1.0 purpose and need

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) is proposing the Central Subway Project (Project), as the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail Project that was evaluated under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in the Third Street Light Rail Project FEIS/FEIR (Case No. 96.281E) in 1998. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Third Street Light Rail Project in 1999 and the San Francisco Public Transportation Commission (PTC) approved the Project. The PTC was the predecessor policy board to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA), which now oversees the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) and the Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT). The Phase 1 Initial Operating Segment (IOS) opened for service in spring of 2007.[1] This Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/SEIR) updates information in the Central Subway Project Study Area and focuses on changes to the Central Subway portion of the Third Street Light Rail Project that have occurred since the certification of the 1998 Final Environmental Impact [begin insertion] Study [end insertion] [begin deletion] Statement [end deletion] and Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR). Proposed changes to the Central Subway portion of the light rail project include: a new segment along Fourth Street between [begin insertion] Brannan [end insertion] [begin deletion] Harrison [end deletion] and Market Streets and along Stockton Street between Market and Geary Streets as an alternative to use of Third, Harrison, Kearny, and Geary Streets; extension of the planning horizon year from 2015 to 2030; the addition of above ground ventilation shafts for tunnel segments and stations; the use of off-street access to stations; a deep tunnel under Market Street; a closed barrier fare system; and the potential extension of a construction tunnel under [begin deletion] Stockton Street and [end deletion] Columbus Avenue to the north end of the Project near Washington Square for removing the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM).

This SEIS/SEIR evaluates three alternatives for Phase 2 of the Third Street Light Rail Project, which are described in detail in Section 2.0 of this document. Briefly, the Central Subway alternatives are:

· Alternative 1 – No Project/Transportation Systems Management (TSM), developed in conformance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements, includes only the funded projects programmed in

the Regional Transportation Plan.[2] The T-Third Line (Phase 1 of the Third Street Light Rail Project) and associated bus changes are included in this alternative.

· Alternative 2 – Enhanced EIS/EIR Alignment, as analyzed in the 1998 FEIS/FEIR, uses King, Third, Harrison, Kearny, and Geary Streets as well as Fourth and Stockton Streets, crosses Market Street in a shallow subway at Third Street (Base Case), and includes a surface platform on Third Street at King Street and four subway stations (Moscone, Market, Union Square and Chinatown). Enhancements to the original FEIS/FEIR alternative include above-ground emergency ventilation shafts, off-sidewalk station entries where feasible, and the provision of a closed barrier fare system.

· Alternative 3 – Fourth/Stockton Alignment was developed as an alternative that would operate exclusively on Fourth and Stockton Streets with a deep tunnel crossing of Market Street. Two design options for this alternative are being evaluated:

• Option A (Locally Preferred Alternative or LPA) has a double-track portal on Fourth Street between Townsend and Brannan Streets and three subway stations (Moscone, Union Square/Market Street, and Chinatown), and;

• Option B (Modified LPA) has a double-track portal on Fourth Street between Bryant and Harrison Streets, a surface platform on Fourth Street at Brannan Street, and three subway stations (Moscone, Union Square/Market Street, and Chinatown). Option B includes semi-exclusive and mixed-flow suboptions of the light rail surface operation on Fourth Street, with trains either physically separated from vehicle traffic (except at intersections and surface stations) or trains and vehicles sharing a lane with an embedded trackway.

1.1 CORRIDOR LOCATION

The location of the Central Subway Corridor (Corridor) is shown in Figure 1-1. The Study Area extends from South of Market Street along Third and Fourth Streets near King Street, across Market Street to Geary and Stockton Streets in the Downtown, along Stockton Street in Chinatown, and includes a portion of North Beach along Columbus Avenue north of Union Street. The Corridor, which is approximately 1.7 miles long, is located in the northeastern quadrant of San Francisco. It is the northern end of the 7.1-mile Third Street Light Rail Corridor that would extend from Visitacion Valley to Chinatown. The 5.4-

Figure 1-1

CENTRAL SUBWAY Study Area Location

mile T-Third Line (Phase 1 of the Third Street Light Rail Project) opened in April 2007, connecting Downtown with Mission Bay, Potrero Hill, the Central Waterfront, Bayview Hunters Point, and Visitacion Valley.

1.2 PURPOSE OF PROPOSED ACTION

As the Project Sponsor, MTA’s objective for the proposed Project is to complete the second phase of the Third Steet Light Rail Project and provide Muni transit improvements in the Central Subway Corridor. MTA is seeking federal funding assistance to construct the proposed Central Subway Project. In 2003 MTA began conceptual engineering on the 1998 Phase 2 Central Subway alignment that used Third, Harrison, Kearny, and Geary Streets, as well as Fourth and Stockton Streets, and included a shallow tunnel crossing of Market Street at Third Street. In response to a series of community meetings and two years of engineering and design refinement efforts, a new alignment was identified to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential impacts described in the 1998 FEIS/FEIR. On June 8, 2005, the MTA Board designated the new alignment, that was entirely located on Fourth and Stockton Streets, as the Central Subway Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). This alternative was developed to avoid surface impacts along Third, Harrison, Kearny, and Geary Streets and to use a deep tunnel crossing of Market Street to avoid the existing sewer system on Mission Street. In June 2005 the City circulated a Notice of Preparation (NOP) to notify the public of the preparation of a Supplemental EIS/EIR (SEIS/SEIR) to evaluate the Central Subway alternatives (Appendix B). After the SEIS/SEIR is completed and the San Francisco Planning Commission has certified the SEIR, the FTA will determine if the preferred alternative meets their transit investment objectives and decide whether to recommend federal funding for the Project. Transit investment objectives include:

· Achieve transit service and mobility goals, while minimizing social, economic, and environmental impacts;

· Increase transit use and reduce travel time at a reasonable cost;

· Link public transportation investments with land use planning and community revitalization;

· Have strong public and political support and compatibility with local, regional, and state planning initiatives; and

· Enhance and preserve the environment, particularly in terms of reduced air and noise pollution and congestion relief.

Once the FTA issues a Record of Decision (ROD), the City and County of San Francisco (City) will consider approval of the Project, as well as commitment of local funds to implement the preferred alternative.

1.3 nEED FOR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CORRIDOR

The Central Subway Project would help to address mobility and transit deficiencies by improving connections to communities in the [begin deletion] northeastern and southeastern [end deletion] part of the City and improving reliability of transit services. Transit deficiencies include those that exist at present and those that are anticipated to exist during the 20-year plus planning horizon (2030). The Central Subway Project is also intended to serve as a key infrastructure improvement to help ease congestion in the Study Area; improve transit service to the large transit-dependent population that resides along the Corridor; accommodate the increasing number of residents in the South of Market area; and serve mobility needs for the new jobs that are expected to be created in the Study Area. The transportation deficiencies and Project needs are further described below.

1.3.1 Muni Service Reliability Problems in the CENTRAL SUBWAY Corridor

The primary bus lines currently serving the Central Subway Corridor are the 9-San Bruno, 30-Stockton and 45-Union/Stockton. These lines traverse the dense and congested streets in North Beach, Chinatown and the Financial Districts of Downtown San Francisco (Downtown) before traveling into the South of Market, Mission Bay, Bayview, and Visitacion Valley districts. These lines connect with the T-Third Line at Market Street and at King and Fourth Streets. Buses caught in traffic congestion often provide unreliable service in and around the Downtown area. Currently, passengers may experience overcrowding and extended wait times between buses, as well as slower operating speeds and increased travel times. This situation is projected to worsen as traffic along the Corridor increases to projected 2030 levels.

1.3.2 Inadequate Connectivity Between Corridor Transit Lines and Other Transit Services

As employment and activity centers continue to develop and disperse throughout the Bay Area and as that trend continues to 2030, it will become increasingly important to provide efficient connections from the Central Subway and the Third Street Corridor to transit lines serving all parts of San Francisco and the region. The Third Street Light Rail Project was intended to address the inequality of transit connections to the Muni Metro rail system and to regional transit services such as BART [begin deletion] and Caltrain [end deletion] perceived by residents of the corridor. High unemployment rates for the Bayview and Visitacion Valley residents made the need for improved transit connections to regional employment centers particularly critical. Economic vitality was also a key issue for Chinatown residents and businesses that experienced reduced accessibility as a result of the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway following the 1989 earthquake.

For the Phase 2 Central Subway Project, transit accessibility along the Corridor is particularly critical as the population has a higher degree of transit dependency (72 percent of households along the Central Subway Corridor are without a vehicle compared to 29 percent citywide) and higher unemployment rates than other parts of the City (9 percent unemployed in the Central Subway Corridor versus 4.6 percent citywide unemployment).[3] The Phase 2 Central Subway also provides the opportunity for future connections to other key transit corridors, such as Geary and North Beach, identified in the 1995 Four Corridor Plan.[4]

1.3.3 Projected Increases in 2030 Transit and Auto Travel Demand in the Corridor

As presented in Table 1-1, a [begin deletion] n [end deletion] [begin insertion] 55 [end insertion] [begin deletion] 84 [end deletion] percent increase in Central Subway Corridor population and a [begin insertion] 26 [end insertion] [begin deletion] 19 [end deletion] percent increase in the Central Subway Corridor employment is projected by 2030 (see also Figure 1-2). In contrast, in the North Beach area to the immediate north of the Central Subway Corridor, population is expected to decline by 13 percent, while the employment is projected to increase by only six percent.[5] The rate of population increase in the Central Subway Corridor is far greater than the City as a whole, which is expecting a 20 percent population increase. The [begin insertion] 26 [end insertion] [begin deletion] 19 [end deletion] percent employment increase in the Central Subway Corridor is slightly lower than the projected citywide employment growth of 28 percent over the same period. Much of the population and employment growth would result from ongoing development in the Mission Bay Area, and projected development in the South of Market Area, which the Central Subway Project would traverse.

TABLE 1-1

POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS

2000 AND 2030

Source: San Francisco County Transportation Authority Model, based on Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ) data derived from 2000 Census Tract information.

Note: Central Subway is defined by the MTC Travel Analysis Zones(and Census Tracts) that are included in the Study Area identified in Figure 1-2. This includes Census Tracts 113, 114, 117, 118, 119, 121, 123, 125, 176.01, 176.02, 178, 179.01, and 180. The North Beach Tunnel Construction Variant is defined by the MTC Transportation Analysis Zones and Census Tracts 106 and 107. There are minor differences between TAZ and Census Tract information.

Figure 1 – 2

Study Area Population and Employment

Development resulting from other plans that have recently been adopted or are still in the planning phase, may also create increased travel demand in the Corridor.

These plans are:

· Mid-Market Redevelopment Plan

· Eastern Neighborhood Community Plan (which includes the East South of Market Area)

· Proposed Transit Center District Plan (Transbay Terminal) and the Fourth/King Railyards Plan [6]

In addition, the Bayview and Hunters Point neighborhoods served by the T-Third Line (Phase 1 of the Third Street Light Rail Project), to the south of the Central Subway Project, will continue to grow and increase trips in the Central Subway Corridor. More information about these development proposals and the Redevelopment Plan is presented in Section 4.1, Land Use.

The rapid growth in the Central Subway Corridor would affect travel demand correspondingly. Table 1-2 indicates that daily trips in the Corridor are expected to increase by 20 percent by 2030. For Mission Bay, total trips would increase by over 381 percent by 2030 given the present development scenario. In combination with the increase in trip generation expected to occur in the Third Street Corridor and south of the City, travel demand in the southeastern and northeastern parts of the City, if not accommodated on transit, would compound congested conditions on freeways and surface streets in eastern San Francisco. In addition, the increased travel demand would create a greater demand for Downtown parking, which is constrained in accordance with the City’s Transit First Policy.

TABLE 1-2

COMPARISON OF 2000 AND 2030 DAILY PERSON TRIPS

Note: Transit patronage estimates used the San Francisco County Transportation Authority travel demand model (San Francisco Model). Population and employment assumptions are based on ABAG Projections, 2003.

Source: San Francisco Transportation Authority Travel Demand Model and Joe Castiglione, February 2007.

1.3.4 Projected Increases in 2030 traffic congestion in the Corridor

As a result of the projected population and employment growth along the Central Subway and Third Street Corridors, traffic congestion on major highways and arterials, particularly Highway 80, Highway 280, and Third Street is expected to increase substantially. In the 2030 p.m. peak period, the intersections at Third and King Streets, Fourth and King Streets, and Sixth and Brannan Streets would all operate at Level of Service (LOS) F, with the average seconds of delay increasing considerably at each of these intersections resulting in longer queues (see Figure 1-3). The anticipated congestion will lengthen current operating times for transit in the Corridor, where major trunk lines currently travel in mixed traffic through Downtown and Chinatown.

1.3.5 Integration of Transportation Improvements with Community
Revitalization along THE CENTRAL SUBWAY CORRIDOR

The Chinatown commercial district along Stockton Street, includes many small neighborhood-serving shops and services. The loss of the Embarcadero Freeway, damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, severed connections to and from Chinatown via the regional roadway network. This reduction in vehicular access has had an affect on the economic vitality of Chinatown and prompted community leaders to advocate for transit and other access improvements to the area. The Central Subway Project is seen as a key to reestablishing a high level of regional and citywide access to Chinatown and also providing an opportunity to reinvigorate Stockton Street. The Chinatown Area Plan of the City’s General Plan addresses this problem by calling for the integration of transit- and pedestrian-oriented improvements in Chinatown.^[7]

There are similar goals of integrating transit with commercial and residential activities along Fourth Street, as documented in the October 2006 Draft East SOMA Area Plan.[8] The draft Plan recommends policies that would support conservation and development of the neighborhood with a goal to improve the physical environment and create a more livable neighborhood. This includes the improvement and expansion of transit connections. Specifically, the Plan acknowledges the possibility of a Central Subway Project on Fourth Street, requesting consideration of a stop on Fourth Street between Brannan and Bryant Street. This stop would support new development anticipated in the East SOMA Area Plan.

Figure 1-3

Central Subway and Third Street Corridor Projected 2030 Level Of Service (LOS) At Various Locations

1.3.6 Air Quality Issues

The San Francisco Bay Area Air Basin is designated as a state non-attainment area and as a marginal federal non-attainment area for ozone.[9] The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) in cooperation with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) has prepared the Bay Area 2005 Ozone Strategy to meet the State requirements. The strategy includes measures that encourage cities and counties in the air basin to develop and implement local plans, policies, and programs to reduce automobile use and to improve air quality. San Francisco has also adopted a “Climate Action Plan” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (chiefly carbon dioxide) that includes goals for reducing vehicle trips by encouraging a shift to alternative modes, including public transit.

1.4 PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goals and objectives for the Central Subway Project are based on the goals originally established in the Bayshore Transit Study for the Third Street Light Rail Project.[10] These goals are also consistent with the San Francisco Downtown Plan and General Plan and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority’s Four Corridor Plan.[11]^{, [12]} They also conform to FTA guidelines for evaluating the worthiness of proposed major transit capital investment projects. Prior to 1991, FTA evaluated major transit investment projects primarily on their cost effectiveness and their degree of local financial support. The FTA guidelines have been subsequently updated as part of the 1991 federal Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and the 2005 SAFETEA-LU to include performance measures as major considerations in the evaluation of proposed capital investment for transit projects. Further modifications to FTA guidelines were initiated in 1997 and again in 2006 as part of the Section 5309 New Starts Criteria. The guidelines added access and mobility improvements, environmental benefits (particularly air quality and energy use reduction), cost-effectiveness, transit system operating efficiencies, such as changes in operating cost per passenger mile, transit-supportive land use, promotion of economic development, and local financial commitment. Measures are developed for each criterion for the purpose of comparing project alternatives.

The seven principal goals, that Muni identified for the overall Third Street Light Rail Project to guide the evaluation of alternatives, are still applicable to the Phase 2 Central Subway Project. They are:

1. [begin deletion] Travel and Mobility Goal [end deletion] Improve transit service to, from, and within the Central Subway Corridor, thereby enhancing the mobility of Central Subway Corridor residents, business people and visitors.

2. [begin deletion] Equity Goal [end deletion] Bring transit service in the Central Subway Corridor to the level and qual­ity of service available in other sections of the City.

3. [begin deletion] Economic Revitalization/Development Goal [end deletion] Design transportation improvements that support economic revitalization and development initiatives within the South of Market, Downtown and Chinatown Study Area.

4. [begin deletion] Transit-supportive Land Use Goal [end deletion] Ensure compatibility with City land use plans and policies and transportation improvements so that transit ridership can be maxi­mized and the number of auto trips reduced.

5. [begin deletion] Environmental Goal [end deletion] Provide transit improvements that enhance and preserve the social and physical environment and minimize potential negative impacts during con­struction and operation of the line.

6. [begin deletion] Financial Goal [end deletion] Implement transit improvements that provide for the efficient use of limited financial resources and are cost-effective.

7. [begin deletion] Community Acceptance and Political Support Goal [end deletion] Provide a transportation system that reflects the needs and desires of Central Subway Corridor residents and busi­ness people and is compatible with the City’s planning initiatives.

Each goal has associated objectives, presented in Table 1-3. These goals and objectives are consistent with those presented in the 1998 FEIS/FEIR, but have been revised to specifically focus on the Central Subway Project. The objectives can be measured by employing evaluation criteria that: 1) are quantitative rather than qualitative, to the extent possible; 2) use publicly available information generated as part of this environmental evaluation or from previous related studies; 3) provide perspective on the magnitude of potential impacts as well as the differences between the alternatives; and 4) are expressed in terms that can be understood by decision-makers and the general public.

The evaluation of the Central Subway Alternatives using these goals and objectives for comparison is presented in Chapter 9.0.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES SUMMARY

TABLE 1-3

[1] The 1998 FEIS/FEIR used Initial Operation Segment to define the Phase 1 portion of the Third Street Light Rail Project. This Phase of the project initiated passenger service in April 2007 and is now referred to as the T-Third Line. This Supplemental SEIS/SEIR uses T-Third Line with reference to the Phase 1 segment, where appropriate.

[2] Transportation Systems Management or TSM refers to relatively low-cost capital improvements intended to serve Project objectives without requiring a major capital investment, e.g. improvements to bus service rather than a rail investment.

[3] 2000 U.S. Census Data

[4] San Francisco Transportation Authority, Four Corridor Plan, June 1995.

[5] North Beach would not be served by the Central Subway. A construction variant is being considered that would extend the tunnel to North Beach to remove tunneling machines.

[6] In December, 2006, the San Francisco Planning Department initiated planning for the Transit Center District Plan and the Fourth/King Railyards. The Transit Center District Plan will recommend new planning policies and controls for land use, urban form, design, and public improvements for the area around the Transbay Terminal. The Fourth/King Railyards Plan will produce policies, conceptual site plans, and implementation strategies for air-rights development of the rail yards at the Caltrain Terminal.

7 San Francisco Planning Department, Chinatown Area Plan, last revision July, 1995.

[8] San Francisco Planning Department, Draft East SOMA Area Plan, October 3, 2006.

[9] Designation as a non-attainment area means that state and/or federal air quality standards have not been met. Based on data collected at Bay Area air quality monitoring stations by the California Air Resources Board, the EPA classified the Bay Area as a marginal non-attainment area for federal ozone eight-hour standards on April, 15, 2004.

[10] San Francisco Municipal Railway, Bayshore Transit Study Final Report; December 1993. Available in Project File 96.281E at the San Francisco Planning Department, 1650 Mission Street, San Francisco.

[11] San Francisco Planning Department, General Plan,. San Francisco Planning Department, Downtown Plan, last amendment May, 2005.

[12] San Francisco Transportation Authority, June 1995, Four Corridor Plan; available for review in Project File 96.281E at the San Francisco Planning Department, 1650 Mission Street, San Francisco.