The Federal Transit Administration and the Tri-Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority recently issued a notice of availability to let agencies and the public know the environmental assessment for the Valley Link Rail Project is available to view and provide input.

The assessment, which is pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, analyzes “potential environmental effects associated with construction and operation of the Valley Link Rail Project.”

According to the notice of availability, the project’s environmental assessment has been public since Dec. 10 — project representatives held two public meetings last month in Tracy and Livermore so that residents could provide comments. Written comments can also be submitted until 5 p.m. on Jan. 10.

The full Valley Link rail project aims to construct a 42-mile rail line linking the Dublin-Pleasanton BART Station to the North Lathrop ACE Station in San Joaquin County.

The first phase of the project — which is slated to begin this year — will start off with a new passenger rail service along a 22-mile corridor between the existing Dublin/Pleasanton BART station and a proposed Mountain House Community Station in San Joaquin County.

“The proposed project would provide an all-day bi-directional passenger rail service at frequent intervals using zero-emission multiple unit vehicles,” according to the notice of availability.

The notice states that the project includes the construction of a new Dublin/Pleasanton station near the existing BART station; a new Isabel Station within the Interstate 580 median with adjacent parking on a 24-acre site along East Airway Boulevard south of I-580 and east of the Isabel Avenue I-580 overcrossing in Livermore; and a Southfront Road Station also in Livermore on a seven-acre site along Southfront Road between McGraw Avenue and Franklin Lane.

Finally, a Mountain House Community Station would be constructed north of Interstate 205 on an approximately 54-acre site west of Mountain House Parkway.

“The alignment would be constructed within a combination of the existing I-580 freeway median, the existing transportation corridor owned by Alameda County (formerly Southern Pacific Transcontinental Railroad alignment), existing Caltrans right-of-way (ROW) adjacent to westbound I-580, and new ROW to be acquired for the proposed project,” according to the notice.

As for the environmental assessment, its findings have determined that construction and operation of the new rail project could result in a myriad of potential environmental impacts to things like agriculture, air quality, geology and much more, according to the notice. 

However, the notice also states that “avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures have been identified, where relevant, to avoid or reduce potential adverse impacts to meet federal requirements and/or state and local requirements.”

To view the full environmental assessment and to provide written comments on the Valley Link Rail Project, visit www.getvalleylinked.com.