The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About20180631 Ver 2_NC SHPO_RWI Airport_Project Review 4 18 18 final_20180511PROJECT REVIEW Project Name: Relocation and Replacement of Navigational Equipment and Lighting, Runway 4/22, Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport (RWI) Project Location: 7265 Air Terminal Dr, Rocky Mount, NC 27803 (Nash County) Project Contact Information: Name: Karen Dorrell, Senior Environmental Engineer Company: Parsons/Technical Support Services Contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Address: 3800 Camp Creek Parkway, Building 2400, Suite 106, Atlanta, GA 30331 Phone: 404-617-5229; EmaiL• Karen.CTR.Dorrell@faa.gov Project Description The Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport (RWI) is located in Nash County in eastern North Carolina along NC Highway 97, approximately 7 miles southwest of Rocky Mount and about 8 miles north of Wilson (Figure 1). The airport is located about 0.4 miles east of the Tar River Reservoir. The airport includes one existing asphalt paved runway, designated Runway 4/22 that measures 7,100 feet long by 150 feet wide, taxiways, a terminal building, several hangars, and several support buildings, navigational equipment, and shelters. The property for the airport was acquired in 1966 to replace the Rocky Mount Municipal Airport (Eagle Airport), located about one mile north of Rocky Mount. The oldest buildings at the airport date to 1970 (Nash County Tax Department 2018). The runway was extended about 1,200 feet to the north between 1998- 2005. The proposed project consists of two components: (1) replacing the Medium Intensity Approach Lighting System with Runway Alignment Indicator Lights (MALSR) and associated elements at the south end of Runway 4/22 and (2) correcting Runway Safety Area (RSA) violations on the north end of the runway by relocating navigational equipment and reconfiguring access roads and conduit alignments. Replace MALSR. The MALSR consists of a line of light fixtures at 12 Stations (evenly numbered from 2 to 24) extending south from the centerline of the runway, crossing Hornes Road, and bisecting a tree covered area and agricultural fields (Figure 2). A 10-foot wide linear gravel access road parallels the line of lights and provides access to each station. The evenly spaced stations include a combination of MALS steady burning lights or light bars (n=7) and rail sequenced flashers (n=5) that provide visual guidance to pilots on height perception, runway alignment, roll guidance, and horizontal references far Category I precision approaches. All stations except for Station 10 have one fixture of the specified type. Station 10, the 1000-foot distance marker, includes a set of three (3) 5-light steady burning light bar fixtures mounted on metal towers. In addition, an 18-light threshold bar is located across the runway threshold (Station 0). An existing equipment shelter for the MALSR occurs on the south side of Hornes Road, near Station 10, accessible from the MALSR access road. The project proposes to replace all the existing MALSR fixtures and foundations at each station with new fixtures, foundations, and access manholes; remove and demolish the existing MALSR shelter and foundation, and install a new MALSR shelter and foundation about 476 feet east of the existing shelter on the north side of Hornes Road; and construct an access road and trench conduits perpendicular to the line of light stations to the new MALSR shelter location (Figure 3). All new light station foundations will be located in the same footprint as the existing light stations. Underground trenching between light stations will be excavated within the existing roadway except for a short distance between Station 4 and the manhole for the light bar at the runway threshold. The existing access road will be improved with the addition of gravel and a new 20-square foot gravel covered parking and turnaround pad just south of the southernmost light station (Station 24); the remaining gravel access road to the south will be abandoned in place. The existing MALSR lights are mounted on metal or wood frame towers or posts at the twelve station locations, originally installed by 1972 when the airport was constructed. These posts and towers will be replaced with new fiberglass low-impact resistant (LIR) structures that will vary in height from 6'-1" to 30'-0", comparable to heights of each existing tower or post. Lighting will be installed in electric metallic tubing (EMT) mounts attached to these posts and towers. The new MALSR shelter with a surrounding gravel maintenance area would be constructed away from the line of light stations. Excavation for the shelter foundation will be 10 feet by 16 feet by 2 feet deep (Figure 3). Six inches of gravel will be spread in an area approximately 10 feet wide around the new shelter. A concrete pad mounted ground transformer and new power rack will be installed in the gravel plot for the new shelter. A new access road and trenching for the installation of conduit for power and control cables perpendicular to the MALSR line (parallel to Hornes Road), will begin at a point between Stations 8 and 10, and continue to the new MALSR shelter (Figures 2 and 3). New trenching will also occur from the west side of the runway threshold, south, then east, parallel to the threshold, before turning 90 degrees at the centerline of the runway and continuing south to Station 4. The trench excavations would be 2 feet wide and 3 feet deep with an additional 2 feet for the tracks of the trencher. Security fence will be installed around the shelter plot and around Stations 8-24. Excavation for concrete foundations for the metal fence posts will be about 2-3 feet deep. Relocate Localizer Antenna and Associated Structures. Correction of the RSA violations requires relocating an existing Localizer antenna array and shelter outside of the runway safety area. The Localizer antenna array, which functions along with the glide slope as a navigational guidance system for pilots of incoming aircraft under a wide range of weather conditions, would be relocated approximately 318 feet north of the existing location (Figures 2 and 4). The Localizer shelter will be moved approximately 323 feet north of the existing location (Figures 2 and 4). The site for the new Localizer antenna is on existing high ground that will be built up about 2 feet above existing grade with clean fill soil. A new concrete foundation measuring 114 by 18.5 feet with a 120-square foot apron for manhole access will be constructed to mount the antenna. In addition, a new concrete foundation measuring 16 feet by 10 feet with a 5-foot by 5- foot step pad will be installed to support the new shelter. A new 6-foot by 6-foot concrete pad for a relocated ground transformer and a meter rack will be installed adjacent to the shelter. Existing foundations for the antenna, shelter and transformer will be demolished, the area graded, and restored with sod. A 330-foot long trench for conduits for power and control cables and access manholes will be excavated between the new shelter and new antenna. The existing conduit and cables will be abandoned in place. The first 50 feet of the existing gravel access road to the Localizer shelter will be removed and the rest will be abandoned in place; a new 12-foot wide access road will be installed from Taxiway A, behind the new Localizer antenna, to the new Localizer shelter and will connect to an existing access dirt road on the east side of the runway (Figures 2 and 4). One 12-inch galvanized steel pipe culvert, approximately 20 feet long, will be installed to convey an existing drainage channel under the new access road. The access road will be primarily gravel except for first 300 feet off the taxiway which will be asphalt-paved. An existing access road on the east side of the project area will serve as an access/haul road for the project and a staging area will be located on the east side of the project area. Ground Disturbing Activities Ground disturbing activities associated with this project include the addition of fill and leveling for the new Localizer antenna foundation; grading for the foundations of the new Localizer and MASLR shelters and transformer pads; demolition of existing concrete pads and lighting foundations; open trenching to install conduit for power and control cables and to install galvanized steel pipe for drainage under an access road; surface grading to remove the first 50 feet of the existing Localizer access road and to establish a new access road to the Localizer antenna and shelter, connecting to an existing dirt access road; and establishment of two small staging areas to support each project component. Existing Site Structures The project area includes the north and south ends of Runway 4/22, the Localizer Array, shelter, and access road, the MALSR lighting, shelter and access road, and the proposed new sites for the Localizer Array shelter and access road and proposed new sites for the MALSR shelter and access road. On the west side of the runway are the airport buildings (terminal and hangars) that date to 1970 or later. Adjacent and nearby parcels contain agricultural fields and residences. NC Highway 97 is located west of the airport but views to and from the north end of the runway are obscured by a dense line of trees along the road. A recently constructed residential neighborhood is located to the north of the runway, but a dense stand of trees provides vegetative screening between the airport and much of the neighborhood. The MALSR crosses Hornes Road to the south, along which are residences and farms that pre-date construction of the airport. Area of Potential Effects The Area of Potential Effects (APE) for archaeological sites includes two discontiguous areas of the proposed footprint of ground disturbing activities (limits of disturbance) which could include excavation, trenching, surface grading, and the addition of fill (Figures 5 and 6). The two areas are mostly linear and slightly wider than existing and proposed access roads in each area (about 20 feet wide). Because the area has little topographic relief and open lines of sight and runway safety areas are airport requirements, the project area can be viewed from surrounding parcels. The APE for architectural resources is approximately a'/4 mile radius around the proposed location for the new Localizer antenna and shelter and a'/4 mile radius around the proposed location of the MALSR and proposed new shelter (Figures 5 and 6). Site Files Search A site files search was conducted by a qualified archaeologist on Apri14, 2018, using the online North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office HPOWEB Geographic Information System (GIS). No documentation on previous archaeological surveys was identified and no previously documented archaeological sites are known to occur in the APE. Five architectural resources were identified along NC Highway 97. Archaeological Probability. Based on the 1959 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) aerial photograph (Photo ABY-SW- 107), the future location of the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport consisted of several agricultural fields, as evidenced by extensive plow scars, linear row crops, and local farm roads, and uncultivated, densely vegetated areas crossed by several drainages (USDA 1959). The airport property was formerly bisected by a roadway; the historic alignment of the road is evident on the east (Vickers Road) and west side (Aviation Drive) of the airport. Initial airport construction for the Rocky Mount Wilson Regional Airport occurred between 1966 and 1972. This new and larger airport was constructed to replace the Rocky Mount Municipal Airport, located closer to Rocky Mount (originally called Eagle Airport which was built in 1930); the municipal airport was renamed the Rocky Mount Downtown Airport. Several historic topographic maps were reviewed to identify changes over time to elevations and contours on the airport property (USGS 1904, 1942, 1954, 1965, 1977, 1998, 2001, 2016). The maps indicate that the several small drainages which emptied into the Tar River were channelized and fill was added at these locations to create a level surface for the airport runway. In addition, several linear drainage ditches were excavated along the sides of the runway and concrete and metal pipe culverts were installed to convey water away from the runway, taxiways, and access roads and into adjacent low-lying areas. After airport construction, Vickers Road was realigned around the east and north edges of the airport properry to connect to NC Highway 97. The north end of the runway and taxiway were extended approximately 1,200 feet sometime after 1998; the 2016 topographic map indicates that additional earth moving removed 5-10 feet of soil to provide far a level surface for the runway and taxiway extensions and it appears to have been redistributed north of the new north end of the runway extension, raising this area by an additional 20 feet; further modifications to the drainage ditches occurred at this time. The proposed locations of the Localizer antenna and shelter are located within this fill area. Wetlands have been recently identified at both the north and south ends of Runway 4/22. Variations in soil color between the wetland and upland areas confirm the presence of fill. The orange soil color identified in the upland areas suggests that at least some of the fill material was brought in from another location. At the southern end of the runway, within the MALSR project area, three wetlands have been identified including all but three existing station locations and the proposed location of the new shelter. Prior disturbance from grading and construction for Hornes Road, a drainage ditch paralleling the road, and clearing and grading for a two-track dirt and gravel farm road on the north side of Hornes Road likely disturbed the area where the proposed new MALSR shelter and trench for conduit to the MALSR would be located. In addition, numerous pieces of air traffic navigational equipment including the Localizer and access road, the MALSR and access road, and Glide Slope have been installed and updated over time to meet air traffic safety standards. Ground disturbance from excavation and surface preparation on the airport property for the asphalt paved runway and taxiways, dirt and gravel access roads, drainage improvements, antenna and shelter foundations, underground conduit for power and communications have occurred and been improved or repaired over time. As a result of previous ground disturbance and fill (years of agricultural use, roadway grading and construction, and then development of the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport), intact archaeological resources are unlikely to occur on the airport property or may be deeply buried below the airport construction fill. Architectural Resources. Five previously documented architectural resources are located along NC Highway 97, only one of which (NS0570) is within the '/4 mile APE for the Localizer project (Table 1). Table 1. Architectural Resources near the Project Area HPO Site ID Resource Name Date Built Survey Date Status NS0570 James V. Viverette House 1803 1985 Not Evaluated NS0571 Andrew Jackson Williams 1847 1985 Not Evaluated House (moved) NS0572 Viverette Tenant House c. 1825 1985 Not Evaluated NS0573 Viverette House (Gone?) c. 1825; 1985 Not Evaluated; 1900 Demolished (remodeled) N50574 Ed Winstead House 1918 1985 Not Evaluated The James V. Viverette House (NS0570) was constructed ca. 1803 and is a typical example of an early 19th century farmhouse, common in the southern part of Nash County (Mattson 1984). The one-and-a half story hall and parlor plan house has been extensively remodeled over time. An addition in 1847 served as a stagecoach stop on the Raleigh-to-Tarboro state route (NC Highway 97). The roof style has also been changed over time. The house has not been evaluated for eligibility on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). An access road to the north end of the airport occurs along the south side of the parcel containing the resource. A dense line of trees surrounding the parcel obscures views to the house from all directions. A North Carolina Highway Historical marker is located at the intersection of NC Highway 97 and Airport Road at the entrance to the airport. The text of the sign indicates that "The British Army under Gen. Cornwallis marching to Virginia cainped here at Crowell's plantation on May 8, 1781." No remnants of the British encampinent or plantation are known to remain on the airport property. Property for the airport was acquired in 1966 and contains 11 buildings or structures that include the imain terminal with offices, hangars and warehouses, some with attached of�ces, and a fire station. The two oldest buildings at the airport were constructed in 1970; two additional buildings were added in 1972 and 1975. Five buildings were constructed in the 1980s, one in 1990, and one in 2000. None of the buildings are more than 50 years of age or appear to warrant evaluation for NRHP eligibility until they are 50 years old or older. Assessment of Effects The project area has been heavily disturbed, first through years of agricultural use, construction of state and farm roads, then through the initial development of the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport, which included the addition of fill to level the area for the runway, taxiways, and access roads; channelize drainages; and install navigational equipment and underground conduit. The north end of the airport runway and taxiway were extended about 1,200 feet between 1998-2005 resulting in additional earth moving activities. At the north end, the project has been designed to avoid wetlands as much as possible which occur to the north and west, just outside the areas proposed for disturbance by the new access road, antenna, and shelter for the Localizer. No intact archaeological resources are likely to occur in the limits of dishirbance for the current undertaking. The proposed location of the Localizer a��tenna is on high ground which was created when a stream channel tributary of the Tar River was filled in for airport construction and when the north end of the runway and taxiway was extended. Figure 7 indicates that the elevation of this area increased by 10 feet between 1904 to 2016 (before and after airport construction). The antenna will be mounted on a concrete foundation raised about 2 additional feet above the existing surface. Although trenching for new conduit would extend up to 3 feet deep between the antenna and new shelter, the area proposed for disturbance (about 660 square feet) occurs within an area of fill up to 10 feet deep and there is limited potential to affect subsurface archaeological resources should they be present. At the south end of the runway, all but three existing station locations and the proposed location of the new shelter are located within wetlands. The proposed new shelter and conduit from the shelter to the existing MALSR line occur adjacent to Hornes Road and within an area previously graded for Hornes Road, a drainage ditch, and an adjacent farm/access road. Although the topographic map indicates little to no change in elevation in this area (Figure 8), prior disturbance from construction of the existing line of MALSR lighting and clearing and grading for roads, suggests there is limited potential to affect intact archaeological resources. Only one architectural resource (NS0570) has been previously recorded in the APE for the Localizer component of the project. This resource has not been evaluated for eligibility on the NRHP; however, the house has been extensively altered over time. Initial construction of the airport, access road, and installation of features like the Localizer antenna would have altered the setting of the resource. Views to the rear of this resource from the north end of the runway are obscured by a dense stand of trees; relocating the antenna and shelter will not create any additional visual intrusions to the viewshed of the resource. No effects to this resource are expected to occur from relocation of the Localizer antenna, shelter, and access road. No historic properties are located within the APE for the MALSR component of the project. The FAA has determined that the proposed undertaking to replace the MALSR and relocate the Localizer antenna and associated structures at the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport will not affect historic properties. In accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the FAA requests the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer's concurrence with this Finding of "No Historic Properties Affected." References Mattson, Rick 1985 North Carolina Historic Structure Data Sheet, "NS570, James Viverette House." Prepared by Rick Mattson. On file at the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Nash County Tax Department 2018. Nash County, NC — Tax Search. Electronic database, http://taxdata.nashcountync.�, accessed Apri15, 2018. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1959 Aerial Photograph, ABY-SW- 107. On file with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR).