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Home My WebLink About4.64.5.4.4 Enhancement Techniques Enhancement measures involve adding a desirable or attractive feature to a proposed project to make it fit more harmoniously into its surroundings. Enhancement measures are not designed to replace lost resources ar alleviate impacts caused by a proposed project. Enhancements for this project would include views that are created by the alternatives. Some scenic viewing locations would be created at overlooks. 4.5.5 Impairment Evaluation Impairment (as defined by NPS policy) to the aesthetic and visual resources of GSMN P and the AT would not occur under the No-Action Alternative, Monetary Settlement Alternative, Laurel Branch Picnic Area, and the Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell. The Northern Shore Corridor is not likely to impair the aesthetic and visual resources of GSMNP or the AT based on the information obtained to date. Due to the magnitude of this alternative, it is likely that additional NEPA docu�nentation would be required to address sit�specific impacts not currently known, to determine detailed avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures as they relate to final design, and to r�evaluate the impairment determination related to aesthetics and visual resources. 4.6 Energy Impacts 4.6.1 Continuing Energy Consumption With Laurel Branch Picnic Area, Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell, and the Northern Sbare Corridor, fuel consumption and air pollution would increase. Each of these alternatives would attract different amounts of traffic, as discussed in Section 4.2.1. Traffic volumes vary depending on alternative and change per road type, as shown in Table 4-23. Table 4-23. Partial-Build and Build Alternatives 2025 Future Traffic Volumes Alternative Laurel Branch Picnic Area Bushnell (Primitive Park Road) Bushnell (Principal Park Road) Northern Shore Corridor (Primitive Park Road) Northern Shore Corridor (Principal Park Road) Peak Season ADT (vpd) 298 586 1102 554 1342 The traffic volumes far each partial-build and build alternative were added to the projected 2025 (No-Action) traffic volumes for seven intersections in the vicinity of the project. Each intersection was assumed to be Clarification of the term "baseline" for this project: The Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell and the Northern Shore Corridor include a baseline route, as well as options to that route. Baseline routes and options are detailed in Section 2.5 and shown on Figure 2-8. Baseline routes have been compared to existing conditions. Impact analyses for the options are shown as a difference from the associated baseline route. Environmental Consequences — 4-260 North Shore Road Final Environmental Impact Statement signalized by 2025. The Synchro 6 program was then used to estimate the amount of fuel consumption and pollutants emitted during the a.m. and p.m. peak hours at each intersection. Table 4-24 shows the comparison between each alternative. The alternatives that would generate the most traffic correspond with the highest amount of energy consumption. As can be seen when comparing the build alternatives to the No- Action Alternative, the additional energy consumption is relatively minor at each of the seven intersections. When considering the type of road to be built, in addition to the number of vehicles generated by each alternative, the operating efficiency of vehicles is also considered. In the FHWA publication "Procedure Of Estimating Highway User Costs, Fuel Consumption And Air Pollution" (PB80159957), Figure A.1 gives a comparison of operating speed and fuel consumption. At 15 mph (25 kph), a vehicle uses 1.45 times the amount of fuel as one tra�eling at 30 mph (50 kph). Table 4-24. Energy Consumption Intersection NC 28 and Welch Road (SR 1246) 2005 Existing Conditions 2025 No-Action Monetary Settlement Laurel Branch Picnic Area Bushnell (Primitive) Bushnell (Principal) Northern Shore Corridor (Primitive) Northern Shore Corridor (Principal) NC 28 and NC 143 2005 Existing Conditions 2025 No-Action Monetary Settlement Laurel Branch Picnic Area Bushnell (Primitive) Bushnell (Principal) Northern Shore Corridor (Primitive) Northern Shore Corridor (Principal) NC 28 N and US 19/US 74 2005 Existing Conditions 2025 No-Action Monetary Settlement Fuel in gal/hr (a.m./p.m.) 2/1 2/4 N/A * � * 2/4 3/4 12/15 20/21 � � � � 19/21 20/22 21 /23 31 /36 � Clarification of the term "baseline" for this project: The Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell and the Northern Shore Corridor include a baseline route, as well as options to that route. Baseline routes and options are detailed in Section 2.5 and shown on Figure 2-8. Baseline routes have been compared to existing conditions. Impact analyses for the options are shown as a difference from the associated baseline route. Environmental Consequences — 4-261 North Shore Road Final Environmental Impact Statement Intersection Laurel Branch Picnic Area Bushnell (Primitive) Bushnell (Principal) Northern Shore Corridor (Primitive) Northern Shore Corridor (Principal) NC 28 S and US 19/US 74 2005 Existing Conditions 2025 No-Action Monetary Settlement Laurel Branch Picnic Area Bushnell (Primitive) Bushnell (Principal) Northern Shore Corridor (Primitive) Northern Shore Corridor (Principal) Veteran's Blvd and US 19/US 74 2005 Existing Conditions 2025 No-Action Monetary Settlement Laurel Branch Picnic Area Bushnell (Primitive) Bushnell (Principal) Northern Shore Corridor (Primitive) Northern Shore Corridor (Principal) Everett Street and US 19 2005 Existing Conditions 2025 No-Action Monetary Settlement Laurel Branch Picnic Area Bushnell (Primitive) Bushnell (Principal) Northern Shore Corridor (Primitive) Northern Shore Corridor (Principal) Everett Street and Depot Street 2005 Existing Conditions 2025 No-Action Fuel in gal/hr (a.m./p.m.) � � � 31 /36 32/37 22/23 35/38 � � � � 35/38 36/39 49/59 90/143 � 91 /144 93/144 94/147 92/144 94/147 43/40 63/67 � 63/68 63/71 67/71 63/69 64/71 26/32 41 /53 Clarification of the term "baseline" for this project: The Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell and the Northern Shore Corridor include a baseline route, as well as options to that route. Baseline routes and options are detailed in Section 2.5 and shown on Figure 2-8. Baseline routes have been compared to existing conditions. Impact analyses for the options are shown as a difference from the associated baseline route. Environmental Consequences — 4-262 North Shore Road Final Environmental Impact Statement Fuel in gal/hr Intersection (a.m./p.m.) Monetary Settlement Laurel Branch Picnic Area 41/53 Bushnell (Primitive) 43/55 Bushnell (Principal) 44/56 Northern Shore Corridor (Primitive) 41/53 Northern Shore Corridor (Principal) 43/56 Note: * Same Value as 2025 No-Action The Primitive Park Road would involve more maintenance than the Principal Park Road. The Primitive Parlc Road would require seasonal grading with motor graders, which ha�e sizable fuel consumptions. Visitor facilities proposed for the Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell would be designed to meet energy management and sustainability goals. Facility development would seek to implement the best principles for architectural design, energy conservation and use of energy efficient materials. These goals are in accordance with NPS policies which require adherence to all federal policies governing energy and water efficiency, renewable resources, and use of alternative fuels. 4.6.2 Construction Fuel Consumption The amount of energy consumed during construction would be considered a short-term impact in relation to the overall life of the proposed facility. A large number of construction vehicles would be required for construction of any partial-build or build alternative. The number and rype of construction vehicles and the length of construction time to complete would vary for each alternative. 4.6.3 Cumulative Impacts New development projects in the region and economic impacts from the project were taken into account in developing traffic projections and are reflected in the overall energy impacts for the project. The limited overall energy impacts projected to result from any of the proposed altematives would be negligible when added to energy impacts resulting from other area development or road projects. 4.7 Private In-Holdings Private in-holdings refer to privately owned properties that are either fully or partially located within the boundaries of Nantahala National Forest, GSMNP, or TVA lands in the study area. Private in-holdings were inventaried based on data provided by the NPS, the USFS, and the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCCGIA). Figure 4-14 illustrates the location of private in-holdings within the study area. Clarification of the term "baseline" for this project: The Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell and the Northern Shore Corridor include a baseline route, as well as options to that route. Baseline routes and options are detailed in Section 2.5 and shown on Figure 2-8. Baseline routes have been compared to existing conditions. Impact analyses for the options are shown as a difference from the associated baseline route. Environmental Consequences — 4-263 North Shore Road Final Environmental Impact Statement