Comments may also be provided via voicemail at 929 5027304. Although the public can send comments through the mail, due to the COVID19 national emergency, we recommend using the other communication methods to provide any scoping comments.
Instructions for participating in the livestream virtual scoping meetings are available at www.pabtreplacement.com, along with scoping material. The registration instructions will be available on the Port Authority project website a minimum of two weeks prior to the public meeting. PANYNJ will conduct livestreamed virtual public scoping meetings on June 23 and 24, DATES:

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2021, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Individuals who require special assistance, such as translation, captioning, or signing services, to participate in the scoping meeting should make the request by calling 929
5027304 or emailing PABTReplacementNEPA@panynj.gov by June 17, 2021.
To ensure consideration during the development of the EIS, written comments on the scope of the EIS must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on July 19, 2021. The date of all public scoping meetings will be announced at least 15
days in advance of the actual meetings through a notice to be published in local newspapers and online on the projects website at www.pabtreplacement.com.
ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, World Trade Center, 150 Greenwich Street, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10007; Attention:
Elizabeth Rogak.
Or Project Email:
PABTReplacementNEPA@panynj.gov.
Or leave a comment via voicemail at:
929 5027304.
Information about the Proposed Project, scoping, and the EIS will be available on the projects website at www.pabtreplacement.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donald Burns, FTA Director of Planning and Program Development, Email:
Donald.Burns@dot.gov; Telephone:
212 6682203.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project. PANYNJ is proposing to replace the existing PABT
and associated facilities, including the terminal and ramps. Completion of the Replacement Facility is anticipated by 2032 and the four private, high-rise buildings by 2040. The project contemplates use of PANYNJ land and air rights for private development to help fund the Replacement Facility.
PANYNJ allocated $3.5 billion towards the Replacement Facility in its 2017 tenyear capital program, and PANYNJ
intends to seek financial support for the project from the United States Department of Transportation, including FTA funding. The Replacement Facility is included in the Metropolitan Transportation Plans of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, as a regionally significant project.
Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Replacement Facility. The Replacement Facilitys primary purpose is to meet the forecasted Trans-Hudson commuter and intercity bus and passenger demand for
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bus services that operate within the PABT. The proposed Replacement Facility is intended to: 1 Address capacity constraints and operational limitations of the existing PABT; 2
improve bus storage and staging to reduce bus idling and on-street congestion; and 3 improve bus network reliability. The existing PABT
suffers from the pressures of accommodating growing travel demand with aging infrastructure and systems, increasingly problematic functional and physical obsolescence of assets and facilities, and fundamental capacity challenges. Without significant investment, the existing PABT South Wing bus operating levels are likely to be functionally obsolete between 2027
and 2037. In addition, the system of roadways, tunnel facilities, and services connecting to the Midtown core and the PABT are increasingly sensitive to disruption.
Based on the above purpose and need, PANYNJ established the following project goals for the Replacement Facility:
Improve Trans-Hudson bus operations;
Improve the passenger experience within the Terminal;
Provide seamless passenger accessibility including, as applicable, ADA-compliant accessibility to Eighth Avenue mass transit options;
Strive to achieve consistency with local and regional land use plans and initiatives;
Develop a project that optimizes life-cycle costs; and Reduce the impacts of bus services on the built and natural environment.
Objectives were identified to assess achievement of each project goal in the Final Scoping Report.
Scoping. Consistent with NEPA, PANYNJ conducted early scoping and planning to identify a Locally Preferred Alternative, which FTA will consider during the NEPA scoping process.
PANYNJ released its Draft Scoping Document on May 23, 2019, commencing a 120-day public comment period on the Project. PANYNJ held public meetings in New York City and New Jersey on July 10, 2019 and September 5, 2019.
PANYNJ released a Final Scoping Report on January 21, 2021. In the Final Scoping Report, PANYNJ summarizes the process and evaluations undertaken since the Draft Scoping Document, as well as the public outreach conducted during early scoping. For this phase of the Project the NEPA Scoping Information Packet released with the NOI can be found on the project website.

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