Greenville Northern Rail Connector

WATF Michael F. Easley, Governor
Q /Q William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
\OC~ QG North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Coleen Sullins, Director
Division of Water Quality
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July 29, 2008

MEMORANDUM

To: Mr. David O'Loughlin, Senior Scientist, EcoScience
1101 Haynes Street
Suite 101
Raleigh, NC 27604

From: David Wainwright, NC Division of Water Quality
Subject: Scoping comments on the proposed Greenville Northern Rail Connector in Pitt County,
TIP P-3309AA.

Reference your correspondence dated July 17, 2008 in which you requested comments for the referenced
project. Preliminary analysis of the project area indicates that your project will not impact any perennial
streams or jurisdictional wetlands. However, further investigations at a higher resolution should be
undertaken to verify the presence of other streams and/or jurisdictional wetlands in the area.

Thank you for requesting our input at this time. The DOT is reminded that issuance of a 401 Water
Quality Certification requires that appropriate measures be instituted to ensure that water quality
standards are met and designated uses are not degraded or lost. If you have any questions or require
additional information, please contact David Wainwright at [phone].

cc: William Wescott, US Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Field Office
Chris Militscher, Environmental Protection Agency
Travis Wilson, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Gary Jordan, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Garcy Ward, DWQ Washington Regional Office
File Copy

NorthCarolin
Transportation Permitting Unit VA(rQlly
1650 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1650
2321 Crabtree Boulevard, Suite 250, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604
Phone: [phone] / FAX [phone] / Internet: http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/ncwetlanos
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer - 50% Recycled/10% Post Consumer Paper

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July 17, 2008 `Tq~iry
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David Wainwright
NCDENR-DWQ 401 Unit
2321 Crabtree Blvd., Suite 250
Raleigh, NC 27604Raleigh, NC 27604

Re: Greenville Northern Rail Connector, TIP no. P-3309AA, Greenville, Pitt County

Dear Mr. Wainwright,
The North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division (NCDOT) proposes to add a
railroad track connection, known as a wye, joining the CSX Transportation line with the Carolina
Coastal Railway line to improve flow and movement of freight, as well as decrease motorist
delays at crossings in Greenville, NC (Figure 1). The proposed project is located in central
Greenville approximately 0.3 mile southwest of the intersection of West Tenth Street and Green
Street (Figure 2). The project study area (PSA) has been defined by NCDOT as an area
approximately 400 feet in width surrounding the proposed project (Figure 3).

Currently, there is no railroad track connection to permit train traffic moving from south to east.
Southbound train traffic is hauled through the CSX Transportation/Carolina Coastal Railway
railroad crossing to a small switching yard located between Arlington Boulevard and Howell
Street. Freight cars maneuver in and out of the railroad sidings as they connect cars to build
eastbound trains. This operation often occurs during peak travel times, blocking the railroad
crossings at Fourteenth Street, Howell Street and Arlington Boulevard. Recent study data show
that Fourteenth Street carries approximately 16,000 vehicles per day and Arlington Boulevard
carries approximately 30,000 vehicles per day; therefore, this railroad operation has significant
impact on vehicle traffic.

Please note that there will be no formal interagency scoping meeting for this project. This letter
constitutes solicitation for scoping comments related to the project. It is desirable that you
respond by August 15, 2008, so that your comments can be used in the preparation of a
Federally-funded Categorical Exclusion in accordance with the National Environmental Policy
Act.

The following describes the general features of the study area, as well as anticipated impacts.

A division of
PW
1101 Haynes Street • Suite 101 • Raleigh, North Carolina 27604 • Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone] • www.pbsj.com • www.ecosciencenc.com

Existing Land Use

The project is located in a well-established portion of Greenville. The land use within two miles
of the project study area (PSA) is primarily used for urban development including a mixture of
high, medium, and low density residential with commercial/industrial interspersed. Some
agriculture remains to the west of the PSA along the city fringe. The PSA contains portions of
four roads: Thirteenth Street, Fourteenth Street, Beatty Street, and Pitt Street. All of the streets,
with the exception of Fourteenth Street, are local access streets in what is a residential area with
some scattered commercial uses. Current zoning in the immediate vicinity of the PSA is
commercial/industrial with some scattered residential (Greenville 2004). Two existing railroad
lines intersect in the PSA: CSX Transportation and Carolina Coastal Railway. Portions of three
existing wyes occupy a large portion of the southern half of the PSA.

Water Resources
The PSA is located within the city limits of Greenville approximately 1 mile south of the Tar
River with the closest named stream being Greens Mill Run approximately 0.5 mile east (Figure
1). Field surveys within the PSA were completed in March 2008. The PSA was walked and
visually inspected for significant environmental features. Jurisdictional area boundaries were
delineated and are pending verification. Two wetlands and an intermittent stream were identified
on the site.

Threatened and Endangered Species
As of January 31, 2008, three federally protected species are listed for Pitt County (Table 1).

Table 1: Federally Protected Species listed for Pitt County
Common Name Scientific Name Status Habitat Present
Red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis Endangered No
West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus Endangered No
Tar Rivers in mussel Elli do steinstansana Endangered No

Cultural Resources

A preliminary search of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office's (SHPO) files did
not identify any significant archeological or historic places within the PSA. SHPO will make the
final determination if the project will affect any properties that may be eligible for the National
Register.

PW

Thank you for assisting us in this study. If further information regarding the proposed action or
the environmental analysis process is required, please contact me by phone at [phone] or
by email at DKO'[e-mail].

Sincerely,

E(iVsoh 5U) tKNIK -

for
David O'Loughlin
Senior Scientist
EcoScience: a Division of PBS&J

Attachments
cc: Marc Hamel, NCDOT Rail Division
Ron Lucas, Federal Highway Administration
Chris Militsher, EPA c/o Federal Highway Administration
William Wescott, US Army Corps of Engineers
Pete Benjamin, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Raleigh Field Office
Travis Wilson, NCWRC
Amy Simes, NCDENR
Al Hodge, NCDENR - DWQ, Washington Regional Office
David Wainwright, NCDENR-DWQ 401 Unit
Renee Gledhill-Earley, State Historic Preservation Office

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