Another Milestone for METRO

METRO recently reached another important milestone in building its five light-rail lines.

The Federal TransitAdministration (FTA) granted final approval of the Southeast Corridor Supplemental Final Environmental Statement (SFEIS) through a document called a Record of Decision (ROD).

Click here for the mitigation and monitoring plan. Read comments made to the SFEIS here. Read the amended memorandum of agreement here. Finally, click here to read about the modified Southeast Corridor storage facility.

The FTA said its decision was partly based on the fact that the project would be a permanent investment and "this new transit system has the potential to positively influence economic development in the Southeast Corridorconsistent with community plans."

This is METRO's second milestone attained this month. Earlier in July, the FTA granted a ROD for the North Corridor's light-rail line. The Record of Decisions for the North Corridor and the Southeast Corridor mean that these two projects satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and other legal requirements.

Once we have these Records of Decision, METRO can apply for federal funds. In addition to seeking federal funding for these two lines, we plan to apply for federal money for the University Corridorlight-rail line, which is still in the environmental process.