SEHSR Project Update Meeting – Wake Forest and North Raleigh, NC (north of Whittaker Mill Road) Tuesday, May 15, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm North Raleigh Hilton, 3415 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh NC 27609 The public is invited to attend a Project Update Meeting for the Southeast High Speed Rail Project. In response to comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), revisions have been made to proposed bridges and underpasses, rail crossing closures and other road work throughout the corridor, including modifications at the following locations in downtown Wake Forest and north Raleigh, NC: Elm Avenue Steeple Run Drive Durant Road New Hope Church Road Wolfpack Lane In addition, a revision has been made to the preferred rail alternative presented in the February 2012 Draft Recommendation Report for Section U. The affected area is in the vicinity of Rogers Road in Wake Forest. Click on the following link to see the Final Recommendation Report. Click on the links below to view maps of the preferred rail alternative and revised road work in Section U and Section V (north of Whittaker Mill Road)

New! Recommendation Report Now Available Online

May 2012 North Carolina and Virginia have presented the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) with a report that identifies the two state’s recommendations for the preferred rail alternative for each of the 26 sections of the SEHSR corridor between Richmond, VA, and Raleigh, NC. To review the document, please click here.

SEHSR Project Update Meeting – Raleigh, NC

The public is invited to attend a Project Update Meeting to learn about a new rail alternative developed for the SEHSR corridor in downtown Raleigh, NC. The meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Raleigh Convention Center, 500 S. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27601.

Background
In the summer of 2010, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) held a series of Public Hearings on a Draft Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Richmond, VA, to Raleigh, NC, portion of the SEHSR corridor. In response to comments on the DEIS, a new rail alternative has been developed for downtown Raleigh (between Whitaker Mill Road and the Boylan Wye).

Download the Maps
Alternative NC5 was developed in response to strong public opposition to Alternative NC3, as well as to the City of Raleigh’s opposition to the disruption of traffic and pedestrian patterns in the area around Jones Street and Glenwood South presented by Alternatives NC1 and NC2. It was also developed to minimize impacts to the freight operations within the Norfolk Southern and CSX rail yards. Last, Alternative NC5 was developed to avoid impacts to historic resources listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Along with the development of Alternative NC5, revisions have been made to Alternatives NC1, NC2, and NC3 based on comments on the DEIS. All alternatives have removed the bridge on Hargett Street over the railroad, and would instead close the Hargett Street railroad crossing. In addition, a pedestrian bridge along Jones Street over the railroad corridor was added to Alternative NC3 (as well as the new Alternative NC5) to mitigate the effects of the road closure. Click on the following links to download the new maps for downtown Raleigh: Alternative NC1, Alternative NC2, Alternative NC3, Alternative NC5.

Comment Here
Public comments will be used in the evaluation of alternatives for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). You may provide comments via email. Comments may also be submitted at the Project Update Meeting or by mailing to: SEHSR Comments, NCDOT Rail Division, 1553 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1553. Please provide comments by October 27, 2011.

SEHSR Project Update Meeting – Brunswick County, VA

Download the Maps
Section D: Alternative VA4 was developed after consultation with the resource agencies responsible for reviewing the SEHSR project (US Army Corps of Engineers, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Virginia Division of Environmental Quality). During discussions with these agencies, it was determined that none of the existing alternatives would satisfy their conflicting concerns (endangered species and historic resources on Alternatives VA1/VA3 and wetland impacts on Alternative VA2). Click on the links to download the maps showing Alternative VA4 in Section D: map 1 and map 2.

Section G: Alternative VA4 was developed based on discussions with local citizens at the public hearing held in Alberta, VA, on July 15, 2011, and input from the resource agencies. It seeks to address public concerns about the property impacts associated with Alternative VA2, and to minimize impacts to the Tourist Guest House historic property. Click on the links to download the maps showing Alternative VA4 in Section G:
map 1 and map 2.

Comment Here
Public comments will be used in the evaluation of alternatives for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). You may provide comments via email . Comments may also be submitted at the Project Update Meeting or by mailing to: SEHSR Comments, NCDOT Rail Division, 1553 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1553. Please provide comments by August 15, 2011.

Tier II DEIS, Richmond to Raleigh

The public comment period for the DEIS
closed on September 10, 2010.

North Carolina, Virginia and the Federal Railroad Administration announce the completion of a draft environmental statement (DEIS) that is a key step toward implementing high speed rail service in the two states and the Southeast.  The Tier II DEIS covers the portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) corridor between Richmond, VA, and Raleigh, NC. Click here to visit the DEIS website, where you can download the DEIS and associated public hearing maps.

Public Comments Now Under Review

The SEHSR planning and engineering team wants to thank all who attended one of our eight public hearings and/or one of the several public hearings held by local municipalities this summer, and the many of you who submitted comments through the public review process. We received over 1,800 comments from individuals and agencies in Virginia and North Carolina. We heard your comments, and are at work now compiling and analyzing the input and evaluating options. The public input will be considered along with other data and constraints in the selection of a recommended alternative. We anticipate this work to take several more months.

We want to thank you again for your interest in this project and for your comments and suggestions. Please continue to visit this website for periodic updates on work progress. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) or the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) project manager at the numbers below.

Marc Hamel
SEHSR Tier II EIS Project Manager
NCDOT Rail Division
919-707-4705

Emily Stock
Manager of Rail Planning
VA DRPT
804-786-1052

All Aboard!...SEHSR is now on Twitter
For the latest news and happenings on the Southeast High Speed Rail Project, come check us out on Twitter.

The Virginia-North Carolina Interstate High Speed Rail Compact held its first meeting on July 12. Click here to watch video from that meeting.