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Home My WebLink About20220529 Ver 1_R-2566B_Consultation_20220403 R-2566B ROW Consultation 1 Updated 3/17/20 North Carolina Department of Transportation NEPA Consultation Form STIP Project No. R-2566B WBS Element 37512.1.5 Federal Aid Project No. NHPP-0150(004) A. Project Description, Location, and Purpose: NCDOT proposes to improve NC 105 from Clark’s Creek Road (SR 1136) to NC 105 Bypass (SR 1107) in Boone, Watauga County. The project corridor is 5.5 miles long. No improvements are recommended on the 1-mile section between Clark’s Creek Road and the southern intersection of NC 105 and Old Shull’s Mill Road. The following improvements are recommended: The section between Old Shull’s Mill Road and Broadstone Road will consist of two 12-foot lanes (one in each direction) with 6-foot wide paved shoulders on both sides. The current design proposes to extend the existing climbing lane (located near Old Shull’s Mill Road) to Broadstone Road. The section between Broadstone Road and NC 105 Bypass will consist of four 12- foot lanes, a 23-foot wide raised median and 6-foot wide paved shoulders. In addition to widening, the two intersections where Old Shull’s Mill Road tees into NC 105 have safety concerns. These are referenced as “Old Shull’s Mill Road (north)” and “Old Shull’s Mill Road (south).” To address these issues, the southern intersection (NC 105/Old Shull’s Mill Road (south) will be realigned, and the northern intersection (NC 105/Old Shull’s Mill Road (north) will be closed. Replacement of the bridge that carries NC 105 over the Watauga River north of the Broadstone Road intersection is funded separately in the STIP as R-2566BA. Project R- 2566BA is included in this consultation. B. Consultation Phase: (Check one) ☒ Right-of-Way ☐ Construction ☐ Other C. NEPA/SEPA Class of Action Initially Approved as: (Check one) ☒ FHWA Class III (EA/FONSI) 9-22-2016 / 6-29-2018 D. Changes in Proposed Action & Environmental Consequences: Design Changes The following design changes do not result in significant impacts: DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E5DC339-E329-4342-B7BD-86348343ED00 R-2566B ROW Consultation 2 Updated 3/17/20 The following design changes have occurred since the approval of the FONSI. These changes have been communicated to the Merger team as part of 4B coordination (the 4B meeting was held on 2/10/2021): 1. Realignment of Old Shulls Mill Road (South) tie into the driveway further west on NC 105. This shifted the Begin Construction further down station as a result. 2. Continuation of the climbing lane on NC 105 to the new Old Shulls Mill Road (South) turn lanes to provide a uniform 3-lane section throughout NC 105. 3. Reduced Conflict Intersections (RCIs) added throughout corridor between Broadstone Road and NC 105 Bypass. The following design changes have been added since the 4B meeting. These changes will be part of 4C coordination with the Merger team and include: 4. Two culvert replacements added along Old Shulls Mill Road (North). 5. Proposed rock buttress will be added between Sta. 249+00 and Sta. 253+00. (Still needs to be incorporated into design as this is a recent change). 6. Retaining wall modifications throughout. (walls have been removed, added or lengths modified). 7. Driveway tie-in modifications throughout. Water Resources The water resource classifications for the waters identified in the EA remain accurate. Protected Species Using the USFWS Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) web tool to review project area, the number of potentially effected protected species has changed. Below are the species that are shown to have a potential within the R-2566B study area. Informal concurrence for biological conclusions of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect was requested for gray bat and Virginia big-eared bat from the USFWS on June 22, 2018. Concurrence was received on June 28, 2018, agreeing with NCDOT’s biological conclusion. The Northern long-eared bat is considered to be compliant with the 4(d) rule. All other species listed for Watauga County received biological conclusions of No Effect and did not require concurrence. DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E5DC339-E329-4342-B7BD-86348343ED00 R-2566B ROW Consultation 3 Updated 3/17/20 E. Conclusion: The above NEPA/SEPA documentation has been reevaluated (as required by either 23 CFR 771 or by NC General Statute Chapter 113A Article 1). It has been determined that the current proposed action is essentially the same as the original proposed action. Proposed changes, if any, are noted in Section D. It has been determined that anticipated social, economic, and environmental impacts were accurately described in the above referenced document(s) unless noted otherwise herein. Therefore, the original Administration Action remains valid. F. Coordination NCDOT personnel and their representatives have discussed the current project parameters with qualified NCDOT representatives. The Project Manager (Nora McCann) hereby verifies the involvement of the following staff and the incorporation of their technical input: Design Engineer: Tony Spacek, PE 1-28-2022 Environmental Specialist: Jason Dilday 2-21-2022 FHWA (if applicable): Clarence Coleman, PE 3-1-2022 Hydraulics Engineer Jason Lawing, PE 3-7-2022 G. Consultation Approval for R-2566B: Prepared By: Date Kristina Solberg, PE Kimley Horn (NCDOT Consultant) Prepared For: Nora McCann, EIT, Project Manager - NCDOT, Project Management Unit Reviewed By: Date John Jamison, Team Lead - NCDOT, Environmental Policy Unit DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E5DC339-E329-4342-B7BD-86348343ED00 3/14/2022 3/15/2022 3/15/2022 R-2566B ROW Consultation 4 Updated 3/17/20 ☐ Approved In adherence with 23 CFR 771 (NEPA) or NC General Statute Chapter 113A Article 1 (SEPA), NCDOT approves this Consultation. or ☒ Certified NCDOT staff certifies if FHWA signature was previously required or where changes have resulted in FHWA signature being required. Date Beverly Robinson, Team Lead - Project Management Unit I North Carolina Department of Transportation FHWA Approved: FHWA signature required for Type I(B) CE, Type II(B) CE, Type III CE, FONSI or ROD. Date for John F. Sullivan, III, PE, Division Administrator Federal Highway Administration DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E5DC339-E329-4342-B7BD-86348343ED00 3/15/2022 R-2566B ROW Consultation Greensheet March 2022 Page 1 of 1 DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E5DC339-E329-4342-B7BD-86348343ED00 !!!!!! ! !!!! ! ! !!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! !!!!!!!!!! ! ! !!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ÕÖ105 ÕÖSR105 ÕÖ105 ÕÖ194 ÕÖ184 £¤221 Caldwell County Watauga County £¤321 £¤321 ÕÖ194 £¤421 £¤421 Avery Coun tyWatauga Coun ty To Tennessee To Tennessee To Wilkesboro To Linville To Lenoir Begin Project End Project Project R-2566BA Project U-5603 Begin Improvements End Improvements Clark 's Creek RdBroads tone RdBaird's Creek RdOld Shull's Mill Rd Beech Mountain Boone Banner Elk Seven Devils Blowing Rock Sugar Mountain Grandfather Village Hound Ears Club Twin Rivers Linville Ridge Valle Crucis Foscoe 0 2 4 Miles !I Watauga County Figure 1 Vicinity Map TIP Project No. R-2566B NC 105 Improvements Watauga County Project R-2566B ! !Blue Ridge Parkway Nearby STIP Project !Communities Municipal Boundary County Boundary Note: Improvements are not recommended from Clark's Creek Rd to Old Shull's Mill Rd (south) DocuSign Envelope ID: 2E5DC339-E329-4342-B7BD-86348343ED00