19970093 Ver 1_Reports_20081030 (13)

GTPRaMOOM NC Department of Transportation Rail Division
.7-4v? North Carolina Global Transpark Rail Access
October 30, 2008
PROJECT UPDATE - October 2008
Work on the Global Transpark Rail Access Project continues to progress on schedule Below is
a summary of the Environmental Assessment and Railroad Design elements of the project
Environmental Assessment and Alignment Analysis
A Public Workshop was held on September 11t in Kinston Over 2,000 newsletters were
mailed to citizens and agencies two weeks in advance of the workshop At the workshop, 136
citizens signed the attendance sheet The majority of written comments received during and
after the workshop expressed concerns regarding access and impacts to Barnet Park, and
proximity impacts to the Hillcrest subdivision
Natural Resources work is nearing completion and a Jurisdictional Determination (JD) meeting
with the U S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was held first week of September Based on
the JD meeting, wetland delineations have been revised and coordinated with the USACE
As a result of wetland delineations, coordination with the USACE, natural environment
constraints and public input, rail alignment alternatives have been progressively evaluated,
revised and /or eliminated to develop a recommended alternative Alternatives A-C were
originally presented to the public Then based on the newly delineated wetlands, Alternatives
D-F were developed as revisions of Alternatives A-C to avoid these wetlands Alternative G
was developed by combining segments of Alternatives D-F and attempting as best as possible
to respond to public and stakeholder input An exhibit of Alternative G is attached
An historic architecture survey has preliminarily identified the Dobbs School property located on
Dobbs Farm Road as eligible for the National Register of Historic Properties It is the only
historic property constraint within the study corridor Follow-up research and coordination with
the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is being conducted by NCDOT Historic Architects
A final call on the historic boundary (anticipated to encompass the entire property as shown on
the graphic) and the effects of the project on the property should take place at a November 14th
meeting Based on other constraints (such as streams, wetlands, and design issues), it has
been determined that impacts to the Dobbs Farm property are unavoidable However, the
alignment has been developed to minimize impacts to the property and does not impact any
structures It is hoped that a determination of "No Adverse Effect" will be made, which would
keep the project on schedule
Alternative G avoids wetlands to the extent possible, has a south terminus as far as possible
from the Hdlcrest subdivision, maintains access to Barnet Park via Sand Clay Road, and
minimizes impacts to the potentially historic Dobbs Farm property Alternative G is currently the
recommended alternative and is undergoing minor alignment revisions to further avoid impacts
This alignment also maintains the ability to grade separate the railroad and C F Harvey
Parkway in the future while staying out of the runway glideslope of the Kinston Jet Port/ Global
TransPark Detailed quantification of anticipated impacts associated with Alternative G will be
provided in the Environmental Assessment document
Several coordination meetings have been held over the last month in order to ensure an open
and continuous flow of information regarding the project These meetings, which have been
critical to the on-going refinement of the Preferred Alternative, have included the Federal
Aviation Administration, City of Kinston, Lenoir County, and other project stakeholders
Subsequent meetings with a variety of other stakeholders are anticipated in the next month
Work has progressed on the Environmental Assessment document and its completion is
anticipated to occur immediately following the SHPO Effects meeting on November 14th which
corresponds with the overall project schedule
Railroad Design
Preliminary design is largely complete as the project team focuses on the Alternative G
alignment corridor The design is being optimized as the project team receives further detailed
input from agencies and stakeholders
The project engineers are completing investigation of the feasibility of a grade separation where
the rail line will cross C F Harvey Parkway The analysis will provide a preliminary cost and
impacts of a grade separation vs an at-grade crossing and will recommend whether the bridge
and roadway changes should be pursued as part of this project, or possibly as a separate
project at a later date depending upon projected rail and vehicular traffic levels
NCDOT Survey and Geotechnical Engineering Units have been conducting field work along the
proposed rail route This information will provide the base' mapping and soils analysis
necessary to begin the final design The field work will continue over the next few months as
they finalize property surveys and soil core borings '
Final design based on the field work information will begin in November This effort will include
the trackbed design, drainage structures, road and grade crossing designs and other detail
elements necessary to determine the final footprint of the project and ultimately the property
required The project team will continue to coordinate with the project stakeholders and railroad
operators to solicit their input and review comments as the project design progresses
Next Steps
A formal public hearing on the project is expected to occur in January 2009 A detailed public
hearing map will be presented illustrating all the design elements that affect the project footprint
The hearing will provide stakeholders and the public a final opportunity to comment on the
preferred alignment alternative Comments received from the hearing process will be
incorporated into the final design where possible
Plans necessary for right-of-way acquisition are expected to be complete in March 2009 The
project team is working closely with the NCDOT Right-of-Way Branch to insure that the plan
development flows seamlessly into the property acquisition phase
Thank you again for your assistance and continued coordination with our project team
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 919-715-7894 or email at
jorthner@ncdot gov
Jason T Orthner, P E
GTP Rail Access Project Manager
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Legend Global TransPark Rail Access

Study Area Preferred

City Limits
Alternative G
City of Kinston
- Q Alternative G
Not To Scale

Wetlands Lenoir County, North Carolina
Exhibit 2.5.1