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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20161268_Meeting Minutes 03122014_20140312MULKEY" ENGINEERS & CONSULTANTS MEMORANDUM To: Meeting Participants FROM: Bobby Norburn, Mulkey Engineers and Consultants DATE: March 12, 2014 S U E3 ECT: Merger Team Informational Meeting, NCDOT TIP Projects U -4751 and R -3300, New Hanover and Pender Counties A NEPA /Section 404 Merger Informational Meeting was held on January 22, 2014 for the subject project in the NCDOT Structure Design conference room. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss proposed service road locations for US 17 Hampstead Bypass and Military Cutoff Road Extension. Information regarding proposed intersection improvements in the vicinity of Lendire Road and Market Street also was reviewed. Meeting participants are listed below and a summary of the meeting follows. MEETING PARTICIPANTS Paul Atkinson NCDOT — Hydraulics Johnny Banks Mulkey Tris Ford NCDOT — PDEA -HES Karen Eason Fussell NCDOT — Division 3 Kim Gillespie NCDOT — PDEA Renee Gledhill- Earley NCDCR — HPO (by phone) Richard Hancock NCDOT — PDEA Rob Hanson NCDOT — PDEA Mason Herndon NCDWR Kate Husband NCDOT — PDEA -HES Benjetta Johnson NCDOT — Congestion Management Gary Jordan USFWS Liz Kovasckitz Mulkey Mike Kozlosky Wilmington MPO (by phone) Christopher Lee NCDOT — Roadway Design Gary Lovering NCDOT — Roadway Design Tamara Makhlouf NCDOT — PDEA Nora McCann NCDOT — TPB Jay McInnis NCDOT — PDEA Colin Mellor NCDOT — NES (by phone) Mark Mickley Mulkey Chris Militscher USEPA (by phone) Glenn Mumford NCDOT — Roadway Design Emily Murray NCDOT — Structures Management Unit Bobby Norburn Mulkey Keith Paschal NCDOT — Structures Management Unit Jackson Provost NCDOT — Division 3 MULKEY INC. 15750 TRYON ROAD CARY, NO 2751B P❑ Sox 33127 RALEIGH. NQ 27636 PH: 919.851 -1912 FAX: 919 -851 -1418 WWW,MULKEYINC.COM Jim Rousseau US Coast Guard (by phone) Brad Shaver USACE Amy Simes NCDENR Steve Sollod NCDCM (by phone) Tyler Stanton NCDOT — NES Russell Weil Jamestown Pender Henry Wicker USACE MEETING SUMMARY Kim Gillespie opened the meeting and introductions were made around the room. Ms. Gillespie asked Liz Kovasckitz to review the presentation. Presentation Project Overview and Status Ms. Kovasckitz reviewed the meeting packet and stated the purpose of the meeting is to discuss proposed service road locations for US 17 Hampstead Bypass and Military Cutoff Road Extension. She noted NCDOT is requesting input from the Merger Team on opportunities to avoid and minimize service road impacts. Ms. Kovasckitz stated proposed intersection improvements in the vicinity of Lendire Road and Market Street will also be reviewed. Ms. Kovasckitz presented a brief summary of background information, including the current schedule and a synopsis of prior Merger Team meetings. She noted the Merger Team has completed CP 4A for both projects. However, NCDOT is seeking to update the CP 4A form for U -4751 as a result of design changes associated with proposed Lendire Road improvements. Ms. Kovasckitz stated the October 2013 Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) documented project changes since the July 2011 DEIS, in particular those changes related to the US 17 Hampstead Bypass northern interchange configuration. The SDEIS also provided information on proposed service road locations. She said agency and public comments received on the document will be addressed in the FEIS. She noted thirteen citizens submitted comments on the SDEIS, which were largely stating opposition to the interchange south of the schools. Ms. Kovasckitz stated NCDOT conducted a citizens informational workshop in August 2013 in Hampstead to present information about changes to the US 17 Hampstead Bypass design at the northern end of the project. A total of 183 citizens registered their attendance at the workshop and 27 written comments were received. A summary of the comments was provided in the SDEIS. Service Roads Ms. Kovasckitz began a review of the proposed service roads for both projects. She recognized potential service road locations are typically discussed with the Merger Team at the same time as avoidance and minimization. Service road designs for the US 17 Corridor Study were not completed at the time of the CP 4A meetings; however, in order to keep the project on schedule, NCDOT elected to move forward with the meetings. Ms. Kovasckitz stated the purpose of the proposed service roads is to re- establish existing access. All of the service roads are located within the study corridor identified in the 2011 DEIS, with the exception of small portions of SR8 and SR16. As a result, extended study areas were added to the 2 project in August 2013. She said corresponding fieldwork was conducted in the extended study areas on August 20, 2013 and September 6, 2013, and the results of the natural resources site surveys for these areas were included in an October 2013 Natural Resources Technical Memo prepared for the project. Ms. Kovasckitz said the SDEIS evaluated impacts for a total of 14 potential service roads: two for Military Cutoff Road Extension (SR1 and SR4) and twelve for US 17 Hampstead Bypass (SR5 through SR16). Following the release of the SDEIS, NCDOT completed the evaluation of the cost effectiveness of the 14 potential service roads. Three of the US 17 Hampstead Bypass service roads were determined to not be cost effective, and have been dropped from further consideration (SR7, SR9, and SR15). She reiterated NCDOT is looking for input from the Merger Team on opportunities to minimize impacts associated with the remaining 11 proposed service roads. Ms. I-,'-ovasckitz noted service road impacts to individual streams, wetlands, and surface waters are presented in the meeting packet. Comparison of Impacts of DEIS Detailed Study Alternatives at LEDPA with Option 6TR and Service Road Impacts Added Ms. Kovasckitz presented a slide showing an updated comparison table for the DEIS detailed study alternatives (DSA) at LEDPA with Option 6TR and service road impacts. This table was not included in the meeting handout, but a copy of the updated comparison table was provided to meeting participants. Brad Shaver noted the new slide was added to the presentation to ensure the team had an opportunity to see a comparison of the DEIS DSAs with the service road impacts included. He said it was recently pointed out to him the Merger Process manual indicates service roads should be included in the information the team uses to make the CP 2 decision. Jay McInnis explained the inclusion of the service roads and the additional northern interchange caused the impacts for all of the DSAs to increase, but the relative difference between the impacts for the DSAs did not change very much. Based on this, the factors leading to the elimination of all of the DSAs except the LEDPA would not have changed. He added not all of the potential service roads currently under study for Alternative M1 +E -H are needed with all of the other DSAs, so only the needed service roads were applied to the other DSAs. In addition, there may be locations where the other DSAs need additional service roads that are not included in the updated table, so total impacts shown in the updated comparison table for some of the DSAs other than Alternative M1 +E -H may be low. Mr. Militscher asked if the second northern interchange would be needed with the other DSAs. Mr. McInnis responded both northern interchanges would be needed with all of the DSAs, including Alternative U, because the northern portion of the Hampstead Bypass is essentially the same for all of the DSAs. Mr. McInnis added the portion of Alternative U that widens existing US 17 to the north of the US 17 Wilmington Bypass interchange has always included service roads on both sides of the mainline. These service roads are included in the Alternative U impacts in the table. However, there would likely be additional service roads needed on the new location portion of Alternative U. Mr. Militscher stated the wetlands and streams impacts with Alternative M1 +E -H are much higher than for the alternatives including Alternative U. Mr. McInnis agreed, but noted the relocation impacts are much higher for the alternatives including Alternative U. Mr. Militscher said the relocations went down substantially for Alternative M1 +E -H between the DEIS and the SDEIS. Mr. McInnis replied the reduction was largely based on improvements to the Military Cutoff Road 3 Extension portion of the project. As a result, the residential and business relocations would be reduced by a similar amount for all of the DSAs. Therefore, Alternative U would still have substantially higher relocations. Mr. Militscher said although the relocation impacts are lower for Alternative M1 +E-H, they are still fairly substantial, and the wetland and stream impacts are much higher for Alternative M1 +E -H than for Alternative U. Based on this, he asked if the USACE and NCDOT thought the difference in relocation impacts is significant enough to justify the additional natural resource impacts with Alternative M1 +E-H. Ms. Kovasckitz summarized the reasons the Merger Team previously agreed to drop Alternative M2 and Alternative U. Alternative M2 was dropped because of higher protected species impacts. Alternative U was dropped because of higher residential and business relocations, noise impacts, cultural resources impacts, HQW watersheds impacts, and costs. Mr. Militscher requested a comprehensive comparison of US 17 Hampstead Bypass DSAs for all impact categories used at LEDPA. He said the impacts for all of the DSAs should be updated to include avoidance and minimization measures, service roads and the new interchange design. He said he is not sure the comparison is "apples to apples" because avoidance and minimization measures were used to reduce the impacts for Alternative E -H, but not for the other Hampstead Bypass DSAs. Mr. Militscher said the updated comparison table should include impacts such as length, number of interchanges, noise impacts, utility impacts and cost. He noted Alternative M2 +U and M2 +0 could be left out of the updated impacts comparison since the Merger Team is comfortable with Alternative M1 as the LEDPA for that part of the project. Mr. Militscher concluded the team is trying to reconfirm what is the LEDPA for the Hampstead Bypass. Mr. McInnis responded NCDOT would provide the updated impacts comparison requested by Mr. Militscher to confirm that the original LEDPA decision was valid. He asked Mr. Militscher if he wants a table that only includes the Hampstead Bypass. Mr. Militscher said he did. Ms. Kovasckitz explained the intent of the table, per Mr. Shaver's request, was to expand on SDEIS Table 5. SDEIS Table 5 showed there were no major changes in the relative level of impacts between the DSAs when adding Option 6TR. The updated table prepared for today's meeting was intended to show the same applied when adding in the service roads. Ms. Kovasckitz noted incorporating avoidance and minimization measures into all of the DEIS DSAs could be of concern as it would be modifying the Merger Process. Mr. Militscher clarified he is requesting any major design changes made to reduce impacts for one alternative in order to make it work should be incorporated into all of the DSAs, if applicable, so that an equal comparison can be made. "Minor" avoidance and minimization measure such as side slope and stream crossing modifications do not need to be incorporated. Mason Herndon asked about utility impacts analysis. Ms. Kovasckitz explained the analysis that had taken place to date. Mr. Militscher asked about the utilities along existing US 17 for Alternative U. Ms. Kovasckitz responded utility relocation costs were included in the cost comparisons for the DSAs presented at CP 3. Gary Jordan asked if there was a possibility utilities would be relocated into RCW partitions. Gary Lovering responded he had discussed this with the NCDOT Utilities Unit. There would be no additional tree clearing in RCW partitions for utilities, including a nearby well. Mr. Hanson asked how the updated analysis should be provided to the Merger Team. Mr. Militscher responded via e -mail was fine with him. Henry Wicker followed the e -mail distributing the updated alternatives analysis table should include a timeframe for response from the Team so we can close the loop on this issue. 4 Mr. Shaver thanked NCDOT for accommodating his request to prepare the updated DSA impacts comparison table for today's meeting under such short notice. Overview of Individual Service Roads The presentation included slides showing the location of each individual service road. NCDOT found Service Roads 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 16 to be economically justified. Service Roads 7, 9 and 15 were determined not to be cost effective and have been eliminated from further consideration. The merger team had no comments on recommended Service Roads 1, 5, 10 and 13. Following is an overview of the merger team discussion regarding the other proposed service roads. • Service Road 4 (SR4) (Figures 3B and 2C) — located in the southeast quadrant of the interchange between the proposed Military Cutoff Road Extension and US 17 Wilmington Bypass. It would provide a connection between Military Cutoff Road Extension and Plantation Road, which is a dirt road that provides access to the Greenview Ranches subdivision. SR4 would affect 2.71 acres of wetland CWB, 225 feet of stream CSB, and a little less than 0.25 acre of surface water CSD. It would reduce project costs by approximately $403,000. Ms. Kovasckitz noted the SDEIS included an anticipated 1,170 linear feet of stream impacts resulting from SR4. However, the October 2013 Natural Resources Technical Memorandum indicates UT to Smith Creek (CSD) impacts from SR4 should be included under surface water impacts and not stream impacts. Mr. Shaver asked Colin Mellor if this was the area they had looked at potential wetland mitigation sites. Mr. Mellor noted with the alignment for SR4 finalized, there is better information regarding impacts and NCDOT can start investigating which properties can be obtained for mitigation. Mr. Herndon mentioned this is a very sensitive area that is predominantly wetlands, and he noted his concern regarding potential secondary and cumulative impacts. Mr. Lovering said there is no reliable access to Market Street from the area. SR4 is needed if Plantation Road is cut -off by Military Cutoff Road Extension near Crooked Pine Road. Mr. Lovering noted NCDOT has spent time carefully considering this area, and SR4 seems to be the best option for restoring lost access to the parcels adjacent to the proposed project. He added the alignment of SR4 could possibly be improved (for example, T -ing it into Plantation Road) to reduce impacts. Mr. Herndon asked what the cost savings for SR4 (approximately $403,000) include. Mr. Lovering responded savings represent the four developed parcels that would lose access. Mr. Jordan asked if any of the four developed parcels are included in the properties being considered for wetland mitigation. Mr. Mellor responded only the undeveloped parcels are being considered for mitigation. He noted many of the properties shown on the figure would be good candidates. Mr. Shaver asked if SR4 could be realigned to follow the existing road and include a T- intersection at Plantation Road to reduce wetland impacts. Mr. Lovering said he is currently working on the final design for SR4, including improving the radius of the curve near the Military Cutoff Road Extension intersection, and he would make the additional improvements requested by the Merger Team. • Service Road 6 (SR6) (Figures 3D and 2E) — Mr. Militscher asked if the parcels being provided access are developed. Ms. Kovasckitz replied some of them are homes and businesses, but some E of them are also vacant parcels. Mr. Militscher asked if any of these parcels do not currently have access. Mr. McInnis reiterated the purpose of the service roads is just to restore existing access. Mr. Herndon asked if SR6 could be shifted off of the wetlands. Mr. Lovering responded he thinks SR6 would avoid wetlands if realigned to a T- intersection at Farm Road. Mr. Mellor noted NCDOT is considering acquiring property for wetland mitigation along Farm Road. He discussed it would be beneficial to the mitigation site to remove Farm Road and grade it to the level of the surrounding wetlands, thereby flooding the road. If another access for the other properties can be found, the service road may no longer be needed. Mr. Lovering followed NCDOT is including SR6 for now as a proposed service road because the potential mitigation has not been finalized. Service Road 8 (SR8) (Figures 3F, 2E, and 2F) — located in the southwest quadrant of the Harrison Creek Road overpass. It connects Harrison Creek Road and an unnamed dirt road to the south. There are 0.004 acre of wetland impacts to HWS and no stream impacts. SR8 would provide access to one large parcel and reduce project costs by approximately $1,575,000. Mr. Lovering said the minor wetland impacts are as a result of the "slope stakes plus 25 feet" impact analysis. There are not expected to be any wetland impacts with the final design for SR8. Service Road 11 (SR11) (Figures 3I and 2F) — located in the northwest quadrant of the NC 210 /US 17 Bypass interchange. SR11 begins at Hidden Bluff Trail, follows NC 210 and then the US 17 Bypass interchange ramp across Winding Branch Road, ending at an unnamed dirt road. SR11 would affect approximately 0.5 acre of wetland LWB and 101 feet of stream LSB. It would provide access to eight parcels, avoid relocating seven homes and reduce project costs by approximately $1,238,000. Mr. Shaver asked if the service road could be shifted to the north around wetland I". The wetland boundary appears to end at the study corridor boundary. Mark Mickley responded the wetland continues outside of the study corridor. Service Road 12 (SR12) (Figures 3J and 2F) — SR12 extends from the unnamed dirt road where SR11 ends to the cul -de -sac at the end of Brickyard Road. It would affect 0.32 acre of wetland MWM(2). SR12 would provide access to three parcels, avoid relocating two homes, and reduce project costs by approximately $498,000. Mr. Herndon questioned the benefits versus impacts of SR12. Johnny Banks responded using "slope stakes plus 25 feet" to calculate impacts may have caused the impacts to be overestimated. Mr. Lovering added NCDOT is providing needed service roads in two of the other quadrants of the NC 210 /US 17 Hampstead Bypass interchange and noted SR12 reduces project costs by almost $500,000. Service Road 14 (SR14) (Figures 3L and 2G) — SR14 is the longest service road at 1.34 miles. It begins in the northeast quadrant of the Hoover Road overpass and parallels the US 17 Hampstead Bypass right -of -way to the east. SR14 would affect 7.88 acres of wetlands. It would provide access to four parcels, a power line easement and a cell tower to the north of the proposed Bypass. SR14 would reduce project costs by approximately $7,734,000. Mr. Shaver inquired about other options for this service road because of the extent of wetland impacts. Mr. Lovering responded NCDOT has put considerable thought into SR14 and several options were considered. The Department has had extensive coordination with property owners, including developers with plans for some of the parcels. NCDOT had hoped to purchase some of the tracts that are losing access, but that did not work out. 6 Mr. Jordan asked if access could be provided from both ends with a gap in the middle, rather than providing continuous access for the entire length of SR14. Mr. Lovering responded NCDOT had considered providing access from US 17 to the north of the northern interchange. However, it was determined this would result in impacts to RCW habitat. Current access to much of the area served by SR14 is from existing US 17 and the bypass will cut off this access. The cell tower access from SR14 is worth several million dollars alone. Jackson Provost asked if SR14 could be moved out of the wetlands if the alignment was shifted to the north. It was noted although the wetlands are shown within the study corridor boundary, they extend beyond the study corridor. Mr. Shaver stated he is very concerned about potential secondary and cumulative impacts associated with SR14. He noted USACE would not normally agree to a road that ends in wetlands. Mr. Provost agreed SR14 should start and end on high ground. He added the developer may not be able to use the road as currently designed. Mr. Lovering responded NCDOT recognizes these issues, but has a responsibility to restore access to property owners with current access. He added extending SR14 beyond the wetlands would further increase impacts. Mr. Shaver noted the developer will need a permit from the USACE to use SR14 as currently designed. Karen Fussell pointed out that a representative of the company that owns the large tract Qamestown Pender tract) at the end of SR14 is present in the meeting. The Wilmington MPO has filed a corridor official map for the Hampstead Bypass, which requires local governments to deny subdivision plat approvals or building permits for a period of three years from the time a property owner requests a corridor map determination. Ms. Fussell asked Russell Weil, representing Jamestown Pender, when the three years would be up for his tract. Mr. Weil said the three years would be up on October 8, 2016. Mr. Mickley noted a wetland delineation valid at the time Mulkey performed their delineation was from 2008. Mr. Weil stated a more recent delineation has been provided to NCDOT. Mr. Shaver asked if Mr. Weil's company was still looking at a wetland mitigation bank in the area. Mr. Weil responded he provided information about that to NCDOT and is open to further discussions of the matter. Mr. Weil noted his company is not happy with the currently proposed solution. Jamestown Pender owns 684 acres behind Topsail High School and an additional 70 acres with access to US 17 to the north of the schools. Four access points to US 17 and St. John's Church Road were previously approved by NCDOT. However, the US 17 Hampstead Bypass is eliminating all of this access. It was discussed SR14 currently ends at Mr. Weil's western property line. Other properties are served by SR14. Mr. Shaver requested large scale mapping showing the property lines in the area so access issues and possible solutions can be further evaluated. Mr. Herndon said he has an idea for providing access to this area he will discuss further with Mr. Shaver after the meeting, and then report back to the Team. • Service Road 16 (SR16) (Figures 3N and 2G) — located on the west side of the connection between the proposed US 17 Hampstead Bypass interchange west of Grandview Drive and existing US 17. It would reconnect existing US 17 to POW MIA Trail and then extend to the northwest. SR16 impacts 1.90 acres of wetland JWKX and 0.01 acre of KDITCH. SR16 extends into a HQW watershed, resulting in 0.63 acre of impacts within the watershed. It would provide access to four parcels, avoid relocating two homes, and reduce project costs by 7 approximately $351,000. Wetland JWK continues outside of the slope stake limits for SR16; however, only the portion of the wetland within the project corridor is shown. Mr. Shaver asked if the boundary for wetland JWKX followed the alignment for SR16. Mr. Mickley explained this is another instance where the wetland continues outside of the study corridor, but the boundary has been clipped to coincide with the corridor. Mr. Herndon asked if SR16 could be shortened by tying it into the connector road from the Bypass rather than into existing US 17. Mr. Lovering responded this was not possible because the connector road will have full control of access. Mr. Shaver asked how much land the property owner being served by SR16 would have left once right -of -way is purchased for the interchange. Mr. Lovering responded the property is approximately 180 acres. Approximately 11 acres and the house would be purchased. Mr. Shaver and Mr. Herndon agreed SR16 as currently aligned appears to be the best solution for providing access to this property. Mr. Lovering added the road was aligned to hug the property lines as much as possible Lendire Road Improvements Ms. Kovasckitz reviewed proposed Lendire Road improvements. She noted final design for Military Cutoff Road Extension is underway but not complete. The design proposes to realign Lendire Road to form an intersection with Middle Sound Loop Road at Market Street. The proposed improvements extend outside of the study area boundary identified in the DEIS and SDEIS. Figure 2C and Figure 4 in the meeting packet show the approximately 36 -acre expanded study area added to the project to encompass the proposed improvements. The expanded study area is located in a heavily developed area along the Market Street corridor and the entire study area is classified as maintained/ disturbed. Two manmade stormwater ponds located in the expanded study area will not be affected by the proposed improvements. Ms. Kovasckitz noted although final design is underway for Military Cutoff Road Extension, the in- progress plans were not used to calculate impacts for today's meeting, with the exception of the Lendire Road area. In addition, NCDOT will continue to use the preliminary design plans for the FEIS. She explained typically the final design is not available for use in calculating impacts for the FEIS, and it is not unusual for impacts to change between preliminary and final design because of changes in mapping and the addition of hydraulic design. At CP 413, NCDOT will present the Merger Team with revised impacts based on the final design. Ms. Kovasckitz explained the proposed improvements are expected to improve traffic operations along the Market Street corridor by eliminating the existing unsignalized T- intersection at Lendire Road and Market Street. The Division notes the existing Market Street / Lendire Road intersection experiences frequent crashes. The Middle Sound Loop Road /Market Street intersection is currently a four - legged intersection, with Middle Sound Loop Road "stubbed -out" approximately 400 feet to the west of Market Street. The Lendire Road realignment will tie into the stubbed -out section of Middle Sound Loop Road. The third southbound lane and median on Market Street shown in the preliminary design plans from the Military Cutoff Road Extension interchange north to Ogden Park Drive are extended to north of the realigned intersection as part of the proposed improvements. Ms. Kovasckitz noted it was previously determined Alternative M1 +E -H would have an Adverse Effect on the National Register- eligible Mount Ararat AME Church property. A MOA will be prepared between the Corps, HPO and NCDOT outlining mitigation measures for the adverse effect. The CP 4A agreement for Military Cutoff Road Extension included a commitment related to avoidance and minimization of impacts to Mount Ararat AME Church. The proposed Lendire Road improvements conflict with that commitment. The preliminary design before CP 4A for southbound Market Street included four lanes in front of the church and three lanes in front of the cemetery. At CP 4A, the preliminary design was changed to include three lanes in front of the church and a third through /right -turn lane at the Ogden Park Drive intersection in front of the cemetery, which tapered to two lanes just north of the intersection. The current final design is extending this third lane to the realigned Lendire Road intersection. With the third southbound lane on Market Street extended to the Lendire Road /Middle Sound Loop Road intersection, impacts to the portion of the Mount Ararat historic boundary north of Ogden Park Drive will be similar to the impacts of the original preliminary design. Impacts to the historic boundary south of Ogden Park Drive will remain similar to the minimized design. Ms. Kovasckitz stated NCDOT would like to circulate a revised Military Cutoff Road Extension CP 4A form. Ms. Kovasckitz explained this is the only information that has changed on the revised CP 4A form. The current commitment reads: "Avoidance and minimization measures have been incorporated into the Alternative M1 design on Market Street at Mount Ararat AME Church. A southbound free flow ramp onto Military Cutoff Road Extension was changed from a full exit lane to an angular exit. In addition, the storage length for the right turn lane from Market Street onto Ogden Park Drive was reduced to match existing conditions. Right of way impacts to the proposed Mount Ararat AME Church historical boundary were reduced from 0.58 acre to 0.05 acre." The revised commitment would read: "Avoidance and minimization measures have been incorporated into the Alternative M1 design on Market Street at Mount Ararat AME Church. A southbound free flow ramp onto Military Cutoff Road Extension was changed from a full exit lane to an angular exit." Renee Gledhill- Earley stated the impacts to Mount Ararat Church have increased since the CP 4A agreement was signed as a result of the Lendire Road design changes. She asked why the third southbound lane on Market Street to the north of Ogden Park Drive is needed now. Mr. McInnis responded the third southbound lane was needed before based on future traffic volume projections, but the US 17 Corridor Study project limits ended to the south of Lendire Road. Mr. Lovering explained the Lendire Road improvements were added to the project at the request of NCDOT Division 3 for two main reasons: the existing Lendire Road /Market Street intersection experiences high crash volumes in part due to turning vehicles from Lendire Road having to cross traffic on Market Street over a short distance to access the offset Middle Sound Loop Road intersection; and the Middle Sound Loop Road /Market Street intersection is a very busy intersection during the AM and PM peak periods. Mr. Lovering stated based on these concerns, it makes sense to line -up these intersections while we can. He added the Market Street Corridor Study currently underway will likely recommend a consistent six -lane cross - section and wider median throughout the corridor, including adjacent to the church, to handle future projected traffic volumes. Mr. Lovering noted the third southbound lane will be provided through the realigned Lendire Road intersection, as well as to the south of Ogden Park Drive. It would not make sense from a traffic operations or capacity perspective to discontinue it for a short distance in front of the cemetery. He added some of the graves are only approximately 15 feet from the edge of the current road. Ms. Gledhill- Earley said she is disappointed NCDOT is increasing impacts to the church rather than reducing them as had been agreed to at CP 4A. Karen Fussell agreed the third southbound lane will eventually be added. She noted NCDOT does not have funding for this improvement outside of the US 17 Corridor Study. Ms. Fussell added the future traffic volume projections for the Market Street corridor require the third lane to be built 9 from a traffic capacity perspective. She said motorists would be confused and upset about the inconsistent cross - section if the lane is not built. Ms. Gledhill- Earley asked about the extent of the impacts to the church with the revised design. Mr. McInnis stated the impacts are only changing to the north of Ogden Park Drive. Mr. Lovering noted the median width was reduced from 30 feet to 23 feet in order to minimize impacts to the church property as much as possible. Ms. Gledhill- Earley asked if the median width could be reduced further. Mr. Lovering said he would not be comfortable with a median width narrower than 23 feet and the width should be kept consistent with the rest of the corridor. He added the current final design includes curb and gutter adjacent to the church property, which will improve aesthetics for the church and cemetery. There is curb and gutter just to the south of the church property NCDOT would like to tie into. Ms. Kovasckitz asked if a property enhancement could be included in the MOA to mitigate the increased impact to the cemetery, for example a walkway or benches. Ms. Gledhill- Earley said she is disappointed nobody from NCDOT talked to her about the design changes and the resulting increased impacts to the church prior to today's meeting. Mr. McInnis apologized and said he would like to meet with her to discuss this issue further. She indicated mitigation will be required before the project is finalized and, if it hasn't happened already, the church needs to be contacted about the graves that will be moved. Mr. Lovering noted discussions with the church would occur. Although impacts are increasing, some grave relocations were always anticipated. Mr. Wicker said he and Mr. McInnis would meet with Ms. Gledhill- Earley to discuss talking to the church and to try to come up with a better resolution. Steve Sollod said if the HPO decides there is a significant adverse impact, there could be problems with respect to obtaining the CAMA federal consistency determination. Mr. Wicker responded he understood this concern, and noted it is another reason he would like to discuss potential solutions further. Other Topics Mr. Jordan discussed the northern long -eared bat has been proposed for listing by USFWS as an endangered species in New Hanover County. It was proposed last fall and is going through the listing process. It won't officially be listed until September 2014 at the earliest. He said this is new information to his office and they have not developed a policy yet on how to deal with this species. The bat is typically found in mountain counties and is not common in eastern North Carolina, notably because it uses caves to hibernate and eastern North Carolina does not have caves. He said it is likely the species will not be an issue for most projects their office handles; however, for very large projects with a lot of forest clearing it could be an issue. Mr. Jordan noted the 548 acres of forest clearing currently expected with the preferred alternative could be a concern with respect to potential impacts to the bat. He does not anticipate it will be a show stopper, but it will have to be dealt with. At this time the species has not been found in Pender County. Mr. Jordan said formal consultation could be required for the bat. Since consultation is already planned for potential RCW impacts, this will hopefully not extend the project schedule. 10 Action Items Mr. Shaver provided a brief summary of action items as a result of today's meeting: • NCDOT will prepare the updated LEDPA impacts table requested by USEPA. • NCDOT will provide Mr. Shaver with large scale mapping showing property lines for the parcels to be served by SR14 so USACE and NCDWR can further evaluate the currently proposed SR14 alignment. • CP 4A concurrence forms for both projects with the avoidance and minimization discussed today for the service roads will need to be re- signed. • Mr. Wicker will follow -up with Mr. McInnis and Ms. Gledhill- Earley about Mount Ararat AME Church. • NCDOT will re- design SR4 and SR6 to have T- intersections per the discussions at today's meeting. It was determined these action items can be conducted via e -mail rather than scheduling another Merger Team meeting. CORRECTIONS & OMISSIONS: This summary is the writer's interpretation of the events, discussions, and transactions that took place during the meeting. If there are any additions and /or corrections, please inform Kim Gillespie at klaespiekncdot.gov or the writer in writing within seven (7) business days. 11