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Home My WebLink About19970093 Ver 1_Other Agency Comments_20080801 - - cad rap STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA ti DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MICHAEL F. EASLEY LYNDO TIPPEIT GOVERNOR SECRETARY July 31, 2008 Mr. Brian Wrenn NCDENR, Division of Water Quality 1650 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1650 SUBJECT: Start of Study Letter for the Global TransPark Rail Access in Kinston, Lenoir County. TIP No. U-2928, State WBS No. 41739. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Rail Division has retained the firm of Stantec Consulting Services Inc. to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposed rail connection from the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR)/Norfolk Southern (NS) main-line near US 70 in Kinston to the Global TransPark (GTP). The purpose of this letter is to provide notification of the start of study and to solicit comments regarding potential concerns or data within the project study area. Please submit written comments to Mr. Marc Hamel at the address below by August 31, 2008. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Hamel, at 733-7245, extension 270. The following paragraphs provide a description of the project, the purpose and need for the project, plus the general characteristics and natural resources of the project study area. Project Description The proposed project is located near US 70 in Kinston and would provide a new single-track railroad access from the NCRR/NS main-line, north across Hull Road, Dobbs Farm Road, and C.F. Harvey Parkway to terminate within the GTP. This rail access is proposed to carry large aircraft components, at a relatively low frequency, to and from the Spirit AeroSystems site. The approximate length of the project is 4.5 miles. Exhibit 1 (attached) shows the project study area. Purpose and Need The State of North Carolina has recently announced that Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. will be constructing a new facility within the GTP. This new facility is expected to provide economic and security benefits at the local, regional, and national levels. The purpose of this project is to 1 MAILING ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: 919-733-4713 LOCATION: FAX: 919-715-6580 TRANSPORTATION BUILDING NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 1 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET RAIL DIVISION WEBSITE: WWW.BYTRAIN.ORG RALEIGH NC 1553 MAIL SERVICE CENTER RALEIGH NC 27699-1553 Global TransPark Rail Access, Kinston, Lenoir County Start of Study Page 2 of 3 create a rail access into the GTP. Currently rail access to the GTP, which is necessary for the proposed operations of the Spirit AeroSystems facility, does not exist. General Characteristics of the Project Study Area Exhibit 1 (attached) shows the project study area, which is located just north of US 70 in Kinston, NC. Land Use - The project study area can be characterized primarily as a mixture of moderate- density residential development, with some commercial and institutional development along the major roadways. There are large farming and undeveloped tracts in the middle portion of the area. Natural Resources - Surface waters in the project study area lie within Subbasin 03-04-05 of the Neuse River Basin and include portions of Stonyton Creek, Briery Run, and unnamed tributaries of Stonyton Creek, Briery Run and the Neuse River. Within the project study area, Stonyton Creek, Briery Run and the Neuse River are classified by the NC Department of Natural Resources (NCDENR) as a Class C: NSW waterbodies. Class C waters are classified for secondary recreation, fishing, wildlife, fish, and aquatic life propagation and survival, and agriculture. NSW waters are those in need of additional nutrient management due to their being subject to excessive growth of microscopic or macroscopic vegetation. In general, management strategies for point and nonpoint source pollution control require no increase in nutrients over background levels. Stonyton Creek and Briery Run are also classified as swamp waters (Sw), which is a supplemental classification intended to recognize waters with naturally occurring low velocities, low pH, and low dissolved oxygen. An initial field screening survey identifies the potential for relatively large wetland areas throughout the study area. Formal wetland delineations are currently underway with a jurisdictional determination anticipated within the next month. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (NHP) maintain a list of threatened and endangered species for Lenoir County. In accordance with provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the project study area will be evaluated for protected species habitat. The table below presents the federal and state listed threatened and endangered plant and animal species potentially occurring in Lenoir County: SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME FEDERAL STATUS STATE STATUS PLANTS Aeschynomene virginica Sensitive Jointvetch T E Amotpha georgiana Georgia Indigo-bush FSC* E Dionaea muscipula Venus Flytrap FSC* SR-L, SC Helenium brevifolium Littleleaf Sneezeweed E* BIRDS Haliaeetus leucocephalus Bald Eagle T Picoides borealis Red-cockaded Woodpecker E* E Global TransPark Rail Access, Kinston, Lenoir County Start of Study Page 3 of 3 FISH Noturus furiosus Carolina Madtom FSC SC (PT) NOTES: "FSC" denotes Federal "Species of Concern" (also called "Species at Risk" - formerly defined as a species under consideration for which there is insufficient information to support listing). "E" denotes Endangered (any native or once-native species of wild animal whose continued existence as a viable component of the State's fauna is determined by the WRC to be in jeopardy) or (any species or higher taxon of plant whose continued existence as a viable component of the State's flora is determined to be in jeopardy). "T" denotes Threatened (any native or once-native species of wild animal that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion or its range). "SC" denotes Special Concern. "SR" denotes Significantly Rare. "-L" denotes limited to North Carolina and adjacent states. denotes historic record - the element was last observed in the county more than 20 years ago. Archeological and Historic Architectural Properties - The need for an archeology survey and a historic architecture survey will be evaluated during the course of the study. Thanks you, in advance for your timely attention to this request for information. If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Marc Hamel at 733-7245, extension 270. Sincerely, Marc Hamel Rail Environmental Planning Engineer Rail Division, Environmental and Planning Branch MH/prk Attachment cc: File Insbkft Road 4 y Knston Regional J*111 4 3 .I r ~ a A- I . 417 e Map F t R ,r 4. °"tl-dy, g * • ,>ar ..Cam' r--dR 'e. - ~ f4 ' a 4 a y., Kinston NorNlk Sown - _ ~ r r aI f~+ , a. . rr 41 3 u r HaU1GalffCAnna OePp/dihnEntofr TfanspoimoU r Y ~ ¦ ~ i,.-may - _ Legend Global TransPark Rail Access study Area Stu Area City Limits City of Kinston County Llmlte Not TO Scale Railroad Lenoir County, North Carolina Exhibit 1