20190668 Ver 1_Polk County - B 29 - Impact-Restoration Proposal Plan_20190522

Proposal by NCDOT Division 14
To Impact
Little White Oak [925341 Mitigation Project
Replacement of Bridge #29 on NC 9
Polk County
WBS 41665.31)

Table of Contents
1.0 Purpose and Need
2.0 Proposed Impacts
2.1 Conservation Easement
2.2 Stream Mitigation Assets
2.3 Wetland Mitigation Assets
3.0 Avoidance and Minimization
4.0 Proposal to Replace Losses Incurred
4.1 Conservation Easement
4.2 Mitigation Assets
4.3 Other Losses
Figure A. Project Vicinity Map
Figure B. Proposed Impacts
Figure C. Proposed Impacts Overlain on Aerial
Figure D. Detour Route
Appendix 1. Natural Resources Technical Report
Appendix 2.Project Area Photographs

1.0 Purpose and Need
The NCDOT proposes to impact the Little White Oak (92534] mitigation project to replace bridge 740029
in Polk County (Figure A). This bridge was constructed in 1967 and is now rated structurally deficient
(sufficiency rating of 12.1 on 3/29/2016). The bridge will be replaced with an 85' 2-span pre -stressed
concrete girder bridge.
The NCDOT has not yet set a let date for the project. A Natural Resources Technical Report (NRTR) was
prepared for this project (Appendix 1). The application for 404/401 environmental permits has not yet
been submitted due to uncertainty regarding necessary right of way acquisition.
2.0 Proposed Impacts
2.1 Conservation Easement
The proposed design will result in the take of 1623 square feet of conservation easement for right of
way for the new bridge alignment. The take is located within an existing Public Utility Easement (PUE)
and overlays a fenced area that has been set aside for the property owner to ford the stream. There is
3177 square feet of impact needed for clearing and fill associated with the temporary on -site detour
culverts and roadway. A discussion of how NCDOT will provide property owner(s) access across the
stream is provided in Section 4.0 Proposal to Replace Losses Incurred.
Conservation Easement (CE)
Amount (Acreage, Square Footage)
Take —permanent utility easement
1623 square feet
Temporary— alteration of CE for temporary
construction easement
3177 square feet
2.2 Stream Mitigation Assets
The proposal would not have permanent impacts to the stream mitigation assets. The
proposed project design will result in a temporary loss of stream channel and stream buffer to
temporarily relocate cattle fence (approx. 30' south) and construct the on -site detour. 50 linear
feet (23 feet of mitigation assets) of temporary impacts to the stream is due to dual culvert pipes for a
temporary detour needed to maintain traffic on this route.
Stream Mitigation Asset
Amount (Footage)
Permanent Impact/Loss
0
Temporary Impact/Loss
2@84" x 50 If* of corrugated steel pipe - *23 If of
this length is inside of the conservation
easement, other 27' is within existing cattle ford
area outside of CE

There would be temporarily lost habitat and water quality functions associated with stream buffer
clearing. The project would also have temporary impacts to hydrological functions of the stream and
floodplain due to the temporary pipes and road fill, respectively. However, following project
completion, which usually takes less than 2 years for a bridge of this size, the cattle fence will be
restored to its pre-existing location and stream channel, banks, and vegetated buffer restored.
Figures Band C depict the proposed design and impacts to the mitigation project. Photographs of the
project approaches and areas to be impacted are provided in Appendix 2.
2.3 Wetland Mitigation Assets
Wetland mitigation assets will not be affected by the proposed project design.
Wetland Mitigation Asset
Amount (Acreage)
Permanent Impact/Loss
0
Temporary Impact/Loss
0
3.0 Avoidance and Minimization
Minimization of impact to the conservation easement has been a priority for the design of this project
since its inception. Coordination began early in the design stage to determine the best way to manage
any necessary impacts to the mitigation project.
NCDOT originally planned to build this project using an off -site detour and on the same alignment as
existing NC 9. Coordination with emergency services and local officials initially indicated that this would
be a possibility and design commenced accordingly. The project was submitted to NCDOT by the design
consultant to be let in February 2015. In October of the same year, it was determined from further
conversations with school officials that the off -site detour route was not acceptable because it would
add an additional 6 miles of travel and travel time to areas south of the school. Figure D depicts a
proposed off -site detour.
Due to the off -site detour issue, the south side of NC 9 was chosen for the temporary on -site
construction detour due to the additional width in the easement that was set aside for fording the
stream by the property owner. Temporary pipes were chosen for the crossing and sandbag headwalls
were included to minimize the encroachment of the slopes into the conservation easement. The
horizontal alignment was set to as close as possible to existing NC 9 and still allow construction of the
proposed bridge while the vertical alignment was kept to the minimum elevation possible in order to
minimize the distance required to tie back to natural ground for the areas beyond the headwall.
The design consultant contacted the Stewardship and Community Outreach Manager with the Office of
Land and Water Stewardship, Will Summer, and asked him to review the designs for the project. Will's
reply follows:

Per the revised plans that Chip Hutchens sent to me Friday, 1 see no effects on the mitigation credits from
this project.
Specifically:
0 The R/W easement does not overlap the conservation easement on either side of the
bridge.
0 The TDE (temporary drainage easement) on the north side of the bridge does overlap the
easement outside of the fenced area where the ford crossing is. However, there are no
mitigation credits associated with that area.
0 Likewise, the new position of the PUE on the south side of the bridge also overlaps the
easement, but again in the area outside of the fence where there are no mitigation credits.
0 Finally, the project will impact the pedestrian access easement, but the new R/W will
provide direct access to our easement so there should be no negative effects for our purposes of
access.
Thanks again to the engineers for working with us to avoid impact to our conservation /mitigation
interests.
If you need a signed memo, I will be happy to provide one, otherwise please consider this email as a
closure of DENR Stewardship's review. 1 believe you will still need to work with the State Property Office
to extinguish the small portions of the easement that will be affected.
Please let me know if you have any questions,
-Will
Though, as already noted, there would be no permanent loss of mitigation assets, there will be
temporary impacts to stream habitat and hydrologic functions. However, the temporal losses should be
off -set by project benefits. The cattle ford near and under the bridge is in poor condition and a source
of sediment to the stream (see Photos Appendix 2). The channel is also overly -wide here and a
disruption to sediment transport processes. These crossings could be improved during construction and
thereby help off -set the temporary water quality functional losses from stream buffer impacts.
Similarly, the increase hydraulic capacity of the new bridge and the elimination of one set of piers will
improve the hydrologic and sediment transport functions of the stream.
4.0 Proposal to replace losses incurred
The following actions will be taken by NCDOT to replace losses incurred by the bridge replacement
project.
4.1 Conservation Easement
The project will temporarily disturb 3,177 square feet of easement and take 1623 square feet of
easement as a PUE. The existing fence separating the CE from cattle access areas will be replaced to its
original location upon project completion. Therefore, the area taken will revert to a natural condition of
herbaceous and shrub buffer composition.
4.2 Mitigation Assets
There would be no permanent loss of mitigation assets, only temporary. The temporary stream buffer
and channel impacts will be restored to pre-existing conditions (grade, dimension and vegetative cover)

following construction. Areas will be grubbed/disked as needed to eliminate soil compaction and
seeded with a native seed mix. Disturbed stream banks will be matted with coir and native woody
vegetation replanted. The loss of water quality and habitat functions of the buffer in this area will
therefore be short-term and, as noted in 3.0, off -set with stream channel/hydraulic improvements
associated with the ford and bridge improvements.
4.3 Other Losses
The existing cattle ford and crossing of the stream south of the bridge will be restored and improved
following construction. The NCDOT would coordinate with the landowner to accommodate where
possible any cattle transfers between pastures that may be temporarily isolated during construction.
The cattle crossing will be stabilized with new stone and channel repaired, which will reduce an existing
sediment source to the stream and restore'a more natural channel width to improve sediment
transport.

FIGURE A NC HIGHWAY 9 BRIDGE 29 REPLACMENT ON
LITTLE WHITE OAK MITIGATION PROJECT
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POLK COUNTY
LOCATION: BRIDGE #29 OVER SOUTH BRANCH
LITTLE WHITE OAK CREEK ON NC 9
TYPE OF WORK: GRADING,DRAINAGfi,PAVMG,AND STRUCTURE
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FIGURE C. PROPOSED
NC HIGHWAY 9 BRIDGE 29 REPLACMENT ON
LITTLE WHITE OAK MITIGATION PROJECT
PROPOSEDIMPACTS
0 12.5 25 50
0 Feet

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NC HIGHWAY 9 BRIDGE 29 REPLACMENT ON
FIGURE D. LITTLE WHITE OAK MITIGATION PROJECT
POSSIBLE DETOUR
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Miles

Appendix 1.
Bridge No. 29 Polk Replacement
Natural Resource Technical Report
The bridge and immediate vicinity were surveyed on March 22, 2017.
Existing Conditions
The project area consists of the roadway, bridge, restored stream channel on South Branch Little White Oak Creek,
and vegetated buffers within a conservation easement, and pasture. This stream is a degraded warm water
stream in the upper piedmont physio-region. The vegetated buffers along the steam include, in part, various
grasses and sedges, silky willow, oak spp., silky dogwood, loblolly pine, buttonbush, green briar, blackberry.
There are no wetlands near the bridge
Listed Species
According to the LISFWS, dwarf -flowered heartleaf (Hexastylis noniflora) habitat is typically "acidic soils along
bluffs and adjacent slopes, in boggy areas next to streams and creek heads, and along the slopes of nearby hillsides
and ravines." White irisette (Sisyrinchium dichotomum) habitat includes mid -elevation slopes with open dry to
mesic oak -hickory forest, typically on rocky steep terrain with shallow neutral to basic soils. This plant favors
disturbed areas such as road edges. The project area is disturbed by cattle grazing and stream crossing, road
maintenance, and construction of a stream restoration project a few years ago. Habitats for listed plant species
known from Polk County appear absent at and near this bridge.
The project area is within the range of northern long-eared bat (NLEB, Myotis septentrionalis). However, there are
no known hibernacula or roost roosts in Polk County. There is no evidence of bat usage (guano or urine staining)
on or under the bridge.
Submitted by Dave McHenry, NCDOT Division 14 Environmental Officer

Appendix 2. Photographs
Photo 2.1 Facing east towards bridge showing approximate lay -out oftemporary on -site detour.
Photo 2.1 Facing east towards bridge showing approximate edge of take (red-Ilne) and temporary
easement disturbance (blue -line).

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