advertisement

---

Due to the volume of comments received, the states of North Carolina and Virginia, and the Federal Railroad Administration announced today they are extending the public comment period on the Tier II Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Richmond, Va.-to-Raleigh, N.C. segment of the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) corridor, according to a press release. The North Carolina and Virginia departments of transportation held eight public hearings in July. The comment period now has been extended to Sept. 10.

“While we received significant popular support for the project, we also learned a great deal from concerned property owners, business people and community leaders on how to improve the project,” said North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division Director Pat Simmons in a prepared statement.

The SEHSR project calls for implementing about 162 miles of high-speed passenger-rail service from Charlotte, N.C., through Virginia, and would be an extension of the Northeast Corridor. The Richmond-to-Raleigh segment includes nearly 100 new bridges and overpasses that, when combined with existing bridges and overpasses, will create a fully grade-separated system.

Once the public comment period closes, the states will develop a recommendation report based on input from the public and regulatory agencies. After that, the parties will complete a Final Environmental Impact Statement.