20181192_Information Letter_20110325

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WILMINGTON DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS
69 DARLINGTON AVENUE
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA 28403-1343
REPLY TO
ATTENTION OF March 23, 2011
Regulatory Division/1145b
?Repa„_
SUBJECT: Action ID 2009-02240; STIP Nos. R-2721, R-2828, and R-2829
Steven D. DeWitt, P.E.
Chief Engineer
North Carolina Turnpike Authority
1578 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1578
Dear Mr. DeWitt:
Reference the proposed North Carolina Turnpike Authority project known as the Triangle
Expressway Southeast Extension toll facility (STIP Nos. R-2721, R-2828, and R-2829), from NC
540 currently under construction at NC 55 in Holly Springs, to existing I-540 north of Poole
Road and Clayton, in southern Wake and northeastern Johnston counties, North Carolina.
Reference also my January 26, 2011 letter identifying an Issue of Concern regarding your
proposal to eliminate the Red and Pink corridors as reasonable and feasible alternatives for
further study. The Red and Pink Alternatives appear at this time to have significantly less
impacts to the aquatic environment and to endangered species than the Orange Alternative;
therefore, we believe eliminating these alternatives at this point, well before a draft NEPA
document has been prepared, is premature and not warranted by the information we presently
have.
After further review of the available information related to these alternatives, we have the
following questions:
1) What is the relative quality of the wetlands and streams that may be impacted by the
Red, Pink and Orange Alternatives? We do not believe it is necessary to provide a
detailed functional analysis of each potential impact site but believe it is important to
determine, on a qualitative basis, .the relative difference, if any, that exists between
the referenced alternatives.
2) What is the comparison between the wetland occurrences on the 1,000-foot Orange
Alternative corridor, as predicted by the National Wetland Inventory (used in the
current impact tables), and the delineated wetland occurrences on the same corridor
that have been field-verified by the Corps of Engineers, to date?
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3) Provide additional detail regarding the level of design that is associated with the
"conceptual alternative alignment".
4) How was the "conceptual alternative alignment" for the 300-foot wide preliminary
new location alternative corridors placed within the 1,000-foot study corridors
(Reference the August 10, 2010 Turnpike Environmental Agency Coordination
Meeting Handout #3, "Alternative Screening, Quantitative Second Tier Screening of
Alternative Concepts", page 4, Section 2., SCREENING CRITERIA)? It is not clear
to us whether the conceptual alternative alignment was placed in the center of the
1,000-foot corridor or if it was placed in such a manner that it avoided and/or
minimized impacts to the human and natural environment.
5) What methodology did the NC TA employ to quantify the "Structures Relocated", as
shown in the Summary of Potential Impacts in Table 2 of Handout #8 for the January
20, 2011 TEAC meeting (e.g., dates of aerial photography used, tax maps, windshield
surveys, and assumptions made)?
6) We were recently made aware that an Alternatives Screening Report has been
prepared but has not been provided to us for our review. We would appreciate
receiving a copy of this report as soon as it is finalized as this may contain
information we are not currently aware of.
We continue to support the development of the draft EIS for this project to allow for a
fair and unbiased comparison of alternatives leading to a determination of the Least
Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative for this project.
Should you have any questions, please call Mr. Alsmeyer at [phone], extension
23.
Sincerely,
S. Kenneth Jolly
Chief, Regulatory Division
Copies Furnished:
Mr. Brian Wrenn
Division of Water Quality
North Carolina Department of
Environment and Natural Resources
1650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1650
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Mr. Clarence Coleman
Federal Highway Administration
310 New Bern Ave., Rm 410
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601-1442
Mr. Chris Lukasina
Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO)
127 West Hargett Street, Ste. 800
Raleigh NC 27601
Mr. Heinz Mueller
Chief, NEPA Program Office
Office of Policy and Management
US Environmental Protection Agency
61 Forsythe St., SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
Mr. Gary Jordan
US Fish and Wildlife Service
PO Box 33726
Raleigh, NC 27636
Mr. Travis Wilson
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
1142 I-85 Service Road
Creedmoor, NC 27522
Mr. Peter Sandbeck
NC State Historic Preservation Office
4619 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4619