Any project that receives Federal funding is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970 to perform an alternatives analysis. This is to make sure the alternative selected is most advantageous when considering all potential environmental and social impacts. There are different tiers of evaluation depending on the size and scope of the project. Due to the size and scope of the Purple Line it required an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which has multiple stages including a draft (DEIS) which gets put out for public and formal agency review and then the final (FEIS), which is also published for public review. The final step is that the EIS gets approved by way of the Record of Decision (ROD). Before any Federal funding can be received, the ROD must be in place.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA)’s Record of Decision (ROD) marks the end of a thorough and extensive process to identify and then avoid, minimize or mitigate possible impacts to communities, historic structures and natural resources such as parks, wetlands and streams. The ROD summarizes the purpose and need of the project, the alternatives considered, the comments received during the review period and responses to those comments, the factors that support the selection of the proposed alternative, and the commitments to be carried into further engineering and construction of the project.
Record of Decision Press Release
88.49 KB
MTA & FTA correspondence regarding approval of ROD modification
968.8 KB
Record of Decision Document
Purple Line Record of Decision
176.92 KB
Attachment A: Commitments and Mitigation Measures
232.27 KB
Attachment B: Section 106 Programmatic Agreement
316.39 KB
Attachment A: Undertaking Location Map
639.31 KB
Attachment B: NCPC Correspondence
1.09 MB
Attachment C: APE and Historic Properties
21.74 MB
Attachment D: AHCP Correspondence
115.3 KB
Attachment E: BW Parkway Minimization Measures
40.11 KB
Attachment F: Unanticipated Discoveries for Archeological Properties Including Human Remains
43.81 KB
Attachment G: National Park Service, National Capital Region Guidelines for Tree Preservatio
13.97 KB
Attachment C: FEIS Comments and Responses
5.55 MB
Comment Records: Agencies
644.07 KB
Comment Records: Elected Officials
10.05 MB
Comment Records: Organizations
24.6 MB
Comment Records 5–100
390 KB
Comment Records 102–200
1.96 MB
Comment Records 201–300
352.19 KB
Comment Records 301–400
363.97 KB
Comment Records 401–500
1.45 MB
Comment Records 501–600
515.31 KB
Comment Records 601–700
32.73 MB
Comment Records 701–800
15.26 MB
Comment Records 801–900
8.33 MB
Comment Records 901–1038
3.96 MB
Attachment D: Final Section 4(f) Evaluation
49.49 MB
Attachment E: Agency Correspondence
24.69 MB
Attachment F: Design Refinements since the August 2013 FEIS
221.03 KB
Attachment G: Errata Sheet for August 2013 FEIS
49.32 KB
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) builds upon the Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) completed in October 2008. The FEIS assesses the potential transportation and environmental impacts and benefits of the Purple Line Preferred Alternative and the No Build Alternative. The FEIS was prepared by FTA, in cooperation with MTA, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). It includes a Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation, prepared in accordance with Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966, as well as other applicable laws. The FEIS addresses comments on the AA/DEIS, guides decision-making, and meets the federal and state regulatory obligations of FTA and Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA).
FEIS Document – Volume I
Table of Contents
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Executive Summary
456.68 KB
Chapter 1 - Purpose and Need
1.41 MB
Chapter 2 - Alternatives Considered
2.33 MB
Chapter 3 - Transportation Effects
364.77 KB
Chapter 4 - Environmental Resources, Impacts, and Mitigation
12.52 MB
Chapter 5 - Overview of Construction Activities
2.96 MB
Chapter 6 - Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation
17.44 MB
Chapter 7 - Indirect and Cumulative Effects
525.31 KB
Chapter 8 - Public Involvement and Agency Outreach
155.8 KB
Chapter 9 - Evaluation of Alternatives
152.79 KB
Appendix A – AA/DEIS Comments and Responses
1.2 MB
Appendix B – List of Preparers
120.94 KB
Appendix C – List of FEIS Recipients
107.9 KB
Appendix D – References
342.47 KB
Appendix E – Glossary of Terms
183.03 KB
Appendix F – List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
141.23 KB
Appendix G – Agency Correspondence
11.12 MB
Appendix H – Draft Section 106 Programmatic Agreement
226.36 KB
Appendix I – Section 4(f) Evaluation Materials
3.95 MB
FEIS Document – Volume II
Conceptual Engineering Plans
238.88 MB
Environmental Resource Mapping
47.45 MB
FEIS Document – Volume III
Technical Report: Air Quality
1.71 MB
Technical Report: Capital Costs
1.11 MB
Technical Report: Economic Effects
869.26 KB
Technical Report: Noise
2.58 MB
Technical Report: Social Effects and Land Use Planning
5.99 MB
Technical Report: Supplemental Hazardous Materials
97.09 MB
Technical Report: Supporting Documentation for Alternatives Development
17.36 MB
Technical Report: Traffic Analysis
3.89 MB
Technical Report: Travel Forecast
1.13 MB
Technical Report: Vibration
2 MB
Technical Report: Water Resources
54.99 MB
FEIS Document – Volume IV
AA/DEIS Public Comments – Agencies
28.59 MB
AA/DEIS Public Comments – Anonymous/Unknown
4.12 MB
AA/DEIS Public Comments – Citizens
141.6 MB
AA/DEIS Public Comments – Civic/Community Organizations
54.85 MB
AA/DEIS Public Comments – Elected Officials
20.34 MB
AA/DEIS Public Comments – Petitions
6.81 MB
Potential impacts of the alternatives under consideration are presented in the AA/DEIS along with information on their benefits and costs. This document also proposes ways to avoid or reduce the possible impacts that could result from the alternatives under consideration. In addition, the AA/DEIS estimates the capital and operating and maintenance costs, the ridership, and cost effectiveness of each alternative. The AA/DEIS for the Purple Line follows the relevant FTA’s guidelines.
The AA/DEIS was available for public review for 90 days from October 17, 2008 to January 14, 2009. During this time, the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) held a series of public meetings and accepted and recorded public comments on the document and the project. The State of Maryland considered the public comments in making the decision on which alternative it selected. The Preferred Alternative was selected by Governor O'Malley in August 2009.
AA/DEIS Document
AA/DEIS Document
36.33 MB
Executive Summary
702.19 KB
AA/DEIS Document by Chapter
Table of Contents
58.77 KB
Executive Summary
720.53 KB
Chapter 1 - Purpose and Need
1.57 MB
Chapter 2 - Alternatives Considered
3.18 MB
Chapter 3 - Transportation and Traffic
747.05 KB
Chapter 4 - Environmental Resources, Impacts, and Mitigation
24.63 MB
Chapter 5 - Costs and Funding
122.69 KB
Chapter 6 - Evaluation of Alternatives
125.69 KB
Glossary and Acronyms
119.79 KB
List of Recipients
84.95 KB
List of Preparers
120.75 KB
AA/DEIS Technical Reports
Air Quality Technical Report
4.84 MB
Architectural History Technical Report
6.76 MB
Capital Cost Estimating Methodology Technical Report
1.07 MB
Conceptual Plans Technical Report
63.84 MB
BRT Alternatives: Low Investment Option
11.54 MB
BRT Alternatives: Medium Investment Option
13.36 MB
BRT Alternatives: High Investment Option
19.75 MB
LRT Alternatives: Low Investment Option
24.41 MB
LRT Alternatives: Medium Investment Option
14.69 MB
LRT Alternatives: High Investment Option
19.75 MB
Definition of Alternatives Technical Report
5.35 MB
Energy Technical Report
427.51 KB
Geotechnical Data Technical Report
83.43 MB
Hazardous Materials Technical Report
8.91 MB
Natural Resources Technical Report
29.65 MB
Noise and Vibration Technical Report
1.37 MB
Operating and Maintenance Cost Estimate Technical Report
490.42 KB
Preliminary Section 4(f) Evaluation Technical Report
6.18 MB
Public Outreach and Coordination Technical Report
41.12 MB
Socioeconomic Technical Report
14.66 MB
Traffic Analysis Technical Report
8.15 MB
Travel Demand Forecasting Technical Report
1.26 MB
In accordance with the Forest Conservation Act regulations, forest mitigation will be required for unavoidable impacts to forests associated with Purple Line project and the proposed wetland and stream mitigation sites. The Forest Conservation Plan (FCP) is a document that outlines the specific strategies for retaining, protecting, and reforesting or afforesting areas for a project, pursuant to the 1991 Maryland Forest Conservation Act. This plan identifies the limit-of-disturbance of the project, forest stand boundaries, forest impact areas, and specimen trees for removal.
Forest Conservation Plan
30.32 MB
A Forest Stand Delineation (FSD) was conducted in 2010 and refined in 2013 to account for all design refinements. The FSD evaluated all areas within the project limits and defined forested areas in accordance with Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) technical definition of a forest. Forested areas were analyzed and documented including size, composition, and health. The FSD was approved by DNR and has served as the foundation of the Forest Conservation Plan (FCP) associated with the project. The FSD study area for this project is an approximately 16-mile, east-west corridor between Bethesda and New Carrollton, Maryland and is located within the Anacostia, Potomac and Rock Creek watersheds, all of which are part of the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Forest Stand Delineation Report
4.75 MB
