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Home My WebLink About20070864 Ver 1_Other Agency Comments_20070514 d.xsWFv STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MICHAEL F. EASLEY LYNDO TIPPETT GOVERNOR SECRETARY May 14, 2007 NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Coastal Management 400 Commerce Avenue Morehead City, NC 28557 ATTN: Mr. Stephen Lane NCDOT Coordinator Dear Sir, Subject: CAMA Major Development Permit Application for the proposed replacement of Bridge No. 104 on NC 32 over Broad Creek in Beaufort County. Federal Project No. BRSTP-32(2), State Project No 8.1151401, T.I.P. No. B-4018. Debit $400.00 from WBS Element 33385.1.1. Please find enclosed copies of the Categorical Exclusion (CE) Document, MP Forms, landowner notification cards, permit drawings, and roadway plans for the above referenced project proposed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). The NCDOT plans to replace Bridge No. 104 over Broad Creek on NC 32 in Beaufort County. The existing 172-foot long bridge will be replaced with a 200-foot long structure using top-down construction in the existing location. During construction, traffic will be maintained by an off-site detour. No permanent impacts and 0.02 acre of hand clearing and 0.01 acre of temporary impacts to jurisdictional wetlands are anticipated. Impacts to riparian buffers total 4,962 ft2 Impacts to jurisdictional surface waters are anticipated to be <0.001 acre. Impacts to Waters of the United States General Description: The project study area is located within sub-basin 03-03-07 of the Tar-Pamlico River Basin. This area is part of USGS Hydrologic Unit 03020104 of the Mid-Atlantic/Coastal Plain Ecoregion. The project study area contains two streams: Broad Creek and an unnamed tributary to Broad Creek (UT1). Broad Creek and UT1 are within a riverine system that is subject to wind tides. Both have an unconsolidated benthos consisting of muddy sediments. A best usage classification of SB NSW has been assigned to this section of Broad Creek. Broad Creek MAILING ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: 919-733-3141 LOCATION: FAX: 919-733-9794 TRANSPORTATION BUILDING NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 1 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS WEBSITE: WWW.DOH.DOT.STATE.NC.US RALEIGH NC 1548 MAIL SERVICE CENTER RALEIGH NC 27699-1548 is not designated as a North Carolina Natural or Scenic River, or as a National Wild and Scenic River. Broad Creek is not listed on any section of the NCDWQ Section 303(d) list. Broad Creek is not located within 1 mile nor does it flow into a stream with 303(d) classification. In addition, no designated Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW), High Quality Waters (HQW), Water Supply I (WS-1), or Water Supply II (WS-II) waters occur within 1.0 miles of the project study area. Broad Creek, UT1, and their adjacent wetlands are subject to jurisdictional consideration under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act as "Waters of the United States" (33 CFR section 328.3). Wetlands within the study site exhibit characteristics of a palustrine- forested system with broad-leaved deciduous and needle-leaved evergreen vegetation. In addition, these wetlands are seasonally inundated, tidally influenced, and therefore under jurisdiction of the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management according to the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA). Permanent Impacts: Proposed permanent impacts to surface waters due to in-stream piers will be <0.001 acre. This project will result in no permanent impacts to jurisdictional wetlands. Hand Clearing: Hand clearing (0.02 acre) will be necessary for project construction. Utility Impacts: The relocation of a water supply pipe will result in 0.01 acre of temporary excavation in jurisdictional wetlands. Avoidance and Minimization NCDOT has avoided and minimized impacts to the fullest extent possible: • Traffic will be maintained using an off-site detour during construction. • The bridge will be built in-place using top-down construction and can therefore be built without the need of a causeway or work pad. • The bridge is being lengthened by 28 feet. • There will be no deck drains over surface waters. • Design Standards in Sensitive Watersheds will be strictly adhered to. • The number of interior bents in the water is being reduced from eight for the existing bridge to three for the new bridge. Mitigation The proposed project will have no permanent impacts to wetlands. Temporary impacts totaling 0.01 acre are a result of excavation of a water pipe. Following construction, this area will be graded to preconstruction elevation and revegetated. Hand clearing in the vicinity of the north abutment (0.02 ac) is not a jurisdictional impact and therefore does not require mitigation. Because there are no permanent impacts to jurisdictional wetlands, and impacts to riparian buffers have not exceeded the threshold requiring compensatory mitigation, NCDOT is not proposing mitigation. Page 2 Bridge Demolition The existing bridge is 172 feet in length, consisting of ten spans with the maximum span approximately 18 feet. The superstructure consists of a reinforced concrete floor on timber joists. The substructure consists of timber caps on timber piles. The bed to crown height is 19.7 feet and the normal depth of flow is 11 feet. The bridge will be removed using Best Management Practices (BMP's) for Bridge Demolition to avoid any temporary fill in "Waters of the United States". Bridge Construction Bridge No. 104 will be replaced with a 200-foot long, 4-span structure in the existing location. A single-row driven-pile substructure will support a cored slab superstructure. Construction of this bridge will not require a temporary causeway. Federally-Protected Species Plants and animals with federal classifications of Endangered, Threatened, Proposed Endangered, and Proposed Threatened are protected under Endangered Species Act §§7 and 9. As of January 29, 2007, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) lists 7 federally protected species for Beaufort County (Table 1). Biological conclusions of "No Effect" were reached for Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Red- cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), rough-leaved loosestrife (Lysimachia asperulaefolia), and sensitive jointvetch (Aeschynomene virginica). A biological conclusion of "May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect" was reached for Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). Concurrence from the USFWS was received for all species on May 5, 2006. A copy of this letter is included with this application. Due to the presence of potential West Indian Manatee habitat, NCDOT has committed to implementing Guidelines for Avoiding Impacts to the West Indian Manatee: Precautionary Measures for Construction Activities in North Carolina Waters. Table 1. Federally rotected species of Beaufort Coun . Scientific Name Common Name Federal Habitat Biological Status Conclusion Haliaeetus Bald eagle T(PFD) Yes MANLTAA leucoce halus Le idochel s kem h Kem 's ridle sea turtle E No No Effect Trichechus manatus West Indian manatee E Yes MANLTAA Picoides borealis Red-cockaded woodpecker E No No Effect Canis ru us Red wolf EXP Not Required N/A Lysimachia Rough-leaved loosestrife E Yes No Effect as erulaefolia Aeschynomene Sensitive jointvetch T Yes No Effect vir inica Page 3 In-Stream Work Moratorium As required by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), a moratorium on in- stream construction activities will be strictly adhered for the dates between and including February 15th and September 30th in order to protect striped bass (Morone saxatilis), American shad (Alosa sapidissima), river herring (Alosa pseudoharengus), and hickory shad (Alosa mediocris); all anadromous fish species. In addition, the Stream Crossing Guidelines for Anadromous Fish Passage will be implemented. Project Schedule This project is scheduled to let December 18, 2007, with a review date of October 30, 2007. Regulatory Approvals CAMA Permit: The NCDOT hereby requests that this project be authorized by the issuance of a Coastal Area Management Act Major Development Permit. Please find attached the completed MP forms along with the appropriate permit drawings. The certified mail "green cards" from the adjacent riparian landowner notifications are also included. Section 404 Permit: In a separate application, NCDOT is applying for a Clean Water Act Section 404 General Permit. All aspects of this project are being processed by the Federal Highway Administration as a "Categorical Exclusion". The NCDOT is requesting that these activities be authorized by a General Permit No. 198200031. Section 401 Permit: In a separate application, NCDOT is applying for a 401 Water Quality Certification from DWQ. We anticipate 401 General Certification number 3404 will apply to this project. All general conditions of the Water Quality Certifications will be met. Therefore, in accordance with 15A NCAC 2H, Section .0500(a), we are providing five copies of this application to the NCDWQ for their review and written concurrence. A copy of this permit application will be posted on the DOT website at: http://www.ncdot.org/preconstruct/pe/neu/permit.html. Thank you for your assistance with this project. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Worth Calfee at wcalfee@dot.state.nc.us or (919) 715-7225. Sincerely, Gregory J. Thorpe, Ph.D. Environmental Management Director, Page 4 Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch W/attachments Mr. Steve Sollod, NCDCM W/o attachment Mr. John Hennessy, NCDWQ Mr. Travis Wilson, NCWRC Mr. Gary Jordan, USFWS Mr. Ron Sechler, NMFS Mr. Michael Street, NCDMF Dr. David Chang, P.E., Hydraulics Mr. Greg Perfetti, P.E., Structure Design Mr. Victor Barbour, P.E., Project Services Unit Mr. Mark Staley, Roadside Environmental Mr. C. E. Lassiter, P.E., Division 2 Engineer Mr. Jay Johnson, Division 2 Environmental Officer Mr. Scott McLendon, USACE, Wilmington Mr. Jay Bennett, P.E., Roadway Design Mr. Majed Alghandour, P. E., Programming and TIP Mr. Art McMillan, P.E., Highway Design Mr. Wade Kirby, PDEA Page 5