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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20020033 Ver 1_Complete File_20020109 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION JAMES B. HUNT JR. GOVERNOR U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Raleigh Field Office 6508 Falls of the Neuse Road Suite 120 Raleigh, NC 27609 ATTENTION: Ms. Jean Manuele NCDOT Coordinator 020033 DAVID MCCOY SECRETARY SUBJECT: Caswell County, Proposed Replacement of Bridge No. 10 on SR 1597 over Country Line Creek. Federal Aid Project No. MABRZ-1597(1), State Project No. 8.248110 1, TIP No. B-3130. Dear Ms. Manuele: As you are aware, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has requested authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) under Section 404 Nationwide Permit (NWP) 23 on October 19, 2001 to replace Bridge No. 10 over Country Line Creek on SR 1597 with a new bridge. The purpose of the new letter is to correct some mistakes that were found in the original letter. This letter will supercede the October 19, 2001 letter that was sent out by NCDOT. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) proposes to replace Bridge No. 10 on SR 1597, over Country Line Creek, in Caswell County. NCDOT will replace Bridge No. 10 at a new location, `south of the existing bridge. The new bridge will be approximately 246 feet (75 m) in length and 33 feet (10 m) wide. A paved travelway of 31 feet (9.5 m) will be accommodated. SR 1597 is a designated North Carolina Bicycling Highway; thus the bridge wilYbe constructed with offsets of 3 feet (1.0 m) on each side to accommodate bicycles. AASHTO standard bicycle rails, 54 inches (1.4 m) high, will be used for the bridge. The approach roadway will also be designed to accommodate bicycles, and will consist of a 25-foot (7.5 m) travelway, with 4-foot (1.2 m) grass shoulders on each side. Where guardrail is required, shoulders will be increased by a minimum of 3 feet (1.0 m). The new structure will be approximately 2-foot (0.6 m) higher in elevation than the existing bridge. The project will require approximately 1600 feet of new work on approach ways. Traffic will be maintained on the existing structure during construction. MAILING ADDRESS: NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 1548 MAIL SERVICE CENTER RALEIGH NC 27899-1548 December 12, 2001 TELEPHONE: 919-733-3141 FAX: 919-733-9794 WEBSITE: WWW.DOH.DOT STATE. NC. US LOCATION: TRANSPORTATION BUILDING 1 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET RALEIGH NC M Impacts to Waters of the United States The project will temporarily impact 0.02 ha (.05 acres) of jurisdictional surface waters in the construction of the temporary work pads. NCDOT will be using Class II Rip Rap. The length of existing channel impacted will be 44 m (144 linear ft.) with the construction of the proposed bridge. Surface water impacts associated with the placement of the temporary causeway are depicted on sheets 4, 5 and 7 of the attached permit drawings. The existing bridge will be demolished. The existing bridge is composed of timber and steel components, with an overlaid asphalt-wearing surface. The asphalt-wearing surface will be removed prior to demolition, without dropping it into the water. The timber and steel components will also be removed in their sequence without dropping these components into the water. No temporary fill in the waters is expected. During construction, Best Management Practices for Bridge Demolition and Removal will be followed. Federally-Protected Species Plants and animals with federal classifications of Endangered, Threatened, Proposed Endangered, and Proposed Threatened are protected under provisions of Section 7 and Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. As of 22 March 2001, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) lists one federally protected species for Caswell County (Table 1). Since, the CE (dated June 2000) was completed the FWS has added the James spinymussel. A survey was conducted on 16 August 2001 by NCDOT biologist Jeff Burleson. NCDOT has a number of bridge replacement projects occurring in the Country Line Creek subbasin including B-3130. Because of the large number of projects impacting the same waterbody, a comprehensive survey effort was made in the drainage from SR 1146 crossing above Farmer Lake downstream to the NC 57 crossing of Country Line Creek. Survey sites were accessed by canoe. Survey methodology included wading using visual batiscope and tactile methods. There were no James spinymussels located during these surveys. Based on these surveys NCDOT is rendering a Biological Conclusions of "No Effect" for the James spinymussel. Additionally, a review of the NC Natural Heritage Program database of Rare and Unique Habitats on 17 August 2001 revealed that no known occuriences of James spinymussel occur within one mile of the project area. Therefore, the Biological Conclusions of "No Effect" remain valid for each of these species. Table 1. Federally-Protected Species for Caswell County Common Name Scientific Name Federal Status Biological Conclusion James spinymussel Pleurobema collina E No Effect "E" denotes Endangered (a species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range). Avoidance / Minimization The following is a list of the project's jurisdictional stream avoidance/minimization activities proposed or completed by NCDOT. ¦ Minimization: Best Management Practices will be strictly enforced for sedimentation and erosion control for the protection of surface waters. Minimization: Best Management Practices for Bridge Demolition and Removal for the removal of the existing bridge. Project Commitments During construction, Best Management Practices for Bridge Demolition and Removal will be followed. The existing bridge and approaches will be removed after the new bridge is completed and the area will be revegetated with appropriate plant species. The Class II Rip Rap that will be used as temporary work pads will be removed once the new bridge is completed. Summary Proposed project activities are being processed by the Federal Highway Administration as a programmatic "Categorical Exclusion" in accordance with 23 CFR § 771.115(b). The NCDOT requests that these activities be authorized by a Nationwide Permit 23 (61 FR 65874, 65916; December 13, 1996). NCDOT is also applying for a Nationwide Permit 33 for the temporary causeway (0.02 acres of temporary stream impacts, 144 linear feet of stream impact), and any impacts associated with bridge demolition, which none are expected. Written notification is provided to the N. C. Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ) for this project per 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) General Certification under Section 404 Nationwide Perm t 23 and 33. However, notification is not required from DWQ for 401 WQC General Certification for Section 404 Nationwide Permit 23 and 33. Thank you for your assistance with this project. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Mr. Jared Gray at (919) 733-7844 ext.331. Sincerely, 1 '?4 ??' /', William D. Gilmore, P.E., Manager Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch VCB/jg cc: w/attachment Mr. David Franklin, USACE, Wilmington Field Office Mr. John Hennessy, DWQ Mr. David Cox, NCWRC Mr. John Alford, P.E., Roadway Design Mr. Calvin Leggett, P.E., Program Development Mrs. Debbie Barbour, P.E., Design Services Mr. D.R. Henderson, P.E., Hydraulics Mr. Tim Rountree, P.E., Structure Design Mr. Mike Mills, P.E., 7 Division Engineer r