City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 16, 2019
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Support Letter for the Long Bridge Project Environmental Impact Statement
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ISSUE: Council Consideration of Support for Action Alternative A as identified in the Long Bridge Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve a letter (Attachment 1) in support of Action Alternative A in the Long Bridge EIS for submission to the project by October 28, 2019.
BACKGROUND: The District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), is completing a comprehensive study for the rehabilitation or replacement of the Long Bridge over the Potomac River. The existing two-track railroad bridge, owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT), has been in use since 1904 and currently serves freight, Amtrak and VRE. The 1.8-mile study area runs between Long Bridge Park in Arlington County and L'Enfant near 10th Street SW in Washington, DC (Attachment 2).
While the current bridge does not need replacing, there is currently insufficient capacity, resiliency and redundancy to accommodate projected demand in future railroad services. Operators plan to increase passenger and freight train volumes across Long Bridge by 153 percent by 2040. The proposed project would double the corridor's capacity.
DDOT has completed a DRAFT Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The process includes analysis of alternatives, including the No Action Alternative, and identification of a Preferred Alternative.
DISCUSSION: In the DRAFT EIS, the FRA and DDOT identified two potential action alternatives. The preferred alternative (Action Alternative A) would construc...
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