20110136 Ver 1_Other Agency Comments_20070808

U.S. F'NVIRON111L,,NFAL PROTL'.C" FION AGENCY
R1:GION 4 RA1,l;1GI I OFFICE
TL RRY SANFROD FFDL:RAL C OUR-1`11( )I.1SLa;
M NFAN' BERN AVENUE'
RALI:RA 1. NURTI I CAROLINA 27601
i)rlte:ArYust 8.2007
M Gregory J. 1borpe. P&D.
N4wmgcr. Project Welopment and 1:-n Ronmental Analysis Brine 1,
North Carolina Department of 1 ranspor'tation
I 'i4h [Mai I Scr� ice Center
Ralci -h, North Carolina 27699 -1.48
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PIC, AM f
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AUG ry
,rt.�r „��.Salem
13.1LC,.I : FPA Review C`oi11111errts o1`the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
Or R -2812. NC 211 Impronvrnenis Hurn NC 73 to the Knehurst traly
circle, ibloorc County. North Carolina
Dcar Dr. "fhorpe:
1he t J.S. Envirm nleml Protection Agency Region 4 (L'11A) has rcvic:NN °cd the
sub.lecvt docun,lerlt and is con-nno ting in accordance "ith Section 09 o 'the Clean Air
.=1c:t and Section I()?(? n orme National L;rw Onnlcntal Policy Act I NIM v 111c
"Ith t_huhna D parin ent of 1 ranspor tattion (;v'('I)O ) and the 1;cdcr rl I h,h,a�'
Administration (11IM'A) propose to %viden NC_'21 I from Nth 73 to the traffic circle in
Phwhurst, NAmuc (ount) Wan approxinrlte cl stance of 7.2 miles. The proposed project
iilehtdc.s a I`61,11--lanc. divided I'acihty with a 16-kmt raised, grained median and 144Blot
outside lanes to accommodate bicycles,
l he propo. eCd prc.�jcct has been in the PA PA /Section 404 Merger process since.
1u cist of 001. According to IPA tracking records. Concurrence Points I was, ib Heel on
August 9. 2001. C`orlcurrenee Point 2 "m signed on August 11. 2002. Concurrence Mints
3 and 4A tivcrc signed on October 26. 2006. The `/'ergo team Nvairect the need ftlr a
1`61111al ('k.lncurrence Point 2A 1ncdhW. 110% prc)Vided e- r11ail rev ievw Connnents on
.lanuary 3. 2006, Ior the F.nyironirlentd Assessment WA). DUC 10 eilrrtimred W{rls emcrrt
W the 111eryer p pews and NC!XYFs e0brts to mininn/c project Impacts'. I1)A had [Qtiv
substantial envinmu-nental concerns FW111 our rca iew ofthe FA.
1'rt���� Z- I r��,tlttcl5
FPA notes the 1i Homing project inlpacr.s to Icc� cnyirrinnlerltal indicators from the
modilic:atio ns made to the preferred Best -fit Alternative with Curb and (iutters and
S1rouidcr �;cctic)11s ft`OMhination ol'Alternatkc 1 and 2 typical sections):

Residential /Business Relocations: 13 /l
I Iaiarllous Material Sitcs: 14*
Sections 106/4(f) Properties: 0/0
ChurcilCS /SCII00IS: 010
Wetlands: 0.81 acres
Streams: 1.009 linear feet
Ripal-ian buflerS: 0
Terrestrial forests: 12.2 acres
Prime farmlands: 0
Noisc: receptors: 14
L.l (.'UmlllLillltlCS: 0
1:ndangercd species: 1 (MA- Ni-,AA)
Archaeological sites: 0
Ail' gLi.tlitl-: 0
The Sti'C'ams in the pr jcct Study area are Classified its WS -111. WatCr supply
waters. There are no critical Water SuppliCS located within the project stLldy ill-Ca. l he
asterisk 14 denotes the maximum dumber of potcntial hazardous material sites Nwithill the
Study corridor and not necessarily all ofthem kvill be impacted by the project. 1�PA
intends to include this information ill the Nf,l'A /Section 404 Merger 01 I_onvironnlcntai
Performance Measures baseline.
Some of thc: specific avoidance and minimizatiOn 111CaSLirCS 111CIlidc steeper fill
slopes in the curb and gLlttcr section of the project and a ?3 -loot raised island median.
I:I'A notes that this commitment ff5 from the CT 4A meeting is different than [he project
description median width of 16 feet. ];1'A further acknowledges the project conlnlitrllents
( "Green sheets) contained in the FONSL inCluding the potential COrlstruction of a
pedestrian tuilllel in the area of the Rattlesnake frail irltcrsecti011. arr updated All-Vey fi)r
MlChaux'S Sumac. and the limitation oil cutting, pine trees ten (10) inches or greater at
specific locations (for Red - cockaded woodpecker SRC Wj habitat). LTA ralueStS
continued Coordinated mth the I.J.S. fish and Wildlite Service and other Nlerge" tealll
agencies Should conditions change or there is a change to project impacts baSCd Lip011 the
various commitments contained in the FONSI Green sheets.
Sumnlary
EPA does not have any enviro11111Cntal objections to the prelCrred alternative and
we acknowledge that efforts were made to avoid and minimize impacts to 'Streams and
\vetlands and to habitat for RCW. HPA notes the general guidance in Appendix D of the
I'ONSI rcoarding Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSATs). F.11A 1)1t11)S to Stay m\ olved In the
N1.1:PA /Section 404 process through hydraulic design and permit review. Should your'
staff' have an}: questions. please have them call me at 919 -856 -4206. Thank you for the
oppOrtLlilill' to Comment.
Sincerely.

Christopher A. Milltsclicr. RLIA/l, CI IMM
MCI-gal-eam Repl-cselitative
NFAIA Program 011-1ce
For: I-ICillZ .1. MUC1IC1% Chid
EPA Region 4 NFITA Program 011-ice
cc: Richard Spencer. USACE.
Clarence Coleman. Fl IWA
John Hoincssy. NCDWQ