20051608 Ver 1_Information Letter_20050812

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
MICHAEL F. EASLEY
GOVERNOR
August 8, 2005
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LYNDO TIPPETT
SECRETARY
United States Army Corps of Engineers
Regulatory Field Office
Post Office Box 1000
Washington, NC 27899-1000
ATTN: Mr. Bill Biddlecome ~ ~ ~ ~ 0
NCDOT Coordinator
SUBJECT: Planned Geotechnical Investigations for Bridge No. 60 over the Trent River on US 70
Business; Craven County; TIP Project B-2532; Federal Aid Project No. BRSTP-
070B(4); State Project No.8.1172401.
Dear Mr. Biddlecome,
The North Cazolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is planning a foundation investigation for
the above referenced project. A consultant will be conducting the investigation with a maximum of 42
borings. Thirty-eight of the borings will be performed within the Trent River and will be drilled through
the deck of the existing bridge or performed from a bazge. Four others will be drilled through the
existing roadway embankment. A1142 borings are shown on the attached permit drawings. This project
does not require the completion of a formal PCN but notification to the Corps is being provided to be
included in their database.
Due to the fact that the Trent River supports anadromous fish, notification to the appropriate agencies
through a Nationwide 6 Permit is required. Because this area is located in sensitive waters, an in-water
moratorium exists between February 15 through June 30. All in-stream work will take place outside the
moratorium dates.
In order to build the new bridge over the Trent River, geotechnical test borings will need to be done so
that structure and foundation recommendations can be made. All borings will be drilled utilizing a drill
mounted on a rubber tired drill rigs and a barge. The size of the borings aze approximately 0.5 feet in
diameter. The area that may be disturbed per boring is estimated to be approximately 4 squaze feet for
the river borings and 8 squaze feet for the land borings. Total area disturbed will be 184 square feet. The
consultant will use casings to advance the borings and rotary-wash techniques while recirculating the
drilling fluids between the mud tub and the inside of the casing. This will isolate the drilling mud and
cuttings and contain them in the boring and the mud tub. The borings will be backfilled with the cuttings
and then sealed with a bentonite hold plug. The excess drilling mud will be disposed of in upland areas.
MAILING ADDRESS:
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
1548 MAIL SERVICE CENTER
RALEIGH NC 27699-1548
TELEPHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
wees~re: www.ncdot.org
LOCATION:
TRANSPORTATION BUILDING
1 SOUTHWILMNGTONSTREET
RALEIGH NC

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
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DEPARTIVIENT OF TRANSPORTATION q~~p~~,
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MICHAEL F. EASLEY LYNDO TIPPETT
GOVERNOR SECRETARY
December 1, 2005
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mr. Chris Militscher, EPA
Mr. Gary Jordan, US F&WS
Mr. Travis Wilson, NCWRC
Ms. Niki Thomson, DENR-DWQ
Mr. Ron Lucas, PE, FHWA
Mr. William Wescott, ALOE
Mr. Ron Sechler, NMF
Mr. Bill Arrington, CAMA
Ms. Trish Murphey, DENR-DMF
,FRO Vincent J. Rhea, PE
Project Development Engineer
Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch
SUBJECT: Craven County, Bridge No. 60 (Alfred Cunningham Bridge), on US 70
Business, over the Trent River, Federal Aid Project BRSTP-070B (4), State Project No.
8.1172401, TIP No. B-2532
A copy of the Executive Summary of the Final Natural Resources Technical Report for
the subject project is attached for your files.
If you have any questions, please contact me at [phone] ext. 261.
VJR/vjr
Attachment
Cc: Tracy Roberts, HNTB
files
MAILING ADDRESS:
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
1548 MAIL SERVICE CENTER
RALEIGH NC 27699-1548
TELEPHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
WEBSITE: WWW.DOH.DOT.STATE.NC.US
LOCATION:
TRANSPORTATION BUILDING
1 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET
RALEIGH NC

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NATURAL RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT
ALFRED CUNNINGHAM BRIDGE REPLACEMENT
B-2532
CRAVEN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
State Project No. 8.1172401
Federal Aid No. BRSTP-070B(4)
Prepared for:
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North Carolina Department of Transportation
Raleigh, North Carolina
October 2005

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NATURAL RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT
ALFRED CUNNINGHAM BRIDGE REPLACEMENT
B-2532
CRAVEN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
State Project No. 8.1172401
Federal Aid No. BRSTP-0706{4)
Prepared for:

HNTB CORPORATION
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Raleigh, North Carolina
Prepared by:

EcoScience Corporation
1101 Haynes Street, Suite 101
Raleigh, NC 27604
October 2005

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) proposes to replace the existing two
lane bridge, Bridge No. 60, on U.S. Highway 70 Business (US 70) from a point approximately
360 feet south of the right bank of the Trent River to a point approximately 250 feet north of the
left bank of the Trent River in New Bern, NC. The project involves replacement of a swing,
moveable bridge over the Trent River with a bascule, moveable bridge. Construction will be in-
place replacement with an off-site detour. Proposed improvements involves two 11-foot travel
lanes with a 4-foot shoulder on the north bound lane, a two foot gutter on the southbound lane
and a 5.5-foot sidewalk adjacent to the southbound lane. Total bridge width from out to out will
be 36.08 feet. The project study area is approximately 3000 feet long and 200 feet wide,
including the existing road and current right-of-way.
This report describes natural features within the project study area including soils, water
resources, plant communities, wildlife, Section 404 jurisdictional areas, and pertinent protected
species issues. This report also provides a preliminary evaluation of permit needs. The project
study area includes areas dominated by maintained highway rights-of-way and heavily disturbed
plant communities, a portion of the NCDOT Lengyel Mitigation Site, as well as high-density
development. The detailed soil map units within the project study area include Seabrook-urban
land complex near the north abutment and loamy Udorthents near the south abutment.
The project study area is located within the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ)
subbasin 03-04-10 of the Neuse River Basin (U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Unit
03020204). The Trent River (NCDWQ Index 27-101-(39)) and the Neuse River (NCDWQ Index
27-(96)) are the only surface waters located within the project study area. The Neuse River has
a best usage classification of SC Sw NSW, and the Trent River has a best usage classification
of SB Sw NSW. The Neuse River is on the NC 2002 and the 2004 303(d) list of impaired
streams in the Neuse River Basin. The Trent River is not on the NC 2002 list of impaired
streams, but it is on the 2004 Section 303(d) list of impaired streams in the Neuse River Basin.
Both rivers suffer from high concentrations of chlorophyll-a.
Temporary construction impacts due to erosion and sedimentation will be minimized through
implementation of a stringent erosion-control schedule and the use of Best Management
Practices (BMPs). Impacts to streams along the project corridor will be limited to large rivers
and estuaries. Impacts to these reaches adjacent to the facility footprint will be temporary and
localized during construction. Long-term impacts to adjacent reaches resulting from
construction are expected to be negligible. As this reach of the Trent River has potential as a
travel corridor for migratory fish, this project can be classified as Case 2, where no work in-
water will be allowed during moratorium periods associated with anadromous fish migration
(February 15 through June 30).
Four plant communities are present within the project study area. Disturbed land makes up the
largest plant community within the project study area (3.48 acres) and consists of lawns, road
rights-of-way, planted trees and shrubs, and volunteer plants growing on rip-rap substrates
along the Neuse River shoreline near the bridge abutments. A small drainage way from a
stormwater pond in the southwest quadrant of the project study area contains plants
05-240 TIP No. B-2532 ii Alfred Cunningham Bridge

characteristic of a freshwater marsh (0.03 acre). The remaining two plant communities are
located within the Lengyel Mitigation Site. A small patch of brackish meadow occurs on a
portion of natural shoreline near the US 70 Exit Ramp (0.09 acre). The remaining vegetation
within the Lengyel Mitigation Site resembles a Salt Shrub community (0.15 acre).
The proposed project will occur in one (Craven) of the 20 counties covered by CAMA. Areas of
Environmental Concern (AEC) within these counties are under the jurisdiction of the N.C.
Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM). Because the project study area contains navigable
waters, Public Trust Waters (a CAMA AEC) are expected to potentially be affected by the
proposed project (15A NCAC 07H .0207). A small area of coastal wetland (CAMA AEC) is also
within the project study area. A NCDCM representative, Bill Arrington, has verified the presence
of AECs. If an AEC is proposed to be impacted, a CAMA Major Permit for bridge replacement
(15A NCAC 07H.2300) may be applicable. The CAMA Major Permit process covers application
for certain state and federal permits in order to reduce confusion about the application process
and the time needed to review permit applications.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will consider this reach of the Trent River navigable (i.e. subject
to the ebb and flow of tide and/or a means to transport interstate or foreign commerce) for
bridge administration purposes (33 CFR Subpart 2.05-25). A permit from the USCG for
structures and/or work in or affecting the Trent River will be required for the replacement of
Bridge No. 60.
The Nutrient Sensitive Waters Management Strategy for the Protection and Maintenance of
Riparian Buffers for the Neuse River Basin (15A NCAC 02B .0233) provides a designation for
uses that cause impacts to riparian buffers within the Neuse River Basin. Changes in land use
within the buffer area are considered to be buffer impacts. Because Bridge No. 60 is located
within an urban area, most of the buffer zones have pre-existing bulk-heads and/or rip-rap. As
long as proposed improvements remain within the limits of the existing transportation facility,
there will be no impacts to Neuse River Basin Riparian Buffers.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended (PL 94-265),
defines "Essential Essential Fish Habitat" as those waters and substrate necessary to fish for
spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity" (16 USC 1820[10]). The on-Site EFH
consists of Estuarine Mud Bottom, Estuarine Water Column, Estuarine Emergent Wetlands, and
SAV beds. Managed species associated with the EFH within the project study area include
summer flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), and shrimp
(Panaeus spp.). Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) for larval and juvenile summer
flounder occur in the project study area as SAV beds.
Six federally protected species are listed for Craven County by the USFWS as of February 11,
2003. These are the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea; Biological Conclusion [BC]:
No Effect), American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis; No BC due to status), bald eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus; BC: May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect), red-cockaded
woodpecker (Picoides borealis; BC: No Effect), West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus; BC:
No Effect (detailed discussion of practices that avoid manatee impacts in Appendix C), and
sensitive joint-vetch (Aeschynomene virginica; No Effect).
05-240 TIP No. B-2532 iii Alfred Cunningham Bridge