20140591 All Versions_Complete File_20061219

N. C. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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TO: Mr. John Hennessy - --
I, BLDG.
MSC 1650
FROM: BLDG.

ACTION
? NOTE AND FILE ? PER OUR CONVERSATION
? NOTE AND RETURN TOME ? PER YOUR REQUEST
? RETURN WITH MORE DETAILS ? FFo YOUR APPROVAL
? NOTE AND SEE ME ABOUT THIS. Clop YOUR INFORMATION
? PLEASE ANSWER ? FOR YOUR COMMENTS
? PREPARE REPLY FOR MY SIGNATURE ? SIGNATURE
? TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION ? INVESTIGATE AND REPORT
COMMENTS:
mn.i r q O
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
MICHAEL F. EASLEY LYNDO TIPPETT
GOVERNOR SECRETARY
December 15, 2006
MEMORANDUM
TO: Secretary Lyndo Tippett
FROM: Jamille A. Robbins
Senior Public HeariO cer
Human Environment Unit
RE: Notice of a Citizens Informational Workshop for the Replacement of
Bridge No. 76 on NC 33 over the Carolina & Northwestern Railway
WBS No. 33692, B-4416, Beaufort County .
Notice of a Citizens Informational Workshop for the Replacement of
Bridge Nos. 42 & 43 on US 70 Business over the Neuse River
WBS No. 33773, B-4565, Lenoir County
The following Notice is furnished for your information:
B-4416 NCDOT proposes to replace Bridge No. 76 on NC 33 over the Carolina &
Northwestern Railway.
B-4565 NCDOT proposes to Replace Bridge Nos. 42 and 43 on US 70 Business over the
Neuse River.

JAR/cdh
Attachment
cc: Mr. Marvin K. Blount, III - Division 2
Mr. Cameron W. McRae, At-Large Member - Division 2
Mr. Steve Vamedoe, P.E.
Mr. J.B. Williamson, Jr.
Ms. Deborah M. Barbour, P.E.
Mr. C.W. Leggett, P.E. o
Mr. Majed Al-Ghandour, P. E. p o
Mr. Greg Thorpe
Mr. Rob Hanson, P.E.
Ms. Teresa Hart, P. E.
MAILING ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: [phone]
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FAX: [phone] LOCATION:
PARKER LINCOLN BLDG
HUMAN ENVIRONMENT UNIT 2728 CAPITAL BLVD
1583 MAIL SERVICE CENTER WEBSITE: WWW.NCDOT.ORG
RALEIGH NC 27699-1583 RALEIGH NC
A
Mr. Art McMillan, P. E.
Mr. Jay Bennett, P.E.
Mr. J.Victor Barbour, P.E.
Mr. Kevin Lacy, P.E.
Ms. Sharon Lipscomb
Ms. Tammy Denning
Mr. Everett Ward
Mr. Mike Bruff, P.E.
Mr. John Hennessy
Mr. Charles Brown, P.E., PLS
Mr. Doug Askew, Right of Way Agent - Division 2
FHWA
b
NOTICE OF A CITIZENS INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP
FOR THE PROPOSED REPLACEMENT OF BRIDGE NO. 76 ON NC 33
OVER THE CAROLINA & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY
WBS No. 33692.1.1 B-4416 Beaufort County
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will hold the
above Citizens Informational Workshop on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 between
the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in Cafeteria of Southside High School
located at 5700 NC Highway 33 East, Chocowinity, 27817.
The purpose of this workshop is for NCDOT representatives to provide
information, answer questions, and accept written comments regarding this
project. NCDOT proposes to replace Bridge No. 76 on NC 33 over the Carolina &
Northwestern Railway.
Anyone desiring additional information may contact Ms. Pamela Williams,
Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch at 1551 Mail Service
Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1551, phone [phone], or email
PrwiIIiams(ab-dot.state. nc.us.
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with
Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop.
Anyone requiring special services should contact Ms. Williams as early as
possible so that arrangements can be made.

A?
NOTICE OF A CITIZENS INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP
FOR THE PROPOSED REPLACEMENT OF BRIDGE NOS. 42 & 43 ON
US 70 BUSINESS OVER THE NEUSE RIVER
WBS No. 33773.1.1 B-4565 Lenoir County
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will hold the
above Citizens Informational Workshop on Tuesday, January 16, 20.07 between
the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Lenoir Community College - Bullock
Building No.1 located at 231 Highway 58 South, Kinston, 28502.
The purpose of this workshop is for NCDOT representatives to provide
information, answer questions, and accept written comments regarding this
project. NCDOT proposes to replace Bridge Nos. 42 and 43 on US 70 Business
over the Neuse River.
Anyone desiring additional information may contact Ms. Pamela. Williams,
Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch at 1551 Mail Service
Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1551, phone [phone], or email
prwilliams(oD-dot. state. nc. us.
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with
Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop.
Anyone requiring special services should contact Ms. Williams as early as
possible so that arrangements can be made.
? ? v
United States Department of the Interior
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Raleigh Field Office
Post Office Box 33726
Raleigh, North Carolina 27636-3726
November 5, 2005
Marie Sutton
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Project Development and Environmental Analysis
1548 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1548
Dear Ms. Sutton:
This letter is in response to your request for comments from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service) on the potential environmental effects of the proposed replacement of Bridge Nos. 42 and
43 on US 70 Business over the Neuse River, Lenoir County, North Carolina (TIP No. B-4565).
These comments provide scoping information in accordance with provisions of the Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661-667d) and section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973,
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543).
For bridge replacement projects, the Service recommends the following general conservation
measures to avoid or minimize environmental impacts to fish and wildlife resources:
1. Wetland, forest and designated riparian buffer impacts should be avoided and minimized to
the maximum extent practical;
2. If unavoidable wetland or stream impacts are proposed, a plan for compensatory mitigation to
offset unavoidable impacts should be provided early in the planning process. Opportunities
to protect mitigation areas in perpetuity via conservation easements, land trusts or by other
means should be explored at the outset;
3. Off-site detours should be used rather than construction of temporary, on-site bridges. For
projects requiring an on-site detour in wetlands or open water, such detours should be aligned
along the side of the existing structure which has the least and/or least quality of fish and
wildlife habitat. At the completion of construction, the detour area should be entirely
removed and the impacted areas be planted with appropriate vegetation, including trees if
necessary;
4. Wherever appropriate, construction in sensitive areas should occur outside fish spawning and
migratory bird nesting seasons. In waterways that may serve as travel corridors for fish, in-
water work should be avoided during moratorium periods associated with migration,
spawning and sensitive pre-adult life stages. The general moratorium period for anadromous
fish is February 15 - June 30;
t
5. New bridges should be long enough to allow for sufficient wildlife passage along stream
corridors;
6. Best Management Practices (BMP) for Protection of Surface Waters should be implemented;
7. Bridge designs should include provisions for roadbed and deck drainage to flow through a
vegetated buffer prior to reaching the affected stream. This buffer should be large enough to
alleviate any potential effects from run-off of storm water and pollutants;
8. The bridge designs should not alter the natural stream and stream-bank morphology or
impede fish passage. To the extent possible, piers and bents should be placed outside the
bank-full width of the stream;
9. Bridges and approaches should be designed to avoid any fill that will result in damming or
constriction of the channel or flood plain. If spanning the flood plain is not feasible, culverts
should be installed in the flood plain portion of the approach to restore some of the
hydrological functions of the flood plain and reduce high velocities of flood waters within the
affected area.
Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act requires that all federal action agencies (or their
designated non-federal representatives), in consultation with the Service, insure that any action
federally authorized, funded, or carried out by such agencies is not likely to jeopardize the continued
existence of any federally-listed threatened or endangered species. A biological
assessment/evaluation may be prepared to fulfill the section 7(a)(2) requirement and will expedite the
consultation process. To assist you, a county-by-county list of federally protected species known to
occur in North Carolina and information on their life histories and habitats can be found on our web
page at b!V://ne-es.fws.gov/es/couniyfr.html.
The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP) database indicates a 2003 occurrence of a
bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nest within one mile east of the project site. A survey should
be conducted to determine whether the eagle nest is still present. Use of the NCNHP data should not
be substituted for actual field surveys if suitable habitat occurs near the project site. The NCNHP
database only indicates the presence of known occurrences of listed species and does not necessarily
mean that such species are not present. It may simply mean that the area has not been surveyed. If
suitable habitat occurs within the project vicinity for any listed species, surveys should be conducted
to determine presence or absence of the species.
If you determine that the proposed action may affect (i.e., likely to adversely affect or not likely to
adversely affect) a listed species, you should notify this office with your determination, the results of
your surveys, survey methodologies, and an analysis of the effects of the action on listed species,
including consideration of direct, indirect, and cumulative effects, before conducting any activities
that might affect the species. If you determine that the proposed action will have no effect (i.e., no
beneficial or adverse, direct or indirect effect) on listed species, then you are not required to contact
our office for concurrence.
We reserve the right to review any federal permits that may be required for this project, at the public
notice stage. Therefore, it is important that resource agency coordination occur early in the planning
process in order to resolve any conflicts that may arise and minimize delays in project
implementation. In addition to the above guidance, we recommend that the environmental

documentation for this project include the following in sufficient detail to facilitate a thorough
review of the action:
1. A clearly defined and detailed purpose and need for the proposed project;
2. A description of the proposed action with an analysis of all alternatives being considered,
including the "no action" alternative;
3. A description of the fish and wildlife resources, and their habitats, within the project impact
area that may be directly or indirectly affected;
4. The extent and acreage of waters of the U.S., including wetlands, that are to be impacted by
filling, dredging, clearing, ditching, or draining. Acres of wetland impact should be
differentiated by habitat type based on the wetland classification scheme of the National
Wetlands Inventory (NWI). Wetland boundaries should be determined by using the 1987
Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual and verified by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers;
5. The anticipated environmental impacts, both temporary and permanent, that would be likely
to occur as a direct result of the proposed project. The assessment should also include the
extent to which the proposed project would result in secondary impacts to natural resources,
and how this and similar projects contribute to cumulative adverse effects;
6. Design features and construction techniques which would be employed to avoid or minimize
impacts to fish and wildlife resources, both direct and indirect, and including fragmentation
and direct loss of habitat;
7. If unavoidable wetland or stream impacts are proposed, project planning should include a
compensatory mitigation plan for offsetting the unavoidable impacts.
The Service appreciates the opportunity to comment on this project. Please continue to advise us
during the progression of the planning process, including your official determination of the impacts
of this project. If you have any questions regarding our response, please contact Mr. Gary Jordan at
[phone], ext. 32.
Yie J
Pete B amin
Ecological Services Supervisor
cc: William Wescott, USACE, Washington, NC
Nicole Thomson, NCDWQ, Raleigh, NC
Travis Wilson, NCWRC, Creedmoor, NC
Chris Militscher, USEPA, Raleigh, NC