Originally Uploaded to flickr by Slideshow Bruce
CSX announced on Wednesday that the company now has the funds and the federal partner needed to begin the Virginia Avenue tunnel expansion project. CSX will contribute $160 million over the next several years to complete the National Gateway project, with the majority of the investment being used to expand the 107-year-old Virginia Avenue tunnel in Southeast. The company also announced its federal partner in the project: the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
What does this mean for the community? The project is now set to begin the environmental impact studies process, also known as the NEPA process, which will now be lead by FHWA with support from DDOT.
The NEPA process includes a “scoping” meeting, the first of two meetings that CSX and FHWA will hold with community members as part of the NEPA process. At the meeting, which is expected to take place in the next few months, community members will once again learn about the project’s purpose. The meeting also marks the start of the 30-day comment period, which offers community members the opportunity to voice their concerns about the project on the record.
From there, CSX will hold an “alternatives” meeting, where project adjustments and alternatives, based on impact statements and studies, will be addressed. At this meeting community members will finally see plans for the project, which was first proposed in the fall of 2009.
Once the NEPA process is complete, CSX will obtain the permits needed to begin work on the tunnel.
CSX spokesman Steve Flippin estimates that the project could take anywhere from four to six years to complete—from the early stages of the NEPA process to the project’s completion. CSX anticipates that the NEPA process could take approximately one year to complete, meaning construction could begin as early as 2012 and last through 2015, with CSX then committed to maintain established green spaces developed post-construction for four to five years following the project’s completion.
Look for more information about the Virginia Ave. project in the weeks and months to come.