20051608 Ver 1_Meeting Minutes_20050109

M eet i n Minutes HNTB North Caroina, P C.
M 343 E. Six Forks Road, Suite 200
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609
T: [phone] F: [phone]
Project: Alfred Cunningham Bridge Meeting Topic: Trent River
TIP B-2532 Channel Relocation
HNTB Job No.: 37685 Meeting Date: 1/19/05 1:30pm
Prepared by: Tracy Roberts, AICP
Location: US Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District Office, 69 Darlington Ave, Wilmington NC
Meetina Participants:
Howard Varnam USACOE -Chief, Navigation Branch
Bob Keistler USACOE -Navigation Project Manager
Paul Barber HNTB -Structural Engineer
Tracy Roberts HNTB -Senior Planner
At 1:45pm, the following individuals joined the meeting from The Highway Building in Raleigh, NC via
conference call:
Lonnie Brooks NCDOT -Structure Design Unit
Derrick Weaver NCDOT -PDEA
Vincent Rhea NCDOT -PDEA
Anne Redmond HNTB -Deputy Project Manager
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the feasibility of, and issues associated with, possible
relocation of the Trent River channel
Project Need, Alternatives, Schedule, Environmental Documentation
Tracy Roberts reviewed the Purpose and Need of the project and explained the alternatives under
consideration. The Alfred Cunningham Bridge, built in 1955, is structurally deficient and functionally
obsolete. The alternatives currently being considered by NCDOT include the following:
1) Removal of the existing bridge with no replacement;
2) Rehabilitate the existing bridge;
3) Replacement of the existing bridge with a bascule bridge;
4) Replacement of the existing bridge with avertical-lift bridge;
5) Replacement of the existing bridge with a tunnel;
6) Replacement of the existing bridge with ahigh-rise bridge on existing alignment; and

February 14, 2005
7) Replacement of the existing bridge with ahigh-rise bridge that curves out into the Neuse River and
rejoins the New Bern mainland.
Mr. Roberts explained that the City of New Bern has requested that the new or rehabilitated bridge be
completed no later than January 2010, in time for the City's 300th Anniversary. Thus, it is important that
the project remain on schedule and advance as quickly as possible.
Mr. Roberts stated that a Categorical Exclusion document is being prepared for the project.
At 1:45pm, NCDOT and HNTB staff in Raleigh joined the meeting via conference call. The following
items were discussed:
Existing Channel Characteristics
Mr. Howard Varnam stated that the Corps has a navigation channel (not federally dedicated) that
passes through the existing Trent River railroad crossing and heads upstream to the Town of Trenton.
NOAA maps show the Trent River channel (federally mandated) passing through the Sheraton Hotel
marina. According to Mr. Varnam, this channel was once used by industries located in New Bern along
the north bank of the Trent River, such as the former Barbour Boat Works. The location of this
channel has taken less importance over the years as many of the former industrial marine operations
have left New Bern. Mr. Varnam was not involved in permitting of the marina in the dedicated channel.
Mr. Varnam stated that the existing Trent River channel is 12 feet deep and 300 feet in width from the
Neuse River channel to the existing Trent River railroad crossing. The swing-span of the Alfred
Cunningham Bridge is located in the center of the channel. The Trent River channel was last dredged
in 1942 (12,150 yd3 of material was dredged).
Mr. Varnam stated that little information is available on channel scouring but that some natural scouring
has probably occurred in the vicinity of the railroad bridge.
Channel Relocation
According to Mr. Varnam, relocating the Trent River channel is not out of the question provided there is
no cost to the Corps and the new channel adheres to the existing channel requirements (i.e. width,
depth, etc). Will need to include in the environmental document an analysis of environmental impacts
regarding T/E species, hazardous materials, etc. Will also need to find an appropriate upland disposal
area for the dredged material. There are no disposal areas currently available.
Mr. Varnam stated NCDOT will need to make a written request to the Corps for relocating the channel.
The request will also need to include a local sponsor (in this case, Craven County) and should mention
all alternatives currently being considered. The written request must be sent to Bob Keistler, who, after
a 1-2 day in-house review, will then forward the request to the Corps' District Engineer (Colonel Charles
Alexander) and then ultimately to Corps headquarters in Washington DC. Once Mr. Keistler receives
NCDOT's request, the process could take up to six months before the Corps renders a final decision.
A separate request for channel relocation will need to be submitted to the US Coast Guard.
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February 14, 2005
Bob Keistler stated that there was no reason for the Corps' navigation branch not to support relocating
the channel. However, environment issues could present difficulties.
Mr. Keistler stated that the channel relocation request should include the location of the new channel
and a map of the alternatives. The letter should also include the environmental document. When we
explained that channel relocation issue will need to be resolved prior to completion of the environmental
document, Mr. Keistler said he would check on whether this information is needed and follow-up with
Paul Barber of HNTB.
Mr. Varnam stated that the new channel would need to be dredged 12 feet deep plus an additional 2
feet (14 feet total depth) below mean low water (MLW).
Mr. Varnam was not aware of any geometric constraints. He stated that the existing deflection angle is
good for navigational purposes (i.e. deflection angle from the AC Bridge westward to the railroad
crossing).
According the Lonnie Brooks, the channel skew would be based on the water flow direction.
Mr. Varnam stated that the Corps would likely seek financial assistance in maintaining the new channel
if future dredging is required. According to Mr. Varnam, the channel was last dredged in 1942. Thus,
the Corps has not had to spend money on channel maintenance since that time. However, legal advice
from Corps attorneys will need to be sought on this issue.
Mr. Varnam stated that the Corps can dredge the channel but NCDOT would likely do their own
dredging through their Ferry Division since they have their own dredging equipment.
Mr. Varnam said there could be natural silting occurring in the area of the Trent River that could result
in the channel filling back in over time. The tendency of silting to occur would need to be addressed in
the environmental document.
Bridge Clearances
Mr. Varnam stated that the Corps requires 65 feet of vertical clearance and 90 feet of horizontal
clearance along all navigable waters within the Intracoastal Waterway. The Corps has navigable
channel jurisdiction but coordinates with the US Coast Guard on bridge clearance requirements. Thus,
horizontal and vertical clearance requirements for the Alfred Cunningham Bridge will be a collaborative
effort between the Corps and the US Coast Guard.
Regarding horizontal clearance, Mr. Varnam said the new bridge would need to provide comparable
clearance to the existing bridge.
Costs
Mr. Varnam stated that it is difficult to estimate the costs associated with channel relocation since there
are too many variables, such as soil type, presence of rock, location and size of disposal area. Soils
such as clay can increase dredging costs. To keep costs down, the disposal area would need to be
within five miles of the dredging site. Mr. Keistler said that utility relocations can also affect costs (there
• Page 3

February 14, 2005
is a sewer line under the Neuse River). Utilities are required to be buried 10 feet below the channel
depth (12 feet + 2 feet +10 feet = 24 feet total depth for utilities). All depths are below mean low water
(MLW). This being the case, and provided any existing utilities were buried to the proper depth, utilities
should not be an issue for dredging. The Manteo dredging project cost $6 per cubic yard, but this cost
can vary depending on local soil conditions and other factors.
Schedule
In response to a question by Mr. Vincent Rhea asking whether the Corps could expedite its review of
the channel relocation request, Mr. Varnam said he would do what he could to expedite the channel
relocation request but he had no influence on the request once it reached the Washington DC
headquarters.
Mr. Varnam stated that the length of time to dredge is dependent on a number of variables and is
difficult to predict. For example, the size of the dredge line can determine how much material can be
dredged per day. A 12 inch dredge line can move 3,000 yd3 per day while an 18 inch dredge line can
move 5,000 yd per day. If the river bottom is muddy, the quantities of dredged material can increase.
Permitting
Mr. Varnam stated that permitting would need to be handled by others, such as Dave Lexon in the
Washington NC regulatory office (252-975-1616, ex. 22) and Henry Wicker (CAMA representative for
the Corps).
Miscellaneous Issues
Mr. Varnam stated that the fish hook alternative would impact more commercial marine traffic and
would have to cross the Neuse River channel in two locations.
Mr. Varnam stated that the tunnel alternative would need to be buried 10 feet below the authorized
channel depth (12 feet + 2 feet + 10 feet = 24 feet total). The Corp's navigation branch would have no
problems with a tunnel but environmental issues could present difficulties.
Mr. Varnam did not have any tidal data for the Trent River, but he said that tidal influence on the Neuse
River near New Bern was small.
Mr. Varnam stated that the navigation channel in Washington NC was moved. However, since there
was sufficient water depth that eliminated the need for dredging, the process was inexpensive, simple
and quick. The channel in the Scuppernong River in Columbia, NC was also relocated.
5~h US Coast Guard Aids to Navigation are :John Walters (757-398-6230) in Norfolk VA; Bill Brazier
(757-398-6427) in Norfolk VA and Tom Flynn in Portsmouth, VA (757-398-6229).
Dave Timpy (910-251-4634) is the NCDOT regulatory representative with the Corps.
• Page 4

February 14, 2005
Bob Keistler will be the contact person for the project for all issues relating to channel relocation. Mr.
Keistler's phone number is [phone] and his email address is [e-mail]
Action to be taken
Bob Keistler will follow up with Paul Barber of HNTB regarding the necessary information needed to
request channel relocation. Once this information is known, NCDOT can begin preparing a formal
written request to the Corps requesting potential relocation of the Trent River channel.
The meeting ended at approximately 2:40pm.
• Page 5

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