20010318 Ver 1_COE_DWR_Permit_Request_20160412

Transportation
February 24, 2016
PAT McCRORY
cover noi-
N[CHOLAS j. TENNYSON
Sea�etary
USACOE NCDWR
2407 West Sr�' Street 943 Washington �quar•e Mall
Washington, NC 27889 Washington, NC 27899
ATTN: Tracey Wheeler� ATTN: Garc;y War•d
NCDOT Coordinator NCDOT Coordinator
Subject: Requestin� Authorization foi° a Proposed Pedestrian Wallcway fi�om NCDOT
visitor's center to Coastal Studies Institlrte in Dare County, North Carolina. WBS
Eleinent Number: 44226
References: USACOE Permit # 199502334 �# 200310156
DWR Certificatiozl # 02-1868
CAMA Permit # 7-9�
The North Carolina Department of Transportatioll (NCDOT) request authorization to the
construct a pedestrian walk way, coiliiecting Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) and NCDOT's
visitor's center in Manteo, Dare County. Tlus walkway will provide walking/biking access for
students and faculty at CSI, to the Town of Manteo, tllrot�gh I�TCDOT's Visitors Center's existing
pedestrian walkwa5�s. Currently, there are no pedestriall sidewalks or trails that link CSI and the
Town of Nlanteo. Students and faculty would l�ave to walk/bike down NC 345 and through US
64/NC 345 intersection, in order to visit the Town of Manteo. NCDOT reviewed this route as an
alternative, and discovered it is not a via.ble option for multiple reasons. This route is a two lane
state highway with significant conunercial traftic traveling to the village of Wanchese. It has a 45
mile per hour speed limit posting, with no provisions for a pedestrian/bike lane. Ther•e are
inultiple hoines aizd businesses, several utilities, aloilg with forested wetlands that border the
highway shoulder. Widening of this route to accomnlodate a ped�strian lane, would result in
iinpacts to business, residential property, utilities and wetlailds. An additional concern with tlus
option is the intersection with US 64 and NC 345. This is one of the busiest four- way
intersections in Dare County, with 5-6 Ianes of traffic to cross. Introducing a bike/pedestrian
travel way across this high volume traffic inte-rsection would create a signi_ficant safety risk, and
decrease the efficiellcy of traffic rnoven�ents through the intez•section.
NCDOT's proposal is to route the pedesh�ian/bike trail do��vn existing secondary state
roads and adjaceilt state property along an eaisting soil pathway. These existing routes provide a
much safer and econoinical option, �vith no in�ipacts to wetland�. This alignment was coordinated
with CSI and Dar•e Couilty. The wetlands and public trust wateis (man-iliade canal) along the
proposed route have been delineated and sho���l on the �ro�ided perinit drawings. Wetland and
� v-Nothing Compares="-,�--
State oY North Carolina j Deparlment of l7ensportatioii � Di�ision I
I 13 Airpo�i Dri��c i Suite I00 � Fdenton, NC 77932
2,7-d82-1850

surface water impacts 11ave been avoided by designing elevated wooden walkways that will span
the length of the surface water and wetland areas. There are two wetland/surface water crossing
areas, show�l on the permit drawings. One is illustrated as L1 and the other L2. The wetland
system at L2 is associated with a NCDOT initigatio�i site. This mitigatioil site was built in
conjunction with the Visitors Center in ?001. The mi.tigation site borders the back side of the
Visitors Center property. NCBOT's pedesh�ian walkway/bike trail proposal includes spanning 60
feet of this wetland mitigation site with an elevated wooden walkway, which corll�ects the
proposed trail to the Visitors Center. The elevated woode�l wallcway will average 7-8 feet in
height above the wetlaild initigation area and be constrlictad witli a S feet wide travel way. Total
length of the elevated wood walkway at L2 is 190 feet, spaniung the c�•eek/canal, proposed
wetland restoration area and existing initigati o�l area. There is �10 proposed wetland fill
associated with this wooden walkway. The alig;tullent of the pedestriall walkway/bike trail across
the mitigation site is in coliflict with a previous t1SACOE 2001 permit conditioil for the Visitors
Center. In order to off-set any potential �legati.v� impact froin crossing the mitigation site with the
elevated wooden walkway, NCDOT is proposilig additional on-site wetland restoration and
hydrologic enhancement to upstream forested wetlands. Tl�iis will be done by the removal of 0.03
acres (1200 sq.ft.) o�existiilg soil roadway, which is contiguous to tl�e initigatiorl area and
reinoving 3 existing culverts within the upper reaclles of Co11iz1s Creek. These 3 culverts are
located within the proposed wetland resl.oratioia area, within t11e floodplain, for this upper reach
of Collins Creek. The restored floodplain wetland wi11 be vegetated with native marsh grasses
(Juncus f�oemei�ianz�s, Sp�x�tina p�rtens, Clcrdit�»� ju»�c�icense). By removing the 3 ctilverts and
restoring the floodplain wetland elevations, tidal flows will be able to move with less restriction
and increase upstrearn tidal flooding fi•om the �roatail Sound. The forested wetland system above
the culverts is approximately 50 acres in siz� and has coastal wetland species bordering the
surface water draiilage features. The reinoval of the 3 culverts and floodplain wetland restoration,
will enhance the estuari�le influence on the pr�perty. T'l�is pro�erty is currently in state
ownership, within a conservation use. The proposed wooden ��alkwa�� will cross this reach of
Collins Creek at an elevation of a�proximately 6' above the mea�i }iigh water surface. This will
allow kayak and ca�loe access upstreain of the culvert f•en�oval point, which is currently not
available. Collins Ci•eek, behind the Visitor's Center is a kayak/canoe public access location,
with a launch pier constructed in 2003.
The Ll elevated wooden walkway is 1o6:,ated near CSI and spai�s over a man-made ditch
and associated wetland. The diich ties into CSI's boat launch canal appz•oximately 350 feet down
streain. Tlus man-made ditch averages in depth of 1 foot, witii less than 1 foot at the poiilt of
elevated wooden wallcway crossin�. This ditcla was del�erini_ned to be public trust waters,
therefore, requues a perinit foi the new �vooden walkway sparinir�g �17e water body. The proposed
walkway is 133 feet long and 5 feet in width.. l-�t the point of �rossing over the water body, there
will be 2.5 feet of vertical clearar�ce between the structure aild the i�orrnal water line. There are
no wetland or surface water iinpacts associated witli tl�is crossiiag. Al1 wetlarids and surface
waters have been avoided by eate��ding the wooclen u�alkway beyond the wetland boundaiy
limits.

With this request I have included a locatioil map, permit d��awii�gs, and photos of the
sites. If you should have any questions regat•ding this request, please contact Clay Willis at (252)
482-1876 or tc����_11�;'�i-���el��t.�c>_�-.
�in�erely,
Jerry Jennings, Y.I;., Division F,ngineer
NCDOT Division 1
�`� ���
Clay Willis, �"�lviromllental Supervisor
N�DOT Division 1
Cc:
Randy Midgett, P.E., NCDOT
Garcy Ward, NCDWR
Kristi Carpenter, NCDWR