At the August 26th meeting of the Five Points CAC, residents made it very clear they DO NOT support the use of the Norfolk Southern rail corridor (NC3) for high-speed rail, but agreed that high-speed rail is an important component of a comprehensive transit system for Raleigh and the Triangle. The final votes were...

You have two choices for submitting your comments to the NC Department of Transportation Rail Division, the state agency supporting the high-speed rail project: an online version and a paper version.

QUESTION 1: The DEIS showed no difference in noise and vibration impacts between NC1/2 and NC3. A more recent handout from NCDOT-Rail (provided to folks at the July 26 public hearing) indicates greater impacts for NC3, including "severe" impacts for 19 noise receptors and 99 versus 48 vibration-impacted structures.

• What is the source of these new impact numbers?
  
  
• Where are these noise receptors? 

ANSWER: The NC3 alternative, due to its late inclusion in the SEHSR project, was inadvertently excluded from the Section V noise and vibration analysis prepared for the DEIS. This omission was subsequently identified and Parsons Transportation Group (PTG) of Chicago, who prepared the original analysis, assessed the NC3 alternative in early July. The impact numbers they developed were provided in the handout at the public hearing in Raleigh on July 26th. The updated assessment will be included in the final environmental impact statement.

It should be noted that the updated assessment of the NC3 alternative applied the same operating characteristics that were used to assess the NC1 and NC2 alternatives. Namely, it assumed 8 SEHSR trains, 8 intermodal trains, and 4 freight trains.

Additionally, it should be noted that the potential noise and vibration impacts included in the public hearing handout do not account for any impact to businesses or residences that would potentially be relocated. For noise, along NC3, if you eliminate estimated relocations, there would be 4 fewer severe impacts and 3 fewer impacts than reported. None of the reported noise impacts along NC1 or NC2 are estimated relocations. For vibration, along NC1 and NC2, if you eliminate estimated relocations, there would be 8 fewer impacts than reported. Along NC3, if you eliminate estimated relocations, there would be 30 fewer impacts than reported.

The potentially impacted noise receptors along the NC3 alternative are generally located along the first and second row of structures adjacent to the existing Norfolk Southern line when the second row is close (i.e., within 200 feet of the centerline). The bulk of the NC3 impacts identified are between Fairview Road and Peace Street.