Written by
Marybeth Luczak, Editor-in-Chief
With CHSRA board approval on Jan. 20 for the Burbank-Los Angeles segment, it’s one step closer to being “shovel-ready” once funding becomes available.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Jan. 20 certified the final Burbank to Los Angeles Environmental Impact Report/Statement (EIR/EIS) and approved the approximately 14-mile section of the 500-mile Phase 1 high-speed line Railroad between San Francisco and Los Angeles/Anaheim.
The final EIR/EIS was published in November and presented to the Board during the 19-20 January meetings.
Under the HSR construction alternative of the final EIR/EIS, the Burbank-Los Angeles section will become the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s existing right-of-way adjacent to the Los Angeles River through the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and Los Angeles (see map below).
The section will connect the high-speed rail system from a new Hollywood Burbank Airport Station to the existing Los Angeles Union Station, providing an additional connection between downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.
CHSRA said the next steps under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) “include filing a CEQA determination notice and issuance of a decision record consistent with NEPA requirements” — making the project closer to ‘shovel maturity’ once funding becomes available.
CHSRA CEO Brian Kelly
“Today’s ones [Jan. 20] The approval marks a historic milestone and moves us closer to delivering the first high-speed rail system in the United States,” said Brian Kelly, CEO of CHSRA. “We appreciate the continued support and collaboration with local and regional government and stakeholders as we work together to improve transportation in California.”
CHSRA is committed to completing the Phase 1 environmental process by 2023. Board approval of the Burbank-Los Angeles section paves the way for full CEQA clearance of nearly 300 miles of the 500-mile Phase 1 alignment.
The Board certified Bakersfield for Palmdale Final EIR/EIS in August 2021 and approved the approximately 80 mile segment. In September 2020, it approved the final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report/Statement for the 50-mile Central Valley Wye section of the Merced to Fresno route. “This action, coupled with the release of decision minutes for the final ‘Locally Generated Alternative’ in 2018, a 23-mile route between Shafter and Bakersfield in the Central Valley, provided full environmental clearance for 171 miles of the Merced-to-Merced high-speed rail alignment Bakersfield,” according to CHSRA.
The Board is expected to review final environmental documents for the San Jose to Merced and San Francisco to San Jose sections of the project in April and June 2022, CHSRA reported.
Comments are closed.