FTA Oversight Procedures - Federal Transit Administration - U.S. ...

2.2 The New Starts Process
New Starts projects proposed for funding assistance under 49 U.S.C. § 5309 must emerge from a
metropolitan and statewide planning process consistent with 23 CFR Part 450. In addition, to be
eligible for New Starts funding, the proposed project must be based on the results of an alternatives
analysis (AA). The AA incorporates information about the benefits, costs, and impacts of alternative
approaches to a transportation issue in a given corridor and leads to the adoption of a locally preferred
alternative (LPA). The alternative approaches evaluated in an AA must include a no-build alternative,
a baseline alternative, and an appropriate number of build alternatives. When prompted by the project
sponsor, FTA will determine on a case-by-case basis whether a project’s no-build alternative also
satisfies the baseline alternative requirement. The LPA must be selected from the evaluated alternative
strategies and formally adopted and included in the Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MPO)
financially-constrained Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Prior to submittal of a request for a
project to enter New Starts preliminary engineering (PE), the Project sponsor must obtain FTA’s
approval of the baseline alternative.
Consistent with 49 U.S.C. §§ 5309(e)(6) and 5328(a)(2), FTA will approve or disapprove entry of a
proposed project into PE within 30 days of receipt of a formal request from the project sponsor. A
proposed project can be considered for advancement into PE only if:
• AA has been completed;
• The proposed project is adopted as the locally preferred alternative by the MPO into its
financially constrained LRTP;
• Other applicable federal and FTA program requirements have been met such as FTA's
evaluation of the project as described in 49 CFR § 611.9-13.
2.3 The NEPA Process for New Starts Projects
There are two approaches to conducting the NEPA process for New Starts projects:
• In the first approach, the AA provides sufficient environmental information and investment
analyses to support the selection of a preferred alternative. The initial NEPA document,
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) or draft EA, is developed subsequent to and
using the analysis from the AA. Therefore the initial NEPA document focuses on the
preferred alternative.
• With the second approach, a DEIS or draft EA is part of the analysis contained in the AA.
The range of alternatives is considered. At the time the project sponsor requests entry to PE,
the locally preferred alternative will be selected but the DEIS or EA may or may not be
complete.
With either approach, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) or final EA is usually
developed during PE. If a project is not categorically excluded under FTA’s NEPA regulations, the
NEPA process is concluded with either a Record of Decision (ROD) or a Finding of No Significant
Impact (FONSI). The process must be concluded prior to approval to enter final design. The ROD or
FONSI includes the decision, identifies the alternatives considered, including the environmentally
OP 32B Environmental Document (NEPA) Review for New Starts Projects
Revision 0, June 2008
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