SR 1660 and SR 1662 (5)

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MEMORANDUM
To: Meeting Participants
Fxzor~: Lisa Warlick, Mulkey Engineers and Consultants
DATE: February 13, 2007
SUBJECT: Transportation improvements lri the vicinity of SR 1660 (Sher Road) and SR 1662
(Wiley Brown Road) south of US 64/23/441, Macon County,
NCDOT TIP Project No. R-4748
A NEPA/Section 404 Merger Team meeting on Concurrence Points 2 and 2a was held for the
subject project on February 13, 2007 in the board room of NCDOT's Highway Building. Meeting
attendees are listed below. A summary of the meeting follows.
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Doug Allison NCDOT -Right-of--Way
David Baker U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (via Asheville)
James Bridges NCDOT -PDEA
Marella Buncick U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (via Asheville)
Marla Chambers N.C. Wild life Resources Commission
Mark Davis NCDOT -Division 14
Missy Dickens NCDOT -PDEA
Harold Draper Tennessee Valley Authority (via Asheville)
James Dunlop NCDOT -Traffic Engineering
Marshall Edwards NCDOT -PDEA
Brett Feulner NCDOT -PDEA
Teresa Hart NCDOT -PDEA
Tun Jordan Mulkey
Liz Kovasckitz Mulkey
Jeremy Learner NCDOT -Natural Environment Unit
Gary Covering NCDOT -Roadway
Undrea Major NCDOT -PDEA
Sarah McBride State Historic Preservation Office
Ron McCollum NCDOT - Roadway
Colin Mellor NCDOT - Natural Environment Unit
Mark Mickley Mulkey
Christopher Militscher U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -Raleigh
Don Moore NCDOT - Geotechnical Engineering
Jake Riggsbee FHWA
Angela Sanderson NCDOT - PDEA
Joel Setzer NCDOT - Division 14 (via Asheville)
Topsy Skinner NCDOT - PDEA
Jerry Snead NCDOT - Hydraulics
Mark Staley NCDOT - Roadside Environmental
Wilson Stroud NCDOT - PDEA
Michael Turchy NCDOT - Natural Environment Unit
Lisa Warlick Mulkey
Jamie Wilson NCDOT - Division 14 (via Asheville)
Brian Wrenn N. C. Divi sion of Water Quality
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Undrea Major opened the meeting and invited introductions from attendees. In addition to those in
attendance at the Raleigh location, several individuals joined the meeting by video from Asheville,
North Carolina. Extra copies of the information packets mailed to the Merger Team prior to the
meeting were available.
Mr. Major turned the meeting over to Liz Kovasckitz. Ms. Kovasckitz gave a PowerPoint
presentation that reviewed the project and introduced Alternative D, a revised non-crossing
alternative. Discussion that followed the presentation is summarized below by topic.
Chris Militscher questioned how Alternative D provided access compared to other alternatives. It
was clarified that the revised Alternative D, which extends east and west of the Little Tennessee
River but does not cross it, provides access to properties similar to Alternative C. Mr. Wrenn asked
why there was such as difference in right-of--way impacts between the Alternative D intersection and
roundabout options. Mr. Militscher asked why Alternative D needed a longer extension on the west,
and why the alternative could not follow Siler Road. Ms. Kovasckitz said local citizens and officials
wanted a secondary means of access to the community college and library. The other alternatives that
cross the river provide secondary access via Wiley Brown Road.
Mr. Wrenn asked why there could not be non-crossing alternatives for Alternatives A, B, and C.
Ms. Kovasckitz responded that Alternative D provides another means of access that will serve the
thousands of community college students expected on Siler Road. Gary Covering said that the traffic
volume implied that some traffic needed to be moved south to Allman Drive. Mr. Militscher asked if
there was any way to upgrade existing access on Siler Road. Mr. Covering said it would not work well
because of the proximity to the US 64 interchange.
Mr. Militschex noted that Alternative A did not provide access to the majority of properties in the
study area. He questioned keeping Alternative A as part of the project. Undrea Major said it was part
of the process to consider several alternatives and Ms. Kovasckitz said Alternative A had been
previously approved by the Merger Team to carry forward for detailed study. Mr. Covering pointed
out that Alternative A was parallel to US 64/23/441 and functions like a service road, which is
common.
Marla Chambers asked if costs presented in Table 2 included the bridging costs. Ms. Kovasckitz said
they did. Ms. Chambers questioned why Alternative D was so expensive since it did not include a
bridge. Brian Wrenn indicated he had questions about the cost of Alternative D as well. General
discussion followed noting that Alternative D was longer than the other alternatives. Mr. Wrenn
requested a copy of the cost estimate. Ms. Buncick asked why private developers weren't paying for a
portion of the road on the western side of the river. It was determined that Macon County owned
the particular piece of property that the road would access in the area in question.
Ms. Chambers asked if there were federally-protected species in the project area. Marella Buncick
replied that none were known to be present. Ms. Chambers said state-listed species should be
included in Table 2, as there is an occurrence of the olive darter in the Little Tennessee River marked
on project mapping. Ms. Chambers requested that Table 2 be reviewed for accuracy and to minimize
impacts as much as possible for all alternatives before the next Merger meeting. Mr. Militscher
requested that noise information in Table 2 be quantified.
Mr. Wrenn asked why farmland impacts for Alternative D were so much more than others.
Ms. Kovasckitz said farmland soils were mapped and calculations were sent to the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, which agreed with the calculations. Mr. Militscher said only soils of statewide

or local importance should be used in the calculations because the project is state funded and state
regulations should be followed.
Ms. Kovasckitz reviewed the wording on the Concurrence Points 2 and 2a signature forms. The
Merger Team members present signed the concurrence forms; Mx. Major said he would fax the
farms to those participating by video from Asheville for signature.
The meeting was adjourned.