Comments will be accepted until September 10, 2010

 RICHMOND — Due to the volume of comments received, North Carolina, Virginia and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have extended the comment period on the Tier II Draft Environmental Impact Statement which covers the portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) corridor between Richmond, VA and Raleigh, NC. Comments will be accepted on the document until September 10, 2010.

“While we received significant popular support for the project, we also learned a great deal from concerned property owners, business people and community leaders on how to improve the project,” said NCDOT Rail Division Director Pat Simmons. “These meetings were a great way for us to hear what citizens along the corridor think about our plans.”

Thelma Drake, agency director of DRPT, stated, “This document represents a key step toward implementing high speed rail service on the East Coast. The large public response confirms the importance of this project.”

The SEHSR project proposes to implement approximately 162 miles of high speed rail as part of an overall plan to extend high speed passenger rail service from the Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington, D.C.) southward through Virginia to Charlotte, NC.  The Richmond to Raleigh portion includes nearly 100 new bridges/overpasses that, when combined with existing bridges/overpasses, will create a fully grade-separated system to ensure the safety of passengers and train crews, motorists and the surrounding community.

A series of eight public hearings were held in Virginia and North Carolina in July to provide the public an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed designs and the associated environmental impacts. After the close of the public comment period, a recommendation report will be developed, based on input from the public and regulatory agencies, followed by a Final Environmental Impact Statement. Another series of public hearings will be scheduled after the FRA issues a Record of Decision for the project. A Record of Decision for the project means the federal government has granted approval to start acquiring right of way and begin the final detailed design that would lead to construction, subject to funding.

The public may comment on the draft document by using the online comment form at www.sehsr.org or by mailing comments to:

SEHSR Comments

NCDOT Rail Division

1553 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-1553

SEHSR Comments

Public Information Office, DRPT

600 E. Main St

Suite 2102

Richmond, VA 23219

Comments must be received or postmarked by September 10, 2010. For more information, visit www.sehsr.org

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