Norton Gets Extension of Review Period and Additional Public Meeting for the Virginia Avenue Tunnel EIS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-DC) June 24 letter, she was notified today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that the review period for the CSX Virginia Avenue Tunnel project Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be extended from 30 to 60 days and a second public community meeting will be held before the end of the review period. In her letter, Norton requested that the review period be extended to 90 days and that two public meetings be held on the Final EIS. At the end of the review period, the Record of Decision will be issued.

"Although I requested 90 days, I appreciate that the Department of Transportation has extended the review period from 30 to 60 days," said Norton. "I realize that CSX believes that time is of the essence, but a five-volume EIS is a lot for residents to digest and understand. It took time to make the voluminous document accessible to those who desired to study it, and the tunnel is controversial enough to come to grips with the EIS without a process issue involving time. I appreciate the accommodation of the DOT to the community."

CSX's Virginia Avenue Tunnel Project is privately funded, but there are a number of federal properties that will be impacted by construction necessitating the DOT and the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) approvals. In addition, a number of residents have raised concerns about the proximity and duration of the proposed tunnel construction, which would run close to their homes.

Norton has hosted two community meetings with the surrounding community near Capitol Hill, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DDOT, and CSX. She plans to attend tonight's public meeting, the first of two on the Final EIS, hosted by FHWA, DDOT and CSX tonight, Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at the Capitol Skyline Hotel, 10 I Street SW.