Photo by: John Robson
www.mass.gov/southcoastrail
South Coast Rail Achieves a Major Milestone
On November 1, 2013, the Secretary of Energy and
Environmental Affairs issued a Certificate on South
Coast Rail’s final environmental report, determining
that it adequately and properly complies with state
regulations. Secretary Richard K. Sullivan confirmed the
US Army Corps of Engineers’ (the Corps) identification
of the Stoughton rail alternative as offering the least
environmental damage. The decision allows MassDOT
to proceed with final design and permitting of the
long-awaited project. South Coast Rail can advance to
construction once the final design is completed and
state and federal permits are secured.
The Corps and MassDOT released the Final
Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental
Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR) for public review on
September 23, 2013. The combined federal and state
document was produced by the Corps and summarized
the extensive environmental review of the project.
MassDOT adopted the federal document (FEIS) as
the state final impact report (FEIR). During the 30-day
comment period, MassDOT hosted two Open Houses
and provided a fact sheet and summary of the document.
The FEIS/FEIR summarized alternatives for restoring
train service to the South Coast. It outlined the Corps’
conclusion that there is no practicable alternative to the
Stoughton Electric Alternative with less environmental
impact. The document showed how MassDOT complied
with the requirements of the Certificate on the Draft
Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). It also confirmed
MassDOT’s choice of the Stoughton route as the
preferred alternative.
The Certificate
The 54-page Certificate provides a detailed synopsis
of the FEIS/FEIR and key elements of the project.
Secretary Sullivan noted the extensive stakeholder
involvement in the environmental review process and
thanked the Commuter Rail Task Force, Interagency
Coordinating Group and members of the public
for their participation in the process. More than
40 agencies, elected officials, municipalities and
individuals submitted comments on the FEIS/FEIR.
The Certificate notes that the preferred alternative
“emerged from a robust and detailed alternatives
analysis.” It requires additional technical analysis
to identify wetland replication/restoration sites and
develop specific and detailed mitigation plans to address
South Coast Rail - December 2013 | Page 1
impacts to wetlands
and rare species.
MassDOT provided
information
consistent with the
level of conceptual
design, but agrees
that more details
and design are
required in the
permitting process.
The Certificate
reviews the planned
stations and layover
facilities on the
Fall River and New
Bedford lines. It
Governor Deval Patrick announces
summarizes data
publication of the FEIS/FEIR.
provided on multiple
topics, including economic development and land use;
traffic and transportation; wetlands; stormwater; rare
species and wildlife; fisheries; biodiversity and wildlife
habitat; open space and conservation lands; coastal
resources; Chapter 91 licensing and public benefits
determination; air quality and greenhouse gas emissions;
noise and vibration; environmental justice; cultural
resources; and mitigation and Section 61 findings.
The Certificate lists the forms of mitigation MassDOT
has proposed to avoid, minimize and mitigate project
impacts. The FEIS/FEIR identifies the mitigation and
responsible parties dealing with traffic and transportation;
safety; smart growth and the Corridor Plan; visual, noise
and vibration impacts; and development of a Cultural
Resource Monitoring Program and a plan to minimize
adverse impacts on historic properties. Key commitments
include, among others:
• Undertaking wetland creation and restoration to
meet state and federal requirements and conducting
post-construction monitoring for up to 10 years.
• Acquiring land or providing financial support to
protect the habitat of several rare species, as well as
funding a study to help develop long-term protective
measures for the species.
• Installing wildlife crossings to help protect state-
listed wildlife and a number of other activities to
enhance biodiversity.
• Implementing mitigation to lessen construction
impacts with a wide variety of measures and practices.
The full Certificate is posted on the project website at
www.southcoastrail.com/downloads/feir_110113.pdf.
As design advances, MassDOT will meet with the
wetlands subcommittee of the Interagency Coordinating
Group (ICG) to develop final mitigation plans for
impacts to wetlands and rare species. MassDOT will
develop a Draft Mitigation Plan in consultation with
the wetlands subcommittee and file the plan with the
Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) unit
for public review and comment.
The Corps’ federal process will conclude when it issues a
Record of Decision (ROD). The ROD, anticipated by mid2014, will include a final Programmatic Agreement for
cultural resources, as well as wetland mitigation plans,
and it will also serve as the Section 404 Provisional
Permit. The Section 404 Permit will become final after
the Massachusetts wetlands permits are issued during
the final design process.
MassDOT Begins Rail Upgrades on the South Coast
On November 14, 2013, MassDOT announced the beginning of
construction to rehabilitate the Fall River and New Bedford railroad
lines to improve freight service and allow for planned freight
expansion. The lines in the “southern triangle” are currently used
for freight rail. The condition of the track limits current freight
service to 5 miles per hour in some places. The upgrades will
strengthen the track for these operations and respond to requests
from the Federal Railroad Administration.
Beginning this fall and continuing in spring 2014, contractors will work
on the 33 miles of right-of-way leading to Fall River and New Bedford.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts bought the rail lines from CSX
Transportation in 2010 to secure the right-of-way for future South
Coast Rail service. Thousands of spikes will be placed to complete
these improvements.
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Next Steps
With the completion of the MEPA and NEPA
process, responsibility for managing the project
will begin to shift to the MBTA’s Design and
Construction Department. The MBTA is organizing
its project team and looking ahead to advertising for
permitting and final design consultants.
The project team will continue a robust outreach
and engagement effort and will update the
Commuter Rail Task Force, agencies, ICG and the
public on permitting and development of the Draft
Mitigation Plan. Information will be posted on the
project website at www.mass.gov/southcoastrail and
shared via email. To receive project emails, contact
Project Manager Jean Fox at Jean.Fox@state.ma.us to
be added to the distribution list.
Communities Update Designated
Priority Areas
As South Coast communities prepare for economic
development and land use changes, they are updating
their planning to protect the character and expand the
economy of the region. This involves each city and town
identifying Priority Protection Areas (PPAs), locations
that should be preserved for environmental or cultural
reasons, and Priority Development Areas (PDAs), locations
suitable for economic development or redevelopment.
This process began in 2008, when three regional
planning agencies (RPAs) began working with South
Coast communities to identify such areas for the
first time. Actively planning for smart growth in the
South Coast is a central theme of the South Coast Rail
Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan (the
Corridor Plan), which provides both a smart growth and
preservation framework.
Five years later, it was time to take a fresh look at
the designations. The three local planning agencies,
Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic
Development District (SRPEDD), the Metropolitan Area
Planning Council (MAPC) and the Old Colony Planning
Council (OCPC) developed an updated approach. They
included more than 50 key decision-making layers
of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data in a
mapping tool that could be used “on the road” in public
meetings for the update. This work would either confirm
that designations were still appropriate years later or
revise previous designations in light of new information.
When cities and towns first did this work, it was with
maps spread on tables in meeting rooms. This time,
towns, planners and the RPAs had a full set of GIS
SRPEDD hosts a community workshop
on the Five-Year Priority Update.
data: information on zoning,
wetlands, property lines and
much more. Moreover, the
drawing board was a computer
and there were instant answers
to questions about boundaries
and other details.
Here’s how the work was done. The cities and towns
worked with SRPEDD, MAPC and OCPC on a threephase process: first the RPAs and planners briefed
their local boards and elected officials on the process.
Then the RPAs and community staff worked together
to review the 2008 designations, look at changes in
the communities and discuss proposed revisions. The
third phase included a public workshop in each city
and town. This effort included a total of 94 meetings
– three in each of the 31 communities, plus one at the
Westport Master Plan forum. The participants worked
to better define PPAs and PDAs based on the updated
GIS data “layers.” This was an essential part of the
process – inviting those who live and work on the
South Coast to influence decisions about protecting
valued resources and provide appropriate locations
for more housing and economic development. The
RPAs conducted two regional information sessions on
the mapping, where they explained the effort and the
next steps. This detailed and dynamic mapping tool
has become a template for similar work in other parts
of the state.
Combining the technical expertise of the planning
agencies with the public’s extensive local knowledge,
the 5-Year Update proved to be a successful process
with a meaningful product. Grant King of SRPEDD
described the update effort as a “marriage of
technology and civic engagement.”
To learn more about this work, the public process
or the portable GIS map used at the meetings, visit
www.srpedd.org/scr-update.asp.
South Coast Rail - December 2013 | Page 3
Photo Credit: Google Images
Seventeen Communities Receive
Technical Assistance Funding
For the sixth year in a row, MassDOT and the Executive
Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED)
have teamed up to provide Technical Assistance (TA)
grants to South Coast communities. The grants fund
projects supporting the South Coast Rail Economic
Development and Land Use Corridor Plan to prepare for
South Coast Rail through sustainable development and
appropriate land use.
This year, 17 communities were awarded a total of
$245,000 in TA Funds to implement their successful
proposals. At an October Commuter Rail Task Force
Meeting in Norton, Jean Fox announced the awards to:
Attleboro, Berkley, Bridgewater, Dartmouth, Dighton, Fall
River, Foxborough, Freetown, Marion, Middleborough,
North Attleboro, Rehoboth, Sharon, Somerset,
Stoughton, Taunton and Westport. The communities will
work with their regional planning agencies to actualize
their projects as described in the application.
Acushnet Uses TA Funds to Complete
a Smart Growth Plan
Smart growth principles are critical planning elements
of South Coast Rail and other economic development
on the South Coast. Smart growth is a planning concept
that aims to cluster jobs, homes and shops in places that
can be easily reached (often by public transportation)
and are already populated with homes and jobs. The
concept also encourages preserving designated natural
resources, open spaces or protected areas.
Working with SRPEDD, the Town of Acushnet has
developed and finalized the Acushnet Village Smart
Growth Plan. The Plan focuses on appropriate areas of
development versus locations that should be preserved.
Priority development areas include locations the town has
identified as being suitable for economic development,
including infrastructure improvements and more housing.
Slocum Street will see “Complete Streets” improvements.
By confining development to specific areas, the Town is
able to preserve farmland, woodlands and open space.
At the outset, the Town inventoried all natural boundaries
and existing infrastructure. This effort included mapping
wetlands, protected land, working farmland, bus routes,
sewered areas and proposed South Coast Rail tracks. The
Town then identified a Residential Village District and a
Riverfront Business/Commercial District as projected
growth areas. These recently rezoned areas are well
suited for development and revitalization. To support this
growth, the town incorporated three multimodal “routes”
into the plan: the Acushnet River Trail, a paved waterfront
walking and biking trail; a Business and Commercial
District Bypass Road to more efficiently connect the
district on South Main Street to Slocum Street; and
Slocum Street “Complete Streets” improvements. By
targeting development friendly locations and providing
access to them, Acushnet has successfully protected
areas that reflect its character as a charming rural
community that welcomes industry.
Connect with MassDOT for transportation news and updates!
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Contact Us
To ask questions or let the project team know
about issues or concerns, please contact us at:
Jean.Fox@state.ma.us
(857) 368-8853
To learn more about the project and sign up for
email updates and advisories, visit the website at:
www.mass.gov/southcoastrail
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