MID-CURRITUCK BRIDGE STUDY - NCDOT

MID-CURRITUCK BRIDGE STUDY

WBS ELEMENT: 34470.1.TA1 STIP NO. R-2576

CURRITUCK COUNTY DARE COUNTY

BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

June 2011

Primary Agency:

Raleigh, North Carolina

Contact: Ms. Jennifer H. Harris, P.E.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority 1578 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1578 (919) 707-2704

Prepared by: CZR Incorporated

4709 College Acres Drive, Suite 2 Wilmington, North Carolina 28403

Prepared for:

Parsons Brinckerhoff 434 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1500

Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

and for the Federal Highway Administration

North Carolina Turnpike Authority US Army Corps of Engineers

US Coast Guard

PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment iii

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... vii

Overview of Project Action .......................................................................................... vii

Location of the Action Area ......................................................................................... vii

Timeframe ..................................................................................................................... viii

Summary of Effects ...................................................................................................... viii 1.0 PROJECT OVERVIEW ................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Federal Nexus .......................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Project Description ................................................................................................. 2

1.3 Project Area and Setting ........................................................................................ 5

1.4 Consultation History ............................................................................................. 5 2.0 FEDERALLY PROPOSED AND LISTED SPECIES AND DESIGNATED

CRITICAL HABITAT ..................................................................................................... 9

2.1 Mammals .................................................................................................................. 9 2.1.1 Red Wolf (Canis rufus) ............................................................................... 9 2.1.2 West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) ........................................... 10

2.2 Birds ........................................................................................................................ 10 2.2.1 Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)......................................................... 10 2.2.2 Red‐cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) ...................................... 10 2.2.3 Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) ................................................................ 11

2.3 Reptiles ................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.1 American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) ...................................... 11 2.3.2 Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) ...................................... 11 2.3.3 Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) ...................................... 12 2.3.4 Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) .......................................................... 12 2.3.5 Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) ................................................. 12 2.3.6 Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) .................................... 13

2.4 Fish—Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) ..................................... 14

2.5 Vascular Plants—Seabeach Amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) .................... 14 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ................................................................................ 15

3.1 Water Resource Classification ........................................................................... 15

3.2 Water Quality ........................................................................................................ 16

3.3 Aquatic Wildlife ................................................................................................... 16

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment iv

Table of Contents (continued)

3.4 Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) .............................................................................. 17

3.5 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation ........................................................................ 17

3.6 Floodplains ............................................................................................................ 19

3.7 Beach and Dune .................................................................................................... 19 4.0 PROJECT DETAILS ...................................................................................................... 22

4.1 Construction .......................................................................................................... 22 4.1.1 Project Timeline and Sequencing ........................................................... 22 4.1.2 Site Preparation ........................................................................................ 22 4.1.3 Construction Access and Staging ........................................................... 22 4.1.4 In‐Water Work .......................................................................................... 23 4.1.5 Potential Impacts on Water Quality and Aquatic Habitat ................. 25 4.1.6 Post‐Project Site Restoration ................................................................... 26

4.2 Operations ............................................................................................................. 26 4.2.1 Stormwater Management ........................................................................ 28 4.2.2 Shading ...................................................................................................... 30

4.3 Maintenance .......................................................................................................... 30 5.0 PROJECT ACTION AREA ........................................................................................... 32

5.1 Project Action Area .............................................................................................. 32

5.2 Limits of the Action Area .................................................................................... 32 5.2.1 Right‐of‐Way and Permanent and Temporary Easement plus

500 Feet ...................................................................................................... 32 5.2.2 Mid‐Currituck Bridge .............................................................................. 33 5.2.3 Additional Action Area Associated with Indirect Impacts ................ 34

6.0 EFFECTS ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 35

6.1 Direct Effects ......................................................................................................... 35

6.2 Indirect Effects ...................................................................................................... 36 6.2.1 Altered Predator‐Prey Relationships ..................................................... 39 6.2.2 Long‐Term Habitat Alteration ................................................................ 39 6.2.3 Indirect Land Use Impacts ...................................................................... 40

6.3 Interrelated and Interdependent Actions and Activities .............................. 40

6.4 Cumulative Effects ............................................................................................... 41 6.4.1 Water Quality in Currituck Sound ........................................................ 42 6.4.2 Beach Driving ............................................................................................ 42

6.5 Conservation Measures ....................................................................................... 43

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment v

Table of Contents (concluded)

6.5.1 Species in Currituck Sound ..................................................................... 43 6.5.2 Beach Driving ............................................................................................ 44

7.0 EFFECT DETERMINATIONS .................................................................................... 45

7.1 Effect Determination for Listed Species .......................................................... 45 7.1.1 No Effect or Not Applicable Determinations for Listed Species ....... 45 7.1.2 May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect Determinations for

Listed Species ............................................................................................ 49 7.1.3 May Affect, Likely to Adversely Affect Determinations for Listed

Species ........................................................................................................ 55

7.2 Effect Determinations for Proposed Species—Atlantic Sturgeon .............. 55 7.2.1 Background ............................................................................................... 55 7.2.2 Reasons for Decline .................................................................................. 56 7.2.3 Determination ........................................................................................... 56

7.3 Effect Determination for Critical Habitat ........................................................ 57 7.3.1 Effect Determination for Designated Critical Habitat ......................... 57 7.3.2 Effect Determinations for Proposed Critical Habitat .......................... 57

7.4 Making Overall Effect Determinations ........................................................... 57

7.5 Candidate Species—Red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) .................................. 59 8.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 60

8.1 Publications and Technical Reports ................................................................. 60

8.2 Web Sites ............................................................................................................... 63

8.3 Personal Communication .................................................................................... 64 APPENDIX A: ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT ................................................................... A‐1 APPENDIX B: DETAILED LISTED SPECIES INFORMATION ...................................B‐1 APPENDIX C: CONSULTATION HISTORY ................................................................... C‐1

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment vi

List of Tables

Table 1. Summary of Effect Determinations for the Proposed Action ............................. ix Table 2. Consultation History ................................................................................................. 5 Table 3. Sea Turtle Strandings in Currituck Sound from 2000 to 2009 ............................ 13 Table 4. Impact by Species and Type of Exposure ............................................................. 37 Table 5. Summary of Effect Determination for Impacts in Water for Listed Species .... 46 Table 6. Summary of Effect Determination for Impacts on Land for Listed Species .... 47 Table 7. Effect Determination for Each Affected Species .................................................. 58

List of Figures

Figure 1. Project Area, Action Area, and Preferred Alternative .......................................... 3 Figure 2. SAV Data from 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2010 ........................................................... 18 Figure 3. Floodplains ................................................................................................................ 20

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment vii

Executive Summary

Overview of Project Action

The North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA), a division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is preparing a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) to evaluate proposed transportation improvements in the Currituck Sound area. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a cooperating agency. The proposed action is included in NCDOT’s 2009 to 2015 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), the North Carolina Intrastate System, the North Carolina Strategic Highway Corridor Plan, and the Thoroughfare Plan for Currituck County. In those plans, the proposed action is defined as a bridge in Currituck County across Currituck Sound from the mainland to the Outer Banks.

The FEIS evaluates the five detailed study alternatives (ER2, MCB2/C1, MCB2/C2, MCB4/C1, and MCB4/C2) identified in the March 2010 Administrative Action Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mid‐Currituck Bridge Study (DEIS) (NCTA and FHWA, 2010), as well as the Preferred Alternative (a refinement of MCB4/C1) identified in the FEIS. For the four MCB2 and MCB4 alternatives, two design options also were evaluated for the mainland approach to the bridge over Currituck Sound (between US 158 and Currituck Sound): Option A and Option B. The Preferred Alternative, refined MCB4/C1 with Option A, was recommended based on design considerations; cost; travel benefits; community, natural resource, and other impacts; agency comments and suggestions; and public comments. Impacts and effects of construction practices are based upon estimated impacts of the Preferred Alternative. The Preliminary Design for the Preferred Alternative is enclosed separately.

Location of the Action Area

The action area for this Biological Assessment is shown in Figure 1 in Section 1.2. The action area represents the area of potential indirect and direct impacts of the Preferred Alternative on protected species under National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) jurisdiction. The action area is in northeastern North Carolina within Currituck County. A portion also is in Dare County. The portion of the action area that encompasses the Preferred Alternative reflects the following project components: a segment of US 158 where lanes could be reversed for hurricane evacuation, an interchange with US 158, the mainland approach road to Currituck Sound (including a bridge across Maple Swamp), the Mid‐Currituck Bridge, the Outer Banks approach road to the Mid‐Currituck Bridge, improvements to NC 12 south of the bridge, and a third outbound lane for hurricane evacuation on US 158 between the

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment viii

Wright Memorial Bridge and the US 158/NC 12 intersection. Potential indirect effects add to the action area the dune line and beach between the northern end of NC 12 and the Virginia line. Specific characteristics of the action area are described in Section 5.0.

Timeframe

Construction of the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project would occur over a 52‐month period. Operation of the bridge would be indefinite but at least 50 years.

Summary of Effects

As of February 2011, NMFS and USFWS identified 13 federally‐protected species (see Table 1) occurring in Currituck and Dare counties (NMFS, 2011; USFWS, 2011a). Some of these 13 species are under the jurisdiction of USFWS and some are under NMFS jurisdiction. Table 1 also lists the agency with jurisdiction for each protected species, as well as the determinations of effect for each species by agency. Because the five sea turtle species use both the waters (NMFS jurisdiction) and land (beach, USFWS jurisdiction) within the project area, they are under joint NMFS and USFWS jurisdiction, so two determinations are made, taking into account impacts encountered in both environments.

For the Preferred Alternative, six of the 13 protected species have an ultimate determination of No Effect. Four of those six are solely under USFWS jurisdiction and the other two species are under joint USFWS/NMFS jurisdiction. Five protected species have a single determination of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect for reasons discussed in Section 7.1. Two protected species (green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles) have two different determinations – one for impacts occurring in the water under NMFS jurisdiction (May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect), and one for impacts occurring on the beach under USFWS jurisdiction (No Effect). An effects determination is not applicable for one species (the American alligator). There is no critical habitat for any of the protected species in the action area. In addition, there is no habitat for any of the 13 protected species in Maple Swamp. The effects determinations for all 13 protected species also are documented in the DEIS.

NCTA, FHWA, and USACE are requesting concurrence on the determinations of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect for all species with this conclusion (see Table 1).

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment ix

Table 1. Summary of Effect Determinations for the Proposed Action

Species Listing Status Conclusions for USFWS

Jurisdictional Species2

Conclusions for NMFS

Jurisdictional Species2

Scientific Name

Common Name

Federal Status1

Designated Critical Habitat Present

Habitat Present

Canis rufus Red wolf E‐EXP No Yes No Effect NA

Trichechus manatus

West Indian manatee

E No Yes MA‐NLAA NA

Charadrius melodus

Piping plover

T No Yes MA‐NLAA NA

Picoides borealis Red‐

cockaded woodpecker

E No No No Effect NA

Sterna dougallii dougallii Roseate tern E No Yes No Effect NA

Alligator mississippiensis

American Alligator T(S/A) No Yes NA NA

Eretmochelys imbricata

Hawksbill sea turtle E No No No Effect No Effect

Dermochelys coriacea

Leatherback sea turtle E No No No Effect No Effect

Chelonia mydas Green sea turtle

T No Yes No Effect MA‐NLAA

Caretta caretta Loggerhead sea turtle

T No Yes MA‐NLAA MA‐NLAA

Lepidochelys kempii

Kemp’s ridley sea turtle

E No Yes No Effect MA‐NLAA

Acipenser brevirostrum

Shortnose sturgeon E No Yes NA MA‐NLAA

Amaranthus pumilus

Seabeach amaranth

T No Yes No Effect NA

Source: USFWS, 2011a; NMFS, 2011. 1 T – Threatened. T(S/A) – Threatened because of similarity of appearance to American crocodile E – Endangered. E‐EXP – Endangered and population is experimental. 2 MA‐NLAA – May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect. NA – Not Applicable; no biological conclusion required.

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment 1

MID-CURRITUCK BRIDGE STUDY BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

1.0 Project Overview

1.1 Federal Nexus

This Biological Assessment addresses the proposed action in compliance with Section 7 (C) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended in 1978. In compliance with Section 7 of the ESA, consultation and/or conferencing with USFWS and NMFS is required to ensure federal actions do not jeopardize the continued existence of any threatened, endangered, or proposed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. Managed fish within the action area fall under the joint responsibility of Mid‐Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC), South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC), and NMFS. As required by the Magnuson‐Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), both MAFMC and SAFMC have defined several areas of essential fish habitat (EFH) in the action area. The threatened, endangered, or proposed species and areas of EFH will be evaluated in this Biological Assessment for potential effects of the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project. Specific project design elements are identified that avoid or minimize adverse effects of the proposed project on listed species or critical habitat.

The federal lead agency for the preparation of a FEIS for the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the US Coast Guard are cooperating agencies. This Biological Assessment was prepared as a part of meeting the consultation and/or conferencing requirements for all three agencies. Federal actions associated with the project are:

• FHWA: Potential for project financing via a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan;

• USACE: Dredge and fill permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act; and

• US Coast Guard: Bridge permit under Section 9 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and the General Bridge Act of 1946.


1.2 Project Description

NCTA, a division of NCDOT, in cooperation with FHWA is evaluating proposed transportation improvements near Currituck Sound in Currituck and Dare counties. The project area, action area, and Preferred Alternative are shown in Figure 1. The proposed action is included in NCDOT’s 2009 to 2015 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), the North Carolina Intrastate System, the North Carolina Strategic Highway Corridor Plan, and the Thoroughfare Plan for Currituck County. In those plans, the proposed action is defined as a bridge in Currituck County across Currituck Sound from the mainland to the Outer Banks.

The project’s history includes the following events:

• In 1975, at Currituck County’s request, the NCDOT Board of Transportation adopted a resolution identifying an east‐west bridge crossing Currituck Sound as the most desirable access route to the Currituck Outer Banks.

• In 1981, a Mid‐Currituck Bridge was discussed as an alternative in an Outer Banks Access Environmental Impact Statement. Extending NC 12 to Corolla was selected as the Preferred Alternative and built.

• In 1989, NCDOT decided that the first phase of any transportation improvement for Currituck Sound should be widening the Wright Memorial Bridge to four lanes. This project was built.

• In 1991, a potential terminus for a Mid‐Currituck Bridge was identified and protected under the provisions of the Transportation Corridor Official Map Act.

• Between 1991 and 1998, NCDOT conducted studies for the Mid‐Currituck Bridge Study. A Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was issued on July 6, 1995 and posted in the Federal Register. A DEIS was signed and approved for public distribution in January 1998.

• In May 1998, Public Hearings were held. The majority of the comments received on the project indicated opposition to a Mid‐Currituck Bridge. Environmental resource and regulatory agencies expressed the concern that the DEIS had not assessed in detail an alternative that widened existing roads instead of a bridge. Following the public hearings, the assessment process was paused so that the issues raised during the public and agency review could be considered.

• On June 3, 2008, the 1995 Notice of Intent and the 1998 Draft EIS were rescinded by FHWA by notice in the Federal Register. On June 16, 2008, a Notice of Intent to prepare a new EIS for the project was issued in the Federal Register.

• In March 2010, a new DEIS was issued.

AlbemarleSound

CurrituckSound

Jarvisburg

Olds

Powells Pt.

DARE

CU

RRITU

CK

Hog Quarter Landing

Mamie

Spot

SouthernShores

Kitty Hawk

Harbinger

Point Harbor

Duck

12

158

12

N

AtlanticOcean

Maple

Swamp

Coinjock

Aydlett

Corolla

Poplar Branch

WaterlilyBarco

Church's Island

Grandy

SR 1140

Aydlett Road

SR 1132

SR 1137

136

136

Olds

158

CurrituckSound

NorthRiver

12

12

12

CoinjockBay

158

158

168

Scale in Miles

0 1 2

12

158

ALBACORE STREET

VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

Intra

coasta

l Wat

erway

158

CURRITUCK CLUBHOUSE DRIVECURRITUCK CLUBHOUSE DRIVE

DUCK WOODS DRIVE

CYPRESSKNEE TRAIL

CYPRESSKNEE TRAIL

Median AccelerationLane at US 158/Waterlily Road

Intersection

Toll Plaza

SR 11

42

Wate

rlily

Road

SR 11

42

Wate

rlily

Road

Action Area continuesto Virginia line

Action Area is from 0.5mile east of shoreline to

western edge of dune line

FigureProject Area, Action Area, and

Preferred Alternative1

LEGEND

New Roadway

County Boundaries

Third Outbound Lane for HurricaneEvacuation (Cypress Knee Trail to450 feet west of Duck Woods Drive)Four Lanes

Reversal of Center Turn Lanefor Hurricane Evacuation

New Bridge

Preferred Alternative Bridge Corridor Alignment

InterchangeRoundabout

Action Area


• In May 2010, three Pre‐Hearing Open Houses and three Public Hearings were held.

• Currently NCTA is preparing a FEIS for its Preferred Alternative, which includes a Mid‐Currituck Bridge.

The Preferred Alternative for the project is a refined version of an alternative designated as MCB4/A/C1 in the DEIS. This Preferred Alternative will be included in the FEIS. It is shown in Figure 1 and includes:

• Constructing a 4.7‐mile‐long, two‐lane toll bridge across Currituck Sound.

• An interchange between US 158 and the mainland approach road to the bridge. A toll plaza would be placed within the US 158 interchange. The mainland approach road to the bridge over Currituck Sound would include a bridge over Maple Swamp. A median acceleration lane would be built at the intersection of US 158 and Waterlily Road.

• Improvements to NC 12 on the Outer Banks that include:

− The 2.1 miles of NC 12 widening with turn lane improvements concentrated at three locations: the bridge terminus, the commercial area surrounding Albacore Street, and Currituck Clubhouse Drive, as well as left turn lane improvements in two other locations, affecting an additional 0.5 mile of NC 12.

− Roundabouts at the bridge terminus and Currituck Clubhouse Drive.

− Marked pedestrian crossings.

• Reversing the center turn lane on US 158 between the US 158/Mid‐Currituck Bridge interchange and NC 168 to provide additional road capacity during a hurricane evacuation and reduce clearance times, as well as on the Outer Banks, adding approximately 1,600 feet of new third outbound lane to the west of the NC 12/US 158 intersection to provide additional road capacity during a hurricane evacuation.

The Preliminary Design for the Preferred Alternative is enclosed separately.

The only component of the Preferred Alternative that would directly affect protected species is the Currituck Sound Bridge. The roadway improvements to US 158 and NC 12, as well the interchange at US 158 on the mainland and the bridge across Maple Swamp, would not affect the 13 protected species occurring in Currituck and Dare counties. As discussed in Section 4.0, construction, operations, and maintenance are also components of the Preferred Alternative. These activities also would not affect any of the 13 protected species except as these activities relate to the Currituck Sound Bridge.


1.3 Project Area and Setting

The project area includes portions of Currituck and Dare counties, which are in northeastern North Carolina, south of the Virginia Beach‐Norfolk, Virginia (Hampton Roads) metropolitan area, within the Tidewater Region of the Atlantic Coastal Plain physiographic province. It encompasses the Currituck County peninsula on the mainland and its Outer Banks, as well as the Dare County Outer Banks north of Kitty Hawk (see Figure 1). The total map image area in Figure 1 is considered the project area. The project area contains two thoroughfares: US 158 from NC 168 to NC 12 (including the Wright Memorial Bridge) and NC 12 north of its intersection with US 158 to its terminus in Currituck County. US 158 is the primary north‐south route on the mainland. NC 12 is the primary north‐south route on the Outer Banks. The Wright Memorial Bridge connects the mainland (southern end of Currituck County) with the Dare County Outer Banks approximately 18 miles south of the proposed Mid‐Currituck Bridge. Topography of the project area consists of nearly level and gently sloping land that drains primarily into Currituck Sound.

1.4 Consultation History

The consultation history for this project consists of primarily three types of agency coordination. Turnpike Environmental Agency Coordination (TEAC) meetings began December 2006 and are ongoing. Representatives of NMFS and USFWS participated in these meetings, which primarily focused on project development. Biological conclusions for threatened and endangered species were included in the DEIS, for which NMFS and USFWS provided comments. Direct communication with NMFS and USFWS regarding the need for consultation occurred in November and December 2010 and April 2011. These events are listed in Table 2. Meeting minutes are included in Appendix C.

Table 2. Consultation History

Date Topics of Discussion

Turnpike Environmental Agency Coordination (TEAC) Meetings

December 15, 2006 Agency coordination plan.

January 17, 2007 Project status.

April 18, 2007 Statement of Purpose and Need, conceptual alternatives, and alternatives screening criteria.

May 23, 2007 and May 31, 2007

Statement of Purpose and Need, conceptual alternatives, and analysis of conceptual alternatives.


Table 2 (continued). Consultation History


June 20, 2007 Statement of Purpose and Need, conceptual alternatives, and agency coordination plan.

July 10, 2007 Field trip to view the project area’s natural and cultural resources.

July 18, 2007

Statement of Purpose and Need, conceptual alternatives and their merits, functional design plans for the alternatives, funding constraints, and the North Carolina hurricane evacuation clearance time statute.

September 19, 2007 Responses to questions raised at the July 18 meeting and in agency letters; NCTA’s recommendation for alternatives to be evaluated in DEIS.

November 14, 2007

Results of environmental field studies; an assessment of three potential US 158/Mid‐Currituck Bridge interchange configurations and seven potential NC 12 bridge termini locations based on suggestions made by agency representatives at the July 10, 2007 field trip.

February 5, 2008 Overview of upcoming Citizens Informational Workshops, Statement of Purpose, and results of Mid‐Currituck Bridge study on the number of bridge lanes.

April 8, 2008 A draft Statement of Purpose and Need report, a draft Alternatives Screening Report, and public comments from the February 2008 Citizens Informational Workshops.

May 6, 2008 Written agency comments on the draft Statement of Purpose and Need report and draft Alternatives Screening Report; and planned NCTA Public Private Partnership Predevelopment Agreement.

July 8, 2008 Agreement on components of Statement of Purpose and Need and alternatives to be evaluated in the DEIS; DEIS impact assessment scope.

October 7, 2008 Indirect and cumulative impact assessment and detailed study alternative design concepts.

June 10, 2009 Discussion of mainland approach road Option B and agreement to assess it in detail in the DEIS.


Table 2 (continued). Consultation History


March 9, 2010

Presentation of an overview of the DEIS format and findings; discussion of construction options in Currituck Sound, including construction dredging moratorium applicability in Currituck Sound; discussion of recent and future public involvement activities and schedule.

August 10, 2010 Discussion of DEIS comments, the Preferred Alternative Identification Information Package (Handout 23 in Appendix B), and “practicable” as it relates to project funding.

September 8, 2010 Discussion of bridge storm water management, bridge construction methodologies, and the practicability of ER2.

November 2, 2010 Discussion of new groundwater and surface water hydrology studies in Maple Swamp and FHWA/NCTA’s recommended Preferred Alternative.

January 20, 2011

Discussed responses to comments on October 2010 Preferred Alternative Report, as they pertain to changes in the January 2011 Preferred Alternative Report. Introduced and discussed the Preferred Alternative as being the LEDPA (Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative). Agencies present stated that no further study is needed for alternative ER2.

Agency Communications

June 4, 2010

Comments from NMFS opposed an initial determination by NCTA and FHWA that no “substantial adverse impacts” to EFH or federally managed fish species should result from the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project and proposed EFH conservation recommendations.

November 4, 2010

Communication with USFWS Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Gary Jordan, indicating that no consultation is needed and concurrence with the determination of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect for the piping plover.

November 5, 2010 Communication with NMFS Fisheries Biologist, Eric Hawk, indicating the need for a Biological Assessment for appropriate sea turtles and the shortnose sturgeon.


Table 2 (concluded). Consultation History


November 8, 2010

Communication with USFWS Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Gary

Jordan, indicating that no consultation is needed and concurrence

with the determination of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely

Affect for the West Indian manatee.

March 30, 2011


Jordan, indicating that a potential for increased beach driving

between the ending of NC 12 and the Virginia line was being

included in the Biological Assessment, as well as biological

conclusions for species under USFWS jurisdiction.

April 21, 2011

After further communication and additional information was

supplied, USFWS Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Gary Jordan,

indicated agreement with the determination of May Affect‐Not

Likely to Adversely Affect for loggerhead sea turtles.

May 5, 2011


Jordan, related to the draft biological conclusions proposed to be

presented in the Biological Assessment for the species under

USFWS jurisdiction. The biological conclusions were agreed to,

with one minor recommended change in the wording for the

loggerhead sea turtle, which was subsequently addressed.


2.0 Federally Proposed and Listed Species and Designated Critical Habitat

As of February 2011, NMFS and USFWS identified 13 federally‐protected species (see Table 1) occurring in Currituck and Dare counties (NMFS, 2011; USFWS, 2011a). There is no suitable nesting habitat for sea turtles crossed by the Preferred Alternative or within Currituck Sound, so there would be no direct impacts to nesting sea turtles or their nesting habitat. However the construction of the Mid‐Currituck Bridge is estimated to cause increased day trips and beach driving in the area north of Corolla and therefore could have some indirect impacts to nesting sea turtles and their nesting habitat. Evolutionary significant unit (ESU) and distinct population segment (DPS) categories are not applicable to protected species other than the shortnose sturgeon. The shortnose sturgeon has 19 recognized distinct population segments. The designated North Carolina population segment is the population that pertains to the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project action area. There is no designated critical habitat for these species within the action area or North Carolina. In addition, there is no habitat for any of the 13 protected species in Maple Swamp. This information is based on the current best available information from referenced literature and USFWS and NMFS correspondence.

Information given in this section pertains to protected species as it directly relates to their habitat in the action area. Species biology, life history information, and global status are discussed in detail in Appendix B for those species for which a determination of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect is made.

2.1 Mammals

2.1.1 Red Wolf (Canis rufus)

Red wolves were extirpated from North Carolina and most other southeastern states by the 1920s. In the mid 1980s, USFWS reintroduced the species to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR) in eastern North Carolina. There are no records of this species in the project area (North Carolina Natural Heritage Program [NCNHP], 2011). In addition, it is unlikely that the reintroduced population in ARNWR will cross vast water bodies (Albemarle, Roanoke, and/or Croatan sounds) and reach the project area.


2.1.2 West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)

The shallow waters of Currituck Sound and the extensive SAV beds found in the area provide potential foraging habitat for manatees. NCNHP shows sporadic occurrences of manatee in the vicinity of Currituck Sound over the past several decades (NCNHP, 2011). The northern limit of the manatee’s range extends to North Carolina, but low temperatures prevent this species from commonly occurring in the area. The presence of a bridge structure and associated construction activities could disrupt potential manatee foraging areas; however, the rarity of its occurrence in the vicinity of the project area makes impacts to this species unlikely (NatureServe, 2007; North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission [NCWRC], 2008; USFWS, 2008; personal communication, Gary Jordan, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, USFWS, November 8, 2010). Construction contracts would require compliance with the USFWS’s Guidelines for Avoiding Impacts to the West Indian Manatee: Precautionary Measures for Construction Activities in North Carolina Waters (USFWS, 2003).

2.2 Birds

2.2.1 Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)

Piping plover have not been documented within the project area, but there are sightings from Currituck National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) approximately 4 miles to the north (NCNHP, 2011). Open sandy beaches that serve as nesting, foraging, and resting habitat are not present in the area directly affected by the project; however, they do exist along the beaches north of Corolla that are included in the action area. Within the refuge piping plovers are regularly sited by visitors, however the plovers have not nested there for 10 or more years due to man‐made primary dunes that restrict overwash occurrences, and regular four‐wheel drive traffic on the beach (personal communication, Mike Hoff, CNWR Manager, USFWS, March 30, 2011).

2.2.2 Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis)

The red‐cockaded woodpecker (RCW) typically utilizes open, mature stands of southern pines, particularly longleaf pine, for foraging and nesting/roosting habitat. There are no mature stands of pine forests present in the project area or surrounding areas. Although some older pine trees do occur along the pine/hardwood fringes of upland and wetland areas, these trees, usually loblolly pines, and the surrounding habitat are not characteristic of those occupied by RCWs. Furthermore, the species is currently not known from Currituck County. USFWS indicated the status of this species as historic with no valid records within the past 50 years. The NCNHP database contains an unconfirmed report from 1979 in a tree near the eastern side of North River, approximately 1.25 miles west of the project area. Currently the closest known active


colony is over 2.5 miles west of the project area, near Indian Island, on the NCWRC North River Game Lands in Camden County (personal communication, John Fussell, March 30, 2008).

2.2.3 Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)

Although sight records of this species exist for June, July, and August, these are likely non‐breeding males. Only one nesting record for this species has been documented for the state within the past 20 years. However, if this species expands its range, it is likely to choose coastal areas of the state for nesting. The roseate tern nests on isolated, less disturbed coastal islands in areas characterized by sandy, rocky, or clayey substrates with either sparse or thick vegetation. Eggs are usually laid such that grasses or overhanging objects provide shelter. They may also nest in marshes, but it is an uncommon occurrence (NatureServe, 2007; USFWS, 2008).

2.3 Reptiles

2.3.1 American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

The project area is located at the northern extreme of the range of the American alligator, which is largely because of the species’ inability to tolerate low temperatures. While alligators are commonly found on the Dare County mainland, there is only one record from Currituck County (photo and reported to NCNHP by CZR, Incorporated, December 3, 2008). This record was during the summer of 2003 from an unnamed tributary/canal to Deep Creek adjacent to the project area. Although appropriate habitat for the American alligator is present, the species is rare in the project area. The American alligator remains on the protected species list because of its similarity in appearance to the endangered American crocodile (NatureServe, 2007; USFWS, 2008).

2.3.2 Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Hawksbill sea turtles are typically found in tropical and subtropical oceans. However, sightings of these turtles have been reported on the east coast of the United States as far north as Massachusetts, although rarely north of Florida. Sightings have been recorded from a handful of counties in North Carolina, but the turtle is not known to breed in the state, and there are no known occurrences of this species recorded from Currituck County or in the vicinity of the project area (NCNHP, 2011; Personal communication, Mathew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Biologist, NCWRC, December 8, 2010).


2.3.3 Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Leatherbacks are distributed world‐wide in tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They are generally open‐ocean species, and may be common off the North Carolina coast during certain times of the year. However, in northern waters leatherbacks are reported to enter into bays, estuaries, and other inland bodies of water. Major nesting areas occur mainly in tropical regions. In the United States, primary nesting areas are in Florida; however, nests are known from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina as well. There are no known occurrences of this species recorded in the vicinity of the project area (NCNHP, 2011; Personal communication, Mathew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Biologist, NCWRC, December 8, 2010).

2.3.4 Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

The green sea turtle has been documented in the last 20 years in Dare, Onslow, New Hanover, and Brunswick counties of North Carolina. In North Carolina, adult green sea turtles feed on sea grass. Therefore, their distributions in the action area vicinity would be expected to be found in association with sea grass beds, which occur in sound‐side locations behind the Outer Banks islands. Green sea turtles tracked by Duke University researchers have occupied shallow waters and seem to prefer the areas along Core Banks and amongst the tiny marsh islands within Back Sound (Field Trip Earth web site, 2007). The fall season is the time of the year with the second highest strandings of sea turtles (see Table 3). From 2000 to 2010, no green sea turtle occurrences have been recorded in Currituck Sound; however, one stranding of an unidentifiable species did occur in the Currituck Sound area near the Wright Memorial Bridge, approximately 18 miles south of the action area (personal communication, Mathew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Biologist, NCWRC, December 8, 2010). Actual occurrences of sea turtles in the sound may be underreported because of the lack of regular patrols in this area. Within the stretch of beach considered in the action area (north of Corolla to the Virginia line) two beach strandings have been recorded since 2006 (personal Communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).

2.3.5 Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Only one sighting of a loggerhead sea turtle has been documented in Currituck Sound recently (personal communication, Joanne McNeill, Fisheries Biologist, NMFS, December 8, 2010). Additionally, during the time frame from 2000 to 2009, three loggerhead sea turtle strandings were reported in the Currituck Sound area (see Table 3), including the mouth of the North River. There was also one stranding of an unidentifiable species of sea turtle in Currituck Sound near the Wright Memorial Bridge during this time frame (personal communication, Matthew Godfrey, Sea Turtle


Table 3. Sea Turtle Strandings in Currituck Sound from 2000 to 2009

Date Scientific Name (Common Name) Sex Strand Location Latitude Longitude

1/1/2000 Caretta caretta (Loggerhead) M

2.5 miles north of the mouth of the North River,

Albemarle Sound, between SR 1124 and SR 1126,

Jarvisburg.

36.19333 ‐75.89

7/11/2000 Lepidochelys kempii (Kemp’s ridley)

M 285 N. Dogwood Trail, 3 miles north of US 158,

Southern Shores. 36.12833 ‐75.745

9/25/2001 Caretta caretta (Loggerhead) F

Across from 156 S. Albetuck Road, in Currituck Sound,

Point Harbor. 36.07667 ‐75.795

10/26/2001 Caretta caretta (Loggerhead) NA*

Near mouth of North River, Jarvisburg, NC, at end of Fisher Landing Road.

36.2 ‐75.9

9/23/2005 Unknown (Unknown) NA*

133 S. Albetuck Road, Point Harbor, 0.5 mile north of

Wright Memorial bridge, on mainland.

36.07765 ‐75.79275

(Mathew Godfrey, sea turtle biologist, NCWRC, December 2010) * Gender of these sea turtles could not be determined.

Biologist, NCWRC, December 8, 2010). Within the portion of the action area that encompasses the stretch of beach north of Corolla to the Virginia line, five loggerhead nests and three false crawls have been recorded since 2006. Loggerhead strandings on this stretch of beach total 47 since 2006, three of which were alive (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).

2.3.6 Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

While the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is rarely found in North Carolina, numbers of this species sighted in North Carolina appear to be on the increase (personal communication, Joanne McNeill, Fisheries Biologist, NMFS, November 21, 2007). NCNHP has indicated this species is likely to use, or reside in all of these listed North Carolina counties: Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Dare, Hyde, and Pamlico counties (NCNHP, 2006). Records indicate that between 2000 and 2010 only one occurrence (stranding, see Table 3) of a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was recorded in Currituck Sound (personal communication, Mathew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Biologist, NCWRC, December 8, 2010). Strandings in Currituck Sound could be underreported because of no regular patrols of the area. No nests have been recorded in the action area; however, four strandings have


been recorded here (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).

2.4 Fish—Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)

Information given in this section pertains to the shortnose sturgeon as it directly relates to their habitat in the action area. Species biology, life history information, and global status are discussed in detail in Appendix B.

Historically the species probably occurred in major rivers throughout North Carolina; however, the current distribution is not well known. Oakley (2003) adds evidence to the opinion that the species has been extirpated from the Neuse River of North Carolina. In North Carolina the shortnose sturgeon seems to be most abundant in the Cape Fear River system. NCNHP data identifies records of this species presence in 18 North Carolina counties. The closest record identified by NCNHP was from the mouth of the Pasquotank River from Lee et al., 1980; however, a more recent record occurs further west in Bachelor Bay near the mouth of the Roanoke River in 1998 (personal communication, Judy Ratcliffe, Eastern Region Freshwater Ecologist, NCNHP, April 6, 2011). Also, a shortnose sturgeon encounter was recorded from 2006 in the Pamlico Sound in Dare County (personal communication, David Rabon, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, USFWS, November 30, 2006). Further information from NMFS indicates that this record probably occurred in summer of 2005 during the North Carolina Independent Fisheries Assessment. Personnel participating in this assessment were trained to identify species, but the sturgeon referred to in this instance was not verified nor were any photographs taken. The shortnose sturgeon is not likely to be in the action area (personal communication, Stephanie Bolton, Fisheries Biologist, NMFS, November 19, 2007). Suitable habitat exists within the action area and historic records document the species within Dare and Currituck counties.

2.5 Vascular Plants—Seabeach Amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus)

Seabeach amaranth appears to require extensive areas of barrier island beaches and inlets that function in a relatively natural and dynamic manner and is one of the pioneer species to colonize newly created beach areas. These characteristics allow it to move around in the landscape, occupying suitable habitat as it becomes available (NCNHP, 2001; Schafale and Weakley, 1990; USFWS, 1996; USFWS, 2006; USFWS, 2008). The preferred habitat associated with dynamic barrier island features (foredunes, overwash fans, and inlets) do not occur in the action area. The closest record of this species was in 1988, over 6.0 miles north of the project area on the Outer Banks (NCNHP, 2011).


3.0 Environmental Baseline

Protected species habitat with the action area includes Currituck Sound and the dunes and beaches between the northern end of NC 12 and the Virginia line. This environmental baseline describes the characteristics of these areas. A full description of the characteristics of the project is included in Chapter 3 of the DEIS, as well as associated technical reports. These descriptions also will be included in the FEIS and its technical reports.

The environmental baseline for listed species in the action area is described in Chapter 2. This description includes records or occurrences and relevant biological background information. Further details of life history and general biology of species for which a determination of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect is made are found in Appendix B.

The environmental characteristics pertinent to this Biological Assessment and discussed in this chapter are:

• Various water resource classifications that apply or do not apply to the sound.

• Water quality, which is generally reflective of the impact of past and present activities on the sound.

• Aquatic wildlife.

• Essential fish habitat.

• Submerged aquatic vegetation.

• Floodplain.

• Beach and dune.

Currituck Sound is shallow, with an average depth of 5 feet and maximum depth of about 13 feet. Some locations are only one foot deep. It has no defined channel. A power cable supplying power to the Outer Banks lies on the sound bottom in the action area. No other federal or state activities occur in the action area.

3.1 Water Resource Classification

Currituck Sound is designated as “SC” under North Carolina’s water quality classifications by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality (NCDENR‐DWQ, 2008). This saltwater


classification represents the minimum quality standards applicable to all saltwaters. Suitable activities for waters classified SC include “aquatic life propagation and survival, fishing, wildlife and secondary recreation” (NCDENR‐DWQ, 2008).

Most of Currituck Sound and all waters of the project area are closed to harvesting shellfish for direct marketing purposes or human consumption. There are no water bodies classified as High Quality Waters (HQW), Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW), or Water Supply Watersheds (WS‐I, WS‐II) within 1.0 mile of the project area.

Currituck Sound is not a Primary Nursery Area (PNA) or an Anadromous (fish that spawn in freshwater but live mainly in saltwater) Fish Spawning Area (AFSA). Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) does exist in the action area as described in Section 3.4.

3.2 Water Quality

Water quality of the Albemarle‐Pamlico estuarine system, which includes Currituck Sound, is undergoing substantial degradation because of the area’s increasing population, changes in agricultural practices, and urbanization and industrialization of the region. Point source pollution within the project area is limited. Local non‐point source pollution is typical of developed areas and generally is in the form of stormwater runoff.

Historic and present stressors to Currituck Sound include natural and anthropogenic fluctuations in nutrient loading, turbidity, and salinity (USACE, 2010). Increased development in the watershed has increased the amount of nutrients in runoff into the sound. Bottom disturbing fishing gear, construction of docks/piers/marinas, storms, shoreline erosion, dredging, boating, sedimentation, and runoff have contributed to increased turbidity in the sound. The erosion of some marsh islands in the sound because of wave energy and decreased sediment accretion has increased the wind fetch, creating more wave energy that can re‐suspend particles in the water, increasing turbidity (USACE, 2010). The sound has become more saline since the late 1980’s (Caldwell, 2001). Continual increases in the salinity of Currituck Sound could result in shifts in the community structure of aquatic flora and fauna, and possibly increase essential fish habitat (EFH) value for managed species and other estuarine dependent species.

3.3 Aquatic Wildlife

Macroinvertebrate populations of Currituck Sound are composed primarily of burrowing amphipods near the shore, but there is a more diverse population in deeper areas. Currituck Sound has long been recognized as a nationally important area for freshwater recreational fishing. The decline of freshwater fisheries in Currituck Sound has been attributed to the increase in salinity and decrease in submerged aquatic


vegetation (SAV) during the 1980s. Commercial fishing activities with haul seines and gill nets have also decreased since the 1960s (Borawa et al., 1978). Currituck Sound is an important nursery area for migratory and resident fish.

In the past, nursery areas for two anadromous fish species, the blueback herring and alewife, were known to occur within Currituck Sound. Nursery areas for these species, including Whale Head Bay and Sanders Bay, were identified in the sound from 1980 to 1983. The status of the populations of these two species was identified as declining in the sound during 1980 (Copeland and Gray, 1989), and these areas are no longer officially recognized as anadromous fish spawning areas or primary nursery areas.

3.4 Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)

Essential fish habitat (EFH) does exist in the action area. Types of EFH found within the action area include SAV, intertidal flats, palustrine emergent and forested wetlands, freshwater tidal aquatic beds, and estuarine waters. Not all palustrine wetlands (i.e., Maple Swamp) within the project area are EFH. Palustrine wetlands determined to be EFH were adjacent waters and marshes of Currituck Sound and subject to tidal/wind inundation. Detailed information about EFH and how it relates to protected species can be found in Appendix A.

3.5 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

The shallow waters (6 feet deep or less) of Currituck Sound provide potential habitat for SAV. The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (NCMFC) defines SAV habitat as currently vegetated with one or more appropriate (native) SAV species, or has been vegetated by one or more appropriate species within the past 10 annual growing seasons, and meets the average growing conditions needed (water depth of 6 feet or less, average light availability [Secchi depth of 1 foot or more], and limited wave exposure). Potential SAV habitat consists of areas of the sound 6 feet deep or less that do not meet NCMFC’s definition of SAV habitat. These definitions of SAV habitat and potential SAV habitat were agreed to during project coordination with the environmental resource and regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over water resources in the project area (i.e., NMFS, NCWRC, and the NCDENR, Division of Marine Fisheries [DMF]).

Survey data from the last 10 annual growing seasons was gathered in 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2010 and is shown in Figure 2. These SAV communities (existing and past beds) are included within the open water areas of Currituck Sound and are mainly on the eastern side of the sound in the project area. For many juvenile and adult fish, the structural complexity of SAV habitat provides refuge from predators. These habitats are also rich in invertebrates and, therefore, serve as important foraging areas. Other SAV roles include stabilizing sediment, nutrient cycling, reducing wave energy, and providing

Legend

SAV Present - 2006SAV Presence Absence Point Data - 2006SAV Absent - 20062010 SAV2007 SAV2003 SAV

Preferred Alternative Bridge Corridor

FigureSAV Data from2003, 2006, 2007

and 20102

Scale in Miles

0 1


organic matter that supports complex food webs (NCWRC, 2005). For these reasons, SAV communities are considered Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) for several managed fish species.

3.6 Floodplains

Floodplains and associated Base Flood Elevations in the action area and larger project area are shown on Figure 3. The floodplains in the project and action areas do not serve the same function as floodplains in non‐coastal areas (fluvial or river/stream floodplains with associated stormwater runoff) because water levels in the project and action areas are not dependent on floodplain storage capacity. Rather, the project and action areas are subject to coastal flooding caused by both hurricanes in the summer and fall months and northeasters in the winter and spring, both of which can raise water levels substantially via storm surge. The tidal surge comes into shore with the storm, and then begins to retreat almost immediately once the storm moves on. The only storage that occurs in the project and action areas floodplains is during the brief interval between the surge and the ebb of the storm‐induced tide.

3.7 Beach and Dune

Beach consists of bare, transitional areas between the open water and terrestrial upland communities characterized by sand flats. They typically consist of a dry berm zone beyond the mean high tide line, an intertidal zone that is regularly covered by tidal action, and a subtidal zone that exists below the low tide mark, including the top and beachside of dunes. This community undergoes frequent, natural disturbance and is typically void of vegetation, however, it can be characterized by a small number of species and the dominance of succulents.

Dunes in the action area are landward and generally parallel to the beach community. This community undergoes constant gradual movement and is subject to abrupt changes during storms, particularly during strong northeasterly winds. The primary dune system developed as winds moved intertidal sands landward. Mobile sand was trapped by vegetation and by fences in many areas.

Within the action area motor vehicle driving is common on the 10 miles of beach between the end of NC 12 and the Virginia line. West of the beach and dunes are numerous sand roads behind the dune line in the subdivisions. Traffic on the beach is associated with commuting to the 611 residences (2007) in the area, as well as day visitors who want to see the wild horses, visit the beach, or simply drive in the sand. Currently, beach driving is unrestricted. There are no level of service standards developed for beaches as roadways and no comprehensive traffic counts. Public comments regarding the DEIS by area citizens familiar with the beaches noted that summer peak days experience congested traffic and crowded beaches. The presence of

AlbemarleSound

CurrituckSound

Jarvisburg

Olds

Powells Pt.

DARE

CU

RRITU

CK

Hog Quarter Landing

Mamie

Spot

SouthernShores

Kitty Hawk

Harbinger

Point Harbor

Duck

12

158

12

N

Atlantic Ocean

Maple

Swamp

Coinjock

Aydlett

Corolla

Poplar Branch

WaterlilyBarco

Church's Island

Grandy

SR 1140

SR 1132

SR 11

42

WAT

ERLIL

Y R

D

SR 1137

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3

Olds

158 CurrituckSound

North River

Sanderling Inn

12

12

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Coinjock Bay

158

158

168

Scale in Miles

0 1 2

12

158

158

ALBACORE STREET

VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

CURRITUCK CLUBHOUSE DRIVE

LEGENDPreferred Alternative Bridge Corridor

County Boundaries

7

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889

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FigureFloodplains

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Intra

coasta

l Wat

erway

Zone AE

Base Flood Elevation

Special Flood Hazard Areas Inundated by 100-Year Flood

Other Flood Areas

Zone VE

Base flood elevations determined

Coastal Flood Zone with velocity hazard(wave action); Base flood elevations determined

Zone XAreas of 500-Year Flood; areas of 100-Year Flood with average depths of less than 1 foot or with drainage areas protected by levees from 100-Year Flood

9

Note: FIRM mapping not available beyond coverage area shown.


persons or horses on the beach lowers the speed limit, thereby increasing congestion. Continued development of the permanent, weekly, and daily populations will be associated with increased beach driving in the absence of access restrictions.

A portion of the action area between the end of NC 12 and the Virginia line is within the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR). CNWR was created in 1984 and is 4,570 acres in size. The first tract of land within CNWR is 0.75 mile north of the end of NC 12. The Refuge is managed as a satellite of the Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge. Some tracts transition from the Atlantic Ocean to Currituck Sound, which include sandy beaches, grassy dunes, maritime forests, shrub thickets, and fresh and brackish marshes. Refuge objectives are:

• Protect and improve the last remaining habitat in the Refuge of the endangered or threatened piping plover, loggerhead sea turtle and seabeach amaranth.

• Actively manage and improve the interdunal flats for wintering waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds through discing, planting, and a proactive water management plan.

• Pursue an active land acquisition program on the Outer Banks.

• Through various techniques, develop a database and working knowledge on neotropical bird use. (USFWS, 2011b)

The Refuge consists of six separate units. It has four marsh units (the Currituck, Station Landing, South, and the County marsh units) and two island units (the Swan and Monkey Island units). Beach driving is permitted in the 202 acres of beach within the Refuge.


4.0 Project Details

The project was described in Section 1.2. The bridge across Currituck Sound would be the only component of those components listed in Section 1.2 that could directly affect the threatened and endangered species habitat of the 13 species under consideration in this Biological Assessment. The portions of the Preferred Alternative on the mainland, including within Maple Swamp, and on the Outer Banks are not within protected species habitat. Therefore, the construction, operation, and maintenance of these portions of the project are not described because they are not relevant to this Biological Assessment. Thus, the focus of this section is on the Mid‐Currituck Bridge.

The Mid‐Currituck Bridge location is shown in Figure 1. It generally would be 47 feet wide with two lanes and two 10‐foot shoulders. The bridge at its eastern end for 1,920 feet would be 81 feet wide where it would widen to four lanes as it approaches its eastern terminus at NC 12. The total bridge length would be 4.7 miles. The following sections provide details related to bridge construction, stormwater management, and potential impacts to Currituck Sound.

4.1 Construction

4.1.1 Project Timeline and Sequencing

Construction for the entire project is expected to occur over four annual construction seasons. The bridge would likely be built at both ends simultaneously. Construction also could occur simultaneously at additional locations.

4.1.2 Site Preparation

Site preparation would involve establishing staging areas on both shorelines of Currituck Sound on upland sites near the bridge termini and building a temporary construction trestle over shallow areas (depths 6 feet deep or less) at both ends of the sound. Also, turbidity curtains would be utilized during pile installation (permanent and temporary bridges) and pile removal (temporary bridge). Turbidity curtains would prevent any silt from migrating outside the curtain perimeter.

4.1.3 Construction Access and Staging

On the Currituck County mainland, construction materials and equipment would be transported by truck along US 158. Transport to Currituck Sound of construction materials and equipment for building the Mid‐Currituck Bridge would be via Aydlett


Road (between US 158 and Aydlett only) and Narrow Shore Road. Depending on allowable use of project right‐of‐way in Maple Swamp, the bridge corridor through Maple Swamp could also be used for access to the Narrow Shore Road area. Construction materials and equipment also would be staged on vacant upland sites along Narrow Shore Road near the western Mid‐Currituck Bridge terminus.

On the Outer Banks, construction materials and equipment would be transported by truck via NC 12 to construction sites. Construction materials and equipment would be staged on vacant upland sites near the NC 12 widening areas and at the eastern Mid‐Currituck Bridge terminus.

4.1.4 In-Water Work

NCTA is currently planning the construction methodologies described below for construction of the bridge over Currituck Sound to minimize construction‐related impacts to Currituck Sound. NCTA will continue to work with environmental resource and regulatory agencies as the project progresses into final design and permit application to refine this approach. Construction methodologies planned include:

• No dredging in any part of Currituck Sound.

• A combination of work trestle and barges for constructing both the substructure (piles and pile caps) and superstructure (beams and deck), including:

− An approximately 1,900‐foot‐long work trestle extending from the western shoreline. Based on the absence of SAV habitat (including existing beds) that meets NCMFC’s definition of SAV habitat (see Section 3.5) on the western side of Currituck Sound, an open trestle would not be necessary. This closed surface work trestle is envisioned to be approximately 50 feet wide. Its footprint would allow a parked crane and a small lane to allow necessary materials to pass the crane for loading onto barges. The bridge in this area of the sound would be constructed from the work trestle. The barge method would be used east of the trestle in deeper water. A barge loading area would be at the eastern end of this trestle.

− Remaining construction from small, low draft barges for approximately 20,000 feet or 3.8 miles. The barges would be launched from the trestle extending off the shoreline from Narrow Shore Road in Aydlett.

− On the eastern side, use of temporary construction trestle for approximately 4,500 feet or 0.8 mile (over habitat [including existing beds] = 3,000 feet and over shallow water = 1,500 feet). Bridge erection equipment would operate on the trestle to place the components of the bridge foundation and spans. An open trestle would be used to minimize the shading of SAV habitat during


construction. Marine industry standard pans attached to equipment would be used to capture any accidental release of petroleum products from equipment.

− Bridge construction from land for approximately 400 feet total.

• Driving of bridge piles with no jetting (using pressurized water to wash out a hole for a pile to set in).

State and federal environmental resource and regulatory agencies at the time of the release of this report have concerns with impacts to SAV habitat (including existing beds) associated with bridge shading and driving piles. In response to this concern, NCTA would follow the protocols discussed below during construction of the Preferred Alternative to protect existing SAV habitat (including existing beds) that meets NCMFC’s definition of SAV habitat (see Section 3.5). This definition was agreed to during project coordination with the environmental resource and regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over water resources in the project area (i.e., NMFS, NCWRC, and NCDENR‐DMF):

• No bottom disturbing in‐water work in the SAV habitat (including existing beds) during a moratorium period from approximately February 15 to September 30. In‐water work (i.e., bottom‐disturbing activities) would consist of temporary trestle pile placement and removal and driving permanent piles. Working above the water, including, for example, barge operations in waters (non‐bottom disturbing), installation and removal of temporary trestle beams and decking, and installation of Mid‐Currituck Bridge pile caps, beams, and decking, would occur up to 365 days a year at the discretion of NCTA. Opportunities would be investigated to allow in water work before or after the moratorium window, based on water temperatures and other factors approved by the regulatory agency during the time of construction.

• As noted in the general description, use of an open (i.e., beams only to support a crane) temporary construction trestle on the eastern side of the sound to minimize shading impacts while the trestle is in place. Marine industry standard pans would be placed under construction equipment operating on the open trestle to capture any accidental release of petroleum products from equipment.

• The eastern side of the sound is the only location within the project corridor that includes SAV habitat (including existing beds) that meets NCMFC’s criteria. The environmental resource and regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over water resources in the project area (i.e., NMFS, NCWRC, and NCDENR‐DMF) agreed to this conclusion about the location of SAV habitat within the project corridor. In this area of the sound, to minimize SAV impacts, NCTA would install temporary piling and a temporary open work trestle for approximately 4,500 linear feet. Pile driving would occur outside of the moratorium dates in this area, for both the permanent bridge and the temporary trestle within the SAV habitat (including existing beds).


• Turbidity curtains would be utilized during pile installation (permanent and temporary bridges) and pile removal (temporary bridge). Turbidity curtains would prevent any silt from migrating outside the curtain perimeter. This is a common and proven turbidity control technique. Pile installation would be performed both by vibratory and impact hammers, with no jetting of piles.

On the eastern side, limiting pile placement to times outside the moratorium period is expected to result in the following construction sequence over the SAV habitat (including existing beds) on that eastern side of Currituck Sound:

• Construction Season 1. The October 1 to February 14 non‐moratorium window would allow installation of approximately 35 percent of both work trestle and permanent bridge pilings along with deck construction.

• Construction Seasons 2 and 3. During these two seasons, the remaining temporary work trestle and permanent bridge construction would be completed.

• Construction Season 4. During this season, the temporary work trestle would be removed/dismantled.

Minimization of potential impacts to potential SAV habitat (areas of the sound 6 feet deep or less) would be accomplished through no dredging anywhere in Currituck Sound and by pile installation using both vibratory and impact hammers, with no jetting of piles.

The project would not involve any flow diversion or fish capture and release.

4.1.5 Potential Impacts on Water Quality and Aquatic Habitat

The most notable temporary impact to water quality in Currituck Sound would be the potential for increased turbidity levels produced during the period of construction. As noted above, increased turbidity would be minimized by driving rather than jetting piles, as well as the use of turbidity curtains during pile installation (permanent and temporary bridges) and pile removal (temporary bridge) to prevent dispersal of sediment or other pollutants. The duration and severity of these impacts would vary based on the number of simultaneous construction sites for the bridge. Currently three or more construction locations are estimated to be occurring simultaneously. Increases in turbidity and sedimentation could negatively affect aquatic flora and fauna by reducing light penetration, lowering dissolved oxygen levels, fluctuation of nutrient levels, and limited visibility. These temporary impacts could be prolonged because of existing poor water circulation in the sound. Turbidity and sedimentation levels also could temporarily increase as a result of runoff from construction areas on land until post‐construction re‐vegetation occurs. Temporary impacts to water quality would be minimized through the use of NCDOT erosion and sedimentation control measures both


in the water as mentioned and on land. Existing water/turbidity conditions in the sound would be verified prior to and after construction.

The temporary impacts to aquatic habitat would include short‐term increases in noise, vibration, turbidity, and siltation. Noise and vibration from open water construction activity would be a temporary, localized disturbance to fish. Construction related noise generated during pile driving could be of sufficient intensity to kill or injure marine organisms (reviewed in Hanson et al., 2004). However, the Hanson report mostly documented activities in deep fresh waters in California, as well as some salt waters, in seismic conditions, and addressed large piles. The report does state that noise from vibratory pile driving is less evasive than large impact hammers. The in‐water work moratorium in SAV habitat should help reduce noise/vibration impacts from pile placement to listed species as well as other anadromous fish using SAV habitat for foraging. In addition, current plans include vibratory pile driving, which as previously noted, result in less noise, thus reducing the effect on marine organisms. At the ecosystem level, increased turbidity would result in a reduction in ecosystem productivity (i.e., ability of the system to produce and export energy) and nursery value by eliminating organisms that cannot readily move, and displacing mobile organisms. In‐water turbidity precautions include the use of turbidity curtains during pile installation (permanent and temporary bridges) and pile removal (temporary bridge) to prevent dispersal of sediment or other pollutants. Temporary impacts could affect foraging habitat (reduction of quality and quantity) for species addressed in this Biological Assessment; however, these impacts are not expected to cause direct harm, incidental take, or have adverse affects. In the unlikely instance any listed species are in the area, they would probably avoid disturbed construction areas. Moreover, it is likely the forage areas affected by construction would recover. Additionally, SAV mitigation planting is proposed for suitable sites, which are yet to be determined, within the project area at up to a 2:1 ratio.

4.1.6 Post-Project Site Restoration

Minimal post‐project site restoration would be required with the Preferred Alternative. The construction trestle piles would be removed post‐construction. If surveys following construction operations reveal that permanent impacts to SAV beds have occurred as a result of the construction trestles, permanent impact mitigation would be provided using one or more options described in Section 4.2.2.

4.2 Operations

The Mid‐Currituck Bridge would carry motor vehicle traffic between the Currituck County mainland and the Currituck County Outer Banks. The features important to


potential long‐term impacts of the bridge on Currituck Sound are stormwater management and mitigation of shading impacts.

Permanent impacts to water quality would be primarily associated with increased levels of bridge and highway runoff, which is considered a non‐point source discharge. The effects of runoff are highly site specific. The primary pollutants associated with bridge and highway runoff include particulates, organic compounds, nutrients, and heavy metals. These pollutants accumulate on impervious surfaces and derive from automobiles and materials used in construction and maintenance of roadways. These substances have the potential to affect negatively aquatic life by directly or indirectly interfering with various biological processes and cycles. It is difficult to predict the amounts and specific types of future pollutants that would occur on a bridge, as well as the frequency and severity of future rain events which determine level of exposure. The highest traffic volumes (highest pollutant production) in the action area currently occur on summer weekends and it is assumed that this would continue in the future given the tourism‐based nature of the Outer Banks.

Pollutants discharged into Currituck Sound near the bridge could dissipate slowly because of poor water circulation, and could result in higher sediment pollutant levels and bioaccumulation when compared to bridges over high‐flow areas with better water circulation. Thermal and turbidity differences in runoff could also affect water quality by depressing oxygen levels and light penetration. Methods to reduce pollutant discharge and minimize this impact are described in Section 4.2.1 below.

Fill, pile placement, shading, and clearing would result directly in the permanent loss or alteration of aquatic habitat within the action area. Shading by the bridge would affect 27.8 acres of aquatic bottom, 8.7 acres of which are 6 feet deep or less. Existing SAV beds affected by shading would total 3.8 acres, with an additional 1.0 acres of SAV habitat shaded, for a total of 4.8 acres. Also, bridge pilings would remove 0.1 acre of aquatic bottom and associated benthic organisms.

Permanent loss of habitat resulting from pile placement could generate several other impacts, including changes in water quality, water flow, and light levels of the areas both underneath the bridge and for some distance surrounding the bridge. Altered light levels and the introduction of piles as a hard substrate previously unavailable in the area would have multiple effects, thereby resulting in changes to the existing food web structure. Primarily, decreased autotrophic productivity (phytoplankton and aquatic vegetation) resulting from lower light levels could result in decreased abundances of aquatic vegetative habitat (including SAV). SAV is a primary producer and acts as the base of the food web structure. A decrease in the quantity and quality of SAV because of shading would have the potential to cause shifts in the base of the food web, from autotrophic to heterotrophic organisms.


On the other hand, organisms could be attracted to bridge pilings as a reef structure for organisms such as sessile invertebrates and some fish.

4.2.1 Stormwater Management

The stormwater management plan for the Mid‐Currituck Bridge would have the following components:

• Source Control. Source control would be used on the Maple Swamp and Currituck Sound bridges. Source control would be provided by frequent deck cleaning using state of the art, multi‐function cleaning equipment that employs mechanical, vacuum, and regenerative air systems. Cleaning would occur weekly during the summer until the most effective cleaning frequency regime can be determined. Weather dependent cleaning may occur prior to known large rain events such as hurricanes. Source control through deck cleaning would be a contractual element of the agreement between NCTA and the concessionaire operating and maintaining the toll bridge. Failure to comply with contractual terms could result in a financial penalty.

Modern pavement sweeping and vacuuming technology has been shown to remove effectively upwards of 97.5 percent of materials that cause pollution from the bridge deck (Real World Street Cleaner Pickup Performance Testing, Roger C. Sutherland, PE, Pacific Water Resources, Inc., July 2008). Even when graduated by particle size, this technology removes over 90 percent of the smallest particles and nearly all of the larger particles. Use of this technology prior to a storm event would remove the vast majority of the pollutants from the bridge runoff, thereby substantially improving the water quality of the runoff reaching the sound. Therefore, the sweeping approach is a pre‐treatment method.

• Stormwater Capture over Existing SAV Habitat (including existing beds) at the Eastern End of the Currituck Sound Bridge. For the bridge over Currituck Sound, the first 1.5 inches of stormwater runoff would be captured from the eastern end of the bridge for a distance of 4,000 feet to prevent direct discharge into the existing SAV habitat (including existing beds) along the eastern shore of the sound. The runoff would be piped to the end of the bridge for treatment to a wet detention basin. The bridge stormwater collection system would be subject to:

− Regular pipe inspections and maintenance (including debris and litter removal); and

− Periodic removal and disposal of accumulated sediments in the wet detention basin.

The remaining length of this 4.7 mile bridge would have no stormwater capture and would directly discharge through bridge scuppers into Currituck Sound. According


to FHWA research (Design of Bridge Deck Drainage, HEC 21, May 1993), stormwater from bridge scuppers that are 25 feet or greater above the ground has no erosive force. Instead, because of wind and other normal conditions encountered during rain and storm events, this water returns to a state similar to rain. For the bridge over Currituck Sound, the scupper height would be approximately 22 feet above the water, minimizing the impact of discharged stormwater. No impacts to SAV from stormwater concentrations discharging from scuppers would occur because no scuppers would be over SAV habitat (including existing beds) – the stormwater would be collected as previously mentioned. In addition, NCTA would ensure the stability of the sound would not be affected by erosion as a result of stormwater discharge from scuppers during at minimum, an annual inspection.

• Stormwater Capture at Either End of the Maple Swamp Bridge. The first 1.5 inches of stormwater would be captured for 500 feet on both ends of the Maple Swamp Bridge and piped to infiltration basins for treatment. The remaining length of the bridge would have pre‐treated discharge (via the frequent deck cleaning) exiting through scuppers 7 to 18 feet above the ground of Maple Swamp. If the energy of the water exiting the scupper is determined to be a problem, dissipation would be provided either at the pipe outlet or on the ground.

• Water Quality Monitoring and Research. A water quality monitoring program would be conducted as a part of bridge operations. NCTA would monitor the effectiveness of the bridge deck cleaning program so adjustments to the program could be made as needed. The monitoring program would first establish (test) existing water quality levels, including turbidity levels. Research could be supported for better understanding of the effect of bridge deck cleaning and/or the effect of bridge deck stormwater runoff on receiving waters.

• To further minimize the water quality impacts on Currituck Sound from the project, on the mainland and the Outer Banks, stormwater capture and treatment would be through typical roadway BMPs using infiltration trenches and basins. To the maximum extent practicable, all 38 acres of non‐bridge additional impervious surface area, plus all 18 acres of existing roadway impervious surface in the project’s area of affect, would have the first 1.5 inches of runoff captured and either treated or used on the project site. Additionally, a rooftop runoff system may be used for buildings and/or toll plaza awnings to capture and use water on site or to infiltrate it. Alternative pavement materials, such as pervious pavements, also may be used in parking areas associated with the toll plaza. There would be no outfalls from NC 12 to Currituck Sound.

• NCTA would continue to work with environmental resource and regulatory agencies as the project progresses into final design and permit application to refine this approach.


4.2.2 Shading

NCTA would mitigate permanent impacts to SAV habitat (including existing beds), as defined by NCMFC (see Section 3.5), resulting from Mid‐Currituck Bridge shading and pile placement with the Preferred Alternative. Available options for this mitigation include:

• In‐kind restoration in the project area at a suitable site at a 2:1 ratio (if feasible). This restoration activity would follow the currently adopted SAV protocols in North Carolina and best practices from recent successful SAV restoration efforts. These efforts could be performed by others such as Elizabeth City State University or East Carolina University.

• Efforts to improve conditions for SAV propagation and survival within Currituck Sound. This option would involve: protection and establishment of riparian buffers; contribution of funds to promote agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs); stormwater management improvement projects; acquisition of properties identified as important for the protection of water quality (as reported in the November 2006 Countywide Land Parcel Prioritization Strategy for Water Quality Enhancement, NCCLT, 2006); and other measures that would reduce the turbidity of water in Currituck Sound.

• Support for SAV research.

• Participation in the Currituck Sound Ecosystem Restoration Project coordinated by USACE.

Efforts to improve conditions for SAV propagation and survival within Currituck Sound, support for SAV research, and participation in the Currituck Sound Ecosystem Restoration Project also are options for mitigating the shading of portions of Currituck Sound in potential SAV habitat (areas of the sound 6 feet deep or less that do not meet NCMFC’s definition of SAV habitat). Other options could be considered during the permit process.

NCTA will continue to work with environmental resource and regulatory agencies as the project progresses into final design and permit application to refine this approach.

4.3 Maintenance

Maintenance activities that include in‐water work or are associated with maintaining water quality would be:

• Inspection of bridge foundations from boats or with divers.


• Regular inspection of the closed stormwater collection piping on the eastern end of the proposed Mid‐Currituck Bridge and both ends of the Maple Swamp Bridge and periodic removal and disposal of accumulated sediments in the wet detention basin.


5.0 Project Action Area

5.1 Project Action Area

The action area for this Biological Assessment is shown in Figure 1 in Section 1.2. The action area represents the area of potential indirect and direct impacts of the Preferred Alternative on protected species under NMFS and USFWS jurisdiction. The action area is in northeastern North Carolina within Currituck County. A portion also is in Dare County. The portion of the action area that encompasses the Preferred Alternative reflects the project components described in Section 1.2. The specific boundaries include:

• On land the project’s proposed right‐of‐way and permanent and temporary easement plus 500 feet.

• The proposed Mid‐Currituck Bridge plus 0.5 mile north and south of the bridge rail (approximately 1 mile total). This includes Currituck Sound directly below the bridge corridor, as well as a location on either side of the bridge that encompasses the area potentially affected by construction activities and stormwater runoff.

• Also on land the shoreline that drains into the sound at the termini of the proposed Mid‐Currituck Bridge. The shoreline component encompasses the area of the sound that could receive runoff from developed areas along the shoreline.

Potential indirect effects add to the action area the dune line and beach between the northern end of NC 12 and the Virginia line. Its eastern boundary is 0.5 mile east of the shoreline and its western boundary is the western boundary of the dune line. Potential indirect effects also add to the action area developable land near the US 158/Mid‐Currituck Bridge interchange.

Only two portions of the action area includes protected species habitat; Currituck Sound, which would be bridged, and the dune line and beach between the northern end of NC 12 and the Virginia line, where indirect impacts could occur.

5.2 Limits of the Action Area

5.2.1 Right-of-Way and Permanent and Temporary Easement plus 500 Feet

This portion of the action area encompasses the areas that would be directly disturbed by project construction, operation, and maintenance. The additional 500 feet recognizes that disturbances could occur beyond the land area directly disturbed, including noise


and stormwater runoff. There is not threatened or endangered species habitat in this portion of the action area.

5.2.2 Mid-Currituck Bridge

The Mid‐Currituck Bridge would cross protected species habitat and have construction, operation, and maintenance impacts. Noise and disturbance from construction activities, as well as motor vehicle pollutants from bridge runoff, may extend beyond the actual work area, necessitating the need to enlarge the area of direct impact to encompass more than the bridge and areas with active construction or continued bridge presence. The area of Currituck Sound that could be included in the action area is difficult to ascertain because of the varying nature of weather and currents within the sound. However, it would not likely extend beyond 0.5 mile on either side of the bridge, 500 feet west of the western shoreline of Currituck Sound, or east of NC 12 in regards to protected species.

The influence of the Mid‐Currituck Bridge would decrease with distance from the bridge and actions to minimize increases to turbidity during construction and manage stormwater runoff described in Section 4.0 would minimize impacts both at the bridge and further from it. Measures to limit increased turbidity include no dredging and driving piles (as opposed to jetting). Furthermore, turbidity curtains would be utilized during pile installation (permanent and temporary bridges) and pile removal (temporary bridge). These efforts would help to isolate turbidity effects from the surrounding water column but containment may also depend on environmental conditions at the time of disturbance such as current, wind, and weather patterns. Noise and vibrations also would occur during pile placement. In addition, compliance with NC Session Law 2008‐211’s (An Act to Provide for Improvements in the Management of Stormwater in the Coastal Counties in Order to Protect Water Quality) requirement for new development to capture and treat the first 1.5 inches of runoff from additional impervious surface areas would be met, to the maximum extent practicable, through a combination of pollutant source control and capture and treatment. Source control would be through the use of pavement sweeping and vacuuming on the bridge deck. Capture and treatment of pollutants would be through the use of a closed bridge drainage system, stormwater wetlands, wet detention basins, rooftop rainwater harvesting, and other traditional roadway BMPs, to the maximum extent practicable. Based on these factors, the bridge and the 0.5 mile distance on either side of the bridge is believed to be more than adequate to capture the area of notable potential direct impact.

The soundside shoreline component was included in this report when considering potential indirect and cumulative impacts to water quality associated with development near the Mid‐Currituck Bridge’s area of influence for direct impact.


5.2.3 Additional Action Area Associated with Indirect Impacts

Indirect effects of the Preferred Alternative would include:

• A change in the order in which available lots on the NC 12‐accessible Outer Banks would develop.

• Approximately 68 acres of business development likely would occur using land near the US 158/Mid‐Currituck Bridge interchange immediately north of Aydlett Road.

• Day visitor potential demand would increase, which could have some effect in the NC 12 area but likely would have more impact in the unregulated beach‐driving area.

Development is not planned within threatened and endangered species habitat on the Outer Banks, which is confined to the beach and adjoining dunes. Therefore, the action area does not encompass areas planned for future development on the Outer Banks.

There is adequate land classified as in the Currituck County land use plan as suitable for development to accommodate the 68 acres of business development. Land considered suitable for development in the Mid‐Currituck Bridge/US 158 interchange area is upland and primarily in agricultural use. It does not contain or adjoin threatened and endangered species habitat. Therefore, the action area does not encompass areas where the 68 acres of business development is expected to occur.

The beach and adjoining dunes north of NC 12 to the Virginia line have unrestricted beach driving and could increase as an indirect impact of building a Mid‐Currituck Bridge. This area is used for sea turtle (i.e., loggerhead) nesting and foraging by piping plovers. Thus the beach and adjoining dunes are included in the action area. An additional area of 0.5 mile east of the shoreline also is included in the action area to account for potential effects of vehicle lighting. However, the potential increase in beach driving is expected to be associated with day visitors.


6.0 Effects Analysis

Direct, indirect, and cumulative effects are analyzed for the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project in the following sections. Many direct effects also result in indirect effects, which can also be shared cumulatively. Construction effects are analyzed with regard to federally protected species that may reside in or use the action area for any part of that species’ life history. None of the 13 protected species have critical habitat in the action area; however, SAV beds in the action area provide potential foraging habitat and the beach provides nesting area for sea turtles and foraging area for protected shore birds.

Use of the action area within Currituck Sound by listed fish and turtle species is estimated to be minimal partially because of the distance to the nearest inlet and the low number of sea turtle sightings (1) and strandings (5 from 2000 to 2010) in Currituck Sound and no documented occurrences of the shortnose sturgeon in the area. Additionally, new gill net restrictions in all North Carolina waters stemming from unacceptable sea turtle interactions and fatalities were implemented in 2010 by NCDENR‐DMF (15A NCAC 03J.0103 and NCDENR‐DMF proclamation M‐2‐2011). However, Currituck Sound was exempted from these new regulations because of lack of sea turtle interactions based on observer data and fisheries independent gill net surveys (personal communication, Red Mundin, Assistant to the NCDENR‐DMF Director and Protected Species Specialist, NCDENR‐DMF, January 13, 2011).

Protected species use of the action area occurring on the stretch of beach included for indirect impacts would likely not change from current use. No expansion of the area used for beach driving would occur in the action area as a result of the Preferred Alternative because all beaches that could be affected by increased beach driving are currently open for vehicle use, and are used between the foreshore and the dune line whether for driving or parking. Given this and that current beach driving volumes are considered notable, as opposed to minor, by those concerned with the impact of beach driving, the potential increases in beach driving would not likely create a new or increased form of impact for sea turtles or protected shore birds.

6.1 Direct Effects

Direct effects on the 13 protected species resulting from the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project include increased noise, vibration, turbidity, siltation, shading, run‐off, and bottom disturbance by pile placement. These were described in Section 4.0. There is no critical habitat for these species in the action area.


In determining direct effects the key factors are:

• The direct construction, operation, and other direct effects of the project as described in Section 4.0 (nature of the effect).

• The limit of the effect to near the bridge as reflected in the action area described in Section 5.0 (distribution and proximity of the effect).

• Rare occurrences in the action area of the listed species and the whole of the estuarine system as described above and in Section 2.0 (frequency of the disturbance).

• The duration of construction impacts and long‐term stormwater impacts described in Sections 4.0 (timing and duration of the effect).

• The potential for the effect to illicit a response from the listed resources and what the response would be, including the temporal and spatial limits of effects, species tolerances, severity of effect, mortality and other forms of “take” (i.e., harm, harassment, capture, etc.), and habitat loss (nature of the effect).

These factors are addressed for each of the 13 species in Table 4. The following can be observed from Table 4:

• None of the species are common or occur with any regularity in the area.

• In all cases, the response to the construction or operational effect would likely be for these species to avoid the area directly affected.

• In all cases, the measures to minimize or mitigate the impact are planned.

• There is no expected construction, operations, or maintenance activities that would result in an incidental take of any of the 13 species.

6.2 Indirect Effects

Indirect effects are caused by actions taken because of the presence of the project and occur later in time, or are farther removed in distance, but are still reasonably foreseeable. Within the action area, development has already occurred or is occurring at this time without the presence of the bridge. Thus, development in the action area is not directly dependent on the construction of the Preferred Alternative. Currituck County has placed no restrictions on development contingent upon the completion of the Preferred Alternative.

Findings on the affect of the Preferred Alternative on development in the project area were presented in the DEIS. They also were presented in more detail in the Indirect and

Table 4. Impact by Species and Type of Exposure

Effect or Factor Red Wolf West Indian Manatee Piping Plover Red-cockaded

Woodpecker Roseate Tern Hawksbill Sea Turtle

Leatherback Sea Turtle Green Sea Turtle Loggerhead Sea

Turtle

Kemp’s Ridley Sea

Turtle

Shortnose Sturgeon

Seabeach Amaranth

Occurrence of Species

No records in the action area

Sporadic occurrences near Currituck Sound over the past several decades

Sightings have occurred in CNWR (approximately 4 miles from the proposed bridge). No nesting has been documented in CNWR or the surrounding beach in 10+ years.

No records of this species in

Currituck County or the Dare

County portion of the action area.

No records of this species in Currituck

County. Records in Dare County are likely from Cape Point. There is no

known nesting in either county.

No known records from Currituck

County or near the action area

No known records from

Currituck County or near the action

area

From 2000 to 2009 no green sea turtle

sightings recorded, however, one stranding of an

unidentifiable species did occur in the

Currituck Sound area over 17 miles from the

action area.

One recent sighting in Currituck Sound. From 2000 to 2009

three loggerhead sea turtle strandings were

reported in the Currituck Sound area, including the mouth of the North River. Five nests, three false

crawls, and 47 strandings have been documented since

2006 between Corolla and the Virginia line.

From 2000 to 2009 one

stranding of a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in Currituck Sound was recorded.

No verified records from the action area or

Currituck Sound.

No known records from Currituck

County or near the action area since 1988.

Construction Effects and ResponseNoise and

vibration from pile placement

No Effect Disturbance resulting in avoidance No Effect Disturbance resulting in avoidance. No Effect

Turbidity and siltation from pile placement

No Effect Temporary degradation of forage

habitat resulting in the need to forage in other parts of the sound.

No Effect

Temporary degradation of forage habitat resulting in the need to forage in other parts of the sound, but work in SAV habitat subject to a moratorium during time when most actively used and turbidity curtains used when driving piles. Piles

would be driven and not jetted.

No Effect

Duration No Effect Parts of 52 months when temporary and permanent piles would be driven and

temporary piles removed. No Effect

Parts of 52 months when temporary and permanent piles would be driven and temporary piles removed, but no pile placement in SAV beds/habitat during the

moratorium (February 15 to September 30).No Effect

Limit of Effect No Effect

Near the construction area where noise and vibration would be transmitted

through the water and subject to higher levels of turbidity until sediments

suspended by pile driving settle back to the bottom of the sound.

The eastern Mid‐Currituck Bridge terminus during construction may disrupt foraging in the marshes and sound mud flats within 0.5 mile.

No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect Near the construction area where noise and vibration would be transmitted through the water and subject to higher levels of turbidity until sediments

suspended by pile driving settle back to the bottom of the sound. No Effect

Operations Effects and Responses

Run-off No Effect

May affect forage habitat quality in the bridge vicinity, but not likely to generate

a response. Compliance with NC Session Law 2008‐211’s requirement for new development to capture and treat the first 1.5 inches would be met, to the maximum extent practicable, through a combination of pollutant source control

and capture and treatment.

May have a minimal effect on forage material; however, compliance with

NC Session Law 2008‐211’s requirement for new development to capture and treat the first 1.5 inches

would be met, to the maximum extent practicable, through a combination of pollutant source control and capture

and treatment.

No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect

May affect forage habitat quality in the bridge vicinity, but not likely to generate a response. Compliance with NC Session Law 2008‐211’s requirement for new development to capture and treat the first 1.5 inches of runoff from additional impervious surface areas would be met, to the maximum extent practicable, through a combination of pollutant source control and capture and treatment.

No Effect

Shading No Effect

Potential loss of 3.8 acres of SAV bed forage habitat and 1.0 acre of SAV habitat (no SAV currently present),

which would be replaced or otherwise mitigated. Species could move to other

foraging habitat.

No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect Potential loss of 3.8 acres of SAV bed forage habitat and 1.0 acre of SAV habitat (no SAV currently present), which would be replaced or otherwise mitigated. Species

could move to other foraging habitat. No Effect

Duration Indefinite but at least 50 years

Limit of Effect No Effect

In the case of runoff, up to 0.5 mile from the bridge; in the case of shading, the area under the bridge containing SAV

habitat (including existing beds).

In the case of run‐off, may affect foraging for up to 0.5 mile on either side of the bridge; there should be no

effect from shading.

No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect In the case of runoff‐up to 0.5 mile from the bridge; in the case of shading the area under of the bridge containing SAV habitat (including existing beds). No Effect

Maintenance Effects and ResponsesMaintenance No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect

Indirect Effects and Responses

Indirect Effects No Effect No Effect Potential further beach habitat

degradation No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect May affect some land/beach habitat for few nesting loggerhead sea turtles. No effect to land/beach habitat for the green and

Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. No Effect No Effect

Note: The American alligator was not included because no biological conclusion is required for this species.


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Cumulative Effects Technical Report (ECU and Parsons Brinckerhoff, 2009). The findings in the Biological Assessment also reflect refinements to the indirect and cumulative effects analysis made in response to DEIS comments. These refinements also will be included in the FEIS and a revised Indirect and Cumulative Effects Technical Report to be published with the FEIS.

Actions caused by the presence of the Preferred Alternative that could result in indirect impacts include:

• A change in the order in which available lots on the NC 12‐accessible Outer Banks would develop.

• Approximately 68 acres of business development likely would occur using land near the US 158/Mid‐Currituck Bridge interchange immediately north of Aydlett Road.

• Day visitor potential demand would increase, which could have some effect in the NC 12 area but likely would have more impact in the unregulated beach‐driving area north of the end of NC 12 to the Virginia line.

Only the final action has the potential to have indirect effects on protected species. This is reflected in Table 4. Indirect effects may be caused by the following:

• Changes to ecological systems resulting in altered predator/prey relationships;

• Changes to ecological systems resulting in long‐term habitat alteration; and

• Anticipated changes in human activities, including changes in land use.

6.2.1 Altered Predator-Prey Relationships

No natural predators exist for sea turtles, the West Indian manatee, and shortnose sturgeon in Currituck Sound, including the action area. The piping plover may currently encounter an occasional predator in its beach habitat. An increase in beach driving may re‐enforce avoidance of these traffic areas by both the piping plover and any predators. An altered predator‐prey relationship is not expected to occur as a result of avoidance of higher traffic areas.

6.2.2 Long-Term Habitat Alteration

Driving on the approximate 10 miles of beach that is between the end of NC 12 in Corolla and the Virginia line has caused degradation of existing habitat for listed species on this stretch of beach. If the Preferred Alternative was implemented, there is a reasonable expectation of induced beach driving if it remains unregulated, which would increase this activity.


CNWR resides within the approximate 10‐mile area of beach that may have increased traffic with the implementation of the Preferred Alternative. CNWR manager Mike Hoff indicated that loggerhead turtle nests have been successful in the area within the last few years. When nest locations are confirmed, they are roped off both inside and outside CNWR. Sightings of piping plovers are a regular occurrence, although none have nested there in 10 or more years. He believes nesting has not occurred for a variety of reasons, including the large amount of four‐wheel drive traffic and a large man‐made dune that prevents over wash areas preferred by the plovers. Mr. Hoff also indicated that no seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) has been found in the refuge for 10 or more years, mostly as a result of the presence of the wild horses (personal communication, Mike Hoff, CNWR Manager, USFWS, March 30, 2011).

No expansion of the area used for beach driving would occur in the action area as a result of the Preferred Alternative because all beaches that could be affected by increased beach driving are currently open for vehicle use, and are used between the foreshore and the dune line whether for driving or parking. Given this and that current beach driving volumes are considered notable, as opposed to minor, by those concerned with the impact of beach driving, the potential increases in beach driving would not likely create a new or increased form of impact for sea turtles or protected shore birds.

6.2.3 Indirect Land Use Impacts

As indicated in Section 5.2.3, development is not planned within threatened and endangered species habitat on the Outer Banks, which is confined to the beach and adjoining dunes. A change in the order of development would alter the timing of natural resource impacts associated with additional development, but not the impacts themselves. In addition, there is adequate land classified in the Currituck County land use plan as suitable for development to accommodate the 68 acres of business development. Land considered suitable for development in the Mid‐Currituck Bridge/ US 158 interchange area is upland and primarily in agricultural use. It does not contain or adjoin threatened and endangered species habitat. Both of these activities, however, are reasonably foreseeable future actions, so they are considered in the discussion of cumulative impacts (Section 6.4).

6.3 Interrelated and Interdependent Actions and Activities

There are no interrelated actions or activities associated with the Preferred Alternative. Operation and maintenance activities associated with the completed project are considered a part of the project and are assessed as such in this Biological Assessment. The Preferred Alternative is not a part of a larger project. There are no directly interdependent actions or activities associated with the Preferred Alternative. There are no specific actions or activities that could not occur without the completion of the


Preferred Alternative except for the potential constraint on planned development that could occur with the No‐Build Alternative, as discussed in Section 6.4. That constraint would not affect the action area, whose Outer Banks shoreline is already developed or developing (see Section 5.2).

6.4 Cumulative Effects

Cumulative effects associated with the Preferred Alternative were documented in the DEIS and Indirect and Cumulative Effects (ICE) Technical Report (Parsons Brinckerhoff, 2009) and will be in the FEIS, as well as a planned revision to the ICE report based on DEIS comments. This assessment covers cumulative effects over a broad cumulative effects study area that encompasses all of Currituck County and parts of the Dare County Outer Banks. The primary other reasonably foreseeable actions or trends in the project area that could contribute to cumulative impacts to threatened and endangered species are development and associated potential changes in water quality and beach driving.

As indicated in Section 6.2, within the action area, development has already occurred or is occurring at this time without the presence of the bridge. Thus, development in the action area is not directly dependent on the construction of the Preferred Alternative. Currituck County has placed no restrictions on development contingent upon the completion of the Preferred Alternative. The Mid‐Currituck Bridge project is intended to improve traffic flow on the larger project area’s thoroughfares (US 158 and NC 12) and reduce travel time for persons traveling between the Currituck County mainland and the Currituck County Outer Banks. The improved accessibility to the Currituck County Outer Banks gained with the bridge would cause the order of future development in the larger project area to change such that development occurs first in Currituck County and later in Dare County. However, the extent and character of existing and planned development on the Outer Banks and the mainland by 2035 would be the same (except at the bridge terminus) with or without the bridge project. Most of the Outer Banks is already subdivided into lots. The presence of the bridge could result in business development on uplands in proximity to US 158 at the project’s terminus on the mainland.

The primary cumulative impact of development in the adjoining action area and the bridge project would be the affect of stormwater runoff on water quality in Currituck Sound, which provides habitat or potential habitat for sea turtles, the West Indian manatee, and the shortnose sturgeon. Future development between the end of NC 12 and the Virginia line also would contribute to increased beach driving in habitat or potential habitat for the piping plover, roseate tern, and seabeach amaranth.


6.4.1 Water Quality in Currituck Sound

Water quality in Currituck Sound has been degraded in recent years as a result of non‐point sources and is expected to experience some degradation (likely only temporary) in association with the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project. However, the long‐term consequences the bridge might contribute to the action area because of bridge run‐off are not expected to be severe, in part because of the implementation of a stormwater management plan, as described in Section 4.2.1.

The cumulative effects of development on the seven protected species in the action area combined with the Preferred Alternative would be largely determined by the regulation of land uses on shore. Onshore development would affect the amount and quality of runoff into the estuary.

However, the bridge project and future development would comply with NC Session Law 2008‐211, which requires new development to capture and treat the first 1.5 inches of runoff from new impervious surfaces. The proposed stormwater management plan for the project is described in Section 4.2.1.

During land development on the mainland, sediment loading and turbidity into the sound could increase, although erosion control measures would be required of developers. Once developed with a perennial ground cover, the conditions likely would be an improvement over tilled agricultural land.

Finally, NCDENR and USACE are currently sponsoring an improvement project titled the Currituck Sound Ecosystem Restoration Project. This restoration effort addresses water quality issues, as well as past SAV decline. This project is jointly funded by state and federal funds with a projected completion date of 2012 for feasibility phase and initiation of pre‐construction engineering and design. Knowledge gained and restoration efforts from this effort will provide positive effects on Currituck Sound as a whole, including the Mid‐Currituck Bridge action area.

6.4.2 Beach Driving

Additional beach driving as a result of expected development north of the end of NC 12 (No‐Build Alternative), combined with potential induced beach driving with the Preferred Alternative, is not expected to result in disturbance of larger areas of the beach than are disturbed today. All beaches that could be affected by increased beach driving are currently open for vehicle use, and are used between the foreshore and the dune line whether for driving or parking. Given this and that current beach driving volumes are considered notable, as opposed to minor, by those concerned with the impact of beach driving, the potential increases in beach driving would not likely create a new or increased form of cumulative impact for sea turtles or protected shore birds.


6.5 Conservation Measures

6.5.1 Species in Currituck Sound

Protected species habitat usage in the direct impact action area post‐construction is expected to be similar. Therefore, conservation measures would not be unique to listed species, but applicable to all species affected. Methods of avoidance/minimization of ecosystem effects would be utilized, including: an in‐water work moratorium from approximately February 15 to September 30 and an open deck temporary construction trestle over SAV habitat (including existing beds); the use of turbidity curtains during pile installation (permanent and temporary bridges) and pile removal (temporary bridge) to prevent dispersal of sediment or other pollutants; driving rather than jetting piles; and stormwater management. Additionally, mitigation of impacted SAV habitat would be implemented at a 2:1 ratio. The proposed methods are described below:

• A bottom‐disturbing in‐water work moratorium in areas of existing SAV beds as defined by NCMFC (see Section 3.5). The period of moratorium would be approximately February 15 to September 30. The purpose of the moratorium as described by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Habitat Alteration Permit Review Guidelines is “to reduce negative effects on critical fish life history activities, including anadromous fish spawning migrations and nursery functions, and primary nursery area functions.” The moratorium would apply to SAV habitat (including existing beds) within the project area, which currently only exist on the eastern end of the project as delineated by the 2007 survey (Forte and Martz, 2007). An additional pre‐construction survey would be conducted to account for changes in SAV bed size and location.

• Construction methods for avoidance and minimization of ecosystem effects include an open deck temporary construction trestle and the use of turbidity curtains during pile installation (permanent and temporary bridges) and pile removal (temporary bridge) to prevent dispersal of sediment or other pollutants. Piles would be driven and not jetted. The open deck design would minimize potential shading from the temporary trestle. Marine industry standard pans would be placed under construction equipment operating on the open trestle to capture any accidental release of petroleum products from equipment. The temporary trestle would require installation and removal of pilings in an area estimated to be 5 to 7 square feet per pile. The area impacted by the temporary trestle would be monitored before, during, and after construction. Mitigation would be provided for the trestle pile impact in the event that SAV do not reestablish following removal. The temporary trestle used on the eastern end of the bridge would cover approximately 1.8 acres of SAV habitat.

• NCDOT and NCTA would comply with NC Session Law 2008‐211 (An Act to Provide for Improvements in the Management of Stormwater in the Coastal


Counties in Order to Protect Water Quality) to the maximum extent practicable. In compliance with the mentioned water quality laws, stormwater run‐off would be managed using a comprehensive stormwater management plan. This plan is described in Section 4.2.1 as including the following components as it relates to threatened and endangered species:

− Source control (pre‐treatment) on the Currituck Sound bridge.

− Stormwater capture on the eastern end of the Currituck Sound bridge (4,000 feet).

− Baseline, as well as ongoing, water quality monitoring to establish existing water quality levels and understand the effectiveness of the deck cleaning program and to make adjustments, if needed.

• Permanently impacted SAV habitat (including existing beds) would be mitigated. Options for mitigation include:

− In‐kind restoration of SAV in the project area at suitable locations at a 2:1 ratio (if feasible). SAV restoration would follow currently adopted SAV protocols in North Carolina and best practices from recent successful SAV restoration efforts. Restoration efforts could be contracted with research and educational entities such as Elizabeth City State University or East Carolina University.

− Improvement of conditions for SAV propagation and survival within Currituck Sound also is an option. Included in this option could be: protection and establishment of riparian buffers; contribution of funds to support agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs); stormwater management improvement projects; acquisition of properties identified as important for the protection of water quality (as reported in the November 2006 Countywide Land Parcel Prioritization Strategy for Water Quality Enhancement); and other measures that would reduce the turbidity of water in Currituck Sound.

− Other options considered for SAV mitigation include support for SAV research and participation in the Currituck Sound Ecosystem Restoration Project coordinated by USACE.

6.5.2 Beach Driving

Currituck County has the legal authority to regulate and manage driving on its beaches. The County’s next land use plan update could include developing and implementing regulations governing beach driving. NCTA has no authority to implement regulations concerning beach driving.


7.0 Effect Determinations

This Biological Assessment discusses the 13 federally‐protected species (see Table 1) occurring in Currituck and Dare counties as of February 2011 (NMFS, 2011; USFWS, 2011a). Some of these 13 species are under the jurisdiction of USFWS and some are under NMFS jurisdiction. Table 1 also lists the agency with jurisdiction for each protected species, as well as the determinations of effect for each species by agency. Because the five sea turtle species use both the waters (NMFS jurisdiction) and land (beach, USFWS jurisdiction) within the project area, they are under joint NMFS and USFWS jurisdiction, so two determinations are made, taking into account impacts encountered in both environments.

For the Preferred Alternative, six protected species have an ultimate determination of No Effect. Four of those six are solely under USFWS jurisdiction and the other two species are under joint USFWS/NMFS jurisdiction. Five protected species have a single determination of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect for reasons discussed in this section. Two protected species (green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles) have two different determinations – one for impacts occurring in the water under NMFS jurisdiction (Table 5) (May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect), and one for impacts occurring on the beach under USFWS jurisdiction (Table 6) (No Effect). An effects determination is not applicable for one species (the American alligator). There is no critical habitat for any of the protected species in the action area. The effects determinations for all 13 protected species also are documented in the DEIS.

NCTA, FHWA, and USACE are requesting concurrence on the determinations of May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect for all species with this conclusion (see Table 1). See Table 5 and Table 6 for a summary of effect determinations for construction, maintenance, and operations impacts in water and on land to listed species.

7.1 Effect Determination for Listed Species

7.1.1 No Effect or Not Applicable Determinations for Listed Species

• Red wolf (Canis rufus)

USFWS Biological Conclusion: No Effect

− While potential habitat exists within the project area (Great Swamp and Maple Swamp), there are no published records of this species in the project area (NCNHP, 2011). In addition, it is unlikely that the reintroduced population in ARNWR will cross vast water bodies (Albemarle, Roanoke, and/or Croatan sounds) and reach the project area.

− Experimental population is closely managed by USFWS.

Mid-C

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Table 5. Summary of Effect Determination for Impacts in Water for Listed Species

Project Action/ Stages

Activity Category

Minimization Measure

Enhancement Activities

Presence/ Exposure of

Listed Species

Chemical and Physical Changes

Biological Response

Effect Determination

Construction

Noise and vibration

Pile placement

In‐water work moratorium in SAV habitat (including existing beds) to avoid impacts

during time periods when listed species interactions could be

highest

None Rare None Avoidance May Affect, Not

Likely to Adversely Affect

Turbidity and siltation

Pile placement

Turbidity curtains around piles when driven. Piles driven

and not jetted.

None Rare None

Reduced use of forage habitat

because of degradation and avoidance

May Affect, Not Likely to

Adversely Affect

Operations

Run‐off Bridge drainage

Stormwater management plan with source control and partial source

capture

Water quality monitoring and

research. Capture and treatment of

runoff from existing roads improved as a part of the Preferred

Alternative

Rare

Run‐off particulates if washed into the sound could

contain organic compounds, nutrients, and heavy metals

Reduced use of forage habitat

because of degradation and avoidance


Adversely Affect

Shading Bridge presence

None

In‐kind restoration of shaded SAV and SAV habitat or alternative mitigation program

Rare None

Reduced or ceased usage of forage

habitat shaded by the bridge


Adversely Affect

Maintenance

Pipe maintenance

and foundation inspection

None needed. None needed Rare None None No Effect

Indirect Effects Beach driving None needed. None needed No None None No Effect

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Table 6. Summary of Effect Determination for Impacts on Land for Listed Species

Project Action/ Stages

Activity Category Minimization Measure Enhancement

Activities Presence/

Exposure of Listed Species

Chemical and Physical Changes

Biological Response

Effect Determination

Construction Pile Placement

None needed None needed No None None No Effect

Operations

Run‐off Bridge drainage


Shading Bridge presence


Maintenance

Pipe maintenance

and foundation inspection

None needed None needed Rare None None No Effect

Indirect Effects Beach driving

Sea turtle nests are roped off to reduce

disturbance

Partial areas managed by CNWR

Rare None Avoidance May Affect, Not

Likely to Adversely Affect


• Red‐cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis)


− The closest active red‐cockaded woodpecker colony is over 2.5 miles west of the project area, making the presence of a bridge or other road improvements, as well as related construction activities, associated with the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project not likely to result in an effect on this species.

− There are no mature stands of pine forests present in the project area or surrounding areas, therefore no suitable nesting/roosting habitat exists in the action area.

• Roseate tern (Sterna dougallii)


− There are no USFWS or NCNHP records from Currituck County.

− There is only one documented nest of this species from North Carolina in Carteret County (Lee and Parnell, 1990).

• American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

USFWS Biological Conclusion: Not Applicable

− The American alligator is listed as threatened on the protected species list because of its similarity in appearance to the endangered American crocodile (NatureServe, 2007; USFWS, 2008). However, this species is not biologically endangered or threatened and is not subject to Section 7 consultation, and therefore a biological conclusion is not applicable.

• Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

USFWS/NMFS Biological Conclusion: No Effect

The project would not affect the hawksbill sea turtle because:

− There are no known occurrences of this species recorded in Currituck County or in the vicinity of the action area (NCNHP, 2011; NCWRC, unpublished data).

− It prefers tropical open‐ocean and beach habitats.

• Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

USFWS/NMFS Biological Conclusion: No Effect


The project would not affect the leatherback sea turtle because:

− There are no known occurrences of this species recorded near the action area (NCNHP, 2011; NCWRC, unpublished data).

− It prefers tropical open‐ocean and beach habitats.

• Seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus)


The project would not affect seabeach amaranth because:

− No records of this species have been identified in ten or more years within CNWR (personal communication, Mike Hoff, CNWR Manager, USFWS, March 30, 2011).

− The last record of this species was in 1988, in the Swan Island Natural Area, near the southern boundary of the northern unit of CNWR on the Outer Banks (NCNHP, 2011).

− This species requires extensive areas of barrier island beaches and inlets that function in a relatively natural and dynamic manner, allowing it to move around and colonize sparsely vegetated sand.

7.1.2 May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect Determinations for Listed Species

• West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus)

USFWS Biological Conclusion: May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect

The project may affect the West Indian manatee because:

− The shallow waters of Currituck Sound and the extensive SAV beds found in the area provide potential foraging habitat for manatees. NCNHP records show sporadic occurrences of manatee near Currituck Sound over the past several decades (NCNHP, 2011).

− In‐water work such as pile placement may cause turbidity and siltation which could cause manatees to avoid these areas of the sound during construction, thereby leading to a reduction in foraging habitat; however, minimization measures to reduce these impacts to the sound would be in place (see Table 5 for a list of these measures).


The project is not likely to adversely affect the West Indian manatee because:

− The northern limit of the manatee’s range extends to North Carolina, but low temperatures prevent this species from commonly occurring in the action area.

− The rarity of occurrence near the project area makes impacts to this species unlikely (personal communication, Gary Jordan, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, USFWS, November 8, 2010).

− Construction contracts would require compliance with the USFWS’s Guidelines for Avoiding Impacts to the West Indian Manatee: Precautionary Measures for Construction Activities in North Carolina Waters (USFWS, 2003).

• Piping plover (Charadrius melodus)


The project may affect the piping plover because:

− Potential foraging habitat occurs in the direct impact action area when irregular wind tides expose mud flats within Currituck Sound. Open sandy beach areas that serve as nesting, foraging, and resting habitat exist in the action area (see Table 6 for a summary of effect determinations for species on land).

The project is not likely to adversely affect the piping plover because:

− No nests have been recorded in CNWR in 10 or more years (personal communication, Mike Hoff, CNWR Manager, USFWS, March 30, 2011).

− Piping plovers have not been documented within the direct impact action area, but there are sightings from the action area (i.e., CNWR) approximately 4 miles to the north (NCNHP, 2011).

• Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)


− Beaches within the action area are not used for nesting by the green sea turtle (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).

− The occurrence of green sea turtles is rare on the beaches north of Corolla; however, two strandings have been recorded since 2006 (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).


NMFS Biological Conclusion: May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect

The project may affect the green sea turtle because:

− Currituck Sound provides potential foraging habitat for the green sea turtle because of the abundance of SAV found in the action area.

− In‐water work such as pile placement may cause turbidity and siltation which could cause green sea turtles to avoid these areas of the sound during construction, thereby leading to a reduction in foraging habitat; however, minimization measures to reduce these impacts to the sound would be in place (see Table 5 for a list of these measures).

The project is not likely to adversely affect the green sea turtle because:

− No nesting, mating, or critical habitat occurs within the action area.

− The occurrence of all sea turtles, including the green sea turtle, in Currituck Sound is rare, and there are no published records of living individuals in the action area (NCNHP, 2011). However, unpublished NCWRC stranding data shows three sea turtle carcasses have been found in Currituck Sound over the past 10 years. One of these was an unidentified skeleton found September 23, 2005 and could possibly have been a green sea turtle (personal communication, Wendy Cluse, Assistant Sea Turtle Biologist, NCWRC, December 18, 2008).

− Sea turtles are unlikely to be found in the action area and are more commonly found in the higher salinity waters of Albemarle Sound. Currituck Sound also is relatively isolated, with the nearest inlet located over 25 miles away (Oregon Inlet).

− Currituck Sound was exempted from recent gill net restrictions for internal coastal waters (rule 15A NCAC 03J.0103). Details of exempt waters are in proclamation M‐2‐2011 issued by NCDENR‐DMF. This rule was implemented to reduce or eliminate incidental take of endangered species, primarily sea turtles. Currituck Sound was exempted from these new restrictions because of lack of interaction of sea turtles based on NCDENR‐DMF observer data and fisheries independent gill net surveys (personal communication, Red Mundin, Assistant to the NCDENR‐DMF Director and Protected Species Specialist, NCDENR‐DMF, January 13, 2011).

− If present, the response to construction and operation‐related impacts would be avoidance.


• Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)


The project may affect the loggerhead sea turtle because:

− Beaches within the action area are used for nesting habitat. No nests were found during 2010; however, there have been five nests recorded between 2006 and 2009 (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).

− Of the sea turtles occurring in the action area, the occurrence of the loggerhead sea turtle is the most likely. Since 2006, 47 strandings have been recorded from the stretch of beach north of Corolla to the Virginia line, three of which were still alive (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).

The project is not likely to adversely affect loggerhead sea turtles because:

− All sea turtle nests found north of Corolla are roped off to mark locations and offer protection from vehicular traffic on the beach. Nests are also moved (up the beach slope) if in danger of washing out or at risk from other reasonable dangers (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, April 18, 2011).

− Potential increases in beach driving cannot be quantified because there is no prior or existing enumeration of beach driving in this area. However, no expansion of the area used for beach driving would occur in the action area as a result of the Preferred Alternative because all beaches that could be affected by increased beach driving are currently open for vehicle use, and are used between the foreshore and the dune line whether for driving or parking. Given this and that current beach driving volumes are considered notable, as opposed to minor, by those concerned with the impact of beach driving, the potential increases in beach driving would not likely create a new or increased danger for sea turtle nests (see Table 6 for a summary of land impacts for listed species).

− NMFS Biological Conclusion: May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect

The project may affect the loggerhead sea turtle because:

− Currituck Sound provides potential foraging habitat for the loggerhead sea turtle because of the abundance of SAV found in the action area.

− In‐water work such as pile placement may cause turbidity and siltation which could cause loggerhead sea turtles to avoid these areas of the sound during


construction, thereby leading to a reduction in foraging habitat; however, minimization measures to reduce these impacts to the sound would be in place (see Table 5 for a list of these measures).

The project is not likely to adversely affect the loggerhead sea turtle because:

− No nesting, mating, or critical habitat occurs within the action area.

− The occurrence of all sea turtles, including the loggerhead sea turtle, in Currituck Sound is rare, and there are no published records of living individuals from these waters within the action area (NCNHP, 2011). However, there is one known unofficial sighting of a loggerhead sea turtle in Currituck Sound (personal communication, Joanne McNeill, Fisheries Biologist, NMFS, December 8, 2010). In addition, unpublished NCWRC stranding data indicates there have been three loggerhead sea turtle strandings in the Currituck Sound area in the last ten years (2000 to 2010); see Table 3 for detailed locations (personal communication, Matthew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Biologist, NCWRC, December 8, 2010).

− Loggerhead sea turtles exhibit a mostly pelagic life history; however, when utilizing bays or sounds for foraging, a viable entry point is needed. Currituck Sound is a substantial distance from ocean entry points, the closest being Oregon Inlet (25 miles).



• Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys Kempii)


The project would not affect the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle because:

− Beaches within the action area are not used for nesting by the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).


− The occurrence of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles is rare on the beaches north of Corolla; however, four strandings have been recorded here since 2006 (personal communication, Karen Clark, Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, NCWRC, March 31, 2011).


The project may affect the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle because:

− Currituck Sound provides potential foraging habitat for the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle because of the abundance of SAV found in the action area.

− In‐water work such as pile placement may cause turbidity and siltation, which could cause Kemp’s ridley sea turtles to avoid these areas of the sound during construction, thereby leading to a reduction in foraging habitat; however, minimization measures to reduce these impacts to the sound would be in place (see Table 5 for a list of these measures).

The project is not likely to adversely affect the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle because:

− No nesting, mating, or critical habitat occurs within the action area

− The occurrence of all sea turtles, including the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, in Currituck Sound is rare, and there are no published records of living individuals from Currituck County or the action area (NCNHP, 2011). However, unpublished NCWRC stranding data indicates there was one Kemp’s ridley sea turtle stranding in the Currituck Sound area in the last ten years (2000 to 2010); see Table 3 for location details (personal communication, Matthew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Biologist, NCWRC, December 8, 2010).

− These turtles are primarily a tropical and sub‐tropical species that prefer low wind and low wave habitats.




• Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)


The project may affect the shortnose sturgeon because:

− The estuarine waters, soft‐bottom substrate, and extensive SAV beds in Currituck Sound provide potential foraging habitat for the shortnose sturgeon.

− The presence of a bridge across the sound could result in a decrease in benthic invertebrate food sources near the bridge structure.

The project is not likely to adversely affect shortnose sturgeon because:

− No spawning, or critical habitat occurs within the action area

− This species was most recently observed in the area of Batchelor Bay in Albemarle Sound in 1998 (NCNHP, 2011); however, there are no known records of this species occurring within Currituck Sound.

− Any occurrence of this species within the action area would likely be short‐term and in conjunction with annual spring migrations.

− If present, the response to construction and operation‐related impacts would be avoidance (see Table 5 for a summary of in‐water impacts and effect determinations).

7.1.3 May Affect, Likely to Adversely Affect Determinations for Listed Species

This determination does not apply to any federally protected species occurring in the action area.

7.2 Effect Determinations for Proposed Species—Atlantic Sturgeon

7.2.1 Background

Five distinct population segments of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) have been identified, including: Gulf of Maine, New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, Carolina, and South Atlantic. While not formally designated as “proposed” yet, the Carolinas distinct population segment was proposed to be listed as an endangered species in the October 6, 2010 Federal Register, and therefore addressed here with regard to potential habitat in


the action area. Historically, Atlantic sturgeon were abundant in most North Carolina coastal rivers and estuaries, with the largest fishery in the Roanoke River/Albemarle Sound system and the Cape Fear (Kahnle et al., 1998). Landing records from the late 1800s indicate that Atlantic sturgeons were very abundant in the Albemarle Sound, and North Carolina as a whole supported an estimated 7,200 to 10,500 adult females (Armstrong and Hightower, 2002; Secor, 2002). Currently it is estimated that fewer than 300 spawning adults reside within each river system in North Carolina (Atlantic Sturgeon Status Review Team [ASSRT], 2007). The Atlantic Sturgeon Status Review (ASSRT, 2007) and The Atlantic Sturgeon Tagging Database (Eyler et al., 2009) both indicate that Atlantic sturgeon individuals have been caught in the Albemarle and Croatan sounds. The Atlantic Sturgeon Status Review also has records of young of year captured in the Albemarle Sound and highlights its importance as a spawning ground. Limited observer coverage and no known direct sampling of the area has limited records of this species in Currituck Sound; however, they are expected to exist there, at least part of the year (personal communication, Joe Hightower, NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, NCSU and Michael Loeffler, Fisheries Biologist, NCDENR‐DMF, January 26, 2011). Proximity of the Albemarle Sound to Currituck Sound, along with appropriate habitat type, supports the assumption that the Atlantic sturgeon would be present in the Currituck Sound area.

7.2.2 Reasons for Decline

In 1870 the caviar market for Atlantic sturgeon was established (Smith and Clungston, 1997). Peak landings occurred in 1890 with over 3 million kilograms of Atlantic sturgeon landed from the Atlantic Coast (Smith and Clungston, 1997; Secor and Waldman, 1999). The fishery collapsed in 1901 when less than 10 percent of peak landings were reported. The fishery continued to decline, and in the 1950’s began targeting the flesh instead of the caviar. During this time landings reported were 1 to 5 percent of peak levels until the fishery was closed in 1998 (50 Federal Register 61904‐61929, October 6, 2010). According to The Nature Conservancy, the most significant threats in this region are reduction, removal, and/or impediments to spawning grounds and bycatch (accidental catch of a non‐targeted species).

7.2.3 Determination

Biological Conclusion: May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect

In the event that the Atlantic sturgeon becomes listed as a threatened or endangered species prior to completion of the project, a provisional effects determination is provided.


The project may affect the Atlantic sturgeon because of proximity of known spawning grounds in the Albemarle Sound; however, the project is not likely to adversely affect or jeopardize the continued existence of the Atlantic sturgeon because:

• Activities in the action area would not occur in any documented spawning areas. These areas occur in large rivers in areas of flow between the salt wedge and the fall line.

• No significant disruption to bottom sediments, such as dredging, is planned.

• Migration routes from spawning grounds to estuaries should not be impeded by a bridge over Currituck Sound because no known spawning occurs in waters upstream of the proposed Mid‐Currituck Bridge.

• Atlantic sturgeon are assumed to occur and forage; however, few impacts are expected because of the mobility of this species and its anticipated avoidance of construction/disturbance areas in Currituck Sound.

• Indirect impacts from construction of the Mid‐Currituck Bridge may include a reduction in forage quality as a result of bottom disturbance and siltation, water quality degradation, and some noise/vibration effects. None of these indirect impacts should jeopardize the continued existence of the Atlantic sturgeon population in North Carolina or the Albemarle Sound.

7.3 Effect Determination for Critical Habitat

7.3.1 Effect Determination for Designated Critical Habitat

No designated critical habitat exists for any federally protected species occurring in the action area, so an effect determination is not applicable.

7.3.2 Effect Determinations for Proposed Critical Habitat

No proposed critical habitat exists for any federally protected species occurring in the action area, so an effect determination is not applicable.

7.4 Making Overall Effect Determinations

Table 7 presents all affected species and project elements and effect determinations associated with each.


Table 7. Effect Determination for Each Affected Species

Jurisdiction Federal Status

Common Name

Effect Determin- ation for

Construc-tion

Effect Determin- ation for

Operations

Effect Determin- ation for Mainten-

ance

Effect Determin- ation for Indirect Effects

Overall Effect

Determin- ation for Project

USFWS Endangered

(EXP)1 Red wolf No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect

USFWS Endangered West Indian manatee

May Affect,

Not Likely to

Adversely Affect

May Affect, Not Likely

to Adversely Affect

No Effect No Effect


to Adversely Affect

USFWS Threatened Piping plover

May Affect,

Not Likely to

Adversely Affect


to Adversely Affect

No Effect

May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect


to Adversely Affect

USFWS Endangered Red‐

cockaded woodpecker

No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect

USFWS Endangered Roseate tern No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect No Effect

USFWS T(S/A)2 American alligator

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

USFWS/ NMFS

Endangered Hawksbill sea turtle


USFWS/ NMFS

Endangered Leatherback sea turtle


USFWS/ NMFS

Threatened Green sea turtle

May Affect,

Not Likely to

Adversely Affect


to Adversely Affect

No Effect No Effect

No Effect/May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect

USFWS/ NMFS

Threatened Loggerhead sea turtle

May Affect,

Not Likely to

Adversely Affect


to Adversely Affect

No Effect

May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect/No Effect


to Adversely Affect

USFWS/ NMFS

Endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle

May Affect,

Not Likely to

Adversely Affect


to Adversely Affect

No Effect No Effect

No Effect/May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect

NMFS Endangered Shortnose sturgeon

May Affect,

Not Likely to

Adversely Affect


to Adversely Affect

No Effect No Effect


to Adversely Affect

USFWS Threatened Seabeach Amaranth


1 EXP‐Population is experimental 2 T(S/A)‐Threatened because of similarity of appearance to American crocodile


7.5 Candidate Species—Red knot (Calidris canutus rufa)

The red knot (Calidris canutus), a type of sandpiper, consists of three subspecies. The rufa subspecies was listed as a candidate species for Endangered Species Act protection on September 12, 2006 (USFWS, 2010). This shorebird makes long migrations, wintering near the tip of South America and breeding/nesting near the Arctic Circle. Red knot migration relies heavily (often coinciding with) horseshoe crab spawning, which occurs in large numbers in the Delaware Bay and Cape May beginning in mid‐May. A reduction in horseshoe crab numbers in these areas has resulted from harvesting the crabs for bait in the 1990’s and more recently from harvesting for use in the pharmaceutical industry. Exacerbating horseshoe crab loss from direct takes is a reduction in optimal spawning habitat through beach erosion, disturbance by people and potential predators, and competition from gulls (Niles, 2008). Horseshoe crab eggs are especially important to red knots because of time constraints in completion of their trans‐hemispheric migration (Morrison and Harrington, 1992). Reductions in these eggs put red knot populations at further risk of not completing a lifecycle. Threats to red knot habitat in North Carolina include beach stabilization (i.e., nourishment), channel relocation, and bulkhead construction. Housing development is also a threat to habitat, but is also a driver for beach stabilization. Other threats to key habitat include petroleum product shipping in Canadian waters where nesting occurs, as well as the previously mentioned decline in horseshoe crab eggs in the Delaware Bay area (Niles, 2008).


8.0 References

8.1 Publications and Technical Reports

Atlantic Sturgeon Status Review Team. 2007. Status Review of Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus). Prepared for National Marine Fisheries Service.

Armstrong, J. L. and J. E. Hightower. 2002. “Potential for restoration of the Roanoke River population of Atlantic sturgeon.” Journal of Applies Ichthyology 18:475‐480.

Borawa, J. C., J. H. Kerby, M. T. Huish, and A. W. Mullis. 1978. “Currituck Sound Fish Populations Before and After Infestation by Eurasian Water‐milfoil.” Proc. An. Conf. S.E. Assoc. Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Caldwell, William S. 2001. Hydrologic and Salinity Characteristics of Currituck Sound and Selected Tributaries in North Carolina and Virginia, 1998‐1999. US Geological Survey, Water‐Resources Investigations Report 01‐4097.

Copeland, B. J. and J. Gray. 1989. “The Albemarle‐Pamlico Estuarine System. A Summary of the Preliminary Status and Trends Report of the Albemarle‐Pamlico Estuarine Study.” Albemarle‐Pamlico Estuarine Study Report 89‐13B.

East Carolina University and Parsons Brinckerhoff. 2009. Indirect and Cumulative Effects Technical Report. State Project No. 6.049002T, STIP No. R‐2576, Currituck County, Dare County.

Eyler, S., M. Mangold, and S. Minkkinem. 2009. Atlantic Coast Sturgeon Tagging Database. US Fish and Wildlife Service Summary Report.

Federal Register. October 6, 2010. No. 193 73:61904‐61929. Proposed Rule. “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Listings for Two Distinct Population Segments of Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the Southeast.”

Forte M. and T. Martz. 2007. Currituck Sound Hydrographic and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Survey. US Army Corps of Engineers, Field Research Facility. Duck, North Carolina.

Hanson, J., M. Helvey, and R. Strach. 2004. Non‐Fishing Impacts to Essential Fish Habitat and Recommended Conservation Measures. National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), Version 1. Southwest Region, Long Beach, California.


Kahnle, A. W., K. A. Hattala, K. A. McKown, C. A. Shirey, M. R. Collins, T. S. Squiers, Jr., and T. Savoy. 1998. Stock Status of Atlantic sturgeon of Atlantic Coast Estuaries. Report for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Draft III.

Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980 et seq. Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Lee, D. S. and J. F. Parnell. 1990. Endangered, threatened, and rare fauna of North Carolina,

Part III, a re‐evaluation of birds. Occasional papers of the North Carolina Biological Survey.

Luczkovich, J. J. 2010. Survey of the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Proposed Alignment for the Mid‐Currituck Bridge. A report to the North Carolina Turnpike Authority.

Morrison, R. I. G. and B. A. Harrington. 1992. “The migration system of the Red Knot Calidris canutus rufa in the New World.” Wader Study Group Bulletin 64 (Supplement): 71–84.

National Marine Fisheries Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. 1991. Recovery Plan for the US Population of Loggerhead Turtle. National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington, D.C.

National Marine Fisheries Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. 1991. Recovery Plan for US Population of Atlantic Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas). National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington, D.C.

National Marine Fisheries Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2008. Recovery Plan for the Northwest Atlantic Population of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta), Second Revision. National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington, D.C.

National Marine Fisheries Service. 1998. Recovery Plan for the Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum). Prepared by the Shortnose Sturgeon Recovery Team for the National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Niles, Lawrence J., et al. 2008. “Status of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) in the Western Hemisphere.” Studies in Avian Biology No. 36. Cooper Ornithological Society Publication.

North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. November 2006. Countywide Land Parcel Prioritization Strategy for Water Quality Enhancement. Wilmington, North Carolina.


North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Marine Fisheries. 2007 (with modified text October 28, 2008). North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Habitat Alteration Permit Review Guidelines. North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Morehead City, North Carolina.

North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. 2001. Guide to Federally Listed Endangered and Threatened Species of North Carolina. Raleigh, North Carolina.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority and Federal Highway Administration. 2010. Administrative Action Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mid‐Currituck Bridge Study.

NCWRC (North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission). 2005. North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan. Available: http://www.wildlifeactionplans.org/pdfs/action_plans /nc_action_plan.pdf.

Oakley, Nathaniel C. 2003. Status of Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) in the Neuse River North Carolina. Graduate thesis. North Carolina State University.

Parsons Brinckerhoff. 2009. Alternatives Screening Report. Prepared for the North Carolina Turnpike Authority.

Secor, D. H. 2002. “Atlantic sturgeon Fisheries and Stock Abundances During the Late Nineteenth Century.” American Fisheries Society Symposium 28:89‐98.

Secor, D. H. and J. R. Waldman. 1999. “Historical abundance of Delaware Bay Atlantic sturgeon and potential rate of recovery.” American Fisheries Society Symposium 23:203‐216.

Schafale, M. P. and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the Natural Communities of North Carolina, 3rd Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program.

Smith T. I. J. and J. P. Clungston. 1997. “Status and Management of Atlantic Sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus, in North America.” Environmental Biology of Fishes 48:335‐346.

US Army Corps of Engineers. 2010. Currituck Sound Feasibility Scoping Meeting Report. Available: http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Currituck/index2.htm. Accessed: February 23, 2011.

US Fish and Wildlife Service. 1996. Recovery Plan for Seabeach Amaranth (Amaranthus pumilius Rafinesque). US Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia.


US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2003. Guidelines for Avoiding Impacts to the West Indian Manatee: Precautionary Measures for Construction Activities in North Carolina Waters. Raleigh Field Office, Raleigh, North Carolina.

8.2 Web Sites

Field Trip Earth web site. 2007. Summer 2006 sea turtle tracking. Catherine McClellan, Duke University. Available: http://www.fieldtripearth.org/.

National Marine Fisheries Service. 2011. Office of Protected Species, NOAA Fisheries. Available: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2008. Fisheries, Office of Protected Resources. Available: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/. Accessed: February, 2008.

NatureServe. 2007. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 6.2. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. Accessed: February 15 and 18, 2008.

North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. 2006. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program List of the Rare Animal Species of North Carolina. Available: http://www.ncnhp.org/Images/2006RareAnimalList.pdf. Accessed: May 29, 2008.

North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. 2011. Heritage Data. Available: http://www.ncnhp.org/Pages/heritagedata.html. Accessed: March 2011.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 2008. Wildlife Profiles: West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus). Available: http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg07 _WildlifeSpeciesCon/Profiles/manateewindian.pdf. Accessed: February 18, 2008.

US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2006. Optimal Survey Windows for North Carolina’s Federally Threatened and Endangered Plant Species. Available: http:// www.fws.gov/nces/es/plant_survey.html. Accessed: February 18, 2008.

US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011a. Threatened and Endangered Species in North Carolina. Available: http://www.fws.gov/nc%2Des/es/countyfr.html. Accessed: May 7 and December 8, 2008, February 25, 2009, and January 18, 2011.

US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011b. Currituck National Wildlife Refuge. Available: http://www.fws.gov/currituck/. Accessed: April 11, 2011.


US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2010. Red Knot. Available: http://www.fws.gov/northeast /redknot/. Accessed: April 7, 2011.

US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2008. Threatened and Endangered Species Descriptions. Available: http://www.fws.gov/nc‐es/. Accessed: January and February, 2008.

8.3 Personal Communication

Bolton, Stephanie. Fishery Biologist. National Marine Fisheries Service. November 19, 2007.

Clark, Karen. Program Coordinator, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. March 31, 2011 and April 18, 2011.

Cluse, Wendy. Assistant Sea Turtle Biologist. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. December 18, 2008.

Fussell, John. Author: A Birder’s Guide to Coastal Carolina. March 30, 2008.

Godfrey, Matthew. Sea Turtle Biologist. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. December 8, 2010.

Hightower, Joe. Fisheries Biologist/Professor. NC Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, NCSU. January 26, 2011.

Hoff, Mike. Manager, Currituck National Wildlife Refuge. US Fish and Wildlife Service. March 30, 2011.

Jordan, Gary. Fish and Wildlife Biologist. US Fish and Wildlife Service. November 8, 2010.

Loeffler, Michael. Fisheries Biologist, NCDENR‐DMF. January 26, 2011

McNeill, Joanne B. Fishery Biologist. National Marine Fisheries Service. November 21, 2007 and December 8, 2010.

Mundin, Red. Assistant to the NCDENR‐DMF Director, and Protected Species Specialist. NCDENR, Division of Marine Fisheries. January 13, 2011.

Rabon, David. Fish and Wildlife Biologist. US Fish and Wildlife Service. November 30, 2006.

Ratcliffe, Judy. Eastern Region Freshwater Ecologist. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. April 6, 2011.

Appendix A Essential Fish Habitat

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study A‐1 Biological Assessment

A. Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)

The Magnuson‐Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Title 16 United States Code Section 1801 et seq.) requires the US Secretary of Commerce to develop guidelines assisting regional fisheries management councils in the identification and creation of management and conservation plans for EFH. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC), and the Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) currently manage eight fish species that are known to occur within the project area (MAFMC, 2008; SAFMC, 2008).

Project Activities and Impact

These agencies have identified the SAV, intertidal flats, palustrine emergent and forested wetlands, aquatic bed (tidal freshwater), and estuarine water column of Currituck Sound as EFH. Currituck Sound and SAV habitat (including existing beds) in the area of the Preferred Alternative are shown in Figure 2. The Preferred Alternative would not affect palustrine emergent and forested wetlands since not all palustrine wetlands (i.e., Maple Swamp) within the project area are EFH. Palustrine wetlands determined to be EFH were adjacent waters and marshes of the Currituck Sound and subject to tidal/wind inundation. Permanent impacts to EFH communities and SAVs associated with the project’s Preferred Alternative are shown in Table A‐1. There would be no fill impact to EFH with the Preferred Alternative. The greatest permanent impact to EFH would be associated with shading by a Mid‐Currituck Bridge of existing SAV, SAV habitat, and potential SAV habitat (areas of the sound 6 feet deep or less where SAV is not confirmed). Such impacts would shade 3.8 acres, 4.8 acres (inclusive of the 3.8 acres), and 5.2 acres, respectively. SAV would be protected from stormwater runoff through the use of a closed drainage system over the approximate 4,000 feet of SAV habitat (including existing beds) on the eastern side of the sound.

Permanent loss or alteration of EFH would result directly from shading and pile placement with the bridge structure associated with the Preferred Alternative, although pile placement is minimal at 0.1 acre.

The Preferred Alternative likely would result in short‐term and long‐term adverse effects to EFH and managed species. In general, the Preferred Alternative would not have a substantial long‐term adverse impact on EFH or managed species given the small permanent pile impact (0.1 acre) and the small open water shading impact of the Mid‐Currituck Bridge (27.8 acres) compared to the total area of Currituck Sound (97,920 acres). Bridge pilings could provide additional habitat for some managed species. The aquatic substrate generally would be expected to recover after construction.


Table A‐1. Permanent Impacts to Essential Fish Habitat Areas by the Preferred Alternative

Community1 Fill Pilings Shading Clearing

Palustrine forested wetland (acres) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Palustrine emergent wetland (acres) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Aquatic bottom (tidal freshwater) (total2/<6 feet) (acres)

0.0/0.0 0.1/0.0 27.8/8.7 0.0/0.0

TOTAL EFH IMPACT3 (acres) 0.0 0.1 27.8 0.0

Primary nursery areas4 (acres/linear feet) 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0

SAV Communities

• SAV beds (existing)5 (acres) 0.0 0.0 3.8 0.0

• Areas <4 feet deep (potential SAV habitat) (acres) 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.0

• Areas 4 to 6 feet deep (potential SAV habitat) (acres) 0.0 0.0 2.9 0.0

• Areas >6 feet deep (unsuitable SAV habitat) (acres) 0.0 0.1 19.1 0.0

SAV Habitat6 0.0 0.0 4.8 0.0

1Communities that have not been mapped include intertidal flats and oyster reef/shell bank. 2Includes all SAV community sub‐categories and is equivalent to estuarine water column (volume not calculated).

3Includes palustrine forested wetland, palustrine emergent wetland, and aquatic bottom. 4Jean Guite Creek is the only state‐designated fish nursery/spawning area (primary, secondary, or anadromous spawning area) in the project area, but it is not crossed by the Preferred Alternative.

5Based on Luczkovich, 2010. 6SAV habitat as defined by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (NCMFC) is currently vegetated with one or more appropriate (native) SAV species, or has been vegetated by one or more appropriate species within the past 10 annual growing seasons, and meets the average growing conditions needed (water depth of 6 feet or less, average light availability [Secchi depth of 1 foot or more], and limited wave exposure). Available data for 2000 to 2010 is from 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2010 (see Figure 2).


Impact Minimization and Mitigation

Types of EFH found within the action area include SAV, intertidal flats, palustrine emergent and forested wetlands, freshwater tidal aquatic beds, and estuarine waters. As indicated above, the greatest permanent impact to EFH would be associated with shading by a Mid‐Currituck Bridge over water 6 feet deep or less. With the Preferred Alternative, NCTA would mitigate permanent impacts to existing SAV and SAV habitat. Available options for this mitigation include:

• In‐kind restoration in the project area at a suitable site at a 2:1 ratio (if feasible). This restoration activity would follow the currently adopted SAV protocols in North Carolina and best practices from recent successful SAV restoration efforts. These efforts could be performed by others such as Elizabeth City State University or East Carolina University.

• Efforts to improve conditions for SAV propagation and survival within Currituck Sound. This option could involve: protection and establishment of riparian buffers; contribution of funds to promote agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs); stormwater management improvement projects; acquisition of properties identified as important for the protection of water quality (as reported in the November 2006 Countywide Land Parcel Prioritization Strategy for Water Quality Enhancement); and other measures that would reduce the turbidity of water in Currituck Sound.

• Support for SAV research.

• Participation in the Currituck Sound Ecosystem Restoration Project coordinated by USACE.

Efforts to improve conditions for SAV propagation and survival within Currituck Sound, support for SAV research, and participation in the Currituck Sound Ecosystem Restoration Project also are options for mitigating the shading of portions of Currituck Sound in potential SAV habitat (areas of the sound 6 feet deep or less that do not meet NCMFC’s definition of SAV habitat).

Regarding potential stormwater runoff impacts, the stormwater management plan proposed for the Preferred Alternative is described in Section 4.2.1. NCTA would comply with NC Session Law 2008‐211 (An Act to Provide for Improvements in the Management of Stormwater in the Coastal Counties in Order to Protect Water Quality) to the maximum extent practicable for the additional impervious surface area created by this project. With regard to mitigation of potential impacts to SAV, the first 1.5 inches of stormwater runoff would be captured/treated from the eastern end of the Currituck Sound bridge for a distance of 4,000 feet to prevent direct discharge into the existing SAV habitat (including existing beds) areas along the eastern shore of the sound, the only location they occur. The runoff would be piped to the end of the bridge for treatment to either a stormwater wetland or a wet detention basin. Source control also


would be used. Source control would be provided by frequent deck cleaning using state of the art, multi‐function cleaning equipment that employs mechanical, vacuum, and regenerative air systems.

To minimize construction impacts to SAV by in‐water work with the Preferred Alternative, NCTA would follow the following protocols to protect existing SAV habitat (including existing beds):

• No dredging in any part of Currituck Sound.

• No bottom disturbing in‐water work in the SAV bed areas during a moratorium period from February 15 to September 30. In‐water work consists of bottom‐disturbing activities like temporary trestle pile placement and removal and driving permanent piles. Working above the water, including barge operations (non‐bottom disturbing), installation and removal of temporary trestle beams and decking, and installation of Mid‐Currituck Bridge pile caps, beams, and decking, would occur up to 365 days a year at the discretion of NCTA.

• Use of an open (i.e., beams only to support a crane) temporary construction trestle to minimize shading impacts while the trestle is in place. Marine industry standard pans would be placed under construction equipment operating on the open trestle to capture any accidental spills of oil and lubricants.

• The eastern side of the sound is the only location that includes SAV habitat (including existing beds) that meets NCMFC’s criteria. In this area of the sound, NCTA would install temporary piling and temporary open work trestle for approximately 4,500 linear feet and would, outside of the moratorium dates, drive piles for both the permanent bridge and the temporary trestle within SAV habitat (including existing beds).

• Turbidity curtains would be utilized during pile installation (permanent and temporary bridges) and pile removal (temporary bridge). Turbidity curtains would capture any silt from migrating outside the curtain perimeter. These are common and proven turbidity control techniques. Pile installation would be performed both by vibratory and impact hammers, with no jetting of piles.

On the eastern side of Currituck Sound, limiting pile placement to times outside the moratorium period is expected to result in the following construction sequence over the SAV habitat (including existing beds) present there:

• Construction Season 1. The October 1 to February 14 non‐moratorium window would allow installation of approximately 35 percent of both work trestle and permanent bridge pilings along with deck construction.

• Construction Seasons 2 and 3. During these two seasons, the remaining temporary work trestle and permanent bridge construction would be completed.


• Construction Season 4. During this season, the temporary work trestle would be removed/dismantled.

If surveys following construction operations reveal that additional permanent impacts to SAV beds have occurred, additional permanent impact mitigation would be provided using one or more options described in the previous section.

Minimization of potential impacts to potential SAV habitat (areas of the sound 6 feet deep or less) would be accomplished through no dredging anywhere in Currituck Sound and by pile installation using both vibratory and impact hammers, with no jetting of piles.

Conclusion

The impact to EFH would be associated with shading by a Mid‐Currituck Bridge of existing SAV, SAV habitat, and potential SAV habitat (areas of the sound 6 feet deep or less where SAV is not confirmed). Such impacts would shade 3.8 acres, 4.8 acres (inclusive of the 3.8 acres), and 5.2 acres, respectively. The Preferred Alternative likely would result in short‐term and long‐term adverse (though not substantial) effects to EFH and managed species; however, it is not expected to have any adverse impacts to listed species.

The listed species in question have rarely occurred in the action area. Also the impacts to EFH on listed species pertain only to forage habitat (SAV beds), which, when surveyed in 2007 by USACE was indicated to contain 377 acres of existing SAV in the project area of Currituck Sound.

NCTA would mitigate permanent impacts to existing SAV habitat (including existing beds), as defined by NCMFC, resulting from Mid‐Currituck Bridge shading and pile placement with the Preferred Alternative. Long‐term efforts to support SAV research and improve SAV propagation have the ability to protect this resource independent of the Mid‐Currituck Bridge project. Mitigation of affected SAV beds in the project area at suitable sites would ensure no net loss of existing SAV beds affected by this bridge project.

Appendix B Detailed Listed Species

Information

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study B‐1 Biological Assessment

B. Detailed Listed Species Information

The following information on listed species was gathered largely from biological information on the NMFS and USFWS web sites. References are cited in Chapter 8, References.

Red Wolf (Canis rufus)

Red wolves were extirpated from North Carolina and most other southeastern states by the 1920s. In the mid‐1980s, USFWS reintroduced the species to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR) in eastern North Carolina. Since that time, the wolves have expanded their range outside the refuge. Red wolves are generally crepuscular predators, preying on deer, nutria, raccoon, rabbits, and other small mammals. Any area that provides sufficient size, adequate food and water, and the basic cover requirement of heavy vegetation should be suitable habitat for the red wolf. Telemetry studies indicate that red wolf home range requirements vary from about 25 to 50 square miles (NatureServe, 2007; USFWS, 2008).

West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)

Manatees have been observed in all the North Carolina coastal counties. Manatees are found in canals, sluggish rivers, estuarine habitats, salt water bays, and as far off shore as 3.7 miles. They utilize freshwater and marine habitats at shallow depths of 5 to 20 feet. In the winter, between October and April, manatees concentrate in areas with warm water. During other times of the year habitats appropriate for the manatee are those with sufficient water depth, an adequate food supply, and proximity to freshwater. Manatees require a source of freshwater to drink. Manatees are primarily herbivorous, feeding on any aquatic vegetation present, but they may occasionally feed on fish.

Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)

The piping plover breeds along the entire eastern coast of the United States. North Carolina is uniquely positioned in the species’ range, being the only state where the piping plover’s breeding and wintering ranges overlap, and the birds are present year‐round. They nest most commonly where there is little or no vegetation, but some may nest in stands of beachgrass. The nest is a shallow depression in the sand that is usually lined with shell fragments and light colored pebbles (NatureServe, 2007; USFWS, 2008).


Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis)

The red‐cockaded woodpecker (RCW) typically occupies open, mature stands of southern pines, particularly longleaf pine, for foraging and nesting/roosting habitat. The RCW excavates cavities for nesting and roosting in living pine trees, aged 60 years or older, which are contiguous with pine stands at least 30 years of age to provide foraging habitat. The foraging range of the RCW is normally no more than 0.5 mile (USFWS, 2008).

Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)

In North Carolina, the roseate tern is most likely to be seen on barrier islands as it passes through the area to and from northern breeding grounds. March through May and August through October are the most likely times to see these birds. Although sight records of this species exist for June, July, and August, these are likely non‐breeding males. Only one nesting record for this species has been documented for the state within the past 20 years. However, if this species expands its range, it is likely to choose coastal areas of the state for nesting. The roseate tern nests on isolated, less disturbed coastal islands in areas characterized by sandy, rocky, or clayey substrates with either sparse or thick vegetation. Eggs are usually laid such that grasses or overhanging objects provide shelter. They may also nest in marshes, but it is an uncommon occurrence (NatureServe, 2007; USFWS, 2008).

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

In North Carolina, alligators have been recorded in nearly every coastal county and many inland counties to the fall line. The alligator is found in rivers, streams, canals, lakes, swamps, and coastal marshes. Adult animals are highly tolerant of salt water, but the young are apparently more sensitive, with salinities greater than 5 parts per thousand considered harmful. The American alligator remains on the protected species list because of its similarity in appearance to the Endangered American crocodile (NatureServe, 2007; USFWS, 2008).

Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Hawksbill sea turtles are found in tropical and subtropical oceans. Sightings have been reported on the east coast of the United States as far north as Massachusetts, although rarely north of Florida. Sightings have been recorded from a handful of counties in North Carolina, but the turtle is not known to breed in the state. Adult hawksbills are found in coastal waters, especially around coral reefs, rocky outcrops, shoals, mangrove bays, and estuaries. Juveniles are often seen offshore in floating mats of seaweed. This


species nests on a wide range of beach types and substrates, using both low‐ and high‐energy beaches on islands and mainland sites. The nest is typically placed near or under vegetation of some sort (NatureServe, 2007; NOAA, 2008; USFWS, 2008).

Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Leatherbacks are distributed world‐wide in tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They are generally open‐ocean species and may be common off the North Carolina coast during certain times of the year. However, in northern waters leatherbacks are reported to enter into bays, estuaries, and other inland bodies of water. Major nesting areas occur mainly in tropical regions. In the United States, primary nesting areas are in Florida; however, nests are known from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina as well. Nesting occurs from April to August. Leatherbacks need sandy beaches backed with vegetation in the proximity of deep water and generally with rough seas. Beaches with a relatively steep slope are usually preferred (NatureServe, 2007; NOAA, 2008; USFWS; 2008).

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Photo courtesy of Doug Shea.

The largest of the hard‐shelled sea turtles, the green sea turtle grows to a maximum of about 4 feet and 440 pounds. Variably colored, it has a heart‐shaped shell, small head, and single‐clawed flippers. Hatchlings generally have a black carapace, white plastron, and white margins on the shell and limbs, while the adult carapace is smooth, keelless, and light to dark brown with dark mottling and a white to light yellow plastron. Heads of adult green sea turtles are light brown with yellow markings. Identifying


characteristics include four costal plates which do not border the nuchal shield, no jagged marginals, and one pair of prefontals between the eyes.

Affected Environment

The green sea turtle occurs primarily in the ocean, but also frequents shallow bays and open water estuaries, and may nest in beach areas along the coast. Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet provide the only access to the back barrier, shallow estuarine systems preferred by the species when not in the deeper ocean.

Species Biology

When not migrating, green sea turtles are generally found in relatively shallow waters where marine grass and algae can flourish, such as those found inside lagoons, reefs, bays, and inlets. Green sea turtles require open, sloping beach platforms and minimal disturbance for nesting. Strong nesting site fidelity (tendency to return to birth beach areas) is characteristic of the species and long distances often exist between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Sargassum clumps are often used as refugia and food resource areas. Carnivorous as hatchlings and juveniles, they begin feeding on algae and marine grasses when they are approximately 8 to 10 inches and, as adults, they are the only plant‐eating sea turtle. For the southeastern United States, nesting season is June through September and occurs nocturnally at 2‐, 3‐, or 4‐year intervals. One turtle may lay as a many as seven clutches in a season at 9‐ to 13‐day intervals with 75 to 200 eggs in a clutch requiring incubation for 48 to 70 days, depending on nest temperatures. Although hatching generally occurs at night, mortality is extremely high. Age at maturity is thought to be between 20 and 50 years (NMFS, 2011).

Current Status

In 1978, USFWS listed the green sea turtle as threatened under the ESA except for the breeding populations in Florida and on the Pacific coast of Mexico where it is considered endangered. International conservation bodies such as International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) consider it endangered. Estimated at no more than 600,000 adults worldwide, the green sea turtle is found in tropical and temperate seas and oceans with the Atlantic North American population distributed from Massachusetts to Mexico. In the Caribbean, green sea turtles also occur in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with occasional nesting in these areas (NMFS and USFWS, 1991).

A major factor contributing to the green sea turtle’s decline worldwide is commercial harvest for eggs and meat. Mortality of green sea turtles has been documented in Florida, Hawaii, and other parts of the world from fibropapillomatosis, a disease of sea turtles characterized by the development of multiple tumors on the skin and internal


organs. These tumors interfere with swimming, eating, breathing, vision, and reproduction, and heavy tumor burdens can lead to severe debilitation and death. Evidence is mounting that this disease may not be the death knell for green sea turtles as was originally thought in the early 1990s. Like other sea turtles, other threats to this species include loss and/or degradation of nesting habitat from human activities such as armoring and development projects; disorientation of hatchlings by beachfront lighting; excessive nest predation by native and non‐native predators; degradation of foraging habitat; marine pollution and debris; watercraft strikes; and incidental take from channel dredging and commercial fishing operations (NMFS, 2011).

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Photo of loggerhead (with transmitter) courtesy of USFWS Digital Library (USFWS web site, 2007).

This species of sea turtle is widely distributed within its range of the temperate and tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. The loggerhead has a large head with blunt jaws with a reddish‐brown carapace and flippers and yellow plastron. Identifying characteristics include five pairs of costal scutes on the carapace, with the first touching the nuchal scute and three large inframarginal scutes on each of the bridges between the plastron and carapace. Adults grow to an average weight of about 200 pounds and feed on mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and other marine animals (NMFS, 2011).


The loggerhead occurs primarily in the ocean, but also utilizes shallow bays, and open water estuaries in the action area. Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet provide the only


access to the back barrier, shallow estuarine systems preferred by the species when not in the deeper ocean. The loggerhead has been documented in the last 20 years from all coastal counties of North Carolina with beach front (Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Carteret, Onslow, Pender, New Hanover, and Brunswick counties).

Species Biology

Loggerhead sea turtles are found at sea hundreds of miles from the coast, as well as in inshore areas such as bays, lagoons, salt marshes, creeks, ship channels, and the mouths of large rivers. Common feeding areas are coral reefs, rocky places, and ship wrecks. Loggerheads nest on ocean beaches typically between the high tide line and the dune front, but occasionally will nest on estuarine shorelines with suitable sand. It is thought that most United States‐hatched loggerheads lead a pelagic existence in the North Atlantic gyre for an extended period of time while young, perhaps as long as 10 to 12 years, and they are most documented from the eastern Atlantic near the Azores and Madeira. Post‐hatchlings have been found floating at sea in association with Sargassum rafts taking advantage of the food and refuge offered in these rafts. Juvenile loggerheads begin moving to coastal areas in the western Atlantic, feeding on the benthos of lagoons, estuaries, bays, river mouths, and shallow coastal waters. These feeding grounds may be utilized for a decade or more before their first reproduction when females will return to their natal beach to lay their eggs.

The United States nesting season extends from about May through August with nesting occurring primarily at night. A single loggerhead may build from one to seven nests within a season (mean is about 4.1 nests per season) at intervals of approximately 14 days. Mean clutch size varies from about 100 to 126 along the southeastern United States coast, with incubation time ranging from about 45 to 95 days, depending on incubation temperatures. Hatchlings typically emerge at night. Remigration intervals of 2 to 3 years are most common in nesting loggerheads, but this has been known to vary from 1 to 7 years. Like all sea turtles, loggerheads are slow to mature with age of sexual maturity estimated to be about 20 to 30 years. Adult loggerheads will make long distance migratory journeys between foraging areas and nesting beaches.

The majority of loggerhead nesting is at the western rims of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. According to NMFS, only two loggerhead nesting beaches have greater than 10,000 females nesting per year: South Florida and Masirah, Oman. Beaches with 1,000 to 9,999 females nesting each year are north Florida through North Carolina, Cape Verde Islands, and Western Australia. Smaller nesting aggregations with 100 to 999 annual nesting females are found in northwest Florida, Cay Sal Bank (Bahamas), Quintana Roo and Yucatán (Mexico), Sergipe and Northern Bahia (Brazil), Southern Bahia to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Tongaland (South Africa), Mozambique, Arabian Sea Coast (Oman), Halaniyat Islands (Oman), Cyprus, Peloponnesus (Greece), Island of Zakynthos (Greece), Turkey, and Queensland (Australia). In the United States, loggerheads will


nest from Texas to Virginia, although the major nesting concentrations in the United States are found in south Florida. Total nesting in the United States is estimated to be from 68,000 to 90,000 nests/year and nearly 80 percent of these nests occur in six Florida counties (Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, and Broward counties). Adult females from United States beaches are found in waters off the eastern United States and throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and Yucatán in years when they are not nesting.

The Northwest Atlantic Population Recovery Plan indicates that the Recovery Team has divided Atlantic loggerheads into five Recovery Units based on geographically/ genetically identifiable subunits (NMFS and USFWS, 2008). Four of these Recovery Units coincide with the four genetically distinct nesting assemblages identified in the southeastern United States. The fifth is a combination of all other nesting assemblages that nest elsewhere but may occur within United States waters. These five Recovery Units are as follows:

• Northern Recovery Unit occurring from North Carolina through northeast Florida;

• South Florida Recovery Unit occurring from just north of Cape Canaveral on Florida’s east coast and extending up to around Sarasota on Florida’s west coast;

• Dry Tortugas Recovery Unit occurring west of the Florida keys;

• Florida Panhandle Recovery Unit; and

• “Other” Recovery Unit including loggerheads which nest in the Yucatán, Cuba, Bahamas, Brazil, Cape Verde, and the Mediterranean.

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA between these Recovery Units indicates that gene flow between these five regions is very low. If nesting females are extirpated from one of these regions, regional dispersal will not be sufficient to replenish the depleted nesting subpopulation. No long‐term trends are available for the Northern Recovery Unit Subpopulation, although researchers have documented substantial declines in nesting on some beaches since the early 1970s. Nesting trends were undetectable for North Carolina, South Carolina, or Georgia from 1989 to 1998 (NMFS and USFWS, 2008).

Current Status

The loggerhead sea turtle has received federal protection under the ESA since July 28, 1978. The State of North Carolina also considers this marine turtle threatened and offers protection under state law. The Northern Recovery Unit extends from northeast Florida through North Carolina and represents approximately 1,287 nesting females per year with annual total nests ranging from 3,629 to 6,642 between 1989 and 1998. With the addition of the females estimated to occupy the other three Recovery Units, the total


estimate of females nesting in the United States is 19,993 (NMFS and USFWS, 2008). Nesting of this species on all Florida beaches has declined 49 percent since 1998, according to a report recently issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Environment News Service, November 12, 2007).

Like other species of sea turtle, almost all threats are related to human activities, including: loss and/or degradation of nesting habitat from coastal development and armoring; disorientation of hatchlings by beachfront lighting; excessive nest predation by native and non‐native predators; degradation of foraging habitat; marine pollution and debris; watercraft strikes; disease; climate change; and incidental take from channel dredging and commercial trawling, longline, and gill net fisheries. There is particular concern about the extensive incidental take of juvenile loggerheads in the eastern Atlantic by longline fishing vessels from several countries (NMFS, 2011).

Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Photo of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle courtesy of NOAA web site.

Kemp’s ridley is the smallest of all extant sea turtles. Adults grow to about two feet in carapace length and 120 pounds. Kemp’s ridleys have a light grey‐olive carapace and a cream‐white or yellowish plastron. Males display distinct morphological features not found on females including a longer tail, more distal vent, recurved claws and, during breeding, a softened, mid‐plastron.


Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are primarily a tropical and subtropical species that prefers sheltered habitats with low wind and wave energy, such as estuaries and bays, as well


as nearshore waters less than 150 feet deep. Kemp’s ridleys are flexible in their substrate preference, foraging in any area with high food availability including submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), oyster reef, and mud and sand bottoms. Although this species is primarily tropical and subtropical, it can be found as far north as New England. The Pamlico Sound is a known foraging habitat. High energy beaches like those of the action area are not the preferred habitat of the Kemp’s ridley, but the waters of North Carolina are considered within its range. Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet provide the only access to the back barrier, shallow estuarine systems preferred by the species when not in the deeper ocean.

Species Biology

Approximately 60 percent of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nest within a 25‐mile length of beach at Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Scattered nests also exist to the north and south of this primary nesting ground. Hatchling sea turtles likely spend 1.5 to 4 years associated with floating sargassum near the ocean surface. Subsequently, at about 8 inches, they enter a benthic‐feeding immature stage until reaching sexual maturity 7 to 9 years later. During this juvenile period they enter shallow coastal waters and forage along the bottom. As adults, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles continue to forage in the sediments of shallow estuaries, consuming crabs and other invertebrates. Females reach sexual maturity at approximately 2 feet. Females nest multiple times during the nesting season (April to June in tropical areas) producing clutches of about 100 eggs. A unique feature of Kemp’s ridleys is that they tend to nest in large aggregations. Most females nest once every two years. As with other sea turtles, nest sex ratios are temperature dependent. A 1:1 ratio of males to females is produced at 30.2° C. Above this temperature an egg will develop into a female, while males will be produced at 28 to 29° C. In most natural nests, 64 percent of hatchlings are female.

Current Status

This species is the most endangered of the sea turtles. Kemp’s ridleys were historically abundant in the Gulf of Mexico. During one nesting season in the 1940’s an estimated 40,000 turtle nests were recorded at Rancho Nuevo, the primary nesting ground for this species. However, Kemp’s ridleys declined substantially from the 1940s to the 1980s, primarily because of the harvest of eggs and mortality from commercial fish and shrimp trawling and gill net operations, but also from pollution, dredging, and commercial exploitation of adults for food. By 1985, only 740 nests were recorded in Rancho Nuevo. The Kemp’s ridley was given endangered status throughout its range in 1970. Since species management and recovery plans were implemented, populations have rebounded. Nesting increased steadily from the early 1990s to the present. In 2006, 7,866 nests were recorded in Rancho Nuevo.


Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)

Photo by Nancy Haley, courtesy of NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Species (NOAA web site, 2007).

Sturgeon, including the shortnose sturgeon, are among the most primitive of the bony fishes. All are characterized by bony plates (scutes) that run the length of the body, sensory organs called barbells, and a mouth positioned on the underside of their snout. The shortnose sturgeon is the smallest North American sturgeon, reaching 3 to 4.5 feet and 61 pounds. The shortnose sturgeon has a blackish head and back, a yellowish‐brown body and a pale underside. The shortnose sturgeon can be distinguished from Atlantic sturgeon by its shorter snout, wider mouth, and the lack of scutes between the anal fin base and the lateral row of plates (NMFS, 1998).


The shortnose sturgeon is an anadromous species that inhabits slow moving waters in the lower sections of larger rivers, as well as near shore marine waters of the Atlantic coast, moving into freshwater only to spawn in the spring. A bottom dweller and benthic feeder, it prefers areas with soft substrate and vegetated bottom for most of the year. While spawning in the river, it occupies areas with fast moving water with coarse bottom. Open water environments within the action area could serve as potential habitat for the shortnose sturgeon; however, there are no known records of this species occurring within Currituck Sound. This species was most recently observed in the waters of the northern Albemarle Sound in May 1999 (NCNHP, 2011).

Species Biology

The shortnose sturgeon occurs from the St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada, south into the St. Johns River in north Florida. They spawn in several major river systems along the east coast, including the Albemarle Sound drainage and the Cape Fear River. Shortnose sturgeons begin their freshwater migration in late winter and early spring and spawn from April to June. Maturing sturgeon may occupy the upper reaches of the natal river for up to five years, at which time they move to the ocean. However, unlike other anadromous species, the shortnose sturgeon does not seem to make long distance offshore migrations after spawning, but rather occupies the estuarine and nearshore


marine environments. In the mid‐Atlantic region, both male and female shortnose sturgeons reach sexual maturity at three to five years, spawning every three years thereafter in the case of females and often yearly in males. Like other sturgeon, this species is long lived and may reach 60 years of age. As bottom‐feeding animals, shortnose sturgeon primarily consume organisms associated with sediment such as worms, bivalves, crustaceans, insect larvae and small fish. They also consume live and detrital plant material.

Current Status

It is believed that the shortnose sturgeon declined along with the Atlantic sturgeon beginning in the early 1900s. Population declines resulted from dam construction, commercial fishing, pollution, and habitat loss. In March 1967, the shortnose sturgeon was given endangered species status. NMFS later assumed jurisdiction for shortnose sturgeon under a 1974 government reorganization plan (38 FR 41370). The shortnose sturgeon is managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission of which North Carolina is a member. In 1990, the ASMFC devised a Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to aid in the recovery of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon. In response to continued declines, in 1998, the FMP was amended to include a moratorium on sturgeon fishing in participating states. Although the shortnose sturgeon was not targeted by the commercial fishing industry, it was a common incidental catch in the Atlantic sturgeon fishery. Therefore, by banning all sturgeon fishing, the ASMFC reduced the fishing related mortality to the shortnose sturgeon. In addition, possession of the shortnose sturgeon is illegal because of its federally protected status.

There is no historical information on the shortnose sturgeon population size. Today, the health of shortnose sturgeon populations varies by river system. The shortnose population in the St. John River, New Brunswick, Canada is among the largest in North America, and the Hudson and Delaware Rivers also support substantial numbers of shortnose sturgeon. Few, if any, shortnose sturgeon are collected in scientific trawl surveys. Therefore, population assessments are difficult to make.

Seabeach Amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus)

Seabeach amaranth occurs on barrier island beaches where its primary habitats consists of overwash flats at accreting ends of islands, lower foredunes, and upper strands of noneroding beaches (landward of the wrack line). In rare situations, this annual is found on sand spits 160 feet or more from the base of the nearest foredune. It occasionally establishes small temporary populations in other habitats, including sound‐side beaches, blowouts in foredunes, interdunal areas, and on sand and shell material deposited for beach replenishment or as dredge spoil. The plant’s habitat is sparsely vegetated with annual herbs (forbs) and, less commonly, perennial herbs (mostly


grasses) and scattered shrubs. It is intolerant of vegetative competition and does not occur on well‐vegetated sites. The species usually is found growing on a nearly pure silica sand substrate, occasionally with shell fragments mixed‐in. Seabeach amaranth appears to require extensive areas of barrier island beaches and inlets that function in a relatively natural and dynamic manner. These characteristics allow it to move around in the landscape, occupying suitable habitat as it becomes available (NCNHP, 2001; Schafale and Weakley, 1990; USFWS, 1996; USFWS, 2006; USFWS, 2008).

Appendix C Consultation History

Mid-Currituck Bridge Study Biological Assessment C‐1

C. Consultation History

TURNPIKE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY COORDINATION

(TEAC) MEETING MINUTES .................................................................................. C‐2

December 15, 2006 Meeting ........................................................................................ C‐2

January 17, 20007 Meeting .......................................................................................... C‐8

April 18, 2007 Meeting .............................................................................................. C‐11

May 23, 2007 and May 31, 2007 Meetings .............................................................. C‐14

June 20, 2007 Meeting ................................................................................................ C‐18

July 10, 2007 Meeting ................................................................................................. C‐24

July 18, 2007 Meeting ................................................................................................. C‐25

September 19, 2007 Meeting..................................................................................... C‐29

November 14, 2007 Meeting ..................................................................................... C‐31

February 5, 2008 Meeting .......................................................................................... C‐36

April 8, 2008 Meeting ................................................................................................ C‐41

May 6, 2008 Meeting .................................................................................................. C‐46

July 8, 2008 Meeting ................................................................................................... C‐47

October 7, 2008 Meeting ............................................................................................ C‐58

June 10, 2009 Meeting ................................................................................................ C‐63

March 9, 2010 Meeting .............................................................................................. C‐66

August 10, 2010 Meeting ........................................................................................... C‐69

September 8, 2010 Meeting....................................................................................... C‐74

November 2, 2010 Meeting ....................................................................................... C‐80

January 20, 2011 Meeting .......................................................................................... C‐85

AGENCY COMMUNICATIONS ....................................................................................... C‐89

June 4, 2010 Comment Letter from National Marine Fisheries Service ........... C‐89

November 4, 2010 Communication with US Fish and Wildlife Service .......... C‐93

November 5, 2010 Communication with National Marine Fisheries

Service .......................................................................................................................... C‐94

November 8, 2010 Communication with US Fish and Wildlife Service .......... C‐95

March 30, 2011 Communication with US Fish and Wildlife Service ............... C‐95

April 21, 2011 Communication with US Fish and Wildlife Service ................. C‐96

May 5, 2011 Communication with US Fish and Wildlife Service ..................... C‐96

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ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

disc

usse

d w

ere:

Sec

tion

1: G

ener

al

The

plan

mee

ts th

e re

quire

men

ts fo

r a C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n in

SA

FETE

A-L

U S

ectio

n 60

02.

Sec

tion

2: P

roje

ct In

itiat

ion

A p

roje

ct in

itiat

ion

lette

r will

be s

ent t

o FH

WA

at t

he b

egin

ning

of t

he s

tudy

pro

cess

. FH

WA

will

issu

e a

Not

ice

of In

tent

for t

he p

roje

ct.

Sec

tion

3: P

roje

ct S

ched

ule

A p

roje

ct s

ched

ule

will

be

atta

ched

to e

ach

proj

ect-s

peci

fic C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n. T

he s

ched

ule

will

be

deve

lope

d co

llabo

rativ

ely

with

the

agen

cies

, and

may

be

upda

ted

thro

ugho

ut th

e pr

ojec

t dev

elop

men

t pr

oces

s.

Sec

tion

4: A

genc

y R

oles

A

genc

ies

will

be

iden

tifie

d as

Lea

d A

genc

ies,

Coo

pera

ting

Age

ncie

s, a

nd/o

r Par

ticip

atin

g A

genc

ies

in e

ach

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan.

FH

WA

, NC

DO

T, a

nd N

CTA

will

be

Lead

Age

ncie

s fo

r the

can

dida

te to

ll pr

ojec

ts.

The

defin

ition

of a

Coo

pera

ting

Age

ncy

has

not c

hang

ed w

ith S

ectio

n 60

02 a

nd w

ill ge

nera

lly c

onsi

st o

f ag

enci

es w

ith p

erm

ittin

g in

tere

sts

in th

e pr

ojec

t. C

oope

ratin

g A

genc

ies

gene

rally

are

incl

uded

on

the

cove

r of

the

NE

PA

doc

umen

t so

that

the

agen

cies

can

use

the

docu

men

t to

fulfi

ll th

eir o

wn

NE

PA

requ

irem

ents

. U

SA

CE

is ty

pica

lly a

Coo

pera

ting

Age

ncy

for p

roje

cts

requ

iring

an

indi

vidu

al S

ectio

n 40

4 pe

rmit.

A P

artic

ipat

ing

Age

ncy

can

be a

ny a

genc

y w

ith a

n in

tere

st in

a p

roje

ct o

r any

age

ncy

that

wou

ld b

e ex

pect

ed to

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n a

Dra

ft E

IS.

Coo

pera

ting

Age

ncie

s ar

e a

sub-

set o

f the

Par

ticip

atin

g A

genc

ies.

Sec

tion

6002

set

s fo

rth a

form

al p

roce

ss fo

r the

Lea

d A

genc

ies

to in

vite

par

ticip

atin

g ag

enci

es.

In th

is

proc

ess,

one

of t

he L

ead

Agen

cies

will

sub

mit

a w

ritte

n re

ques

t to

othe

r age

ncie

s in

vitin

g th

em to

pa

rtici

pate

. Fed

eral

age

ncie

s ar

e no

t req

uire

d to

resp

ond;

they

will

be

assu

med

to h

ave

acce

pted

the

invi

tatio

n un

less

writ

ten

expl

anat

ion

of th

eir r

efus

al is

pro

vide

d. S

tate

and

loca

l age

ncie

s w

ill b

e re

ques

ted

to re

spon

d in

writ

ing

in a

ll ca

ses.

Sec

tion

5: A

genc

y M

eetin

gs

Mon

thly

mee

tings

will

be

used

to p

rovi

de u

pdat

es to

age

ncie

s an

d re

ceiv

e co

mm

ents

from

the

agen

cies

on

the

proj

ects

. M

eetin

g m

ater

ials

will

be p

rovi

ded

in a

dvan

ce; a

dditi

onal

mat

eria

ls m

ay b

e pr

ovid

ed a

t the

m

eetin

g, fo

r dis

cuss

ion

at fu

ture

mee

tings

. NC

TA is

inve

stig

atin

g th

e us

e of

a s

ecur

e in

tern

et s

ite fo

r st

orin

g an

d di

strib

utin

g m

eetin

g m

ater

ials

. NC

TA w

ill c

oord

inat

e w

ith th

e ag

enci

es to

det

erm

ine

if th

is

met

hod

of p

rovi

ding

info

rmat

ion

is e

ffect

ive

or if

oth

er a

rrang

emen

ts a

re re

quire

d. A

t a m

inim

um, a

det

aile

d ag

enda

with

a li

st o

f iss

ues

to b

e di

scus

sed

and

a su

mm

ary

of th

e pr

evio

us m

onth

’s m

eetin

g w

ill be

di

strib

uted

with

the

mee

ting

anno

unce

men

t. S

uffic

ient

info

rmat

ion

will

be p

rovi

ded

with

the

anno

unce

men

t so

that

age

ncie

s ca

n de

term

ine

whe

ther

it is

nec

essa

ry to

atte

nd. T

he le

ngth

of t

he m

eetin

gs w

ill va

ry

C-2

Pag

e 3

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

depe

ndin

g on

the

proj

ects

and

issu

es to

be

disc

usse

d. N

CTA

will

coor

dina

te c

lose

ly w

ith N

CD

OT

to

sche

dule

mee

tings

to c

oinc

ide

with

regu

larly

-sch

edul

ed M

erge

r Mee

tings

.

Sec

tion

6: Id

entif

icat

ion

and

Res

olut

ion

of P

roje

ct Is

sues

A

genc

ies

shou

ld ra

ise

any

pote

ntia

l iss

ues

they

hav

e du

ring

proj

ect s

copi

ng.

Bec

ause

man

y of

the

cand

idat

e to

ll pr

ojec

ts h

ave

a lo

ng h

isto

ry, N

CTA

is a

war

e of

man

y of

the

pote

ntia

l iss

ues.

Pre

viou

s co

mm

ents

rece

ived

from

the

agen

cies

on

NC

TA p

roje

cts

will

be

colle

cted

and

sum

mar

ized

. Th

e pr

ojec

t-sp

ecifi

c C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

ns w

ill in

clud

e de

tails

on

how

pre

viou

s ag

ency

inpu

ts a

re in

corp

orat

ed in

to th

e cu

rren

t stu

dy.

Atte

mpt

s w

ill be

mad

e to

reso

lve

issu

es in

form

ally

; how

ever

, Sec

tion

6002

doe

s pr

ovid

e pr

oced

ures

whe

n in

form

al is

sue

reso

lutio

n is

not

pos

sibl

e.

Sec

tion

7: M

etho

dolo

gies

and

Lev

el o

f Det

ail f

or A

ltern

ativ

es A

naly

sis

Met

hodo

logi

es u

sed

to s

cree

n al

tern

ativ

es a

nd a

naly

ze im

pact

s w

ill be

det

erm

ined

in c

oord

inat

ion

with

the

coop

erat

ing

and

parti

cipa

ting

agen

cies

. N

CTA

will

pre

pare

a m

emor

andu

m s

umm

ariz

ing

the

met

hodo

logi

es to

be

used

and

will

obt

ain

agen

cy c

omm

ents

. Th

is w

ill in

clud

e th

e le

vel o

f eng

inee

ring

deta

il to

be

used

on

desi

gns.

In

gene

ral,

NC

TA a

ntic

ipat

es th

at fu

nctio

nal d

esig

ns w

ill be

use

d to

ana

lyze

an

d co

mpa

re D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es in

the

Dra

ft E

IS.

Pre

limin

ary

desi

gn m

ay b

e co

mpl

eted

on

all o

r po

rtion

s of

the

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

if n

eces

sary

to s

atis

fy N

EP

A o

r per

mitt

ing

requ

irem

ents

; the

ne

ed fo

r thi

s in

crea

sed

leve

l of d

etai

l will

be d

eter

min

ed o

n a

case

-by-

case

bas

is .

In a

ny c

ase,

the

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

will

be d

esig

ned

to a

n eq

uiva

lent

leve

l of d

etai

l to

allo

w fo

r rel

ativ

e co

mpa

rison

in

the

Dra

ft E

IS.

Pre

limin

ary

desi

gns

will

be c

ompl

eted

for t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

and

refle

cted

in th

e Fi

nal E

IS in

ord

er to

refin

e th

e de

sign

and

furth

er m

inim

ize

impa

cts.

Sev

eral

of t

he a

genc

ies

expr

esse

d ge

nera

l sup

port

for t

his

appr

oach

, not

ing

that

in m

ost c

ases

an

incr

ease

d le

vel o

f des

ign

wou

ld n

ot a

ffect

the

deci

sion

on

a P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

and

com

plet

ing

prel

imin

ary

desi

gn o

n m

ultip

le a

ltern

ativ

es is

ofte

n an

inef

ficie

nt u

se o

f tim

e an

d fu

nds.

No

chan

ge to

the

leve

l of i

nves

tigat

ions

for o

ther

wor

k is

ant

icip

ated

, inc

ludi

ng w

etla

nd a

nd s

tream

de

linea

tions

, noi

se s

tudi

es, a

nd a

ir qu

ality

repo

rts.

The

NC

TA p

lans

to fo

llow

exi

stin

g pr

oced

ures

and

m

etho

dolo

gies

as

used

by

NC

DO

T.

Sec

tion

7.4

(Lev

el o

f Det

ail)

of th

e C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n sh

ould

be

revi

sed

to in

clud

e th

e tim

ing

for d

ecis

ions

on

brid

ging

and

the

proc

ess

for p

rese

ntin

g an

d di

scus

sing

this

issu

e w

ith a

genc

ies.

Sec

tions

8 a

nd 9

: Dev

elop

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

& D

evel

opm

ent a

nd S

cree

ning

of A

ltern

ativ

es

NC

TA w

ill pr

epar

e a

prel

imin

ary

purp

ose

and

need

sta

tem

ent a

nd p

rese

nt it

to a

genc

ies

for i

nput

. N

CTA

en

visi

ons

that

the

purp

ose

and

need

will

evo

lve

thro

ugho

ut th

e pr

ojec

t and

will

not

see

k co

ncur

renc

e on

a

writ

ten

purp

ose

and

need

. A

dditi

onal

inpu

t on

the

purp

ose

and

need

will

be

solic

ited

from

age

ncie

s du

ring

the

scre

enin

g of

alte

rnat

ives

. P

ublic

inpu

t will

also

be

soug

ht a

t thi

s po

int o

n bo

th th

e pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed

and

alte

rnat

ives

, and

it is

pos

sibl

e th

at b

ased

on

publ

ic c

omm

ent,

the

purp

ose

and

need

wou

ld b

e re

vise

d.

Ope

ratio

n as

a to

ll fa

cilit

y m

ay o

r may

not

be

incl

uded

as

part

of a

pro

ject

’s s

tate

d pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed, b

ut it

m

ay b

e us

ed a

s a

cons

ider

atio

n in

scr

eeni

ng a

ltern

ativ

es.

For e

xam

ple,

toll

feas

ibilit

y m

ay b

e us

ed a

s a

scre

enin

g cr

iterio

n w

here

a p

roje

ct w

ould

not

be

finan

cial

ly fe

asib

le w

ithou

t im

plem

enta

tion

of to

lls.

If th

e pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed s

peci

fical

ly c

alls

for c

ompl

etio

n of

a to

ll ro

ad, t

he o

nly

reas

onab

le a

ltern

ativ

es w

ould

be

new

loca

tion

alte

rnat

ives

, bec

ause

und

er N

orth

Car

olin

a la

w, e

xist

ing

road

s ca

nnot

be

tolle

d.

Info

rmat

ion

on p

oten

tial l

ocat

ions

for a

ltern

ativ

es, a

long

with

env

ironm

enta

l con

stra

ints

map

ping

, will

be

pres

ente

d to

the

agen

cies

as

early

as

poss

ible

so

that

pot

entia

l iss

ues

can

be id

entif

ied.

Thi

s is

sim

ilar t

o sc

opin

g in

oth

er p

roje

cts.

EP

A n

oted

that

they

will

need

to c

onfir

m h

ow th

is p

roce

ss fi

ts w

ith th

eir e

xist

ing

proc

edur

es fo

r sco

ping

and

do

cum

ent r

evie

w a

nd c

omm

ent.

EP

A d

oes

not n

orm

ally

pro

vide

writ

ten

com

men

ts o

n a

proj

ect u

ntil

the

Dra

ft E

IS is

pub

lishe

d in

the

Fede

ral R

egis

ter.

Pag

e 4

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

Sec

tion

10: S

elec

tion

of P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive/

LED

PA

On

mos

t pro

ject

s, a

pub

lic h

earin

g w

ill b

e he

ld a

fter p

ublic

atio

n of

the

DE

IS to

col

lect

com

men

ts o

n th

e D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es.

Follo

win

g th

e he

arin

g, N

CTA

will

mee

t with

age

ncie

s to

dis

cuss

sel

ectio

n of

a

pref

erre

d al

tern

ativ

e1 . NC

TA w

ill p

ropo

se a

pre

ferr

ed a

ltern

ativ

e in

a re

port

to th

e ag

enci

es. T

his

repo

rt w

ill

addr

ess

all a

pplic

able

regu

lato

ry re

quire

men

ts, a

s id

entif

ied

in S

ectio

n 10

.1 o

f the

pro

ject

-spe

cific

C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

ns. T

he a

genc

ies

will

pre

sent

com

men

ts to

the

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A in

writ

ing.

The

FH

WA

will

id

entif

y th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

in th

e Fi

nal E

IS2 . T

he F

HW

A m

ay a

lso

requ

est a

writ

ten

indi

catio

n as

to

the

likel

ihoo

d th

at a

per

mit

will

be

obta

ined

from

the

appr

opria

te a

genc

ies.

Sec

tion

11: A

void

ance

, Min

imiz

atio

n, M

itiga

tion,

and

Enh

ance

men

t A

void

ance

and

min

imiz

atio

n ef

forts

will

be b

uilt

in to

the

desi

gn p

roce

ss.

As

men

tione

d ab

ove,

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e m

ay b

e de

velo

ped

to a

hig

her l

evel

of d

esig

n fo

r the

pur

pose

s of

con

side

ring

miti

gatio

n. N

CTA

inte

nds

to u

se N

C E

cosy

stem

Enh

ance

men

t Pro

gram

’s (E

EP) i

n-lie

u fe

e pr

ogra

m to

co

mpl

y w

ith m

itiga

tion

requ

irem

ents

to th

e ex

tent

pos

sibl

e; h

owev

er, N

CTA

agr

ees

that

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r on

-site

miti

gatio

n w

ill be

iden

tifie

d an

d co

nsid

ered

dur

ing

proj

ect d

evel

opm

ent.

Sec

tion

11 o

f the

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n w

ill be

revi

sed

to s

epar

ate

Sec

tion

11.2

into

sub

sect

ions

for O

nsite

Miti

gatio

n (1

1.2.

1)

and

EE

P (1

1.2.

2). O

nsite

miti

gatio

n op

tions

wou

ld b

e id

entif

ied

conc

eptu

ally

in th

e D

raft

EIS

and

in m

ore

deta

il fo

r the

Pre

ferre

d A

ltern

ativ

e in

the

Fina

l EIS

.

Sec

tion

12: S

ectio

n 40

4/40

1 P

erm

ittin

g S

ever

al p

erm

its a

nd a

ppro

vals

, in

addi

tion

to th

e 40

4 an

d 40

1, w

ould

be

requ

ired

for m

ost o

f the

turn

pike

pr

ojec

ts, i

nclu

ding

Coa

stal

Are

a M

anag

emen

t Act

(CAM

A) p

erm

its, s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t per

mits

, Fe

dera

l Em

erge

ncy

Man

agem

ent A

genc

y (F

EM

A) f

lood

zon

e pe

rmits

, Coa

st G

uard

brid

ge p

erm

its, b

uffe

r au

thor

izat

ions

, Sec

tion

106

cons

ulta

tions

, Sec

tion

4(f)

appr

oval

s, a

nd S

ectio

n 7

cons

ulta

tions

. The

se it

ems

will

be in

clud

ed in

the

proj

ect-s

peci

fic C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

ns, a

s ap

plic

able

.

The

perm

it ap

plic

atio

n pr

oces

s se

t for

th in

the

draf

t Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

will

be re

vise

d as

follo

ws:

Sec

tions

12.

1 (E

arly

Coo

rdin

atio

n) a

nd 1

2.2

(Com

men

t Opp

ortu

nitie

s) w

ill b

e re

vise

d in

the

proj

ect-

spec

ific

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lans

to in

clud

e ot

her a

genc

ies

from

whi

ch p

erm

its w

ill b

e re

quire

d.

S

ectio

n 12

.4 (F

iling

of S

ectio

n 40

4 P

erm

it A

pplic

atio

n) re

fers

to th

e “p

erm

it ap

plic

atio

n” s

ubm

itted

to

US

AC

E a

long

with

the

Dra

ft E

IS th

at tr

igge

rs U

SAC

E to

issu

e a

publ

ic n

otic

e fo

r the

Dra

ft E

IS

and

publ

ic h

earin

g. T

his

sect

ion

will

be re

title

d “R

eque

st fo

r Pub

lic N

otic

e.”

S

ectio

n 12

.8 (U

pdat

ed P

erm

it A

pplic

atio

n an

d D

ecis

ion)

will

be

revi

sed

to in

clud

e S

ectio

n 12

.6

(Sec

tion

401

Cer

tific

atio

n by

NC

DEN

R),

as w

ell a

s to

incl

ude

othe

r per

mits

and

app

rova

ls re

quire

d fo

r a p

roje

ct.

N

CTA

will

add

a s

ectio

n di

scus

sing

pre

-app

licat

ion

scre

enin

g an

d co

ordi

natio

n w

ith p

erm

ittin

g ag

enci

es, i

nclu

ding

tim

e fo

r det

aile

d hy

drau

lic d

esig

n re

view

, whi

ch w

ill sh

orte

n pe

rmit

deci

sion

tim

e.

A ti

mel

ine

for p

erm

ittin

g w

ith re

gard

s to

des

ign-

build

con

stru

ctio

n w

ill b

e de

velo

ped

in c

oord

inat

ion

with

the

agen

cies

.

Pro

ject

-Spe

cific

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lans

D

raft

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lans

for C

ape

Fear

Sky

way

, Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

, and

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or/B

ypas

s w

ere

dist

ribut

ed.

Com

men

ts o

n th

ese

draf

t Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lans

will

be d

iscu

ssed

at t

he J

anua

ry T

EA

C m

eetin

gs.

Loca

l go

vern

men

t coo

rdin

atio

n se

ctio

ns a

re in

the

proc

ess

of b

eing

dra

fted.

NC

TA re

ques

ted

feed

back

on

the

list o

f co

oper

atin

g an

d pa

rtici

patin

g ag

enci

es, a

nd th

e ex

tent

to w

hich

div

isio

ns o

f um

brel

la a

genc

ies,

suc

h as

DE

NR

, sh

ould

be

brok

en o

ut.

DE

NR

and

EP

A a

re in

dica

ted

in th

e P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

ns a

s co

oper

atin

g ag

enci

es; h

owev

er, n

eith

er D

EN

R

nor E

PA

has

trad

ition

ally

ser

ved

as a

coo

pera

ting

agen

cy.

They

will

be in

clud

ed a

s pa

rtici

patin

g ag

enci

es.

1 The

age

ncie

s req

uest

inpu

t on

the

sele

ctio

n of

the

pref

erre

d al

tern

ativ

e at

a T

EAC

mee

ting

prio

r to

publ

icat

ion

of th

e Pr

efer

red

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort.

2 T

hese

pro

cedu

res w

ill b

e re

visi

ted

and

coor

dina

ted

with

the

agen

cies

in c

ases

whe

re a

pre

ferr

ed a

ltern

ativ

e is

iden

tifie

d in

the

Dra

ft EI

S.

C-3

Pag

e 5

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

D

ecem

ber 1

5, 2

006

Tim

e:

S

potli

ght P

roje

ct -

1:00

pm

to 2

:15

pm

Plac

e:

N

CTA

Boa

rd R

oom

Purp

ose:

P

roje

ct U

pdat

e fo

r Tria

ngle

Par

kway

Atte

ndee

s:

Cla

renc

e C

olem

an, F

HW

A G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

Jo

hn H

enne

ssy,

NC

DE

NR

Div

isio

n of

Wat

er Q

ualit

y R

ob R

idin

gs, N

CD

EN

R D

ivis

ion

of W

ater

Qua

lity

– TP

U

Mis

sy D

icke

ns, N

CD

OT-

PDE

A

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Eric

Als

mey

er, U

SA

CE

Ral

eigh

S

teve

DeW

itt, N

CTA

G

ail G

rimes

, NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Bill

Mal

ley,

Aki

n G

ump

Jerry

McC

rain

, Eco

Sci

ence

C

raig

Dea

l, H

NTB

A

din

McC

ann,

HN

TB

Jay

Bis

sett,

Mul

key

John

ny B

anks

, Mul

key

Cin

dy C

arr,

Mul

key

Bill

Hoo

d, M

ulke

y M

iche

lle F

ishb

urne

, Mul

key

Oth

er A

genc

y R

epre

sent

ativ

es –

see

atte

ndee

s fro

m m

orni

ng s

essi

on

The

follo

win

g ite

ms

wer

e di

scus

sed

durin

g th

e m

eetin

g:

Hig

hlig

hts

of th

e la

st a

genc

y co

ordi

natio

n m

eetin

gs h

eld

in J

uly

and

Oct

ober

wer

e re

view

ed.

Bas

ed o

n qu

estio

ns

and

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed fr

om th

e ag

enci

es a

t the

Jul

y co

ordi

natio

n m

eetin

g, N

CTA

met

with

the

US

AC

E a

nd

NC

DW

Q in

ear

ly O

ctob

er to

dis

cuss

the

McC

rimm

on C

onne

ctor

. A

lthou

gh th

e M

cCrim

mon

Con

nect

or w

as n

ot

offic

ially

par

t of t

he T

riang

le P

arkw

ay p

roje

ct, t

he N

CTA

stu

died

the

conn

ectio

n at

the

requ

est o

f CA

MP

O a

nd th

e To

wn

of M

orris

ville

. B

ased

on

traffi

c an

d re

venu

e st

udie

s, a

s w

ell a

s es

timat

es o

f con

stru

ctio

n, o

pera

tion,

and

m

aint

enan

ce c

osts

, the

NC

TA h

as d

eter

min

ed th

at it

is n

ot fi

nanc

ially

feas

ible

to a

dd th

is c

onne

ctio

n to

the

Tria

ngle

P

arkw

ay p

roje

ct.

How

ever

, it w

as n

oted

that

the

I-540

inte

rcha

nge

with

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

was

des

igne

d to

ac

com

mod

ate

a fu

ture

con

nect

ion

to M

cCrim

mon

Par

kway

, and

the

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

will

be d

esig

ned

to

acco

mm

odat

e a

futu

re c

onne

ctor

to th

e M

cCrim

mon

Par

kway

. D

ecis

ions

mad

e fo

r the

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

will

not

rest

rict f

utur

e ro

ad d

esig

n op

tions

.

It w

as n

oted

that

Wilb

ur S

mith

Ass

ocia

tes

(WS

A) i

s pr

epar

ing

an in

vest

men

t-gra

de tr

affic

and

reve

nue

stud

y fo

r bo

th th

e Tr

iang

le P

arkw

ay a

nd W

este

rn W

ake

Par

kway

. Th

e st

udy

shou

ld b

e co

mpl

eted

in J

une

2007

.

CA

MP

O’s

long

-ran

ge tr

ansp

orta

tion

plan

s sh

ow th

e Tr

iang

le P

arkw

ay a

s a

non-

toll

faci

lity.

CA

MP

O is

am

endi

ng

thei

r pla

n to

sho

w th

e pr

ojec

t as

a to

ll-fa

cilit

y. A

cor

resp

ondi

ng a

ir qu

ality

con

form

ity u

pdat

e is

sch

edul

ed to

be

com

plet

ed in

Jun

e 20

07.

The

conf

orm

ity u

pdat

e w

ill b

e co

mpl

eted

bef

ore

FHW

A si

gns

the

final

env

ironm

enta

l do

cum

ent (

whi

ch is

exp

ecte

d to

be

Find

ing

of N

o S

igni

fican

t Im

pact

).

Con

stra

ints

that

affe

ct ro

adw

ay d

esig

n su

ch a

s th

e C

DC

bui

ldin

g/G

SA

pro

perty

, the

EP

A p

rope

rty, t

he K

eyst

one

Pag

e 6

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

deve

lopm

ent f

acilit

ies,

and

the

expa

nsio

n of

Eis

ai’s

faci

litie

s w

ere

disc

usse

d. A

brid

ge o

ver B

urde

ns C

reek

is

plan

ned

and

wou

ld li

kely

invo

lve

reco

nstru

ctio

n of

the

NC

54

brid

ge.

Impr

ovem

ents

at t

he I-

40 in

terc

hang

e w

ith N

C

147

may

be

requ

ired.

Tra

ffic

proj

ectio

ns a

re c

urre

ntly

bei

ng u

pdat

ed a

nd w

ould

be

revi

ewed

bef

ore

deci

sion

s ar

e m

ade

rega

rdin

g th

e I-4

0/N

C 1

47 in

terc

hang

e. T

he N

CTA

is c

oord

inat

ing

with

FH

WA

and

NC

DO

T on

this

issu

e.

Func

tiona

l des

igns

for t

hese

are

as a

re e

xpec

ted

to b

e av

aila

ble

for t

he J

anua

ry 2

007

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l A

genc

y C

oord

inat

ion

Mee

ting.

Des

igns

for a

ny re

quire

d im

prov

emen

ts to

the

inte

rcha

nge

are

expe

cted

to re

mai

n w

ithin

exi

stin

g R

OW

lim

its.

Any

lane

impr

ovem

ents

/wid

enin

g on

NC

147

wou

ld li

kely

occ

ur in

the

med

ian.

P

relim

inar

y re

view

s of

NC

147

iden

tifie

d a

stre

am lo

cate

d w

ithin

the

exis

ting

med

ian.

Cur

rent

func

tiona

l des

igns

sho

w th

at th

e K

it C

reek

Driv

e co

nnec

tion

to D

avis

Driv

e w

ill be

cut

off

by T

riang

le

Par

kway

. Th

e To

wn

of M

orris

ville

has

con

cern

s th

is w

ill el

imin

ate

east

-wes

t mob

ility

alon

g K

it C

reek

Driv

e. T

he

NC

TA is

eva

luat

ing

brid

ge c

once

pts

to m

aint

ain

the

Kit

Cre

ek c

onne

ctio

n to

Dav

is D

rive.

Bas

ed o

n th

e in

itial

co

ncep

ts, n

o ad

ditio

nal s

tream

or w

etla

nd im

pact

s ar

e an

ticip

ated

as

resu

lt of

this

gra

de s

epar

ated

cro

ssin

g.

NC

TA w

ill ha

ve m

ore

info

rmat

ion

rega

rdin

g th

is to

pic

at th

e Ja

nuar

y m

eetin

g. A

cces

s to

Dav

is D

rive

from

Tria

ngle

P

arkw

ay is

pro

vide

d at

the

prop

osed

spl

it di

amon

d in

terc

hang

e.

A h

ando

ut (f

igur

e) s

how

ing

the

sche

mat

ic lo

catio

ns o

f the

pro

pose

d to

ll pl

aza

faci

litie

s w

as p

rovi

ded

to a

ttend

ees.

Th

e cu

rrent

toll

colle

ctio

n co

ncep

t for

the

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

incl

uded

ram

p pl

azas

onl

y an

d w

ould

not

cre

ate

addi

tiona

l stre

am o

r wet

land

impa

cts.

Tol

l pla

zas

wou

ld b

e lo

cate

d at

I-54

0 ra

mps

and

the

split

dia

mon

d in

terc

hang

e ra

mps

for H

opso

n R

oad.

The

NC

TA is

eva

luat

ing

the

prop

osed

mai

nlin

e to

ll pl

aza

loca

tion

on I-

540P

to

det

erm

ine

if ad

ditio

nal w

etla

nd im

pact

s w

ould

occ

ur.

A re

vise

d pr

elim

inar

y im

pact

s ta

ble

was

pro

vide

d to

the

atte

ndee

s. T

he ta

ble

incl

udes

revi

sed

impa

cts

to

resi

dent

ial a

nd c

omm

erci

al p

rope

rties

. Ja

y no

ted

the

prop

osed

clo

verle

af in

terc

hang

e de

sign

at D

avis

Driv

e an

d H

opso

n D

rive

crea

tes

mor

e im

pact

s th

an th

e pr

opos

ed s

plit

diam

ond

inte

rcha

nge

desi

gn.

Ther

e ar

e no

cha

nges

to

the

stre

am a

nd w

etla

nd im

pact

s as

a re

sult

of th

e se

rvic

e ro

ads

prop

osed

bet

wee

n th

e tw

o in

terc

hang

es in

the

split

di

amon

d in

terc

hang

e co

ncep

t. T

he s

plit

diam

ond

conf

igur

atio

n w

ould

redu

ce a

nd m

inim

ize

pere

nnia

l stre

am

impa

cts,

hav

e sl

ight

ly m

ore

inte

rmitt

ent s

tream

impa

cts,

and

cre

ate

the

sam

e im

pact

s to

non

-ripa

rian

wet

land

s as

th

e cl

over

leaf

des

ign.

Stre

am a

nd w

etla

nd im

pact

s ha

ve b

een

avoi

ded

alon

g B

urde

ns C

reek

by

usin

g a

brid

ge to

co

mpl

etel

y sp

an th

is a

rea.

A m

ainl

ine

toll

plaz

a ne

ar B

urde

ns C

reek

was

als

o el

imin

ated

to re

duce

stre

am a

nd

wet

land

impa

cts.

Stre

am im

pact

s oc

cur p

rimar

ily a

long

inte

rmitt

ent s

tream

s.

Cur

rent

func

tiona

l des

igns

redu

ce

impa

cts

to p

eren

nial

stre

ams.

The

NC

TA is

cur

rent

ly e

valu

atin

g ho

w to

con

nect

Jen

kins

Roa

d to

mai

ntai

n E

PA

/NIE

HS

acc

ess

to th

e ai

r qua

lity

mon

itorin

g fa

cilit

y on

the

north

end

of t

he E

PA

pro

perty

. Th

e cu

rrent

Jen

kins

R

oad

brid

ge o

ver B

urde

ns C

reek

is e

xpec

ted

to b

e re

tain

ed a

nd u

sed

for t

his

purp

ose.

The

re w

ill b

e no

take

s on

E

PA

pro

perty

.

Cut

and

fill

slop

es w

ill b

e st

eepe

ned

whe

re p

ossi

ble

to re

duce

pot

entia

l im

pact

s to

stre

ams

and

wet

land

s.

Con

side

ratio

n w

ill be

giv

en to

usi

ng re

tain

ing

wal

ls in

som

e ar

eas

to re

duce

impa

cts.

A d

raft

conc

eptu

al s

tream

relo

catio

n pl

an w

as d

istri

bute

d to

app

ropr

iate

age

ncie

s re

pres

enta

tives

. Th

e dr

aft p

lan

focu

ses

on e

valu

atin

g th

e po

ssib

ility

of p

erfo

rmin

g on

-site

stre

am re

loca

tion

and

miti

gatio

n. T

he N

CTA

and

NC

EE

P

have

dis

cuss

ed th

e av

aila

bilit

y of

off-

site

miti

gatio

n th

roug

h th

e in

-lieu

fee

miti

gatio

n pr

ogra

m.

The

NC

EEP

has

su

ffici

ent c

redi

ts a

vaila

ble

for t

he T

riang

le P

arkw

ay p

roje

ct in

the

wat

ersh

ed a

rea.

EE

P a

lso

stat

ed it

can

pro

vide

m

itiga

tion

cred

its fo

r the

Wes

tern

Wak

e pa

rkw

ay.

The

NC

TA w

ould

like

to h

ave

agen

cy a

gree

men

t on

miti

gatio

n st

rate

gy p

rior t

o th

e FO

NS

I and

per

mit

appl

icat

ion.

Th

e E

A d

ocum

ent i

s sc

hedu

led

for M

arch

200

7, a

nd th

e FO

NS

I for

Jul

y 20

07.

Con

stru

ctio

n is

ant

icip

ated

in la

te

2007

.

NC

WR

C n

oted

the

high

ly e

rodi

ble

Tria

ssic

Bas

in s

oils

dis

adva

ntag

e fo

r on-

site

miti

gatio

n w

ould

als

o ap

ply

to a

ny

para

llel s

tream

impa

cts

that

wou

ld re

quire

stre

am re

loca

tion.

The

ero

dibi

lity

prob

lem

wou

ld a

pply

to s

tabi

lizat

ion

of

relo

cate

d st

ream

s. T

he N

CTA

will

keep

this

in m

ind

as a

void

ance

and

min

imiz

atio

n m

easu

res

are

impl

emen

ted

durin

g ro

adw

ay d

esig

n.

App

roxi

mat

ely

2,90

0 LF

of p

eren

nial

stre

am a

nd 3

,900

LF

of p

eren

nial

stre

am w

ould

pot

entia

lly b

e im

pact

ed b

y th

e Tr

iang

le P

arkw

ay, b

ut th

e im

pact

s at

NC

147

rem

aine

d to

be

dete

rmin

ed.

The

num

bers

on

the

impa

ct ta

ble

do n

ot

repr

esen

t sub

set i

mpa

cts

for i

ndiv

idua

l stre

ams.

C-4

Pag

e 7

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

The

NC

TA w

ould

like

to p

roce

ed w

ith o

ff-si

te m

itiga

tion

thro

ugh

the

EE

P in

-lieu

fee

miti

gatio

n pr

ogra

m.

The

NC

TA

purs

ued

off-s

ite m

itiga

tion

beca

use

of a

genc

y co

ncer

ns p

rese

nted

in p

revi

ous

mee

tings

. Th

e N

CD

WQ

con

cede

d th

at it

is w

idel

y kn

own

and

acce

pted

that

Tria

ssic

Bas

in s

oils

are

hig

hly

erod

ible

. H

owev

er, T

riass

ic B

asin

soi

ls

shou

ld n

ot b

e us

ed a

s th

e on

ly re

ason

to e

limin

ate

cons

ider

atio

n of

on-

site

miti

gatio

n op

portu

nitie

s. T

his

may

cr

eate

the

idea

that

stre

am m

itiga

tion

shou

ld n

ot b

e do

ne in

Tria

ssic

soi

ls a

nd th

at is

not

the

case

.

The

NC

TA n

oted

that

the

unst

able

soi

ls is

sue

is o

ne o

f man

y po

tent

ial c

once

rns.

The

re a

re c

once

rns

abou

t st

eppi

ng d

own

the

stre

am s

yste

m to

tie-

in to

exi

stin

g gr

ade.

Oth

er c

once

rns

incl

ude

the

fact

thes

e ar

e sm

all

stre

am s

yste

ms,

ther

e is

an

exis

ting

sew

er li

ne e

asem

ent,

and

the

woo

ded

buffe

r tha

t wou

ld n

eed

to b

e re

mov

ed

for p

urpo

ses

of c

onst

ruct

ion.

Sm

alle

r are

as o

f on-

site

miti

gatio

n w

ould

be

used

whe

re fe

asib

le to

sta

biliz

e im

pact

s at

cul

verts

and

pip

es.

Thes

e ar

eas

coul

d be

use

d to

incr

ease

miti

gatio

n pr

ovid

ed o

n-si

te b

y as

muc

h as

500

or 1

000

LF a

t eac

h lo

catio

n.

US

AC

E a

sked

if th

e sp

lit d

iam

ond

desi

gn w

as g

oing

to re

quire

stre

am re

loca

tion

and

crea

te re

loca

tion

impa

cts

and

if

addi

tiona

l RO

W c

ould

be

purc

hase

d or

con

dem

ned

by th

e N

CTA

to p

rovi

de m

itiga

tion

for t

hese

impa

cts.

Thi

s qu

estio

n co

uld

not b

e an

swer

ed d

urin

g th

e m

eetin

g. M

itiga

tion

issu

es w

ill be

dis

cuss

ed a

t the

Jan

uary

mee

ting,

al

ong

with

upd

ated

traf

fic s

tudi

es, a

ir qu

ality

info

rmat

ion,

and

that

an

alte

rnat

ive

reco

mm

enda

tion

wou

ld b

e pr

esen

ted

for a

genc

y co

nsid

erat

ion.

The

NC

TA is

wor

king

with

FH

WA

to d

eter

min

e th

e ne

ed fo

r ope

ratio

nal i

mpr

ovem

ents

at t

he N

C 1

47/I-

40

inte

rcha

nge.

The

func

tiona

l des

igns

and

ass

ocia

ted

impa

cts

will

be d

iscu

ssed

at t

he n

ext a

genc

y co

ordi

natio

n m

eetin

g in

Jan

uary

.

Toll

traffi

c is

exp

ecte

d in

Jan

uary

. P

relim

inar

y de

sign

s w

ill b

e pr

epar

ed b

ased

on

the

toll

traffi

c da

ta.

The

NC

TA w

ill pr

ovid

e an

info

rmat

ion

pack

age

with

the

EA

for p

ublic

not

ice.

The

NC

TA w

ill co

ordi

nate

the

draf

t pe

rmit

appl

icat

ion

with

the

US

AC

E p

rior t

o th

e di

strib

utio

n of

the

EA

and

the

adve

rtise

men

t of t

he P

ublic

Hea

ring.

Pag

e 8

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

D

ecem

ber 1

5, 2

006

Tim

e:

S

potli

ght P

roje

ct –

2:1

5 pm

to 3

:00

pm

Plac

e:

N

CTA

Boa

rd R

oom

Purp

ose:

P

roje

ct U

pdat

e fo

r Wes

tern

Wak

e P

arkw

ay

Atte

ndee

s:

Par

ticip

ants

: C

lare

nce

Col

eman

, FH

WA

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

John

Hen

ness

y, N

CD

WQ

R

ob R

idin

gs, N

CD

WQ

G

ary

Love

ring,

NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n U

nit

Dav

id C

hang

, NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s U

nit

Leila

ni P

augh

, NC

DO

T-N

atur

al E

nviro

nmen

t Uni

t M

issy

Dic

kens

, NC

DO

T-PD

EA

E

ric A

lsm

eyer

, US

AC

E

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Jim

Ede

n, N

CTA

G

ail G

rimes

, NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Kris

tina

Mille

r, A

RC

AD

IS

Mar

tha

Reg

iste

r, A

RC

ADIS

Je

rry M

cCra

in, E

coS

cien

ce C

orp

Don

na K

eene

r, H

NTB

/NC

TA G

EC

Tr

acy

Rob

erts

, HN

TB/N

CTA

GE

C

Cop

ies:

All

Par

ticip

ants

A

nn S

teed

ly, A

RC

ADIS

S

teve

Sm

allw

ood,

AR

CAD

IS

Len

Hill,

AR

CA

DIS

Ty

son

Gra

ves,

AR

CAD

IS

Bar

ney

O’Q

uinn

, AR

CAD

IS

The

follo

win

g ite

ms

wer

e di

scus

sed

durin

g th

e m

eetin

g:

A P

ower

Poi

nt p

rese

ntat

ion

prov

ided

the

back

grou

nd, c

urre

nt p

roje

ct s

tatu

s, g

ener

al in

form

atio

n an

d pr

ojec

ted

sche

dule

. A

cop

y of

the

pres

enta

tion

was

pro

vide

d to

the

parti

cipa

nts.

Mor

e de

taile

d in

form

atio

n w

as in

clud

ed in

a

proj

ect h

ando

ut a

lso

prov

ided

to th

e m

eetin

g pa

rtici

pant

s.

A c

orre

ctio

n w

as n

oted

on

the

Pre

limin

ary

Tollin

g Lo

catio

ns d

iagr

am p

rovi

ded

to th

e pa

rtici

pant

s -T

he F

utur

e M

orris

ville

Par

kway

, sho

wn

on th

e di

agra

m n

orth

of C

arpe

nter

-Fire

Sta

tion

Roa

d, s

houl

d be

loca

ted

to th

e so

uth

of

Car

pent

er-F

ire S

tatio

n R

oad

and

the

road

nor

th o

f Car

pent

er-F

ire S

tatio

n R

oad

is a

ctua

lly A

mbe

rly P

arkw

ay.

NC

DW

Q re

ques

ted

addi

tiona

l inf

orm

atio

n on

pla

nned

pay

men

t met

hods

, esp

ecia

lly re

gard

ing

thro

ugh

traffi

c.

NC

TA d

escr

ibed

the

vario

us ty

pes

of p

aym

ent m

etho

ds c

urre

ntly

und

er c

onsi

dera

tion

(e.g

. cas

h, c

redi

t, vi

deo

licen

se re

cogn

ition

, cal

l ahe

ad, e

tc.,

pend

ing

avai

labl

e/cu

rrent

tech

nolo

gy).

US

AC

E re

ques

ted

addi

tiona

l inf

orm

atio

n on

how

col

lect

ing

of to

lls w

ould

affe

ct tr

affic

flow

, acc

eler

atio

n w

eave

/mer

ge c

ondi

tions

, esp

ecia

lly in

rega

rd to

the

need

for a

dditi

onal

or l

engt

hene

d ra

mps

/lane

s. T

he N

CTA

no

ted

that

traf

fic fl

ow a

nd p

oten

tial e

nviro

nmen

tal i

mpa

cts

are

bein

g co

nsid

ered

in th

e lo

catio

n of

toll

plaz

as.

NC

DW

Q q

uest

ione

d if

the

free

alte

rnat

ive

rout

e re

quire

d by

NC

TA e

nabl

ing

legi

slat

ion

requ

ires

that

the

free

alte

rnat

ive

be th

e sa

me

type

of f

acilit

y as

the

toll

rout

e. N

CTA

resp

onde

d th

at th

e fre

e al

tern

ativ

e fa

cilit

y ca

n be

any

C-5

Pag

e 9

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

para

llel r

oute

, eve

n if

it is

not

the

sam

e ty

pe o

f fac

ility

as th

e pr

opos

ed to

ll ro

ad.

NC

DW

Q re

ques

ted

clar

ifica

tion

whe

ther

an

ICI (

Indi

rect

and

Cum

ulat

ive

Impa

cts)

ana

lysi

s w

ould

be

prep

ared

for t

he p

roje

ct p

rior t

o pe

rmitt

ing.

An

ICI i

s un

derw

ay fo

r the

pro

ject

.

P-L

oad

mod

el is

a n

utrie

nt o

verla

nd-fl

ow m

odel

(sed

imen

t, ni

troge

n an

d ph

osph

orus

) and

not

the

mor

e co

mm

only

se

en in

-stre

am fl

ow m

odel

. Th

e P

LOA

D m

odel

look

s at

larg

er s

cale

mod

elin

g w

hich

is m

ore

suite

d to

this

pro

ject

. N

CD

WQ

als

o no

ted

that

the

proj

ect s

ched

ule

whi

ch p

rovi

des

thre

e m

onth

s to

pro

cess

the

wet

land

per

mit

was

ver

y op

timis

tic.

The

publ

ic n

otic

e, p

ublis

hed

by th

e U

SA

CE

, is

follo

wed

by

a 30

-day

pub

lic c

omm

ent p

erio

d. A

fter t

he

com

men

t per

iod

is c

lose

d an

d th

e U

SA

CE

has

resp

onse

d to

the

com

men

ts, N

CD

WQ

has

a 6

0-da

y cl

ock

to

proc

ess

the

perm

it. N

CD

WQ

requ

este

d th

e N

CTA

look

at t

heir

sche

dule

in li

ght o

f the

se re

gula

tory

resp

onse

w

indo

ws

and

cons

ider

allo

win

g m

ore

time

for p

erm

ittin

g.

NC

DO

T no

ted

a 4C

mee

ting

for S

ectio

n C

of t

he p

roje

ct is

pla

nned

for

Apr

il 20

07.

Add

ition

ally

, fin

al p

lans

for

Sec

tion

C a

nd p

relim

inar

y pl

ans

for S

ectio

ns A

and

B a

re in

pre

para

tion.

The

Wes

tern

Wak

e P

arkw

ay p

roje

ct is

loca

ted

entir

ely

with

in th

e C

ape

Fear

Riv

er b

asin

.

NC

DO

T no

ted

that

the

juris

dict

iona

l wet

land

re-v

erifi

catio

n fo

r the

pro

ject

has

iden

tifie

d so

me

wet

land

s th

at h

ave

incr

ease

d in

siz

e du

e to

bea

ver a

ctiv

ity.

NC

DO

T is

pro

ceed

ing

from

the

hydr

aulic

s st

andp

oint

with

dec

isio

ns m

ade

durin

g th

e pr

ojec

t 4B

mee

ting

rega

rdin

g th

e us

e of

cul

verts

and

brid

ges.

In

parti

cula

r, on

e w

etla

nd h

as e

xpan

ded

from

250

feet

to 4

00 fe

et in

wid

th a

nd w

ould

now

like

ly re

quire

a 4

-bar

rel c

ulve

rt an

d no

t a 3

-bar

rel c

ulve

rt.

How

ever

, if c

ulve

rts a

re n

ot fe

asib

le h

ydra

ulic

ally

, NC

DO

T w

ill lik

ely

brid

ge th

e sy

stem

, but

onl

y as

wid

e as

ne

cess

ary

to p

rovi

de fo

r app

ropr

iate

hyd

raul

ic o

peni

ng.

No

obje

ctio

ns w

ere

voic

ed to

this

app

roac

h.

Pag

e 10

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

D

ecem

ber 1

5, 2

006

Tim

e:

S

potli

ght P

roje

ct –

3:0

0 pm

to 4

:15

pm

Plac

e:

N

CTA

Boa

rd R

oom

Purp

ose:

P

roje

ct U

pdat

e fo

r the

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or

Atte

ndee

s:

Cla

renc

e C

olem

an

FHW

A

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps

FH

WA

S

arah

McB

ride

N

CD

CR

-SH

PO

Jo

hn H

enne

ssy

N

CD

WQ

D

eway

ne S

ykes

N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Mis

sy D

icke

ns

N

CD

OT-

PD

EA

Tony

Hou

ser

N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Dav

id C

hang

NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s Tr

avis

Wils

on

N

CW

RC

M

arla

Cha

mbe

rs

NC

WR

C

Eric

Als

mey

er

U

SA

CE

-Ral

eigh

C

hris

Milit

sche

r

US

EP

A

Mar

ella

Bun

cick

U

SFW

S (v

ia p

hone

) S

teve

DeW

itt

N

CTA

G

ail G

rimes

NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

NC

TA

Bill

Mal

ley

A

kin

Gum

p Je

rry

McC

rain

Eco

Sci

ence

Cor

p.

Jeff

Day

ton

H

NTB

C

raig

Dea

l

HN

TB

Adi

n M

cCan

n

HN

TB

Trac

y R

ober

ts

H

NTB

W

hit W

ebb

H

NTB

Ji

ll G

urak

PB

S&

J C

lint M

orga

n

PB

S&

J

The

follo

win

g ite

ms

wer

e di

scus

sed

durin

g th

e m

eetin

g:

A P

ower

Poi

nt p

rese

ntat

ion

prov

ided

a re

view

of t

he p

roje

ct h

isto

ry, s

tudi

es re

cent

ly c

ompl

eted

, stu

dies

in p

rogr

ess,

an

d ne

xt s

teps

und

erta

ken

as p

art o

f the

Dra

ft E

nviro

nmen

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (D

EIS

) pro

cess

. M

ore

deta

iled

info

rmat

ion

was

incl

uded

in a

pro

ject

han

dout

als

o pr

ovid

ed to

the

mee

ting

parti

cipa

nts.

Toll

scen

ario

s fo

r the

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

will

be m

odel

ed in

200

7.

Add

ition

al in

form

atio

n w

as re

ques

ted

abou

t the

elim

inat

ion

of th

e “im

prov

e” e

xist

ing

alte

rnat

ive

from

furth

er s

tudy

. C

oncu

rren

ce P

oint

2 w

as a

chie

ved

by s

igna

ture

of t

he R

evie

w B

oard

in a

ccor

danc

e w

ith th

e M

erge

r 01

elev

atio

n pr

oced

ures

. Th

e R

evie

w B

oard

con

sist

ed o

f sen

ior m

anag

ers

of N

CD

OT,

FH

WA

, NC

DE

NR

, and

US

ACE

. Th

e U

SFW

S, U

SEP

A, a

nd N

CW

RC

ele

cted

to a

bsta

in fr

om C

oncu

rrenc

e P

oint

2 fo

llow

ing

the

Rev

iew

Boa

rd d

ecis

ion.

Th

ey p

rovi

ded

reas

ons

for t

heir

abst

entio

n in

lette

rs/e

mai

ls.

Info

rmat

ion

requ

este

d by

the

Rev

iew

Boa

rd re

gard

ing

the

Impr

ove

Exi

stin

g R

oadw

ays

Alte

rnat

ives

was

pro

vide

d to

th

e R

evie

w B

oard

. Th

is w

as a

new

pro

cess

at t

he ti

me,

and

dis

tribu

tion

prot

ocol

s w

ere

not e

stab

lishe

d. I

t was

as

sum

ed th

at R

evie

w B

oard

mem

bers

wou

ld d

istri

bute

info

rmat

ion

as n

eede

d to

the

staf

f in

thei

r age

ncie

s. T

he

NC

TA w

ill pr

ovid

e th

e m

ater

ials

giv

en to

the

Rev

iew

Boa

rd to

the

agen

cies

.

C-6

Pag

e 11

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

An

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t tha

t doc

umen

ts th

e en

tire

alte

rnat

ives

dev

elop

men

t pro

cess

cu

rren

tly is

bei

ng re

view

ed a

nd w

ill b

e di

strib

uted

to in

tere

sted

age

ncie

s re

pres

enta

tives

upo

n fin

aliz

atio

n.

FHW

A s

tate

d th

at a

noth

er re

ason

the

Impr

ove

Exi

stin

g R

oadw

ays

Alte

rnat

ive

coul

d be

elim

inat

ed is

that

fund

ing

is

not a

vaila

ble

to c

onst

ruct

the

proj

ect a

s a

non-

toll

faci

lity.

Thi

s ca

n be

app

lied

to th

e pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed s

tate

men

t or

as a

scr

eeni

ng fa

ctor

whe

n co

nsid

erin

g al

tern

ativ

es.

This

was

gui

danc

e pr

ovid

ed b

y FH

WA

in re

latio

n to

a p

roje

ct

in C

olor

ado.

The

hist

oric

arc

hite

ctur

e fie

ld w

ork

will

be c

ompl

eted

in e

arly

Jan

uary

. Th

e su

rvey

repo

rt lik

ely

subm

itted

to th

e S

HP

O in

Mar

ch.

The

mus

sel s

urve

y re

port

and

prot

ecte

d sp

ecie

s re

port

will

be

subm

itted

to U

SFW

S in

ear

ly 2

009

for c

oncu

rren

ce

on th

e fin

ding

s. T

he F

HW

A re

ques

ts th

at a

ll co

rres

pond

ence

with

US

FWS

be

rout

ed th

roug

h FH

WA

.

The

agen

cies

requ

este

d a

field

revi

ew to

insp

ect n

atur

al re

sour

ces.

Fun

ctio

nal a

sses

smen

ts o

f jur

isdi

ctio

nal

reso

urce

s w

ill be

incl

uded

in th

e N

RTR

. N

CTA

will

app

ly th

e bu

ffer r

ules

on

the

mai

n st

em o

f the

Cat

awba

Riv

er

and

that

they

app

ly o

nly

to th

e m

ain

stem

.

The

geot

echn

ical

stu

dies

will

cons

ider

the

feas

ibilit

y of

eith

er fi

ll or

stru

ctur

e ac

ross

the

fly a

sh b

asin

at t

he A

llen

Ste

am S

tatio

n.

The

stab

ility

of th

e fly

ash

bas

in m

ater

ial w

ill af

fect

how

muc

h fil

l wou

ld b

e ne

eded

or h

ow d

eep

pier

s w

ould

nee

d to

be

cons

truct

ed to

sup

port

a br

idge

. Th

e br

idge

ove

r the

Cat

awba

Riv

er h

eadi

ng w

estw

ard

also

ne

eds

to c

lear

an

activ

e ra

il lin

e sp

ur (u

sed

by th

e S

team

Sta

tion)

nea

r the

wes

t ban

k of

the

river

bet

wee

n th

e riv

er

and

the

fly a

sh b

asin

. C

lear

ance

requ

irem

ents

ove

r thi

s ra

ilroa

d tra

ck m

ay in

fluen

ce th

e ch

oice

of f

ill o

r stru

ctur

e.

A p

relim

inar

y hy

drau

lics

repo

rt w

ill b

e pr

epar

ed d

urin

g th

e pr

elim

inar

y de

sign

pro

cess

on

the

Det

aile

d S

tudy

A

ltern

ativ

es to

det

erm

ine

brid

ging

and

cul

vert

size

s fo

r maj

or s

tream

cro

ssin

gs n

eede

d fro

m a

hyd

raul

ic s

tand

poin

t.

The

NC

TA a

ntic

ipat

es th

at a

mee

ting

will

be h

eld

with

env

ironm

enta

l age

ncie

s to

revi

ew th

e hy

drau

lic re

port

resu

lts

as w

ell a

s th

e re

sults

of t

he ju

risdi

ctio

nal r

esou

rces

sur

veys

.

The

DE

IS w

ould

incl

ude

a qu

alita

tive

ICI a

naly

sis.

A q

uant

itativ

e an

alys

is, i

f nec

essa

ry, w

ould

be

perfo

rmed

for t

he

Pre

ferre

d A

ltern

ativ

e an

d re

porte

d in

the

FEIS

. Th

e D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es a

re re

lativ

ely

clos

e to

geth

er w

ith

sim

ilar i

nter

chan

ges,

so

indi

rect

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts

are

expe

cted

to b

e si

mila

r am

ongs

t the

Det

aile

d S

tudy

A

ltern

ativ

es.

The

US

FWS

exp

ress

ed c

once

rn a

bout

pot

entia

l ind

irect

and

/or c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

s to

bal

d ea

gle

and

to th

e on

e sm

all S

chw

eini

tz’s

sun

flow

er p

opul

atio

n. I

ndire

ct a

nd c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

s to

pro

tect

ed s

peci

es w

ill be

a

part

of th

e IC

I.

A q

uest

ion

was

ask

ed a

bout

tollin

g in

fluen

ce/a

ffect

impa

cts

on th

e lo

cal a

rea,

and

how

will

toll

colle

ctio

n si

tes

be

dete

rmin

ed a

nd w

here

will

they

be

loca

ted.

Gen

eral

loca

tions

for p

oten

tial t

oll c

olle

ctio

n si

tes

wer

e id

entif

ied

in th

e Tr

affic

and

Rev

enue

Stu

dy.

Thes

e w

ill be

con

side

red

durin

g th

e re

finem

ents

of t

he D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es’

desi

gns.

Tol

l col

lect

ion

faci

litie

s w

ill be

incl

uded

in th

e fo

otpr

ints

of t

he D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es u

nder

toll

scen

ario

s.

Ther

e ar

e tw

o op

tions

for S

ectio

n 40

4/40

1 pe

rmitt

ing:

one

per

mit

with

pha

sing

or m

ultip

le p

erm

its.

The

NC

TA h

as

mad

e no

dec

isio

n re

gard

ing

this

issu

e on

the

proj

ect.

NC

DW

Q s

ugge

sted

the

I-540

pro

ject

be

cons

ider

ed a

s an

ex

ampl

e. T

his

proj

ect u

sed

a ph

ased

per

mit,

whi

ch w

as a

men

ded

as fu

ndin

g be

cam

e av

aila

ble

to c

onst

ruct

eac

h se

ctio

n. T

ime

betw

een

cons

truct

ion

of s

ectio

ns/p

hase

s w

ill in

fluen

ce th

e ty

pe o

f per

mit

used

. Fo

r exa

mpl

e, if

ther

e w

ill b

e 15

yea

rs b

etw

een

the

cons

truct

ion

of s

ectio

ns/p

hase

s, th

en m

ultip

le p

erm

its m

ay b

e ap

prop

riate

.

Ther

e is

lim

ited

corri

dor p

rote

ctio

n av

aila

ble

at th

is ti

me.

Afte

r a P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

is id

entif

ied,

a C

orrid

or

Pro

tect

ion

Map

can

be

filed

with

Gas

ton

Cou

nty.

How

ever

, pro

tect

ion

is p

rovi

ded

for a

thre

e-ye

ar p

erio

d be

ginn

ing

whe

n a

subd

ivis

ion

or s

ite p

lan

is fi

led

with

the

loca

l gov

ernm

ent.

If N

CTA

doe

s no

t acq

uire

the

right

-of-w

ay w

ithin

th

ree

year

s, th

e su

bdiv

isio

n pe

titio

n ca

n pr

ocee

d. N

CTA

has

lim

ited

fund

s fo

r buy

ing

right

of w

ay n

ot n

eede

d fo

r ne

ar te

rm c

onst

ruct

ion.

A q

uest

ion

was

rais

ed re

gard

ing

stag

ed c

onst

ruct

ion.

The

re a

re tw

o m

ajor

nor

th/s

outh

rout

es in

sou

ther

n G

asto

n C

ount

y, U

S 3

21 a

nd N

C 2

79.

The

first

pha

se o

f the

pro

ject

is p

ropo

sed

to b

e fro

m N

C 2

79 to

I-48

5. T

he s

econ

d

Pag

e 12

of 1

2

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting (

12/1

5/0

6)

phas

e w

ould

ext

end

wes

twar

d to

term

inat

e at

US

321

, with

the

third

pha

se e

ndin

g th

e pr

ojec

t at I

-85.

The

traf

fic

and

reve

nue

stud

y w

ould

con

side

r the

se p

hase

s in

det

erm

inin

g fin

anci

al fe

asib

ility.

The

NC

WR

C a

sked

if th

e G

asto

n pr

ojec

t will

cont

inue

to fo

llow

the

Mer

ger 0

1 pr

oces

s an

d w

ill a

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

be

cre

ated

for t

he G

asto

n pr

ojec

t. A

dec

isio

n re

gard

ing

the

envi

ronm

enta

l rev

iew

pro

cess

to im

plem

ent f

or th

e G

asto

n E

ast-W

est C

onne

ctor

has

not

yet

bee

n m

ade.

The

Janu

ary

agen

cy m

eetin

g w

ill p

roba

bly

incl

ude

a sn

apsh

ot re

view

for G

asto

n. M

ore

disc

ussi

on w

ill fo

llow

in

Febr

uary

and

Mar

ch w

hen

the

field

sur

veys

for w

etla

nds,

stre

ams,

bal

d ea

gle,

his

toric

arc

hite

ctur

e, a

nd

arch

aeol

ogy

are

com

plet

e.

AC

TIO

N IT

EMS

:

NC

TA w

ill p

rovi

de c

opie

s of

the

mat

eria

ls p

rovi

ded

to th

e R

evie

w B

oard

dur

ing

the

Con

curr

ence

Poi

nt 2

el

evat

ion

proc

ess

to th

e ag

enci

es.

NC

TA a

lso

will

prov

ide

copi

es o

f the

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t to

the

agen

cies

, afte

r in

tern

al N

CTA

revi

ews

have

bee

n co

mpl

eted

.

Th

e FH

WA

will

subm

it th

e m

usse

l sur

vey

repo

rt an

d pr

otec

ted

plan

t spe

cies

repo

rt to

US

FWS

in e

arly

20

07. A

ll co

rresp

onde

nce

with

US

FWS

be ro

uted

thro

ugh

FHW

A.

Func

tiona

l ass

essm

ents

for j

uris

dict

iona

l res

ourc

es w

ill be

incl

uded

with

the

NR

TR.

C-7

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

Eas

t (1

/17/0

7)

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Ja

nuar

y 17

, 200

7

9:

00 a

m to

12:

00 p

m

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Boa

rd R

oom

Proj

ects

: C

ape

Fear

Sky

way

– T

IP N

o. U

-473

8; F

A N

o. S

TP-0

017(

53)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

– T

IP N

o. R

-257

6; F

A N

o. B

RN

HF-

000S

(419

)

Tr

iang

le P

arkw

ay -

TIP

No.

U-4

763;

FA

No.

NH

S-54

(7)

Wes

tern

Wak

e Fr

eew

ay –

TIP

NO

. R-2

635;

FA

No.

NO

NE

Atte

ndee

s:

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

S

teph

en L

ane,

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Ste

ve S

ollo

d, N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

R

ob R

idin

gs, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Wal

ly B

owm

an, N

CD

OT-

Div

isio

n 5

Tony

Hou

ser,

NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n D

eway

ne S

ykes

, NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n Lo

nnie

Bro

oks,

NC

DO

T-S

truct

ure

Des

ign

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

DEN

R-W

RC

B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e, U

SA

CE

(via

con

fere

nce

call)

E

ric A

lsm

eyer

, US

AC

E

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

G

ail G

rimes

, NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Jerry

McC

rain

, Eco

Sci

ence

E

lizab

eth

Sche

rrer

, Eco

Scie

nce

Jeff

Day

ton,

HN

TB

Cra

ig D

eal,

HN

TB

Adi

n M

cCan

n, H

NTB

A

nne

Red

mon

d, H

NTB

Tr

acy

Rob

erts

, HN

TB

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

C

hris

Llo

yd, P

B

John

Pag

e, P

B

Dav

id G

riffin

, UR

S

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls:(

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Dec

embe

r 15,

200

6 D

raft

TEA

C m

eetin

g m

inut

es

R

evis

ed D

raft

Sec

tion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

Tem

plat

e

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n fo

r Cap

e Fe

ar S

kyw

ay

D

raft

Sec

tion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

for M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge

C

ape

Fear

Sky

way

Sta

tus

Rep

ort

M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tatu

s R

epor

t

Gen

eral

Top

ics:

Min

utes

– D

ecem

ber 2

006

TEA

C m

eetin

g m

inut

es s

ched

uled

for a

ppro

val a

t Feb

ruar

y 14

, 200

7 m

eetin

g.

Dra

ft Se

ctio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Plan

Tem

plat

e –

The

revi

sed

draf

t tem

plat

e in

clud

es th

e su

gges

ted

chan

ges

from

the

Dec

embe

r 200

6 TE

AC

mee

ting.

Det

aile

d di

scus

sion

will

occu

r at t

he F

ebru

ary

TEA

C

mee

ting.

The

tem

plat

e is

sch

edul

ed fo

r ado

ptio

n at

the

Mar

ch T

EAC

mee

tings

. D

raft

Sect

ion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n Pl

ans

for N

CTA

Can

dida

te P

roje

cts

–The

revi

sed

draf

t pla

ns fo

r Cap

e Fe

ar S

kyw

ay a

nd M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge in

clud

e th

e re

visi

ons

sugg

este

d at

Dec

embe

r 200

6 TE

AC

mee

ting.

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) M

eetin

g - E

ast

Pag

e 2

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

Eas

t (1

/17/0

7)

Part

icip

atin

g/C

oope

ratin

g A

genc

y Le

tters

– T

he N

CTA

ant

icip

ates

mai

ling

parti

cipa

ting/

coop

erat

ing

agen

cies

lette

rs in

Feb

ruar

y. L

ette

rs w

ill be

sen

t ind

ivid

ual d

ivis

ions

of N

CD

ENR

.

Cap

e Fe

ar S

kyw

ay S

naps

hot

A

brie

f upd

ate

of th

e pr

opos

ed th

e C

ape

Fear

Riv

er w

as p

rovi

ded.

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Sna

psho

t

A b

rief u

pdat

e of

the

prop

osed

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

was

pro

vide

d.

Q&

A:

Whe

n w

ill th

e pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed s

tate

men

t be

final

ized

?Th

e N

CTA

pla

ns to

fina

lize

the

purp

ose

and

need

sta

tem

ent i

n sp

ring

2007

. The

pur

pose

and

nee

d m

ay

incl

ude

time

savi

ngs

and

hurri

cane

eva

cuat

ion.

Tol

ls m

ay b

e in

clud

ed a

s pa

rt of

the

P&

N s

tate

men

t. T

his

proj

ect i

s lis

ted

in th

e N

CD

OT

TIP

as

a to

ll pr

ojec

t.

Wha

t hap

pens

if th

e ex

istin

g up

grad

e al

tern

ativ

e is

sel

ecte

d?If

the

upgr

ade

exis

ting

road

s al

tern

ativ

e is

sel

ecte

d, th

e N

CTA

wou

ld re

turn

the

proj

ect t

o N

CD

OT.

If t

he b

ridge

al

tern

ativ

e is

sel

ecte

d w

ith s

ome

min

or u

pgra

des

to e

xist

ing

faci

litie

s, it

will

cont

inue

on

as a

toll

proj

ect.

E

cono

mic

feas

ibili

ty c

ould

be

an is

sue

if th

e re

quire

d up

grad

es to

exi

stin

g fa

cilit

ies

are

exte

nsiv

e.

Whe

n is

the

traffi

c an

d re

venu

e st

udy

expe

cted

to b

e co

mpl

eted

?Th

e tra

ffic

and

reve

nue

stud

y is

sch

edul

ed fo

r Mar

ch 2

007.

Wha

t is

the

curr

ent d

esig

n ye

ar tr

affic

?

The

curre

nt d

esig

n ye

ar tr

affic

is 2

025,

with

an

even

tual

upd

ate

to 2

035.

Will

the

effe

ct o

f sea

leve

l ris

e be

acc

ount

ed fo

r in

the

desi

gn a

nd th

e de

scrip

tion

of la

nd u

se a

nd s

ocio

-ec

onom

ic im

pact

s?

Eas

t Car

olin

a U

nive

rsity

is a

ssis

ting

in d

evel

opin

g th

e in

dire

ct a

nd c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

sec

tion

of th

e D

EIS

. A

s a

part

of th

at w

ork,

they

will

be c

harg

ed w

ith s

imul

atin

g re

ason

ably

fore

seea

ble

futu

re c

ondi

tions

and

det

erm

inin

g se

nsiti

vitie

s th

at w

ould

influ

ence

trav

el b

ehav

ior,

traffi

c tri

p ge

nera

tion,

and

the

econ

omic

impa

ct o

f thi

s be

havi

or.

How

will

the

hurr

ican

e ev

acua

tion

stud

y be

trea

ted

in th

e ne

w D

EIS

?

The

hurri

cane

eva

cuat

ion

stud

y w

ill fo

cus

on c

lear

ance

tim

es re

quire

d to

eva

cuat

e th

e ba

rrier

isla

nd p

opul

atio

n du

ring

a m

ajor

sto

rm e

vent

und

er b

uild

and

no

build

con

ditio

ns.

The

Sta

te g

oal i

s 18

hou

rs (f

rom

the

time

an

evac

uatio

n is

ord

ered

unt

il pe

ople

reac

h a

poin

t of s

afet

y).

Em

erge

ncy

Man

agem

ent S

ervi

ces

goal

is g

ener

ally

24

hou

rs.

Will

tolls

be

susp

ende

d du

ring

emer

genc

y hu

rric

ane

evac

uatio

n co

nditi

ons?

Mor

e th

an li

kely

the

tolls

will

be ta

ken

out d

urin

g ev

acua

tion

situ

atio

ns.

Act

ion

Item

s fo

r TEA

C M

embe

rs:

Th

e N

CTA

pla

ns to

fina

lize

the

Sec

tion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

Tem

plat

e af

ter t

he F

ebru

ary

TEA

C

mee

ting.

Age

ncie

s to

pro

vide

com

men

ts n

o la

ter t

han

the

Febr

uary

TE

AC

mee

ting.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e

C-8

Pag

e 3

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

Eas

t (1

/17/0

7)

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

Spo

tligh

t:

Add

ition

al A

ttend

ees:

Jay

Bis

sett,

Mul

key

John

ny B

anks

, Mul

key

Cin

dy C

arr,

Mul

key

Wen

dee

Sm

ith, M

ulke

y M

iche

lle F

ishb

urne

, Mul

key

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Yea

r 201

1 (o

peni

ng y

ear)

and

2030

(des

ign

year

) tol

l tra

ffic

fore

cast

s to

be

used

to d

eter

min

e en

viro

nmen

tal i

mpa

cts

and

anal

yze

traffi

c.

Wes

tern

Wak

e P

arkw

ay a

nd T

riang

le P

arkw

ay p

roje

ct m

ap s

how

ing

loca

tion

of p

ropo

sed

toll

faci

litie

s.

Con

cept

ual S

tream

Rel

ocat

ion

Pla

n

List

of a

dvan

tage

s an

d di

sadv

anta

ges

of s

tream

relo

catio

n in

the

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

stu

dy a

rea.

Slid

es/P

hoto

grap

hs o

f Bur

dens

Cre

ek a

nd th

e un

nam

ed tr

ibut

ary,

and

the

stre

am in

the

med

ian

of N

C 1

47.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Toll

traffi

c fo

reca

sts

o

A

ppro

xim

atel

y 30

per

cent

few

er v

ehic

les

wou

ld u

se th

e to

ll fa

cilit

y th

an w

ould

use

a n

on-to

ll fa

cilit

y.

Func

tiona

l/Pre

limin

ary

Des

ign

Pla

ns

o

The

NC

TA is

eva

luat

ing

the

NC

147

/I-40

inte

rcha

nge

area

and

a p

ortio

n of

NC

147

from

I-40

to

Cor

nwal

lis R

oad

to d

eter

min

e ca

paci

ty im

prov

emen

ts n

eede

d to

acc

omm

odat

e Tr

iang

le P

arkw

ay

traffi

c.

o

The

NC

TA e

valu

ated

two

inte

rcha

nge

conf

igur

atio

ns a

t Hop

son

Roa

d/D

avis

Driv

e o

Th

e N

CTA

doe

s no

t hav

e a

pref

erre

d al

tern

ativ

e at

this

tim

e.

Nat

ural

Res

ourc

es

o

The

NC

TA p

rese

nted

func

tiona

l des

igns

for T

riang

le P

arkw

ay in

the

area

of B

urde

ns C

reek

and

the

unna

med

trib

utar

y to

Bur

dens

Cre

ek.

o

W

etla

nds

and

stre

ams

alon

g th

e pr

ojec

t cor

ridor

hav

e be

en d

elin

eate

d an

d ap

prov

ed b

y th

e C

orp

of

Eng

inee

rs (C

OE

) and

Div

isio

n of

Wat

er Q

ualit

y (D

WQ

).

o

On

the

sout

hern

end

of t

he p

roje

ct, t

he s

tream

will

be

relo

cate

d on

one

sid

e of

the

prop

osed

toll

road

to

crea

te o

ne c

ontin

uous

stre

am ra

ther

than

stre

am fr

agm

ents

on

both

sid

es o

f the

road

way

. o

A

void

ance

and

min

imiz

atio

n of

wet

land

impa

cts

in th

e vi

cini

ty o

f the

stre

am w

ill be

revi

ewed

in m

ore

deta

il du

ring

prel

imin

ary

desi

gn.

o

A s

tream

loca

ted

in th

e m

edia

n of

NC

147

was

del

inea

ted

as p

art o

f the

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

nat

ural

sy

stem

s su

rvey

and

det

erm

ined

juris

dict

iona

l by

the

CO

E a

nd D

WQ

.

o

The

NC

TA p

ropo

ses

to u

se th

e E

cosy

stem

Enh

ance

men

t Pro

gram

’s “i

n-lie

u” fe

e pr

ogra

m fo

r miti

gatio

n of

una

void

able

wet

land

and

stre

am im

pact

s.

Env

ironm

enta

l Doc

umen

t o

Th

e N

CTA

ant

icip

ates

app

rova

l of t

he E

nviro

nmen

tal A

sses

smen

t (EA

) in

Mar

ch 2

007.

Q &

A:

Doe

s th

e im

pact

tabl

e re

flect

the

amou

nt o

f stre

am im

pact

(22,

867

linea

r fee

t) fo

r the

ent

ire p

roje

ct c

orrid

or?

Th

e fir

st ro

w o

f num

bers

in th

e ta

ble

are

the

wet

land

and

stre

am im

pact

s, b

oth

inte

rmitt

ent a

nd p

eren

nial

, for

th

e en

tire

1,00

0 fo

ot w

ide

corr

idor

bet

wee

n I-4

0 an

d I-5

40 (C

orrid

or A

). T

he s

econ

d an

d th

ird ro

ws

are

the

impa

cts

asso

ciat

ed w

ith th

e fu

nctio

nal d

esig

ns fo

r the

two

desi

gn o

ptio

ns u

nder

con

side

ratio

n - a

clo

verle

af

inte

rcha

nge

desi

gn a

nd a

spl

it di

amon

d in

terc

hang

e de

sign

. The

func

tiona

l des

ign

is a

void

ing

the

maj

ority

of

22,8

67 li

near

feet

of s

tream

.

Do

the

impa

ct c

alcu

latio

ns c

onsi

der c

lear

ing

wor

k be

yond

the

toe

of s

lope

? N

o, th

e im

pact

cal

cula

tions

do

not c

onsi

der c

lear

ing

wor

k be

yond

the

toe

of s

lope

.

Pag

e 4

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

Eas

t (1

/17/0

7)

Will

the

NC

TA u

se n

atur

al c

hann

el d

esig

n fo

r tho

se s

ectio

ns o

f stre

am th

at w

ill b

e re

loca

ted,

in p

artic

ular

the

unna

med

trib

utar

y to

Bur

dens

Cre

ek?

Yes

, the

NC

TA w

ill us

e na

tura

l cha

nnel

des

ign

for t

he s

ectio

ns o

f stre

am th

at w

ill be

relo

cate

d.

Act

ion

Item

s fo

r TEA

C M

embe

rs:

C

omm

ents

or c

once

rns

rega

rdin

g w

etla

nd o

r stre

am im

pact

s.

Com

men

ts re

gard

ing

a pr

efer

red

alte

rnat

ive.

D

WQ

to s

ubm

it a

list o

f the

ir is

sues

and

con

cern

s re

gard

ing

use

of th

e E

EP

“in-

lieu”

fee

prog

ram

for t

he

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

.

Rec

alcu

late

the

wet

land

and

ste

am im

pact

s ta

ble

to q

uant

ify c

lear

ing

limits

that

ext

end

10 fe

et b

eyon

d th

e to

e of

slo

pe.

C

ondu

ct a

dditi

onal

stu

dies

to d

eter

min

e if

stre

am re

loca

tion

can

be a

void

ed; a

nd if

not

, how

muc

h st

ream

re

loca

tion

is re

quire

d.

P

repa

re fu

nctio

nal d

esig

n fo

r the

pro

pose

d ca

paci

ty im

prov

emen

ts th

roug

h th

e I-4

0/N

C 1

74 in

terc

hang

e ar

ea a

nd a

long

NC

147

.

Con

duct

cap

acity

ana

lysi

s fo

r the

I-40

/NC

147

inte

rcha

nge

area

bas

ed o

n th

e bu

ild to

ll fo

reca

st.

R

eque

st th

e C

OE

to p

lace

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

on

publ

ic n

otic

e.

Tran

smit

NR

TR to

app

ropr

iate

age

ncie

s an

d po

st o

n TE

AC

web

site

.

Res

olut

ions

:

The

CO

E, D

CM

, WR

C, E

PA

and

US

FWS

agr

eed

that

miti

gatio

n th

roug

h E

EP

“in-

lieu”

fee

prog

ram

is

appr

opria

te fo

r the

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

. DW

Q d

efer

red

com

men

t at t

his

time.

The

CO

E, D

CM

, WR

C, E

PA

, US

FWS

, and

DW

Q a

gree

d th

at th

e sp

lit d

iam

ond

inte

rcha

nge

conf

igur

atio

n is

th

e pr

efer

red

alte

rnat

ive.

C-9

Pag

e 5

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

Eas

t (1

/17/0

7)

Wes

tern

Wak

e Pa

rkw

ay S

potli

ght:

Add

ition

al A

ttend

ees:

Felix

Nw

oko,

DC

HC

MP

O/D

urha

m

Len

Hill,

AR

CA

DIS

K

ristin

a M

iller,

AR

CA

DIS

M

arth

a R

egis

ter,

AR

CAD

IS

Wal

ly B

owm

an, N

CD

OT-

Div

isio

n 5

Mar

shal

l Cla

wso

n, N

CD

OT-

Hyd

raul

ics

Rac

helle

Bea

ureg

ard,

NC

DO

T-N

EU

Gre

g Pr

ice,

NC

DO

T-N

EU

B

rend

a M

oore

, NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n To

ny H

ouse

r, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Lonn

ie B

rook

s, N

CD

OT-

Stru

ctur

e D

esig

n C

lare

nce

Col

eman

, FH

WA

Dav

id C

hang

, NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s U

nit

Leila

ni P

augh

, NC

DO

T-N

EU

Mis

sy D

icke

ns, N

CD

OT-

PDE

A

Gar

y Lo

verin

g, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

2030

Bui

ld T

oll A

ltern

ativ

e Tr

affic

For

ecas

t

Wet

land

and

stre

am im

pact

s ta

ble

for t

he to

ll an

d no

n-to

ll al

tern

ativ

es

To

ll A

ltern

ativ

e ke

y m

ap s

how

ing

loca

tion

of to

ll pl

azas

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

P

ublic

Invo

lvem

ent

o

A lo

cal o

ffici

als’

mee

ting

will

be h

eld

at 1

0 a.

m. o

n Fe

brua

ry 8

, 200

7 at

the

Ape

x To

wn

Hal

l, 2nd

floo

r, C

ounc

il C

ham

bers

, 73

Hun

ter S

treet

, Ape

x, N

C 2

7502

.

o

A C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hop

will

be h

eld

at th

e A

pex

Hig

h S

choo

l Caf

eter

ia, 1

501

Laur

a D

unca

n R

oad,

Ape

x, N

C 2

7502

, beg

inni

ng a

t 5 p

.m. a

nd e

ndin

g at

8:0

0 p.

m.

o

A s

mal

l gro

up m

eetin

g w

ill be

hel

d w

ith th

e Fe

ltons

ville

Com

mun

ity a

t 6 p

.m. o

n Fe

brua

ry 1

5, 2

007

at

5836

Old

Sm

ithfie

ld R

oad

in A

pex,

loca

ted

betw

een

NC

55

and

NC

55

Byp

ass,

just

nor

th o

f Hol

ly

Spr

ings

.

To

ll Tr

affic

For

ecas

t o

To

ll tra

ffic

fore

cast

s fo

r the

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

and

Wes

tern

Wak

e Pa

rkw

ay d

iffer

bec

ause

the

two

fore

cast

s w

ere

base

d on

diff

eren

t for

ecas

ting

met

hodo

logy

. Th

e W

este

rn W

ake

Par

kway

fore

cast

was

de

velo

ped

by a

pply

ing

a di

vers

ion

fact

or o

f 30%

to 2

025

traffi

c fo

reca

sts

pres

ente

d in

the

FEIS

.

Fu

nctio

nal/P

relim

inar

y D

esig

n o

To

ll pl

azas

are

des

igne

d to

avo

id a

nd m

inim

ize

impa

cts

to n

atur

al re

sour

ces.

o

C

oncu

rrenc

e P

oint

4B

is c

ompl

ete

for S

ectio

n C

; Con

curre

nce

Poi

nt 4

C is

pla

nned

for A

pril

2007

o

Th

ere

are

two

new

brid

ge s

ites

prop

osed

on

Sec

tion

C (o

ne a

t Jac

k’s

Bra

nch

and

one

at P

anth

er

Bra

nch,

bot

h re

late

d to

bea

ver i

mpo

undm

ents

). T

hese

new

brid

ges

will

low

er th

e w

etla

nd im

pact

tota

ls

by a

ppro

xim

atel

y 5

acre

s. O

ne b

ridge

will

be a

ppro

xim

atel

y 20

0 fe

et in

leng

th; t

he o

ther

will

be

appr

oxim

atel

y 26

0 fe

et in

leng

th. T

he b

ridge

s w

ill n

ot s

pan

the

entir

e w

etla

nd a

rea

N

atur

al S

yste

ms

o

The

NC

TA/N

CD

OT

prop

oses

a “N

o E

ffect

s” c

all f

or p

rote

cted

spe

cies

. o

W

etla

nd a

nd s

tream

resu

rvey

s w

ere

was

revi

ewed

by

the

US

AC

E in

the

field

on

Nov

embe

r 30,

200

6.

Cor

ps p

rovi

ded

verb

al c

oncu

rren

ce.

o

The

estim

ated

impa

cts

to p

onds

, stre

ams,

and

wet

land

s fo

r the

toll

and

non-

toll

alte

rnat

ives

are

sim

ilar.

o

The

NC

TA is

coo

rdin

atin

g w

ith E

EP

abo

ut p

rovi

ding

off-

site

miti

gatio

n.

Pag

e 6

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

Eas

t (1

/17/0

7)

Q &

A: Do

the

plan

s in

clud

e pa

rkin

g pr

ovis

ions

at t

he to

ll pl

azas

? P

arki

ng p

lans

are

at a

con

cept

ual s

tage

. H

owev

er, t

he d

esig

n w

ill a

ddre

ss th

is n

eed

and

will

avo

id a

nd

min

imiz

e im

pact

s on

nat

ural

reso

urce

s to

fulle

st e

xten

t pra

ctic

able

.

Are

ther

e an

y on

-site

miti

gatio

n op

portu

nitie

s fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t?

Sin

ce m

ost s

tream

s ar

e in

woo

ded

setti

ngs

and

follo

w th

e al

ignm

ent i

n a

perp

endi

cula

r fas

hion

; and

due

to th

e am

ount

of d

evel

opm

ent e

ncro

achm

ent;

no o

n-si

te o

ppor

tuni

ties

are

avai

labl

e.

Are

ther

e an

y on

-site

miti

gatio

n op

portu

nitie

s?

Mos

t stre

ams

wer

e in

woo

ded

setti

ngs

and

follo

w th

e al

ignm

ent i

n a

perp

endi

cula

r fas

hion

--and

due

to th

e am

ount

of d

evel

opm

ent e

ncro

achm

ent--

that

no

on-s

ite o

ppor

tuni

ties

wer

e av

aila

ble.

Act

ion

Item

s fo

r TEA

C M

embe

rs:

P

rovi

de a

ny c

omm

ents

on

the

wet

land

and

stre

am im

pact

s by

the

Febr

uary

TEA

C m

eetin

g

Coo

rdin

ate

with

the

US

AC

E to

iden

tify

publ

ic n

otic

e re

quire

men

ts fo

r Wes

tern

Wak

e P

arkw

ay.

P

rovi

de a

cop

y of

the

prot

ecte

d sp

ecie

s su

rvey

repo

rt, e

spec

ially

as

it re

late

s to

Mic

haux

’s S

umac

, to

the

US

FWS

wou

ld li

ke to

rece

ive

a co

py o

f the

sur

vey

repo

rt.

In

corp

orat

e th

e la

test

del

inea

tion

base

map

ping

ont

o th

e fu

nctio

nal/p

relim

inar

y de

sign

.

Exp

lain

the

reas

on fo

r the

larg

e di

ffere

nce

betw

een

the

wet

land

and

stre

am im

pact

s pr

esen

ted

in th

e FE

IS

and

the

findi

ngs

from

the

resu

rvey

.

Res

olut

ions

:

The

US

FWS

ver

bally

sup

porte

d a

“no

effe

ct” c

all f

or B

ald

Eag

le.

Th

e ag

enci

es a

gree

d th

at th

e di

ffere

nces

bet

wee

n th

e w

etla

nd a

nd s

tream

impa

cts

for t

he to

ll an

d th

e no

n-to

ll al

tern

ativ

es a

re n

ot s

igni

fican

t.

C-10

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

4/1

8/0

7

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

NO

TE:

M

inut

es fo

r the

4C

Per

mit

Dra

win

g R

evie

w M

eetin

g fo

r the

Wes

tern

Wak

e Pa

rkw

ay w

ill b

e

post

ed s

epar

atel

y to

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te

Dat

e:

A

pril

18, 2

007

1:15

pm

to 3

:00

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Con

fere

nce

Roo

m #

G-1

3-A

Proj

ect:

T

IP R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

– B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e, U

SA

CE

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Sar

ah M

cBrid

e, N

CD

CR

-SH

PO

Jo

hn H

enne

ssy,

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

DEN

R-W

RC

C

athy

Brit

tingh

am, N

CD

ENR

-DC

M

Ste

ve S

ollo

d, N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

Je

nnife

r Har

ris, N

CTA

Den

ise

Cau

ley,

NC

TA

John

Con

forti

, NC

DO

T-PD

EA

Lo

nnie

Bro

oks,

NC

DO

T-S

truct

ure

Des

ign

Cra

ig D

eal,

HN

TB

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Tr

acy

Rob

erts

, HN

TB

Bill

Mal

ley,

Aki

n G

ump

John

Pag

e, P

B

Chr

is L

loyd

, PB

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

H

urric

ane

Eva

cuat

ion

Nee

d, H

ando

ut 1

Con

cept

ual A

ltern

ativ

es, H

ando

ut 2

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng C

riter

ia, H

ando

ut 3

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Purp

ose

- The

pur

pose

of t

he m

eetin

g w

as th

reef

old;

firs

t, to

pro

vide

upd

ates

on

the

resu

lts o

f the

hu

rrica

ne e

vacu

atio

n as

an

elem

ent i

n th

e M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed,

sec

ond,

to

pre

sent

the

conc

eptu

al a

ltern

ativ

es a

nd th

ird, t

o pr

ovid

e th

e fir

st a

nd s

econ

d tie

r of a

ltern

ativ

e sc

reen

ing

crite

ria.

Pres

enta

tion

– A

n ov

ervi

ew o

f the

rece

ntly

com

plet

ed P

BS

&J

Hur

rican

e E

vacu

atio

n S

tudy

was

pro

vide

d.Th

is s

tudy

was

dis

cuss

ed a

t the

Mar

ch 2

2 N

CD

OT

Inte

rage

ncy

Mee

ting.

The

resu

lts o

f the

stu

dy in

dica

te

clea

ranc

e tim

es fo

r eva

cuat

ion

of th

e O

uter

Ban

ks a

long

US

158

/NC

168

and

US

64

exce

eded

the

18-h

our

stan

dard

for a

Cat

egor

y 3

stor

m w

ith a

75%

tour

ist o

ccup

ancy

rate

for b

oth

year

200

4 an

d ye

ar 2

030

on th

e U

S 1

58/N

C 1

68 ro

ute

and

year

203

0 fo

r the

US

64

rout

e.

Con

cept

ual a

ltern

ativ

es in

itiat

ing

from

the

1998

N

CD

OT

DE

IS, i

nclu

ding

No

Bui

ld, N

on –

Hig

hway

, Brid

ge B

uild

, NC

12

Bui

ld a

nd U

S 1

58 B

uild

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) M

eetin

g

Pag

e 2

of 7

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

4/1

8/0

7

alte

rnat

ives

, wer

e di

scus

sed.

Log

ical

com

bina

tions

of t

he B

uild

Brid

ge a

nd B

uild

NC

12/

Bui

ld U

S 1

58 w

ere

pres

ente

d. F

irst S

cree

ning

crit

eria

to d

eter

min

e th

e ab

ility

of th

e al

tern

ativ

es to

mee

t the

Pur

pose

and

N

eed

wer

e pr

ovid

ed.

Fina

lly, S

econ

d S

cree

ning

crit

eria

to e

valu

ate

alte

rnat

ive

impa

cts

upon

nat

ural

, cu

ltura

l and

com

mun

ity re

sour

ces

wer

e pr

esen

ted.

Hur

rican

e Ev

acua

tion

o

PB

S&

J co

mpl

eted

a N

orth

Car

olin

a co

asta

l hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

mod

el a

nd re

port

for N

CD

OT.

Th

e m

odel

was

use

d to

dev

elop

eva

cuat

ion

clea

ranc

e tim

es fo

r yea

rs 2

004

and

2030

. C

lear

ance

tim

e be

gins

with

the

issu

ance

of t

he e

vacu

atio

n or

der a

nd e

nds

whe

n al

l eva

cuee

s re

ach

a po

int o

f sa

fety

prio

r to

the

arriv

al o

f gal

e-fo

rce

win

ds.

Cle

aran

ce ti

mes

wer

e de

term

ined

for t

hree

leve

ls o

f st

orm

inte

nsity

and

four

leve

ls o

f tou

rist o

ccup

ancy

. T

he s

tate

sta

ndar

d as

ado

pted

by

the

Nor

th

Car

olin

a le

gisl

atur

e is

18

hour

s fo

r a C

ateg

ory

3 st

orm

with

a 7

5% to

uris

t occ

upan

cy ra

te.

As

note

d ab

ove,

US

158

/NC

168

fails

to m

eet t

his

stan

dard

in y

ears

200

4 an

d 20

30, a

nd U

S 6

4 fa

ils

this

sta

ndar

d in

yea

r 203

0. C

lear

ance

tim

e fo

r US

158

/NC

168

is 2

5.8

hour

s in

200

4 an

d 39

hou

rs

in 2

030.

For

US

64

the

clea

ranc

e tim

e is

17.

5 ho

urs

in 2

004

and

26.4

hou

rs in

203

0.

o

Bas

ed o

n th

e re

sults

of t

his

stud

y, th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

that

will

be p

rese

nted

at t

he

May

TE

AC

mee

ting

will

incl

ude

a ne

ed fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t to

faci

litat

e co

asta

l eva

cuat

ion

of th

e N

orth

ern

Out

er B

anks

. o

P

BS

&J

will

asse

ss th

e co

ncep

tual

alte

rnat

ives

for c

lear

ance

tim

es u

nder

35%

, 50%

, 75%

and

95%

to

uris

t occ

upan

cy ra

tes

for C

ateg

ory

1/2,

3 a

nd 4

/5 s

torm

s.

Con

cept

ual A

ltern

ativ

es

o

Con

cept

ual a

ltern

ativ

es fo

r the

pro

ject

incl

ude

thos

e pr

evio

usly

ana

lyze

d in

the

1998

DE

IS (N

o-B

uild

, Non

-Hig

hway

Alte

rnat

ives

, Brid

ge B

uild

Alte

rnat

ives

). In

add

ition

, wid

enin

g al

tern

ativ

es w

ill be

con

side

red

for N

C 1

2 an

d U

S 1

58 o

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks. T

hese

alte

rnat

ives

, as

wel

l as

repr

esen

tativ

e co

mbi

natio

ns o

f alte

rnat

ives

that

cou

ld b

e co

nsid

ered

, are

sho

wn

in H

ando

ut 2

–

Con

cept

ual A

ltern

ativ

es.

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng P

roce

ss

o

A tw

o-le

vel s

cree

ning

pro

cess

is b

eing

pro

pose

d. T

he F

irst S

cree

ning

will

con

side

r whe

ther

al

tern

ativ

es a

re a

ble

to m

eet t

he p

roje

ct p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed.

PB

is c

ompi

ling

prio

r tra

ffic

tech

nica

l re

ports

and

ass

essi

ng h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

n cl

eara

nce

time,

leve

l of s

ervi

ce, c

apac

ity, s

peed

, tra

vel

time,

del

ay a

nd c

onge

sted

con

ditio

ns fo

r exi

stin

g an

d 20

25 c

ondi

tions

for N

o B

uild

and

Bui

ld

cond

ition

s to

ass

ist w

ith th

is d

eter

min

atio

n. T

his

scre

enin

g w

ill be

use

d to

eva

luat

e br

oad

alte

rnat

ive

conc

epts

, not

dis

tingu

ish

betw

een

optio

ns w

ithin

con

cept

s.

o

The

Sec

ond

Scr

eeni

ng w

ill be

a q

uant

itativ

e sc

reen

ing

of im

pact

s up

on n

atur

al, c

ultu

ral a

nd

com

mun

ity re

sour

ces.

Nex

t Ste

ps T

owar

ds D

EIS

o

Com

plet

e di

scus

sion

s on

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d.

o

Con

tinue

dis

cuss

ions

on

scre

enin

g pr

oces

s an

d co

ncep

tual

alte

rnat

ives

. o

B

egin

dis

cuss

ions

on

prel

imin

ary

alte

rnat

ives

.

Q&

A: NC

DE

NR

-DC

M q

uest

ione

d th

e in

tegr

atio

n of

the

US

AC

E’s

Hur

rican

e E

vacu

atio

n ef

forts

with

the

curr

ent s

tudy

. P

BS

&J

prov

ided

the

tech

nica

l ana

lysi

s fo

r bot

h st

udie

s w

ith th

e sa

me

tech

nica

l sta

ff co

ordi

natin

g th

e tw

o m

odel

s an

d re

ports

. The

US

AC

E m

odel

is u

sed

to m

odel

cur

rent

con

ditio

ns, w

hile

the

mod

el d

evel

oped

for

NC

DO

T is

cap

able

of m

odel

ing

futu

re c

ondi

tions

.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q a

nd o

ther

s as

ked

for t

he g

eogr

aphi

c ex

tent

of t

he h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

n po

pula

tion.

Rel

ated

qu

estio

ns in

clud

ed th

e id

entit

y of

eva

cuat

ion

orig

in a

nd d

estin

atio

ns, h

ow m

uch

of m

ainl

and

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y w

as in

clud

ed, w

hat i

f non

e of

the

alte

rnat

ives

can

ach

ieve

a c

lear

ance

of 1

8 ho

urs,

will

the

evac

uatio

n co

nsid

er

north

boun

d m

ovem

ent a

cros

s th

e N

C/V

A b

ound

ary

into

Che

sape

ake,

VA

. It

was

agr

eed

that

the

PB

S&

J pr

inci

pal w

ho m

anag

ed th

e ev

acua

tion

stud

y w

ould

app

ear n

ext m

onth

and

ad

dres

s qu

estio

ns s

uch

as th

ese.

US

EP

A q

uest

ione

d th

e ev

alua

tion

of A

ltern

ativ

es w

ithou

t clo

sure

on

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

& N

eed.

C-11

Pag

e 3

of 7

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

4/1

8/0

7

A c

ompl

ete

Stat

emen

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

will

be d

istri

bute

d be

fore

the

May

23

TEA

C m

eetin

g. T

he P

urpo

se

and

Nee

d el

emen

ts o

f mob

ility

and

cong

estio

n w

ere

agre

ed u

pon

durin

g pr

evio

us N

CD

OT

stud

ies.

One

re

vise

d ne

ed is

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion.

The

late

st d

ata

indi

cate

s th

e ex

istin

g an

d 20

30 tr

ansp

orta

tion

syst

em

fails

to m

eet t

he s

tate

man

date

d st

anda

rd.

Wid

enin

g al

tern

ativ

es w

ill be

eva

luat

ed.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

if a

n E

nviro

nmen

tal F

eatu

res

Map

will

be

prov

ided

? Y

es, a

t the

nex

t mee

ting.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M re

ques

ted

that

wet

land

impa

cts

be b

roke

n do

wn

betw

een

coas

tal w

etla

nds

and

othe

r ju

risdi

ctio

nal w

etla

nd s

yste

ms

and

aske

d if

SA

Vs

will

be

cons

ider

ed.

Yes

, tho

se re

com

men

datio

ns w

ill be

impl

emen

ted

into

the

scre

enin

g pr

oces

s.

Con

cern

s fro

m N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

, NC

DEN

R-W

RC

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

and

oth

ers

wer

e ex

pres

sed

rega

rdin

g th

e tie

red

scre

enin

g pr

oces

s an

d po

tent

ial p

rem

atur

e el

imin

atio

n of

alte

rnat

ives

that

onl

y pa

rtial

ly m

eet t

he

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d.

NC

TA p

lans

to p

rese

nt th

e qu

alita

tive

and

quan

titat

ive

scre

enin

g re

sults

at t

he n

ext m

eetin

g. It

is a

ntic

ipat

ed

that

onl

y no

n-hi

ghw

ay a

ltern

ativ

es w

ill be

elim

inat

ed d

urin

g th

e Fi

rst S

cree

ning

, and

Sec

ond

Scr

eeni

ng im

pact

s w

ill be

pre

sent

ed fo

r all

othe

r alte

rnat

ives

.

Wha

t is

plan

ned

for t

he n

ext T

EA

C m

eetin

g?

Nex

t mon

th’s

TE

AC

mee

ting

(May

23)

is e

xpec

ted

to b

e a

spot

light

for C

urrit

uck

with

a p

rese

ntat

ion

of th

e re

sults

of p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

and

the

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng m

ater

ial.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M, N

CD

ENR

-WR

C, a

nd

US

FWS

indi

cate

d th

at th

ey a

re n

ot a

vaila

ble

to m

eet o

n M

ay 2

3 an

d su

gges

ted

the

mee

ting

be re

sche

dule

d.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Non

e

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA to

pro

vide

info

rmat

ion

pack

ages

for t

he p

roje

ct s

uffic

ient

ly e

arly

to a

llow

TE

AC

mem

bers

the

oppo

rtuni

ty to

fully

revi

ew th

e in

form

atio

n be

fore

the

May

TE

AC

mee

ting.

Res

olut

ions

:

The

TEA

C e

ndor

sed

the

incl

usio

n of

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

in th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed.

Pag

e 4

of 7

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

4/1

8/0

7

Dat

e:

A

pril

18, 2

007

3:00

pm

to 4

:20

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Con

fere

nce

Roo

m #

G-1

3-A

Proj

ect:

TIP

R-3

329

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or –

NH

F-74

(21)

T

IP R

-255

9 M

onro

e B

ypas

s –

NH

F-74

(8)

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or /

Byp

ass

Spot

light

:

Add

ition

al A

ttend

ees:

Rob

Aye

rs, F

HW

A

Ste

ve L

und,

US

AC

E (v

ia p

hone

) M

arel

la B

unci

ck, U

SFW

S

Pol

ly L

espi

nass

e, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

(via

pho

ne)

Mar

la C

ham

bers

, NC

DE

NR

-WR

C

Jill

Gur

ak, P

BS&

J La

uren

Wol

fe, P

BS

&J

Car

l Gib

ilaro

, PB

S&

J (v

ia p

hone

)

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Han

dout

(inc

ludi

ng D

raft

Res

pons

es to

Age

ncy

Com

men

ts o

n P

relim

inar

y P

urpo

se a

nd

Nee

d S

tate

men

t, D

raft

Pre

limin

ary

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

com

men

ts o

n P

relim

inar

y P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent)

D

raft

Scr

eeni

ng C

riter

ia

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Min

utes

– N

o co

mm

ents

hav

e be

en re

ceiv

ed o

n th

e M

arch

22,

200

7 m

inut

es.

Any

com

men

ts o

n th

ese

min

utes

sho

uld

be s

ubm

itted

as

soon

as

poss

ible

, oth

erw

ise

the

min

utes

will

be fi

naliz

ed a

nd re

post

ed to

th

e TE

AC

web

site

.

Purp

ose

- The

pur

pose

of t

he m

eetin

g w

as to

com

plet

e di

scus

sion

s on

pur

pose

and

nee

d; h

ave

furth

er

disc

ussi

ons

on th

e al

tern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

pro

cess

; and

intro

duce

pro

pose

d co

ncep

tual

alte

rnat

ives

.

Pres

enta

tion

– N

o fo

rmal

pre

sent

atio

n w

as m

ade.

The

mee

ting

cons

iste

d of

an

open

dis

cuss

ion

of

agen

cy c

omm

ents

on

the

Pre

limin

ary

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t and

NC

TA’s

resp

onse

s an

d a

cont

inue

d di

scus

sion

on

alte

rnat

ive

scre

enin

g cr

iteria

.

Prel

imin

ary

Purp

ose

and

Nee

d St

atem

ent –

Com

men

ts o

n th

e P

relim

inar

y P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent

wer

e re

ceiv

ed fr

om N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q in

a le

tter d

ated

Apr

il 5,

200

7, a

nd re

spon

ses

wer

e pr

epar

ed b

y N

CTA

. Th

ese

com

men

ts a

nd re

spon

ses

wer

e in

clud

ed in

the

proj

ect m

eetin

g m

ater

ials

pac

ket p

rovi

ded

to th

e at

tend

ees.

Afte

r som

e di

scus

sion

, it w

as d

ecid

ed to

dis

cont

inue

the

disc

ussi

on u

ntil

all a

genc

ies

have

a

chan

ce to

revi

ew th

e in

form

atio

n ou

tsid

e of

the

TEA

C m

eetin

g. P

oint

s to

con

side

r whe

n re

view

ing

the

resp

onse

s in

clud

e:

o

Impr

ovin

g ex

istin

g ro

adw

ays

will

be

cons

ider

ed a

s hi

gh s

peed

road

way

s o

Im

prov

ing

exis

ting

road

way

s an

d co

mbi

natio

ns o

f im

prov

ing

exis

ting

/ new

loca

tion

alte

rnat

ives

will

be

con

side

red

Ther

e w

as a

gen

eral

dis

cuss

ion

abou

t inc

ludi

ng c

onsi

sten

cy w

ith th

e M

eckl

enbu

rg-U

nion

Met

ropo

litan

P

lann

ing

Org

aniz

atio

n’s

Long

Ran

ge T

rans

porta

tion

Pla

n (L

RTP

) in

the

Pre

limin

ary

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t. Th

ere

was

con

cern

that

bec

ause

the

LRTP

sho

ws

a sp

ecifi

c al

ignm

ent f

or th

e pr

opos

ed fa

cilit

y,

the

term

inol

ogy

“con

sist

ent w

ith” t

he L

RTP

wou

ld li

mit

the

proj

ect t

o th

at a

lignm

ent.

NC

TA in

dica

ted

that

th

e co

nsis

tenc

y w

ith th

e LR

TP w

ould

be

cons

ider

ed fo

r fac

ility

type

and

pur

pose

, par

ticul

arly

with

rega

rds

to a

ir qu

ality

con

form

ity.

Alte

rnat

ive

Scre

enin

g C

riter

ia –

Inpu

t fro

m th

e ag

enci

es w

as re

ques

ted

as th

e al

tern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

cr

iteria

are

dev

elop

ed a

nd im

plem

ente

d. S

cree

ning

will

be

a th

ree

phas

e pr

oces

s. T

he fi

rst p

hase

will

look

at

requ

ired

alte

rnat

ive

conc

epts

and

thei

r abi

lity

to m

eet t

he P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed.

Alte

rnat

ive

conc

epts

m

ovin

g fo

rwar

d fro

m th

is p

hase

will

proc

eed

to th

e se

cond

pha

se a

nd b

e pr

elim

inar

y st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

. K

now

n co

nstra

ints

for t

hese

will

be

asse

ssed

bef

ore

proc

eedi

ng to

the

third

pha

se o

r qua

ntita

tive

anal

ysis

.

C-12

Pag

e 5

of 7

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

4/1

8/0

7

The

quan

titat

ive

anal

ysis

will

con

sist

of e

valu

atio

n cr

iteria

sim

ilar t

o w

hat h

as b

een

pres

ente

d in

the

past

as

part

of th

e m

erge

r pro

cess

.

An

over

all c

once

rn re

gard

ing

the

first

pha

se o

f the

qua

litat

ive

crite

ria w

as th

at th

ere

did

not a

ppea

r to

be

suffi

cien

t def

initi

on to

det

erm

ine

if a

conc

ept “

is c

onsi

sten

t with

sta

te o

r loc

al p

lans

”. N

arra

tives

des

crib

ing

how

con

cept

s m

eet o

r do

not m

eet c

ompo

nent

s of

the

Pre

limin

ary

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t will

be

prep

ared

by

NC

TA to

pro

vide

add

ition

al in

form

atio

n.

Q&

A: Whe

n w

ill th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent R

epor

t be

avai

labl

e?

The

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t Rep

ort w

ill be

com

plet

ed o

ver t

he n

ext s

ever

al m

onth

s as

the

traffi

c fo

reca

sts

are

read

y. G

iven

the

exte

nsiv

e hi

stor

y on

this

pro

ject

, NC

TA fe

els

com

forta

ble

mov

ing

forw

ard

with

th

e P

relim

inar

y P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent w

hile

det

aile

d st

udie

s an

d da

ta a

re g

athe

red

to fu

rther

su

bsta

ntia

te th

e st

atem

ent.

Are

you

pla

nnin

g on

hol

ding

pub

lic w

orks

hops

bef

ore

the

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d St

atem

ent R

epor

t is

com

plet

e?

NC

TA a

ntic

ipat

es h

ostin

g pu

blic

wor

ksho

ps in

Jun

e in

the

proj

ect a

rea.

The

se w

orks

hops

will

be fo

r pub

lic

scop

ing.

The

stu

dy a

rea,

Pre

limin

ary

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t, an

d co

ncep

tual

alte

rnat

ives

will

be

pres

ente

d.

Wha

t doe

s N

CTA

exp

ect f

rom

the

agen

cies

bef

ore

the

publ

ic w

orks

hops

with

resp

ect t

o P

relim

inar

y P

urpo

se

and

Nee

d?

As

note

d by

US

FWS

, thi

s pr

ojec

t has

a lo

ng h

isto

ry a

nd N

CTA

nee

ds to

dem

onst

rate

pro

gres

s on

the

stud

y.

NC

TA a

gree

s w

ith th

e U

SFW

S.

How

do

you

prov

ide

qual

itativ

e an

alys

es o

n a

broa

d al

tern

ativ

e co

ncep

t? A

re th

ere

scre

enin

g cr

iteria

that

can

be

use

d to

mea

sure

how

wel

l con

cept

s m

eet p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed?

N

CTA

will

prep

are

narra

tive

disc

ussi

ons

on th

e ab

ility

for e

ach

conc

ept t

o m

eet e

ach

elem

ent o

f pur

pose

and

ne

ed.

Alte

rnat

ive

conc

epts

that

do

not m

eet a

ny o

f the

se e

lem

ents

will

not b

e ca

rrie

d fo

rwar

d fo

r fur

ther

co

nsid

erat

ion;

how

ever

, tho

se th

at m

eet s

ome

of th

e el

emen

ts w

ill b

e ev

alua

ted

in th

e se

cond

leve

l scr

eeni

ng.

Pur

pose

and

nee

d w

ill o

nly

be u

sed

to s

cree

n al

tern

ativ

e co

ncep

ts (i

.e. T

DM

, TS

M, M

ass

Tran

sit,

etc.

); it

will

no

t be

used

to s

cree

n al

tern

ate

alig

nmen

ts o

r opt

ions

with

in a

con

cept

.

Can

the

num

ber o

f tol

l col

lect

ion

site

s be

inco

rpor

ated

into

the

scre

enin

g?

Toll

colle

ctio

n si

tes

will

not b

e un

ique

to a

ny o

ne b

uild

alte

rnat

ive.

The

y w

ill lik

ely

be s

imila

r acr

oss

all

alte

rnat

ives

. Pot

entia

l im

pact

s fro

m th

e to

ll co

llect

ion

site

foot

prin

t will

be in

clud

ed in

qua

ntita

tive

anal

yses

, and

N

CTA

will

con

side

r add

ing

a ro

w fo

r “N

umbe

r of T

oll C

olle

ctio

n S

ites”

to th

e ta

ble

of q

uant

itativ

e G

IS a

naly

sis.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill ad

d ve

rbal

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed o

n th

e pr

ojec

t stu

dy a

rea

and

Pre

limin

ary

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd

Nee

d S

tate

men

t in

the

com

men

t/res

pons

e ta

bles

. Th

ese

com

men

ts w

ere

adde

d an

d ar

e re

flect

ed in

the

revi

sed

vers

ions

of t

hese

tabl

es p

oste

d on

the

TEA

C

web

site

for A

pril

18.

N

CTA

will

dist

ribut

e re

vise

d co

mm

ent/r

espo

nse

tabl

es b

y A

pril

4th.

Rev

ised

tabl

es w

ere

post

ed to

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te o

n A

pril

4th.

A

genc

ies

prov

ide

com

men

ts o

n D

raft

Scr

eeni

ng P

roce

ss fo

r Alte

rnat

ives

by

Apr

il 13

th.

No

com

men

ts o

n th

e D

raft

Scr

eeni

ng P

roce

ss w

ere

rece

ived

prio

r to

this

mee

ting.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s w

ill re

view

all

new

and

revi

sed

resp

onse

s to

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed o

n th

e D

raft

Pre

limin

ary

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t by

May

2, 2

007

and

prov

ide

com

men

ts to

NC

TA.

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n D

raft

Scr

eeni

ng C

riter

ia b

y M

ay 2

, 200

7.

N

CTA

will

pres

ent f

irst a

nd s

econ

d le

vel s

cree

ning

resu

lts a

t the

May

17th

TE

AC

mee

ting.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e.

Pag

e 6

of 7

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

4/1

8/0

7

Dat

e:

A

pril

18, 2

007

4:20

pm

to 5

:00

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Con

fere

nce

Roo

m #

G-1

3-A

Sect

ion

6002

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Plan

Tem

plat

e:

Atte

ndee

s:D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e, U

SA

CE

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

M

arel

la B

unci

ck, U

SFW

S

John

Hen

ness

y, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

C

athy

Brit

tingh

am, N

CD

ENR

-DC

M

Ste

ve S

ollo

d, N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

M

arla

Cha

mbe

rs, N

CD

EN

R-W

RC

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

DEN

R-W

RC

B

ill M

alle

y, A

kin

Gum

p Je

nnife

r Har

ris, N

CTA

Jo

hn C

onfo

rti, N

CD

OT-

PDE

A

Cra

ig D

eal,

HN

TB

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Trac

y R

ober

ts, H

NTB

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls:(

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

US

AC

E C

omm

ents

on

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n (J

anua

ry 3

0, 2

007)

US

EP

A C

omm

ents

on

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n (F

ebru

ary

13, 2

007)

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M C

omm

ents

on

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n (M

arch

1, 2

007)

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C C

omm

ents

on

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n (M

arch

1, 2

007)

NC

DC

R-S

HPO

Com

men

ts o

n D

raft

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

(Feb

ruar

y 21

, 200

7)

N

CTA

Res

pons

e to

US

ACE

com

men

ts o

n D

raft

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

N

CTA

Res

pons

e to

oth

er a

genc

y co

mm

ents

on

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n

Rev

ised

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n Te

mpl

ate

(cha

nges

hig

hlig

hted

)

Rev

ised

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n Te

mpl

ate

(cha

nges

acc

epte

d)

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Four

prim

ary

area

s of

the

plan

wer

e di

scus

sed:

Se

ctio

n 6.

4 Is

sues

of C

once

rn

The

dist

inct

ion

betw

een

Issu

es o

f Con

cern

and

Gen

eral

Pro

ject

Issu

es w

as p

rovi

ded.

An

issu

e of

con

cern

, as

def

ined

in S

AFE

TEA

-LU

, wou

ld b

e an

issu

e in

the

agen

cy’s

opi

nion

that

cou

ld re

sult

in d

enia

l or

sign

ifica

nt d

elay

in is

suin

g a

perm

it, w

hile

a g

ener

al p

roje

ct is

sue

is a

rout

ine

com

men

t tha

t cou

ld b

e ra

ised

at

any

tim

e. Is

sues

of c

once

rn m

ay b

e br

ough

t up

by a

ny a

genc

y at

any

poi

nt in

the

proc

ess

but s

houl

d be

as

ear

ly a

s pr

actic

able

bas

ed o

n av

aila

ble

info

rmat

ion.

In a

dditi

on, N

CTA

may

ask

at a

ny p

oint

that

ag

enci

es id

entif

y is

sues

of c

once

rn. I

ssue

s of

con

cern

sho

uld

be d

ocum

ente

d in

writ

ing

with

in 3

0 da

ys o

f a

requ

est u

nles

s a

long

er ti

me

fram

e is

agr

eed

upon

.

NC

TA w

ill m

aint

ain

a lis

t of g

ener

al p

roje

ct is

sues

and

issu

es o

f con

cern

and

thei

r sta

tus

of w

heth

er th

ey

are

reso

lved

or p

endi

ng (S

ectio

n 6.

5 M

onito

ring

and

Upd

atin

g).

Sect

ion

6.7

Res

olvi

ng Is

sues

of C

once

rn

If ne

cess

ary,

NC

TA o

r the

Gov

erno

r may

requ

est a

mee

ting

to re

solv

e is

sues

of c

once

rn. T

his

wou

ld o

nly

be u

sed

for “

red

flag”

issu

es a

nd re

solu

tion

mus

t be

reac

hed

with

in 3

0 da

ys o

f the

mee

ting.

Gen

eral

pro

ject

issu

es th

at h

ave

not b

een

reso

lved

dur

ing

the

TEAC

mee

tings

can

be

elev

ated

to s

enio

r of

ficia

ls w

ithin

an

agen

cy. E

leva

tion

can

be in

voke

d by

any

TE

AC

mem

ber.

TEA

C m

embe

rs a

re to

iden

tify

seni

or o

ffici

als

with

in th

eir a

genc

y w

ho w

ould

be

invo

lved

in th

e el

evat

ion

proc

ess.

Sect

ion

12.2

Com

men

t Opp

ortu

nitie

s A

genc

ies

are

enco

urag

ed to

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n ag

ency

lette

rhea

d, e

spec

ially

whe

n ra

isin

g is

sues

of

conc

ern.

How

ever

, all

writ

ten

com

men

ts s

ubm

itted

by

agen

cies

, inc

ludi

ng c

omm

ents

sub

mitt

ed b

y em

ail,

will

be

acce

pted

and

con

side

red

in d

ecis

ion-

mak

ing.

C-13

Pag

e 7

of 7

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

4/1

8/0

7

The

coor

dina

tion

plan

tem

plat

e w

ill be

revi

sed

to c

larif

y th

at v

erba

l com

men

ts s

ubm

itted

at T

EA

C m

eetin

gs

will

also

be

acce

pted

.

Sect

ion

5.4

Mee

ting

Mat

eria

ls

NC

TA’s

goa

l is

to p

ost t

he a

gend

a an

d m

ater

ials

at l

east

two

wee

ks in

adv

ance

of T

EA

C m

eetin

gs.

In

som

e ca

ses,

mat

eria

ls w

ill b

e pr

ovid

ed le

ss th

an tw

o w

eeks

in a

dvan

ce, o

r will

be

circ

ulat

ed in

the

TEA

C

mee

ting.

NC

TA w

ill no

t see

k to

reso

lve

issu

es o

r obt

ain

final

age

ncy

com

men

ts o

n m

ater

ials

that

the

agen

cies

rece

ived

less

than

two

wee

ks in

adv

ance

of t

he m

eetin

g.

NC

TA w

ill pr

ovid

e pa

per c

opie

s of

all

mat

eria

ls a

t eac

h TE

AC

mee

ting,

in a

dditi

on to

pos

ting

mat

eria

ls o

n th

e TE

AC

web

site

. Lar

ge d

ocum

ents

that

wou

ld b

e di

fficu

lt fo

r age

ncie

s to

repr

oduc

e w

ill a

lso

be m

ade

avai

labl

e in

har

d co

py.

The

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

tem

plat

e is

nea

ring

com

plet

ion,

pen

ding

inco

rpor

atio

n of

any

rem

aini

ng c

omm

ents

rece

ived

fro

m th

e ag

enci

es b

y M

ay 2

, 200

7. B

oth

NC

TA a

nd th

e ag

enci

es a

gree

d th

at it

is ti

me

to a

dvan

ce to

the

proj

ect-

spec

ific

coor

dina

tion

plan

s.

Q&

A: Are

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A c

omfo

rtabl

e w

ith th

e re

vise

d co

ordi

natio

n pl

an?

Yes

, NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A fe

el th

at th

e co

ordi

natio

n pl

an a

ddre

sses

all

maj

or to

pics

.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s to

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n dr

aft S

ectio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n te

mpl

ate

and

proj

ect s

peci

fic

coor

dina

tion

plan

s by

Mar

ch 1

, 200

7.

Com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

from

US

AC

E, U

SE

PA

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M, N

CD

ENR

-WR

C, a

nd N

CD

CR

-SH

PO

.

NC

TA w

ill re

vise

and

circ

ulat

e th

e re

vise

d S

ectio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n te

mpl

ate

via

e-m

ail,

base

d on

th

e ag

enci

es’ c

omm

ents

. Th

e pl

an w

as re

vise

d an

d ci

rcul

ated

via

em

ail f

or re

view

follo

win

g th

e Fe

brua

ry 1

4th T

EA

C m

eetin

g. P

aper

co

pies

wer

e di

strib

uted

at t

he A

pril

18th T

EA

C m

eetin

g.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill re

vise

the

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

tem

plat

e to

sta

te th

at v

erba

l com

men

ts m

ade

by T

EA

C m

embe

rs

will

also

be

acce

pted

and

con

side

red

by N

CTA

.

Age

ncie

s to

pro

vide

any

rem

aini

ng c

omm

ents

on

the

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

tem

plat

e by

May

2, 2

007.

Res

olut

ions

:

Age

ncie

s ex

pres

sed

gene

ral s

atis

fact

ion

with

the

plan

.

NC

TA w

ill m

ove

forw

ard

with

dev

elop

men

t of t

he p

roje

ct-s

peci

fic c

oord

inat

ion

plan

s in

con

sulta

tion

with

FH

WA

and

the

TEA

C m

embe

rs.

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t – 5

/23/0

7 &

5/3

1/0

7

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

M

ay 2

3, 2

007

9:00

am

to N

oon

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Boa

rd R

oom

Pr

ojec

t:

TI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Rob

Aye

rs, F

HW

A

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Sco

tt M

cLen

don,

US

AC

E

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Chr

is M

ilitsc

her,

US

EP

A

John

Hen

ness

y, N

CD

WQ

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

WQ

M

issy

Dic

kens

, NC

DO

T - P

DE

A

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Den

ise

Cau

ley,

NC

TA

Cra

ig D

eal,

HN

TB

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Jo

hn P

age,

PB

C

hris

Llo

yd, P

B

Mik

e Fe

ndric

k, P

B

Don

Lew

is, P

BS

&J

Sam

Coo

per,

CZR

Je

ns G

erat

z, E

coS

cien

ce

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se &

Nee

d H

ando

ut

A

naly

sis

of C

once

ptua

l Alte

rnat

ives

Han

dout

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n H

ando

ut

A

pril

18, 2

007

TEA

C M

eetin

g M

inut

es

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) M

eetin

g –

East

C-14

Pag

e 2

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t – 5

/23/0

7 &

5/3

1/0

7

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Purp

ose

– Th

e pu

rpos

e of

the

mee

ting

was

to d

iscu

ss th

e st

atem

ent o

f pur

pose

and

nee

d, c

once

ptua

l al

tern

ativ

es, a

nd th

e an

alys

is o

f con

cept

ual a

ltern

ativ

es.

Stat

emen

t of P

urpo

se &

Nee

d –

Ther

e ar

e th

ree

elem

ents

of t

he M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tate

men

t of

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d: 1

) im

prov

e tr

affic

flow

on

US

158

and

NC

12;

2) r

educ

e tr

avel

tim

e fo

r tra

vel

betw

een

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

ainl

and

and

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y O

uter

Ban

ks; a

nd 3

) fac

ilita

te c

oast

al

evac

uatio

n fo

r use

rs o

f US

158

and

NC

168

.

oN

eed

to im

prov

e tra

ffic

flow

on

the

proj

ect a

rea’

s th

orou

ghfa

res

(US

158

and

NC

12)

. Th

ere

are

two

min

or d

iffer

ence

s be

twee

n th

e pr

opos

ed s

tate

men

t of p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

and

the

stat

emen

t the

NC

DO

T M

erge

r Tea

m c

oncu

rred

upon

in A

ugus

t 200

3. T

hese

are

the

iden

tific

atio

n of

US

158

and

NC

12

as th

e pr

ojec

t are

a’s

thor

ough

fare

s an

d el

imin

atin

g th

e re

fere

nce

to th

e su

mm

er w

eekd

ay p

eak

trave

l per

iods

, whi

ch re

flect

s th

e de

sire

not

to d

isre

gard

the

sum

mer

w

eeke

nd c

onge

stio

n w

hen

asse

ssin

g al

tern

ativ

es.

Def

icie

ncie

s w

ere

pres

ente

d in

term

s of

leve

l of

serv

ice

(LO

S),

volu

me

to c

apac

ity ra

tios

(V/C

), an

d le

ngth

of p

eak

dem

and

perio

d. I

t was

not

ed

that

LO

S ra

tings

of F

dom

inat

e m

uch

of th

e N

C 1

2 an

d U

S 1

58 ro

adw

ay li

nks

in 2

025

for w

eekd

ay

and

wee

kend

per

iods

.

oN

eed

to re

duce

trav

el ti

me

for p

erso

ns tr

avel

ing

betw

een

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

ainl

and

and

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y O

uter

Ban

ks.

This

nee

d st

atem

ent h

as n

ot b

een

chan

ged

from

the

stat

emen

t of p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

conc

urre

d up

on in

Aug

ust 2

003.

How

ever

, add

ition

al tr

avel

tim

e ru

ns w

ere

com

plet

ed a

nd th

e ef

fect

s of

in

ters

ectio

n de

lay

wer

e in

corp

orat

ed th

roug

h ap

plic

atio

n of

the

Syn

chro

traf

fic s

imul

atio

n pr

ogra

m.

This

info

rmat

ion

is n

ow in

clud

ed in

the

stat

emen

t of p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

repo

rt. T

rave

l tim

e fo

r ou

tbou

nd tr

ips

(from

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y O

uter

Ban

ks to

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

ainl

and)

dur

ing

the

sum

mer

wee

kday

will

incr

ease

48

perc

ent,

and

inbo

und

trips

(fro

m C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

mai

nlan

d to

C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

Out

er B

anks

) will

incr

ease

68

perc

ent b

y 20

25.

Dur

ing

the

sum

mer

wee

kend

co

nditi

on, t

he s

ame

outb

ound

and

inbo

und

trips

will

incr

ease

130

per

cent

and

138

per

cent

re

spec

tivel

y by

202

5. T

he m

ajor

ity o

f the

del

ay w

ill oc

cur i

n D

are

Cou

nty

in th

e D

uck

and

Sou

ther

n S

hore

s ar

eas

of N

C 1

2.

oN

eed

to fa

cilit

ate

coas

tal e

vacu

atio

n fo

r res

iden

ts a

nd v

isito

rs u

sing

US

158

and

NC

168

as

an

evac

uatio

n ro

ute.

This

nee

d st

atem

ent w

as m

odifi

ed fr

om th

at in

clud

ed in

the

2003

sta

tem

ent b

y re

mov

ing

the

cave

at

rela

ted

to p

rovi

ding

em

piric

al e

vide

nce

in s

uppo

rt of

the

need

, as

the

hurri

cane

eva

cuat

ion

stud

y co

mpl

eted

by

NC

DO

T de

mon

stra

tes

a cl

ear n

eed

for i

mpr

oved

em

erge

ncy

evac

uatio

n in

this

are

a.

Add

ition

ally

, for

cla

rific

atio

n, th

e st

atem

ent w

as re

vise

d fro

m “e

vacu

atio

n of

the

north

ern

Out

er

Ban

ks,”

to s

peci

fy th

e ev

acua

tion

rout

es (U

S 1

58 a

nd N

C 1

68).

Thi

s ch

ange

was

mad

e be

caus

e th

ere

wer

e qu

estio

ns re

gard

ing

the

exte

nt o

f the

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

need

to b

e in

clud

ed in

this

pr

ojec

t. T

he c

urre

nt c

lear

ance

tim

e fo

r the

se ro

utes

for t

he 2

030

No-

Bui

ld c

ondi

tion,

ass

umin

g a

75 p

erce

nt re

ntal

occ

upan

cy ra

te, a

cat

egor

y 3

stor

m, a

nd th

at o

ther

are

a TI

P p

roje

cts

are

in p

lace

is

just

und

er 3

6 ho

urs.

The

sta

te le

gisl

atur

e ha

s se

t an

18 h

our c

lear

ance

tim

e (d

efin

ed a

s th

e le

ngth

of t

ime

from

the

issu

ance

of a

n ev

acua

tion

orde

r unt

il al

l eva

cuee

s re

ach

a po

int o

f saf

ety)

as

the

benc

hmar

k fo

r saf

ely

evac

uatin

g th

e co

asta

l are

as.

The

assu

med

poi

nt o

f saf

ety

is I-

95 fo

r tra

vele

rs e

vacu

atin

g on

US

158

. Fo

r tho

se u

sing

NC

168

into

Virg

inia

, it i

s as

sum

ed th

at th

ey w

ill re

ach

a po

int o

f saf

ety

in th

e sa

me

time

as th

ose

usin

g U

S 1

58. E

nhan

cem

ents

to th

e U

S A

rmy

Cor

ps o

f Eng

inee

rs’ s

tate

wid

e hu

rric

ane

evac

uatio

n m

odel

for t

his

proj

ect,

incl

udin

g ad

ded

curr

ent

land

use

dat

a, tr

affic

det

ail a

t int

erse

ctio

ns, a

nd re

sults

from

per

man

ent t

raffi

c co

unt s

tatio

ns in

the

regi

on.

Alte

rnat

ives

– T

he c

onte

nts

of th

e an

alys

is o

f con

cept

ual a

ltern

ativ

es h

ando

ut w

ere

revi

ewed

. M

eetin

g pa

rtici

pant

s w

ere

enco

urag

ed to

revi

ew d

iscu

ssio

ns re

late

d to

the

non-

high

way

impr

ovem

ent a

ltern

ativ

es

(ferry

ser

vice

, tra

nsit,

and

shi

fting

rent

al ti

mes

) on

thei

r ow

n an

d ge

t bac

k to

the

NC

TA w

ith c

omm

ents

or

ques

tions

.

Pag

e 3

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t – 5

/23/0

7 &

5/3

1/0

7

Five

hig

hway

impr

ovem

ent a

ltern

ativ

es w

ere

deve

lope

d th

at b

est r

epre

sent

the

rang

e of

ava

ilabl

e al

tern

ativ

es fo

r con

side

ratio

n to

det

erm

ine

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es.

Two

of th

e fiv

e (E

R1

and

ER

2) a

re

non-

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

es in

volv

ing

impr

ovem

ents

to U

S 1

58 a

nd N

C 1

2. T

he d

iffer

ence

bet

wee

n E

R1

and

ER

2 is

the

4-la

ne v

ersu

s 3-

lane

impr

ovem

ents

to N

C 1

2 in

Dar

e C

ount

y. T

he re

mai

ning

thre

e al

tern

ativ

es

(MC

B1,

MC

B2, a

nd M

CB

3) a

re v

ario

us c

ombi

natio

ns o

f hig

hway

impr

ovem

ents

to U

S 1

58 a

nd N

C 1

2 w

ith

a ne

w 4

-lane

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

. Th

e im

prov

e ex

istin

g ro

adw

ay c

ompo

nent

s ar

e th

e sa

me

for M

CB

1 an

d E

R1,

with

the

only

diff

eren

ce b

eing

the

incl

usio

n of

a b

ridge

with

MC

B1.

Lik

ewis

e, M

CB

2 is

the

sam

e as

ER

2 w

ith th

e ad

ditio

n of

the

brid

ge.

MC

B3

is th

e br

idge

onl

y w

ith li

mite

d im

prov

emen

ts to

NC

12

and

US

158

. A

ll al

tern

ativ

es in

clud

e va

ryin

g im

prov

emen

ts to

US

158

in C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

to fa

cilit

ate

hurri

cane

ev

acua

tion.

Six

brid

ge c

orrid

or a

ltern

ativ

es (C

1 th

roug

h C

6) a

re b

eing

eva

luat

ed c

ompr

ised

of t

wo

term

ini o

n th

e O

uter

B

anks

and

thre

e te

rmin

i on

the

mai

nlan

d. T

he g

ener

al a

rea

for t

he s

ix b

ridge

loca

tions

was

det

erm

ined

in

the

stud

ies

for t

he19

98 D

EIS

. The

se c

orrid

ors

wer

e re

fined

for t

he c

urre

nt s

tudi

es to

acc

ount

for c

urre

nt

land

use

and

dev

elop

men

t.

Sect

ion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n Pl

an –

The

cur

rent

tem

plat

e D

raft

Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

was

upd

ated

to in

clud

e pr

ojec

t-spe

cific

info

rmat

ion

for t

he M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge p

roje

ct. A

genc

ies

wer

e as

ked

to re

view

the

proj

ect-s

peci

fic p

lan

and

prov

ide

com

men

ts. O

nce

com

men

ts a

re re

ceiv

ed a

nd

addr

esse

d, th

e pl

an w

ill b

e su

bmitt

ed to

FH

WA

for a

ppro

val.

Q&

A: NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q a

sked

if e

vacu

atio

n tim

es fo

r the

No-

Bui

ld A

ltern

ativ

e in

corp

orat

ed la

ne re

vers

al (c

ontra

flow

) on

US

158

.R

ever

sibl

e la

nes

wer

e co

nsid

ered

in th

e ev

alua

tion

of h

ighw

ay im

prov

emen

t alte

rnat

ives

for t

he B

uild

A

ltern

ativ

e. T

hey

wer

e no

t inc

lude

d in

the

No-

Bui

ld A

ltern

ativ

e cl

eara

nce

time

beca

use

reve

rsib

le la

nes

are

not

a cu

rrent

or p

lann

ed c

ompo

nent

of a

n ev

acua

tion

plan

for t

his

area

. Im

plem

enta

tion

of c

ontra

flow

wou

ld re

quire

at

a m

inim

um s

ome

oper

atio

nal a

ctio

ns.

FHW

A a

sked

if a

4-la

ne b

ridge

had

sim

ilar c

hara

cter

istic

s to

a 3

-lane

brid

ge.

In te

rms

of tr

avel

cha

ract

eris

tics,

a th

ree-

lane

brid

ge w

ould

ope

rate

in a

man

ner s

imila

r to

a fo

ur-la

ne b

ridge

on

the

sum

mer

wee

kend

whe

n th

e ce

nter

lane

cou

ld b

e re

vers

ed.

A th

ree-

lane

brid

ge w

ould

ope

rate

in a

man

ner

sim

ilar t

o a

two-

lane

brid

ge o

n su

mm

er w

eekd

ays

whe

n th

e ce

nter

lane

wou

ld n

ot b

e re

vers

ed b

ecau

se

dire

ctio

nal f

low

s w

ould

be

sim

ilar.

US

EP

A a

sked

how

brid

ge te

rmin

i wer

e de

term

ined

on

the

Out

er B

anks

. Th

e an

alys

is w

as c

ondu

cted

in 1

993

(NC

DO

T of

ficia

l map

stu

dy s

elec

ted

the

sout

hern

term

ini a

t Alb

acor

e S

treet

) and

199

5 (n

orth

ern

term

ini —

as a

par

t of a

ltern

ativ

es s

tudi

es fo

r the

199

8 D

EIS

pre

pare

d by

NC

DO

T).

Env

ironm

enta

lly, t

he te

rmin

i wer

e lo

cate

d ba

sed

phys

ical

con

stra

ints

suc

h as

wet

land

s, m

arsh

isla

nds,

and

co

mm

uniti

es.

US

AC

E a

sked

if th

e de

sign

s fo

r the

wid

enin

g on

NC

12

was

to o

ne s

ide

of N

C 1

2 in

the

4-la

ne w

iden

ing

optio

ns o

r if t

he s

ide

of th

e ro

ad v

arie

d to

redu

ce im

pact

s.

The

wid

enin

g w

as m

oved

or s

hifte

d fro

m o

ne s

ide

of th

e ro

ad to

the

othe

r to

min

imiz

e im

pact

s to

the

exte

nt

prac

tical

whi

le m

eetin

g ge

omet

ric d

esig

n cr

iteria

.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q q

uest

ione

d th

e tra

vel t

imes

for E

R1

vers

us M

CB

1..

In th

is c

ase,

trav

el ti

me

bene

fits

are

sim

ilar b

ecau

se c

onge

stio

n le

vels

on

NC

12

and

US

158

are

not

ably

di

ffere

nt b

etw

een

the

two

alte

rnat

ives

onl

y on

the

sum

mer

wee

kend

alo

ng U

S 1

58 in

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y. T

he

mos

t not

able

sav

ings

are

for t

hose

usi

ng th

e M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge. W

ith M

CB

1, tr

avel

tim

es u

sing

the

Wrig

ht

Mem

oria

l Brid

ge a

re d

ecre

ased

as

som

e tra

ffic

is d

iver

ted

to th

e ne

w b

ridge

.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q o

bser

ved

ther

e w

as n

ot a

sub

stan

tive

diffe

renc

e in

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

times

for t

he M

CB

al

tern

ativ

es c

ompa

red

to th

e E

R a

ltern

ativ

es in

Tab

le 3

. Th

is is

true

. The

con

trolli

ng ro

adw

ay s

egm

ents

for d

eter

min

ing

hurr

ican

e ev

acua

tion

times

are

US

158

and

N

C 1

68 in

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y; th

eref

ore,

impr

ovem

ents

to N

C 1

2 on

the

Out

er B

anks

or a

dditi

on o

f a M

id-

C-15

Pag

e 4

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t – 5

/23/0

7 &

5/3

1/0

7

Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

wou

ld n

ot im

pact

cle

aran

ce ti

mes

. Con

stru

ctio

n of

a M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge w

ould

redu

ce th

e le

ngth

of i

mpr

ovem

ents

requ

ired

to im

prov

e hu

rric

ane

evac

uatio

n tim

es o

n U

S 1

58 (f

rom

app

roxi

mat

ely

25 m

iles

to 5

mile

s).

US

EP

A s

ugge

sted

enh

ance

d fe

rry

oper

atio

ns o

r a c

ombi

natio

n of

ferr

y op

erat

ions

with

impr

ovem

ents

to

exis

ting

road

way

s sh

ould

be

cons

ider

ed in

lieu

of a

brid

ge.

The

team

agr

eed

to p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion

rela

ted

to th

e fe

rry a

ltern

ativ

e pr

ior t

o th

e ne

xt T

EA

C

mee

ting.

US

AC

E q

uest

ione

d th

e re

mov

al o

f the

“sum

mer

wee

kday

” fro

m th

e fir

st n

eed

stat

emen

t in

the

purp

ose

and

need

.In

traf

fic p

lann

ing,

pro

ject

s ar

e no

t des

igne

d to

acc

omm

odat

e th

e w

orst

cas

e sc

enar

io.

For e

xam

ple,

the

30th

high

est h

our o

f tra

ffic

volu

me

is c

omm

only

use

d in

urb

an a

reas

as

the

“des

ign

hour

ly v

olum

e” o

r the

futu

re

volu

mes

for w

hich

one

des

igns

a ro

ad im

prov

emen

t. F

or th

is p

roje

ct, t

raffi

c st

udie

s re

veal

ed th

at th

e su

mm

er

wee

kday

pea

k pe

riod

traffi

c vo

lum

e m

ost c

lose

ly re

pres

ents

the

typi

cal d

esig

n ho

urly

vol

ume.

How

ever

, we

have

reco

gniz

ed th

roug

hout

this

pro

ject

that

ther

e is

a s

ubst

antia

l con

gest

ion

prob

lem

on

the

sum

mer

wee

kend

th

at, b

ased

on

curr

ent t

raffi

c fin

ding

s, w

ill la

st 1

0 to

14

hour

s pe

r day

. Th

us, w

e ha

ve c

ontin

ued

to g

ener

ate

traffi

c st

atis

tics

for b

oth

the

sum

mer

wee

kday

and

the

sum

mer

wee

kend

and

con

tinue

to b

elie

ve it

is

appr

opria

te to

con

side

r bot

h su

mm

er w

eekd

ay a

nd w

eeke

nd tr

avel

ben

efits

in o

ur d

ecis

ion

mak

ing.

The

ch

ange

in th

e ne

ed s

tate

men

t affi

rms

the

rele

vanc

e of

the

sum

mer

wee

kend

dat

a. E

xam

inin

g bo

th a

llow

s us

to

perh

aps

mak

e a

deci

sion

that

an

alte

rnat

ive

with

not

able

redu

ctio

ns in

bot

h su

mm

er w

eekd

ay a

nd s

umm

er

wee

kend

con

gest

ion

has

as m

uch

mer

it as

an

alte

rnat

ive

that

elim

inat

es s

umm

er w

eekd

ay c

onge

stio

n w

hile

ha

ving

onl

y m

inim

al re

duct

ions

in s

umm

er w

eeke

nd c

onge

stio

n.

US

EP

A o

bser

ved

that

non

e of

the

build

alte

rnat

ives

mee

t the

18

hour

legi

slat

ive

hurr

ican

e cl

eara

nce

time

goal

. Tr

ue, b

ut a

ll al

tern

ativ

es re

duce

the

clea

ranc

e tim

e by

8.9

to 1

4.5

hour

s (2

5 pe

rcen

t to

40 p

erce

nt) o

ver t

he N

o-B

uild

Alte

rnat

ive.

The

18

hour

cle

aran

ce ti

me

set b

y th

e le

gisl

atur

e is

a g

oal r

athe

r tha

n a

polic

y.

US

EP

A a

nd N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

inqu

ired

abou

t the

crit

eria

use

d to

loca

te th

e in

terc

hang

e an

d to

ll bo

oth

at th

e br

idge

term

inus

on

US

158

, not

ing

that

it a

ppea

rs to

hav

e im

pact

s to

wet

land

s.

The

func

tiona

l des

igns

for t

he U

S 1

58 in

terc

hang

e an

d to

ll co

llect

ion

plaz

a w

ith th

e M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge w

ere

deve

lope

d to

kee

p th

ese

impr

ovem

ents

on

upla

nd a

s m

uch

as p

ossi

ble.

The

des

igns

will

be re

fined

dur

ing

prel

imin

ary

desi

gn to

furth

er a

void

and

min

imiz

e im

pact

s.

US

EP

A a

nd N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

ask

ed if

add

ition

al b

ridge

loca

tions

nor

th o

r sou

th o

f the

cur

rent

cor

ridor

s w

ere

cons

ider

ed.

The

alte

rnat

ives

stu

dies

com

plet

ed in

199

5 co

nsid

ered

cor

ridor

s fu

rther

nor

th a

nd fu

rther

sou

th. T

he re

sults

of

thes

e st

udie

s w

ere

sum

mar

ized

in th

e 19

98 D

EIS

. S

ever

al fa

ctor

s lim

it pl

acem

ent o

f a b

ridge

furth

er n

orth

, in

clud

ing

desi

re n

ot to

bui

ld a

new

hig

h le

vel b

ridge

acr

oss

the

Intra

coas

tal W

ater

way

and

NC

12’

s te

rmin

atio

n po

int o

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks.

The

loca

tion

of m

arsh

isla

nds

in th

e so

und,

pot

entia

l nei

ghbo

rhoo

d fra

gmen

tatio

n,

the

pres

ence

of t

he P

ine

Isla

nd W

ildlif

e R

efug

e, a

nd th

e ne

ed to

div

ert t

raffi

c fro

m N

C 1

2 lim

ited

plac

emen

t op

tions

furth

er s

outh

. NC

TA w

ill p

ost t

he a

ltern

ativ

es a

naly

sis

from

the

earli

er s

tudi

es o

n th

e TE

AC

web

site

and

w

ill di

scus

s th

e el

imin

atio

n of

add

ition

al b

ridge

loca

tions

at t

he J

une

TEA

C m

eetin

g.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q a

sked

how

per

mits

wou

ld b

e ha

ndle

d if

only

the

brid

ge c

an b

e bu

ilt b

y th

e N

CTA

and

the

road

im

prov

emen

ts w

ere

fund

ed la

ter b

y th

e N

CD

OT

or o

ther

s?

The

proj

ect i

s be

ing

prop

osed

as

one

actio

n. N

CTA

will

coor

dina

te w

ith th

e N

CD

OT

to e

nsur

e th

at p

roje

ct

elem

ents

am

ong

and

betw

een

the

road

way

and

brid

ge c

ompo

nent

s ca

n be

fund

ed.

Wha

t abo

ut th

e ne

xt T

EA

C m

eetin

g?

Nex

t mon

th’s

TE

AC

mee

ting

is e

xpec

ted

to b

e a

spot

light

for C

urrit

uck

to c

oncl

ude

disc

ussi

on o

n th

e S

tate

men

t of

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d to

dec

ide

whi

ch a

ltern

ativ

es to

adv

ance

into

det

aile

d st

udie

s.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA to

forw

ard

info

rmat

ion

pack

ages

on

Cur

rituc

k su

ffici

ently

ear

ly to

allo

w T

EA

C m

embe

rs a

full

revi

ew.

The

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d w

as d

istri

bute

d tw

o w

eeks

in a

dvan

ce o

f the

TE

AC

mem

bers

.

Pag

e 5

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t – 5

/23/0

7 &

5/3

1/0

7

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

stat

emen

t of p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

by J

une

6, 2

007.

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

conc

eptu

al a

ltern

ativ

es a

nd a

naly

sis

of c

once

ptua

l alte

rnat

ives

by

June

6,

200

7.

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n pr

ojec

t-spe

cific

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n by

Jun

e 6,

200

7.

NC

TA w

ill p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion

on th

e se

lect

ion

of th

e br

idge

cor

ridor

loca

tions

.

NC

TA w

ill pr

ovid

e ad

ditio

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

on th

e fe

rry a

ltern

ativ

e.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e

C-16

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t – 5

/23/0

7 &

5/3

1/0

7

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

(Dra

ft)

Dat

e:

M

ay 3

1, 2

007

9:30

am

to N

oon

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Boa

rd R

oom

Proj

ect:

TIP

R-2

576

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Stu

dy –

BR

S-O

OO

S(3

5)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

S

arah

McB

ride,

NC

DC

R-S

HP

O

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

DEN

R-W

RC

C

athy

Brit

tingh

am, N

CD

ENR

-DC

M

Jim

Hoa

dley

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Cra

ig D

eal,

HN

TB

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Jo

hn P

age,

PB

M

arle

na E

vere

tt, P

B

Mik

e Fe

ndric

k, P

B

Chr

is L

loyd

, PB

(via

pho

ne)

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se &

Nee

d H

ando

ut

A

naly

sis

of C

once

ptua

l Alte

rnat

ives

Han

dout

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n H

ando

ut

A

pril

18, 2

007

TEA

C M

eetin

g M

inut

es

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

This

mee

ting

was

a re

peat

of t

he M

ay 2

3 TE

AC

mee

ting

to p

rovi

de a

n op

portu

nity

for

agen

cy re

pres

enta

tives

that

cou

ld n

ot a

ttend

the

May

23

mee

ting

to d

iscu

ss th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed,

co

ncep

tual

alte

rnat

ives

, and

ana

lysi

s of

con

cept

ual a

ltern

ativ

es.

The

pres

enta

tion

was

the

sam

e as

that

des

crib

ed

in th

e m

inut

es o

f the

May

23

TEA

C m

eetin

g. A

dditi

onal

dis

cuss

ion

and

ques

tions

are

not

ed b

elow

.

Q&

A: NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

wha

t is

cons

ider

ed to

be

the

poin

t of s

afet

y fo

r eva

cuee

s.

I-95

is g

ener

ally

con

side

red

as th

e po

int o

f saf

ety.

Thi

s ap

plie

s to

peo

ple

evac

uatin

g vi

a U

S 1

58. F

or th

ose

evac

uatin

g vi

a N

C 1

68, t

he p

oint

of s

afet

y is

a lo

catio

n in

Virg

inia

that

wou

ld b

e re

ache

d in

a s

imila

r am

ount

of

time.

NC

DC

R-S

HPO

ask

ed if

impr

ovem

ents

to I-

95 w

ould

be

requ

ired,

sin

ce I-

95 is

the

desi

gnat

ed p

oint

of s

afet

y.

No

impr

ovem

ents

are

pro

pose

d on

I-95

in a

ssoc

iatio

n w

ith h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

n. I

-95

is th

e po

int w

here

it is

as

sum

ed th

at e

vacu

ees

are

out o

f har

ms

way

and

cle

aran

ce is

no

long

er a

n is

sue

for t

rans

porta

tion

plan

ning

pu

rpos

es.

NC

DC

R-S

HPO

que

stio

ned

the

stud

y ar

ea re

late

d to

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion.

Th

e st

udy

area

for t

he m

odel

incl

udes

all

the

coun

ties

east

of I

-95.

Im

prov

emen

ts in

the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

st

udy

area

sho

wn

in th

e ha

ndou

ts w

ill b

e ef

fect

ive

in re

duci

ng h

urric

ane

clea

ranc

e tim

es v

ia U

S 1

58 a

nd N

C

168.

Add

ition

al im

prov

emen

ts a

re n

ot n

eede

d ou

tsid

e th

at a

rea

to im

prov

e cl

eara

nce

times

for t

his

rout

e.

Pag

e 7

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t – 5

/23/0

7 &

5/3

1/0

7

US

FWS

sug

gest

ed a

fiel

d in

spec

tion

of th

e al

tern

ativ

es.

NC

TA a

gree

d an

d a

field

mee

ting

is a

ntic

ipat

ed fo

r Jul

y 10

, 200

7.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

why

alte

rnat

ive

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

furth

er s

outh

are

not

bei

ng c

onsi

dere

d.

An

alte

rnat

ive

furth

er s

outh

was

ass

esse

d in

the

1998

DE

IS a

nd n

ot c

arrie

d fo

rwar

d as

a d

etai

led

stud

y al

tern

ativ

e. T

he 1

998

DE

IS in

clud

es th

e fin

ding

s of

that

ass

essm

ent.

Brid

ge c

orrid

ors

in D

are

Cou

nty

have

ne

ver b

een

cons

ider

ed.

Rea

sons

for t

his

incl

ude

com

mun

ity im

pact

s in

the

heav

ily d

evel

oped

Dar

e C

ount

y O

uter

Ban

ks, t

he n

arro

w N

C 1

2 rig

ht-o

f-way

(60

feet

), an

d th

e pr

ojec

t’s d

efin

ition

as

a br

idge

ser

ving

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y O

uter

Ban

ks. N

CTA

will

post

the

alte

rnat

ives

ana

lysi

s fro

m th

e ea

rlier

stu

dies

on

the

TEAC

w

ebsi

te a

nd w

ill di

scus

s th

e el

imin

atio

n of

add

ition

al b

ridge

loca

tions

at t

he J

une

TEA

C m

eetin

g.

SH

PO

inqu

ired

abou

t whe

ther

reve

rsib

le la

nes

or c

ontra

flow

was

con

side

red.

Rev

ersi

ble

lane

s ar

e co

nsid

ered

to im

prov

e hu

rrica

ne c

lear

ance

tim

es a

s pa

rt of

the

high

way

impr

ovem

ent

alte

rnat

ives

. A

dditi

onal

ly, a

reve

rsib

le c

ente

r lan

e on

a th

ree-

lane

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

is b

eing

con

side

red.

It

wou

ld b

e ef

fect

ive

on s

umm

er w

eeke

nds

whe

n a

dist

inct

AM

and

PM

dire

ctio

nal s

plit

occu

rs.

US

FWS

ask

ed h

ow re

alis

tic it

was

to c

onsi

der t

he a

ltern

ativ

e w

ith fo

ur la

nes

on N

C 1

2 in

Dar

e C

ount

y (E

R1

and

MC

B1),

espe

cial

ly w

ith th

e hi

gh v

olum

e (1

80 d

ispl

acem

ents

) of c

omm

unity

/soc

ial i

mpa

cts

and

how

this

al

tern

ativ

e w

ould

affe

ct th

e is

sue

of c

onge

stio

n.

We

are

look

ing

at c

onge

stio

n is

sues

hol

istic

ally

, in

term

s of

how

muc

h co

nges

tion

we

wou

ld le

ave

in th

e sy

stem

w

ith e

ach

alte

rnat

ive.

Thi

s ve

ry is

sue

led

to th

e co

nsid

erat

ion

of a

ltern

ativ

es E

R2

and

MC

B2, w

hich

do

not

incl

ude

four

lane

s in

Dar

e C

ount

y on

NC

12.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

abo

ut th

e av

aila

bilit

y of

wat

er a

nd s

ewer

ser

vice

in th

e pr

ojec

t are

a.In

199

8, C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

cond

ucte

d a

stud

y to

iden

tify

how

new

wat

er s

ourc

es w

ould

be

dete

rmin

ed.

They

bu

ilt a

reve

rse

osm

osis

pla

nt, w

hich

will

mee

t the

nee

d fo

r wat

er fo

r pla

nned

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y O

uter

Ban

ks

deve

lopm

ent.

Sew

er s

ervi

ce is

pro

vide

d by

pac

kage

trea

tmen

t pla

nts.

US

FWS

ask

ed if

ther

e is

any

col

onia

l wat

er b

ird u

sage

of t

he m

arsh

isla

nd c

ross

ed b

y br

idge

cor

ridor

C3.

N

CTA

and

NC

DW

Q-W

RC

will

both

look

into

this

issu

e an

d pr

ovid

e an

ans

wer

at o

r bef

ore

the

next

TE

AC

m

eetin

g.

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C a

sked

if a

ll fiv

e hi

ghw

ay im

prov

emen

t alte

rnat

ives

wer

e ac

cept

able

bas

ed o

n pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed a

nd c

ost,

with

out c

onsi

derin

g th

e hu

man

/env

ironm

enta

l im

pact

s.

Ther

e is

a la

rge

amou

nt o

f dat

a to

con

side

r and

the

NC

TA is

stil

l in

the

proc

ess

of a

naly

zing

the

data

.

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C a

sked

if it

has

bee

n de

term

ined

whe

ther

all

of th

e al

tern

ativ

es a

re fe

asib

le fr

om th

e pe

rspe

ctiv

e of

affo

rdab

ility

. Th

e N

CTA

is lo

okin

g at

alte

rnat

ives

for f

inan

cing

the

proj

ect i

nclu

ding

reve

nue

bond

fina

ncin

g, T

IFIA

loan

s, o

r pu

blic

/priv

ate

partn

ersh

ips.

The

brid

ge h

as th

e op

portu

nity

to b

e to

lled.

Alte

rnat

ives

that

do

not i

nclu

de a

br

idge

can

not g

ener

ate

toll

reve

nue

beca

use

tolls

can

’t be

pla

ced

on e

xist

ing

faci

litie

s. W

ith a

pub

lic/p

rivat

e pa

rtner

ship

, it c

ould

be

poss

ible

to fi

nanc

e so

me

NC

12

and

US

158

impr

ovem

ents

, as

wel

l as

the

brid

ge.

Affo

rdab

ility

will

be c

onsi

dere

d du

ring

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng in

the

sele

ctio

n of

det

aile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

.

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C a

sked

how

per

mits

wou

ld b

e ha

ndle

d if

only

the

brid

ge c

an b

e bu

ilt b

y th

e N

CTA

and

the

road

im

prov

emen

ts w

ere

fund

ed la

ter b

y th

e N

CD

OT.

Th

e pr

ojec

t is

bein

g pr

opos

ed a

s on

e ac

tion.

NC

TA w

ill co

ordi

nate

with

the

NC

DO

T to

ens

ure

that

pro

ject

el

emen

ts a

mon

g an

d be

twee

n th

e ro

adw

ay a

nd b

ridge

com

pone

nts

will

be

effe

ctiv

ely

prog

ram

med

and

ph

ased

.

NC

ENR

-DC

M a

sked

if N

CTA

is s

ubje

ct to

the

equi

ty fo

rmul

a.

Mon

ey fu

nded

by

NC

DO

T (th

at c

omes

from

the

TIP

) wou

ld b

e su

bjec

ted

to th

e eq

uity

form

ula.

Fin

anci

ng fr

om

othe

r sou

rces

, inc

ludi

ng re

venu

e bo

nds,

fede

ral l

oans

, or p

ublic

/priv

ate

partn

ersh

ips,

wou

ld n

ot b

e su

bjec

t to

the

equi

ty fo

rmul

a.

FHW

A in

quire

d ab

out h

ow th

e w

etla

nd im

pact

s in

Tab

le 6

of t

he h

ando

ut w

ere

calc

ulat

ed.

C-17

Pag

e 8

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t – 5

/23/0

7 &

5/3

1/0

7

The

aver

age

wet

land

impa

cts

of th

e si

x br

idge

cor

ridor

s w

as u

sed

for t

he b

ridge

cor

ridor

com

pone

nt.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M in

quire

d ho

w th

e br

idge

term

ini o

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks w

ere

sele

cted

. Th

e an

alys

is w

as c

ondu

cted

in 1

993

(NC

DO

T of

ficia

l map

stu

dy s

elec

ted

the

sout

hern

term

ini a

t Alb

acor

e S

treet

) and

199

5 (n

orth

ern

term

ini —

as a

par

t of a

ltern

ativ

es s

tudi

es fo

r the

199

8 D

EIS

pre

pare

d by

NC

DO

T).

Env

ironm

enta

lly, t

he te

rmin

i wer

e se

lect

ed b

ased

phy

sica

l con

stra

ints

suc

h as

wet

land

s, m

arsh

isla

nd, a

nd

com

mun

ities

.

The

ques

tion

was

rais

ed a

bout

the

trave

l tim

es fo

r the

five

hig

hway

impr

ovem

ent a

ltern

ativ

es.

For s

peci

fic s

egm

ent o

rigin

s an

d de

stin

atio

ns th

e di

ffere

nces

are

not

dra

mat

ic, b

ut o

n a

syst

em w

ide

or n

etw

ork

basi

s th

e co

llect

ive

trave

l tim

e sa

ving

s di

ffere

nce

is n

otab

le.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

if S

AV

had

bee

n m

appe

d in

the

proj

ect a

rea

and

if N

CD

EN

R-D

MF

or N

MFS

had

bee

n co

ordi

nate

d w

ith.

US

AC

E w

ill be

com

plet

ing

a ba

thym

etric

sur

vey

of th

e pr

ojec

t are

a in

Jun

e an

d w

ill id

entif

y po

tent

ial S

AV

lo

catio

ns in

a re

port

due

this

sum

mer

. NC

DO

T-Ph

otog

ram

met

ry w

ill pr

ovid

e ae

rial p

hoto

grap

hy o

f the

stu

dy

area

, and

NC

DO

T-N

EU w

ill fie

ld c

heck

US

AC

E a

nd a

eria

l map

s. B

ased

on

rece

nt s

tudi

es c

ompl

eted

by

Eliz

abet

h C

ity S

tate

Uni

vers

ity, S

AV

in th

is a

rea

is c

once

ntra

ted

alon

g th

e sh

orel

ines

. NC

DE

NR

-DM

F an

d N

MFS

rece

ived

cop

ies

of th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

the

anal

ysis

of c

once

ptua

l alte

rnat

ives

, and

N

CTA

inte

nds

to c

onta

ct re

pres

enta

tives

of t

hose

age

ncie

s di

rect

ly to

eng

age

them

in th

e st

udy.

Wha

t abo

ut th

e ne

xt T

EA

C m

eetin

g?

Nex

t mon

th’s

TE

AC

mee

ting

is e

xpec

ted

to b

e a

spot

light

for C

urrit

uck

to c

oncl

ude

disc

ussi

on th

e S

tate

men

t of

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d to

dec

ide

whi

ch h

ighw

ay im

prov

emen

t alte

rnat

ives

to a

dvan

ce in

to d

etai

led

stud

ies.

A

deci

sion

on

whi

ch b

ridge

cor

ridor

s to

car

ry fo

rwar

d w

ill no

t be

final

ized

unt

il af

ter t

he fi

eld

trip.

Age

ncie

s re

ques

ted

that

this

pro

ject

be

disc

usse

d in

the

mor

ning

at t

he J

une

20 T

EA

C m

eetin

g.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA to

forw

ard

info

rmat

ion

pack

ages

on

Cur

rituc

k su

ffici

ently

ear

ly to

allo

w T

EA

C m

embe

rs a

full

revi

ew.

The

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d w

as d

istri

bute

d tw

o w

eeks

in a

dvan

ce o

f the

TE

AC

mem

bers

.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

stat

emen

t of p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

by J

une

13, 2

007.

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

conc

eptu

al a

ltern

ativ

es a

nd a

naly

sis

of c

once

ptua

l alte

rnat

ives

by

June

13

, 200

7.

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n pr

ojec

t-spe

cific

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n by

Jun

e 13

, 200

7.

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de a

vaila

bilit

y an

d pr

efer

red

date

s fo

r the

fiel

d vi

sit a

s so

on a

s po

ssib

le.

N

CTA

will

pro

vide

cop

ies

of th

e en

viro

nmen

tal c

onst

rain

ts m

appi

ng fo

r age

ncy

use

in c

omm

entin

g on

al

tern

ativ

es.

N

CTA

will

pro

vide

add

ition

al in

form

atio

n on

the

sele

ctio

n of

the

brid

ge c

orrid

or lo

catio

ns.

N

CTA

will

prov

ide

addi

tiona

l inf

orm

atio

n on

the

ferry

alte

rnat

ive.

NC

TA a

nd N

CD

ENR

-WR

C w

ill lo

ok in

to th

e us

e of

mar

sh is

land

s in

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

by

colo

nial

bird

s.

N

CTA

will

cont

act N

CD

ENR

-DM

F an

d N

MFS

to u

pdat

e th

em o

n th

e pr

ojec

t.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e

Pag

e 1

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) M

eetin

g

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Ju

ne 2

0, 2

007

9:00

AM

to N

oon

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

uild

ing

Gro

und

Floo

r Con

fere

nce

Roo

m (G

-13)

Proj

ect:

TIP

R-2

576

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

- BR

S-O

OO

S(3

5)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Gar

y Jo

rdon

, US

FWS

R

on S

echl

er, N

MFS

C

athy

Brit

tingh

am, N

CD

ENR

-DC

M

Jim

Hoa

dley

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Dav

id W

ainw

right

, NC

DEN

R-D

WQ

Tr

avis

Wils

on, N

CD

ENR

-WR

C

Sar

ah M

cBrid

e, N

CD

CR

-HP

O

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Den

ise

Cau

ley,

NC

TA

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT

C

raig

Dea

l, H

NTB

A

nne

Red

mon

d, H

NTB

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

John

Pag

e, P

B

Chr

is L

loyd

, PB

M

ike

Fend

rick,

PB

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

H

ando

uts

# 5

(Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es C

ompa

rison

), 6

(199

5 C

ompa

rison

of B

ridge

A

ltern

ativ

es),

& 7

(Res

pons

e to

Age

ncy

Com

men

ts M

ay 2

3 to

Jun

e 12

, 200

7)

D

raft

Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

Ju

ly 1

0, 2

007

Fiel

d R

evie

w In

form

atio

n

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Purp

ose

- The

pur

pose

of t

he m

eetin

g w

as to

add

ress

and

fina

lize

com

men

ts a

nd c

once

rns

on p

roje

ct

purp

ose

and

need

, pro

vide

add

ition

al d

ata

and

answ

er q

uest

ions

rega

rdin

g al

tern

ativ

es, d

istri

bute

ano

ther

dr

aft o

f the

Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan,

and

to p

rovi

de lo

gist

ical

and

pre

para

tory

info

rmat

ion

rega

rdin

g th

e Ju

ly 1

0th fi

eld

revi

ew.

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

6/2

0/0

7

C-18

Pag

e 2

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

Purp

ose

& N

eed

– Th

ere

are

thre

e el

emen

ts o

f the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d;im

prov

e tr

affic

flow

on

US

158

and

NC

12,

redu

ce tr

avel

tim

e fo

r tra

vel b

etw

een

the

Cur

rituc

k m

ainl

and

and

the

Out

er B

anks

and

faci

litat

e co

asta

l eva

cuat

ion

for u

sers

of U

S 1

58 a

nd N

C 1

68.

US

AC

E

expr

esse

d co

ncer

n ab

out t

he c

onsi

dera

tion

of b

oth

sum

mer

wee

kday

and

sum

mer

wee

kend

traf

fic fl

ow

cond

ition

s (s

ee H

ando

ut #

7, M

eetin

g C

omm

ent #

4).

That

con

cern

rela

ted

to w

heth

er o

r not

suc

h an

as

sum

ptio

n w

ould

aut

omat

ical

ly p

recl

ude

road

wid

enin

g al

tern

ativ

es.

The

issu

e w

as le

ft op

en u

ntil

afte

r th

e di

scus

sion

of h

ow tr

affic

flow

was

add

ress

ed in

the

alte

rnat

ives

com

paris

on.

Afte

r the

alte

rnat

ives

di

scus

sion

, the

US

AC

E a

gree

d w

ith th

e w

ordi

ng a

s pr

opos

ed b

y th

e N

CTA

.

Non

-Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es F

ollo

w u

p –

Add

ition

al in

form

atio

n re

late

d to

a fe

rry a

ltern

ativ

e w

as p

rovi

ded

in H

ando

ut #

7, in

clud

ing

ferr

y se

rvic

e op

erat

iona

l, en

viro

nmen

tal a

nd c

apita

l cos

t co

mpa

rison

s to

ach

ieve

a le

vel o

f ser

vice

com

para

ble

to th

e br

idge

alte

rnat

ives

. To

ser

ve s

imila

r am

ount

s of

traf

fic, a

ppro

xim

atel

y 40

ferri

es w

ould

be

requ

ired.

Thi

s, a

long

with

the

envi

ronm

enta

l im

pact

s an

d co

st,

mak

e th

e op

tion

not f

easi

ble.

In a

dditi

on, f

erry

ser

vice

wou

ld n

ot b

enef

it hu

rrica

ne e

vacu

atio

n, a

s N

CD

OT

shut

s do

wn

ferr

y op

erat

ions

12

hour

s be

fore

gal

e fo

rce

win

ds a

rriv

e, th

us e

limin

atin

g th

e ab

ility

of fe

rry

serv

ice

to m

eet e

vacu

atio

n ne

eds

durin

g pa

rt of

the

peak

eva

cuat

ion

perio

d. T

here

fore

, im

prov

emen

ts to

U

S 1

58 w

ould

be

requ

ired

betw

een

the

Wrig

ht M

emor

ial B

ridge

and

NC

168

at B

arco

. Thi

s an

alys

is w

as

base

d on

traf

fic v

olum

es p

roje

cted

to u

se a

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

. NC

DEN

R-W

RC

and

NC

DC

R-S

HP

O

ackn

owle

dged

and

agr

eed

that

the

ferr

y al

tern

ativ

e is

not

feas

ible

.

No

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

on

the

othe

r non

-hig

hway

impr

ovem

ent a

ltern

ativ

es; t

here

fore

, NC

TA is

goi

ng

to p

roce

ed w

ith th

e co

nclu

sion

that

the

non-

high

way

impr

ovem

ent a

ltern

ativ

es a

re n

ot fe

asib

le. T

his

will

be

fully

doc

umen

ted

in th

e D

EIS

.

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es –

Han

dout

# 5

con

tain

s re

visi

ons

to in

form

atio

n pr

ovid

ed d

urin

g th

e pr

ior M

ay 2

3rd T

EA

C m

eetin

g in

Han

dout

#4,

Tab

le 6

. A

dditi

ons

to th

e ta

ble

incl

uded

affo

rdab

ility

fact

ors,

in

form

atio

n fro

m H

ando

ut #

4, T

able

3 re

late

d to

env

ironm

enta

l im

pact

s, re

vise

d rig

ht o

f way

cos

t est

imat

es,

and

revi

sed

bond

fina

ncin

g es

timat

es.

The

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

wer

e no

t dis

cuss

ed; t

hey

will

be

revi

ewed

in th

e fie

ld o

n Ju

ly 1

0 an

d di

scus

sed

furth

er

at th

e Ju

ly 1

8 TE

AC

mee

ting.

Sev

eral

que

stio

ns w

ere

gene

rate

d:

oN

CD

EN

R-D

CM

and

US

EPA

ask

ed h

ow th

e bo

nd re

venu

e an

d TI

FIA

fund

ing

was

dev

elop

ed?

The

NC

TA’s

fina

ncia

l adv

isor

, PFM

, dev

elop

ed th

e bo

nd re

venu

e fo

reca

st a

nd th

e TI

FIA

loan

am

ount

. TI

FIA

will

gene

rally

fina

nce

1/3

of th

e co

nstru

ctio

n co

st.

oN

CD

EN

R-W

RC

ask

ed w

hy th

e M

CB

3 al

tern

ativ

e w

as th

e on

ly a

ltern

ativ

e el

igib

le fo

r Pub

lic P

rivat

e P

artn

ersh

ip (P

PP

) fun

ding

? T

he M

CB

3 al

tern

ativ

e ha

s th

e sm

alle

st fu

ndin

g ga

p ($

51.2

M) a

nd a

s su

ch is

mor

e at

tract

ive

to th

e pr

ivat

e se

ctor

as

ther

e w

ould

be

less

cap

ital a

t ris

k. A

lso,

the

addi

tiona

l cos

t for

MC

B2

and

MC

B1

is a

ll in

wid

enin

g ex

istin

g ro

ads,

incl

udin

g U

S 1

58 e

ast o

f the

W

right

Mem

oria

l Brid

ge.

It is

dou

btfu

l tha

t any

priv

ate

partn

er w

ould

be

willi

ng to

take

the

adde

d ris

k of

reco

verin

g fro

m b

ridge

tolls

, a w

iden

ing

proj

ect 2

0 m

iles

away

. o

NC

DC

R-H

PO in

quire

d ab

out t

he a

vaila

bilit

y of

PP

P fu

ndin

g on

the

exis

ting

Wrig

ht M

emor

ial

Brid

ge.

Cur

rent

Nor

th C

arol

ina

law

pro

hibi

ts th

e pl

acem

ent o

f tol

ls o

n ex

istin

g no

n-to

ll fa

cilit

ies.

The

follo

win

g ob

serv

atio

ns a

nd s

ugge

stio

ns w

ere

mad

e re

late

d to

the

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es:

o

ER

1 - h

igh

capi

tal c

ost a

nd h

igh

disp

lace

men

ts -

sugg

est e

limin

atin

g th

is a

ltern

ativ

e,

o

ER

2 –

low

ben

efit

trave

l ben

efits

, sug

gest

elim

inat

ing

this

alte

rnat

ive,

o

M

CB

1 –

high

dis

plac

emen

ts a

nd h

igh

capi

tal c

ost,

sugg

est e

limin

atin

g th

is a

ltern

ativ

e,

o

MC

B2

– pe

rform

s w

ell i

n tra

vel b

enef

its, h

igh

capi

tal c

ost,

sugg

est e

limin

atin

g th

is a

ltern

ativ

e, s

ince

M

CB

2 is

a s

ubse

t of M

CB

3 if

fund

ing

is a

vaila

ble

from

NC

DO

T at

som

e tim

e in

the

futu

re, t

he p

art

of M

CB

2 no

t in

MC

B3

coul

d be

bui

lt an

d is

not

pre

clud

ed b

y M

CB

3, s

ugge

st e

limin

atin

g th

is

alte

rnat

ive.

o

MC

B3

– sm

alle

st fu

ndin

g sh

ortfa

ll of

all

alte

rnat

ives

, ach

ieve

s m

uch

of th

e tra

vel b

enef

its o

f MC

B2,

su

gges

t con

side

ring

this

alte

rnat

ive

furth

er.

Pag

e 3

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

Mee

ting

With

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y –

a re

cent

mee

ting

(Jun

e 8,

200

7) w

ith C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

offic

ials

(Cou

nty

Com

mis

sion

er, C

ount

y M

anag

er a

nd C

ount

y P

lann

er) h

ighl

ight

ed th

e fo

llow

ing

poin

ts in

the

Cou

nty’

s po

sitio

n on

brid

ge c

orrid

or lo

catio

ns:

o

The

Cou

nty

wan

ts to

redu

ce th

e nu

mbe

r of b

ridge

alte

rnat

ives

if p

ossi

ble.

The

y ar

e lim

iting

de

velo

pmen

t in

the

corr

idor

s as

muc

h as

pos

sibl

e un

til a

dec

isio

n on

a c

orrid

or is

mad

e.

o

The

Cou

nty

pref

ers

the

C6

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

e be

caus

e th

e C

ount

y C

omm

issi

oner

s ha

ve c

omm

itted

to

the

com

mun

ity o

f Ayd

lett

to a

dvoc

ate

a lo

w c

omm

unity

impa

ct a

ltern

ativ

e.

o

The

Cou

nty

will

ultim

atel

y su

ppor

t any

of t

he s

ix b

ridge

alte

rnat

ives

.o

Th

e C

ount

y cl

arifi

ed th

e ex

tent

of i

mpa

ct o

n a

new

sub

divi

sion

that

occ

upie

s th

e lo

catio

n of

the

north

ern

Out

er B

anks

term

inus

alte

rnat

ive

(C1,

C3,

and

C5)

. o

Th

e C

ount

y pr

efer

s th

e so

uthe

rn O

uter

Ban

ks T

erm

inus

alte

rnat

ive

but d

id h

ave

conc

erns

rela

ted

to th

e fu

nctio

nal d

esig

n’s

appr

oach

to a

djus

ting

stre

et a

nd d

rivew

ay a

cces

s ne

ar th

e br

idge

/NC

12

inte

rsec

tion.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M p

oint

ed o

ut th

at C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

has

a re

cent

ly-a

ppro

ved

CA

MA

land

use

pla

n an

d th

at

the

brid

ge s

houl

d be

con

sist

ent w

ith w

hat i

s pr

esen

ted

in th

e pl

an. T

his

will

be a

con

side

ratio

n du

ring

perm

ittin

g.

Sect

ion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n Pl

an –

a re

vise

d co

ordi

natio

n pl

an w

as d

istri

bute

d. A

dditi

onal

co

mm

ents

sho

uld

be p

rovi

ded

by J

uly

5, 2

007.

The

coo

rdin

atio

n pl

an w

ill b

e su

bmitt

ed to

FH

WA

for

appr

oval

.

Fiel

d R

evie

w J

uly

10, 2

007

– ho

tel a

ccom

mod

atio

ns w

ere

disc

usse

d, th

e iti

nera

ry fo

r the

10th

will

be

map

ped

out i

n ad

vanc

e, a

nd w

ill be

dis

cuss

ed th

e ev

enin

g of

the

9th a

t the

Ham

pton

Inn

in E

lizab

eth

City

at

8:00

PM

. Tr

ansp

orta

tion

optio

ns d

urin

g th

e fie

ld tr

ip w

ere

disc

usse

d. C

loth

ing

and

safe

ty m

easu

res

wer

e su

gges

ted.

A c

ell p

hone

num

ber w

ill be

pro

vide

d to

all

field

revi

ew p

artic

ipan

ts th

e w

eek

befo

re th

e ev

ent.

Q&

A:

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M w

ould

like

to k

now

the

acre

s of

CA

MA

wet

land

s br

idge

d.

This

will

be

prep

ared

. C

AMA

wet

land

s ar

e co

nfin

ed to

the

Out

er B

anks

sou

nd-s

ide

shor

elin

e.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

lso

requ

este

d th

at S

AV

impa

cts

be q

uant

ified

and

map

ped.

Eliz

abet

h C

ity S

tate

Uni

vers

ity (E

CS

U) i

s de

velo

ping

a c

ompa

rison

of S

ubm

erge

d A

quat

ic V

eget

atio

n (S

AV

) in

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

und

er c

urre

nt c

ondi

tions

vs.

50

year

s ag

o. P

B w

ill ge

t tha

t dat

a fo

r use

by

the

agen

cies

prio

r to

a de

cisi

on o

n br

idge

cor

ridor

s. A

dditi

onal

dat

a w

ill be

pro

vide

d as

ava

ilabl

e fro

m a

n on

goin

g U

SAC

E b

athy

met

ric s

urve

y an

d N

CD

OT

aeria

l pho

togr

aphy

of t

he p

roje

ct s

tudy

are

a. I

f lat

er

map

ping

reve

als

chan

ges

need

to b

e m

ade

in c

orrid

or d

ecis

ions

, the

NC

TA is

will

ing

to c

onsi

der s

uch

chan

ges.

US

FWS

and

NC

DC

R-H

PO in

quire

d ab

out s

tatu

s of

Aud

ubon

Soc

iety

pro

perty

hol

ding

s bo

th in

term

s of

re

stric

tive

cove

nant

s an

d th

e U

SFW

S c

ompa

tibili

ty d

eter

min

atio

n.

US

FWS

cla

rifie

d th

at th

e pr

oper

ty is

not

a N

atio

nal W

ildlif

e R

efug

e, a

nd th

eref

ore

will

not r

equi

re a

co

mpa

tibilit

y de

term

inat

ion.

The

Aud

ubon

Soc

iety

pro

perty

is a

lso

not a

Sec

tion

4(f)

reso

urce

.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

nd U

SFW

S in

itiat

ed in

quiri

es re

gard

ing

the

treat

men

t of e

vacu

atio

n tim

es a

mon

g th

e C

urrit

uck

alte

rnat

ives

and

oth

er N

CD

OT

proj

ects

. Th

e is

sue

conc

erne

d co

nsis

tenc

y in

app

licat

ion

of th

e st

ate

legi

slat

ive

goal

of 1

8 ho

urs

to a

chie

ve a

saf

e ev

acua

tion.

The

pro

ject

alte

rnat

ives

cur

rent

ly e

xhib

it a

rang

e of

21

to 2

7 ho

urs

evac

uatio

n tim

e. T

he U

S 6

4 pr

ojec

t was

cite

d as

an

exam

ple

whe

re a

no-

build

27

hour

eva

cuat

ion

time

was

to b

e im

prov

ed u

pon.

A

mee

ting

betw

een

the

NC

TA a

nd N

CD

OT

is c

urre

ntly

sch

edul

ed to

add

ress

this

issu

e.

US

FWS

ask

ed h

ow d

irect

iona

l con

tra fl

ow la

nes

are

to b

e m

anag

ed a

nd e

nfor

ced.

D

irect

iona

l con

tra fl

ow la

nes

will

be

eval

uate

d fo

r rel

evan

ce, s

afet

y, a

nd p

erfo

rman

ce.

It w

as a

lso

emph

asiz

ed th

at e

vacu

atio

n tim

es a

re n

ot re

duce

d w

ithou

t roa

d im

prov

emen

ts to

US

158

.

C-19

Pag

e 4

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

Bas

ed o

n a

com

men

t FH

WA

que

stio

ned

the

abili

ty o

f MC

B3

to m

eet t

he p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

as it

rela

tes

to

hurr

ican

e ev

acua

tion

sinc

e th

e be

st ti

me

that

can

be

achi

eved

is 2

6.2

vers

us 2

1.4

with

the

othe

r al

tern

ativ

es.

The

diffe

renc

e is

that

MC

B3 d

oes

not i

nclu

de a

third

nor

thbo

und/

wes

tbou

nd la

ne o

n U

S 1

58 b

etw

een

the

Wrig

ht M

emor

ial B

ridge

and

NC

12.

The

NC

TA w

as a

gree

able

to a

ddin

g th

is c

ompo

nent

to M

CB

3 to

cr

eate

an

MC

B4

for f

urth

er c

onsi

dera

tion.

Ther

e w

ere

com

mon

age

ncy

ques

tions

rega

rdin

g th

e co

mpa

rison

of t

raffi

c vo

lum

es a

nd L

evel

of S

ervi

ce

betw

een

ER

2 an

d th

e br

idge

alte

rnat

ives

. P

B o

bser

ved

that

the

traffi

c an

d tra

vel d

eman

d ev

alua

tion

for t

his

proj

ect c

over

ed a

bro

ad g

eogr

aphi

c ar

ea,

cons

ider

ing

a w

ider

net

wor

k be

yond

the

imm

edia

te b

ridge

. Th

is is

sim

ilar t

o N

CD

OT

thor

ough

fare

pl

anni

ng.

Veh

icle

-mile

s of

trav

el is

the

met

ric u

sed

for m

easu

ring

the

perfo

rman

ce o

f alte

rnat

ive

syst

ems

or n

etw

orks

and

thus

is a

ppro

pria

te fo

r the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

pro

ject

.

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C n

oted

that

sec

onda

ry c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

ana

lysi

s w

as c

ruci

al a

s th

e br

idge

alte

rnat

ives

pr

ovid

e m

ore

dire

ct a

cces

s to

the

coas

t and

will

indu

ce d

evel

opm

ent,

parti

cula

rly in

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y.

Eas

t Car

olin

a U

nive

rsity

is u

nder

con

tract

to h

elp

NC

TA e

stim

ate

chan

ges

in d

evel

opm

ent p

atte

rns

with

the

proj

ect a

ltern

ativ

es, i

nclu

ding

the

pote

ntia

l for

a n

ew b

ridge

to b

ring

in m

ore

day

trips

from

Ham

pton

Roa

ds.

One

loca

tion

for p

oten

tial i

nduc

ed d

evel

opm

ent i

s on

the

mai

nlan

d ne

ar th

e br

idge

term

inus

.

Sev

eral

age

ncie

s in

quire

d ab

out t

he tr

affic

and

trav

el d

eman

d up

date

to 2

035

and

will

that

evo

ke a

re-

eval

uatio

n of

all

of th

e al

tern

ativ

es in

ligh

t of n

ew d

ata?

H

oriz

on y

ear d

ecis

ions

are

cur

rent

ly u

nder

revi

ew b

y FH

WA

. Th

e N

CTA

will

revi

sit a

ltern

ativ

es s

elec

tion

deci

sion

s if

it ap

pear

s w

arra

nted

with

the

use

of a

late

r des

ign

year

. How

ever

, the

cur

rent

dat

a (2

025)

as

sum

es fu

ll bu

ild o

ut o

f the

road

-acc

essi

ble

Out

er B

anks

, and

NC

TA d

oes

not a

ntic

ipat

e th

at u

pdat

ing

the

info

rmat

ion

to a

late

r des

ign

year

wou

ld im

pact

alte

rnat

ives

dec

isio

ns.

NC

WR

C a

sked

abo

ut th

e co

ndem

natio

n po

wer

s of

the

NC

TA.

NC

TA d

oes

have

con

dem

natio

n au

thor

ity.

NC

DO

T w

ill ow

n an

y rig

ht-o

f-way

pur

chas

ed.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

stat

emen

t of p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

by J

une

6, 2

007.

[C

omm

ents

wer

e re

ceiv

ed fr

om N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

]

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

conc

eptu

al a

ltern

ativ

es a

nd a

naly

sis

of c

once

ptua

l alte

rnat

ives

by

Ju

ne 6

, 200

7.

[Com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

from

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q]

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n pr

ojec

t-spe

cific

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n by

Ju

ne 6

, 200

7.

[No

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

]

NC

TA w

ill p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion

on th

e se

lect

ion

of th

e br

idge

cor

ridor

loca

tions

. [T

he 1

995

Alte

rnat

ives

Com

paris

on re

port

was

pos

ted

to th

e TE

AC

site

follo

win

g th

e M

ay m

eetin

g an

d is

in

clud

ed in

Han

dout

6]

N

CTA

will

prov

ide

addi

tiona

l inf

orm

atio

n on

the

ferry

alte

rnat

ive.

[H

ando

ut 7

con

tain

s ad

ditio

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

on th

e fe

rry

alte

rnat

ive]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA a

nd P

B w

ill co

ntin

ue to

sea

rch

for m

ore

stat

e ra

te a

ccom

mod

atio

ns fo

r the

Fie

ld R

evie

w o

n Ju

ly 1

0.

N

CTA

, FH

WA

and

PB

will

cont

inue

to a

ddre

ss th

e m

erits

of t

he p

roje

ct c

onfig

urat

ion

and

brid

ge lo

catio

n al

tern

ativ

es.

A

genc

ies

prov

ide

com

men

ts o

r que

stio

ns b

y Ju

ly 1

7, 2

007

on H

ighw

ay Im

prov

emen

t Alte

rnat

ives

.

Age

ncie

s pr

ovid

e an

y qu

estio

ns b

y Ju

ly 1

7, 2

007

on p

revi

ous

stud

y fin

ding

s on

brid

ge c

orrid

or

loca

tions

.

NC

TA a

nd P

B w

ill pr

ovid

e ac

res

of C

AMA

wet

land

s af

fect

ed b

y br

idge

cor

ridor

s C

1 to

C6.

Con

duct

fiel

d vi

sit o

f brid

ge c

orrid

ors

on J

uly

10.

Pag

e 5

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

Res

olut

ions

:

NC

TA a

sked

all

agen

cies

if th

ere

wer

e an

y ob

ject

ions

or f

urth

er c

omm

ents

on

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

an

d N

eed

as la

st p

rese

nted

and

with

the

ques

tions

as

addr

esse

d in

this

mee

ting

and

in th

e ha

ndou

ts.

Ther

e w

ere

no fu

rther

com

men

ts, c

once

rns,

que

stio

ns, o

r obj

ectio

ns. N

CTA

will

proc

eed

with

the

curre

nt

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d.

N

on-h

ighw

ay im

prov

emen

t alte

rnat

ives

will

not b

e st

udie

d in

det

ail,

as th

ey a

re n

ot fe

asib

le. T

his

will

be

disc

usse

d fu

lly in

the

DE

IS.

C-20

Pag

e 6

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

Dat

e:

Ju

ne 2

0, 2

007

1:30

pm

to 3

:00

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

uild

ing

Gro

und

Floo

r Con

fere

nce

Roo

m (G

-13)

Proj

ect:

TIP

R-3

329

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or –

NH

F-74

(21)

T

IP R

-255

9 M

onro

e B

ypas

s –

NH

F-74

(8)

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or /

Byp

ass

Spot

light

:

Atte

ndee

s:

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

M

arel

la B

unci

ck, U

SFW

S (v

ia p

hone

) S

teve

Lun

d, U

SA

CE

(via

pho

ne)

Mar

la C

ham

bers

, NC

DE

NR

-WR

C

Pol

ly L

espi

nass

e, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

Jo

hn C

onfo

rti, N

CD

OT

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Den

ise

Cau

ley,

NC

TA

Cra

ig D

eal,

HN

TB

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Mic

hael

Glo

den,

Eco

Sci

ence

R

oss

And

rew

s, E

coS

cien

ce

Jill

Gur

ak, P

BS&

J C

arl G

ibila

ro, P

BS

&J

Kie

rste

n G

iugn

o, P

BS

&J

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

P

roje

ct N

ewsl

ette

r

Citi

zens

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

p (C

IW) P

ower

Poi

nt S

lide

Pre

sent

atio

n

1” =

100

0’ P

roje

ct M

appi

ng w

ith p

relim

inar

y co

rrid

ors

C

IW D

ispl

ay B

oard

s

CIW

Com

men

t For

m

P

relim

inar

y S

tudy

Cor

ridor

s M

ap

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Purp

ose

– R

evie

w m

ater

ials

for t

he C

itize

ns In

form

atio

n W

orks

hops

(CIW

) to

be h

eld

on J

une

25 a

nd 2

6,

2007

.

New

slet

ter/W

orks

hop

Han

dout

– A

ppro

xim

atel

y 27

,000

cop

ies

of th

e ne

wsl

ette

r wer

e m

aile

d to

pro

perty

ow

ners

and

resi

dent

s in

the

proj

ect s

tudy

are

a. T

he w

orks

hop

hand

out i

nclu

des

the

sam

e in

form

atio

n as

th

e ne

wsl

ette

r; ho

wev

er, i

nfor

mat

ion

abou

t the

dat

es a

nd lo

catio

ns o

f the

wor

ksho

ps w

as re

mov

ed to

allo

w

spac

e fo

r a la

rger

map

.

Dis

play

Boa

rds

– Th

e di

spla

y bo

ards

con

tain

ing

proj

ect i

nfor

mat

ion

(stu

dy a

rea,

pro

ject

pur

pose

and

ne

ed, p

roje

ct p

roce

ss, a

nd p

roje

ct s

ched

ule)

wer

e pr

esen

ted

and

revi

ewed

. US

FWS

sug

gest

ed a

n ad

ditio

nal b

oard

exp

lain

ing

wha

t pur

pose

and

nee

d is

and

why

it is

impo

rtant

.

Map

ping

– La

rge-

scal

e pr

ojec

t map

s (1

” = 1

,000

’) sh

owin

g th

e pr

elim

inar

y st

udy

corr

idor

s w

ere

revi

ewed

an

d di

scus

sed.

Lar

ger m

aps

(1” =

500

’) w

ill b

e sh

own

at th

e w

orks

hops

. The

bas

e m

ap is

the

mos

t cur

rent

ae

rial p

hoto

grap

hy, f

low

n fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t in

Janu

ary

2007

. Th

e st

udy

corri

dors

are

gen

eral

ly 1

,000

feet

Pag

e 7

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

wid

e w

ith s

ome

enla

rged

are

as w

here

pre

limin

ary

inte

rcha

nges

hav

e be

en id

entif

ied.

The

map

ping

sho

ws

hist

oric

dis

trict

s, w

ater

shed

dra

inag

e ba

sins

, nei

ghbo

rhoo

ds,

Dev

elop

men

t in

the

wes

tern

por

tion

of th

e pr

ojec

t is

dens

er th

an in

the

east

, and

sch

ools

, chu

rche

s, a

nd g

old

min

es a

re s

how

n. A

n im

porta

nt n

ote

was

mad

e th

at d

urin

g fin

al d

esig

n ge

olog

ic c

onst

rain

ts m

ay a

rise

from

the

use

of la

rge

equi

pmen

t in

area

s pr

evio

usly

min

ed.

Pres

enta

tion

– A

Pow

erP

oint

slid

esho

w th

at w

ill ru

n co

ntin

uous

ly a

t bot

h C

IWs

was

pre

sent

ed a

nd th

e sc

ript w

as re

view

ed.

CIW

Com

men

t For

m –

FH

WA

sug

gest

ed re

visi

ng th

e co

mm

ent f

orm

to in

clud

e qu

estio

ns a

skin

g sp

ecifi

cally

abo

ut th

e pr

ojec

t pur

pose

and

nee

d to

ens

ure

that

the

publ

ic h

as th

e op

portu

nity

to c

omm

ent

on p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed,

in c

ompl

ianc

e w

ith S

ectio

n 60

02 re

quire

men

ts. T

he d

eadl

ine

for p

ublic

com

men

ts

will

be J

uly

27, 2

007.

Wor

ksho

p Fo

rmat

-- N

CTA

, Mec

klen

burg

-Uni

on M

PO (M

UM

PO

), N

CD

OT,

and

pro

ject

team

mem

bers

will

be a

t var

ious

sta

tions

aro

und

the

room

. A

Pow

erP

oint

pre

sent

atio

n w

ill ru

n on

a c

ontin

uous

loop

for t

he

publ

ic to

vie

w u

pon

ente

ring

the

wor

ksho

p. N

CTA

sta

ff w

ill be

ava

ilabl

e to

ans

wer

gen

eral

turn

pike

-rela

ted

ques

tions

. MU

MP

O s

taff

will

be p

rese

nt to

sol

icit

inpu

t reg

ardi

ng to

lling

the

Byp

ass

sect

ion

of th

e pr

ojec

t.

MU

MP

O in

tend

s to

mak

e a

deci

sion

rega

rdin

g to

lling

at th

eir m

eetin

g in

Sep

tem

ber 2

007.

NC

DO

T rig

ht-o

f-w

ay s

taff

will

be a

vaila

ble

to d

iscu

ss th

e ac

quis

ition

pro

cess

, whi

ch th

e gr

oup

agre

ed w

ould

be

a pr

imar

y co

ncer

n of

man

y of

the

CIW

atte

ndee

s. I

t is

antic

ipat

ed th

at s

ever

al q

uest

ions

rega

rdin

g th

e pr

evio

usly

pu

rcha

sed

right

of w

ay in

Sec

tions

B a

nd C

of t

he M

onro

e B

ypas

s w

ill ar

ise

at th

e C

IW.

Larg

e-sc

ale

map

s (1

” = 5

00’)

wou

ld b

e pl

aced

in th

e ce

nter

of t

he ro

om w

ith a

dequ

ate

spac

ing

betw

een

for

peop

le to

circ

ulat

e. A

dis

play

boa

rd w

ill be

pre

pare

d sh

owin

g a

key

to th

e ar

eas

cove

red

by e

ach

shee

t, as

on

e se

t inc

lude

s 7

shee

ts.

This

key

will

also

be

incl

uded

on

each

map

.

Loca

l stre

et m

aps

will

be b

roug

ht to

the

CIW

to a

ssis

t the

pub

lic in

find

ing

thei

r res

pect

ive

prop

ertie

s. I

t w

as a

lso

note

d th

at it

is ty

pica

l to

get q

uest

ions

rega

rdin

g ot

her T

IP p

roje

cts

in th

e ar

ea a

nd th

at s

houl

d su

ch q

uest

ions

aris

e to

dire

ct th

em to

the

NC

DO

T st

aff.

It w

as s

ugge

sted

that

a m

ap in

clud

ing

othe

r TIP

pr

ojec

ts in

the

proj

ect v

icin

ity b

e in

clud

ed a

t the

CIW

.

Oth

er D

iscu

ssio

n:E

xist

ing

and

2030

No-

Build

traf

fic fo

reca

sts

have

bee

n re

ceiv

ed a

nd th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort i

s be

ing

prep

ared

for d

istri

butio

n an

d di

scus

sion

at t

he n

ext T

EA

C m

eetin

g. A

fter t

he P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort

has

been

pre

pare

d, w

ork

will

con

tinue

on

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng.

Mee

tings

/con

fere

nce

calls

are

bei

ng s

ched

uled

with

indi

vidu

al a

genc

ies

to d

iscu

ss th

e sc

ope

of w

ork,

stu

dy

area

, and

met

hodo

logi

es fo

r the

indi

rect

and

cum

ulat

ive

effe

cts

(ICE

) stu

dy. T

he fi

rst m

eetin

g w

ill b

e w

ith

US

FWS

and

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C o

n Ju

ne 2

9, 2

007.

Q&

A: At l

ast m

onth

’s T

EA

C m

eetin

g, M

UM

PO

exp

ress

ed s

ome

conc

erns

abo

ut p

relim

inar

y co

rrid

ors

loca

ted

sout

h of

U

S 7

4. W

hat w

as th

e re

actio

n fro

m o

ther

loca

l sta

ff re

gard

ing

thes

e co

rrid

ors?

O

ther

loca

l sta

ff ha

d si

mila

r con

cern

s, p

artic

ular

ly w

ith p

relim

inar

y co

rrid

ors

thro

ugh

the

city

of M

onro

e w

hich

co

ntai

ns s

ever

al h

isto

ric p

rope

rties

. Als

o, th

ere

wer

e co

ncer

ns a

bout

pot

entia

l im

pact

s to

the

Mon

roe

Reg

iona

l A

irpor

t.

It w

ould

be

valu

able

to s

how

wat

ersh

ed c

onst

rain

ts o

n th

e pr

ojec

t map

ping

. A

re th

ere

any

criti

cal a

reas

in

addi

tion

to w

ater

sup

ply

wat

ersh

eds?

N

o, th

ere

are

no c

ritic

al w

ater

shed

are

as.

How

muc

h do

tolls

usu

ally

cos

t?

Tolls

for t

ype

of fa

cilit

y av

erag

e be

twee

n 10

cen

ts a

nd 1

5 ce

nts

per m

ile fo

r a p

asse

nger

car

.

C-21

Pag

e 8

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

Dra

ft S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n by

Jun

e 1,

200

7.

No

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

.

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

addi

tiona

l con

stra

ints

for c

onsi

dera

tion

by J

une

1, 2

007.

No

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

.

NC

TA w

ill po

st c

opie

s of

the

land

sui

tabi

lity

map

ping

and

Pow

erPo

int p

rese

ntat

ion

from

the

TEA

C m

eetin

g on

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te.

Thes

e ite

ms

wer

e po

sted

to th

e TE

AC

web

site

.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill re

vise

CIW

pre

sent

atio

n m

ater

ials

and

com

men

t for

m a

s su

gges

ted.

NC

TA to

sch

edul

e m

eetin

gs w

ith in

divi

dual

age

ncie

s to

dis

cuss

sco

pe o

f wor

k fo

r IC

E s

tudy

.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e.

Pag

e 9

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

Dat

e:

Ju

ne 2

0, 2

007

3:00

pm

to 4

:30

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

uild

ing

Gro

und

Floo

r Con

fere

nce

Roo

m (G

-13)

Proj

ect:

TIP

U-3

321

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or –

STP

-121

3(6)

Gas

ton

East

-Wes

t Con

nect

or S

potli

ght:

Atte

ndee

s:

G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A S

teve

Lun

d, U

SA

CE

-Ash

eville

(via

pho

ne)

Pol

ly L

espi

nass

e, N

CD

WQ

M

arla

Cha

mbe

rs, N

CW

RC

M

arel

la B

unci

ck, U

SFW

S (v

ia p

hone

) D

eway

ne S

ykes

, NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n Je

nnife

r Har

ris, N

CTA

R

oss

And

rew

s, E

coS

cien

ce C

orp.

A

nne

Red

mon

d, H

NTB

Je

ff D

ayto

n, H

NTB

Ji

ll G

urak

, PBS

&J

Lou

Ray

mon

d, P

BS

&J

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls (P

oste

d on

TEA

C S

ite):

M

eetin

g A

gend

a

Pre

sent

atio

n

Tabl

e H

ando

ut

S

tream

s an

d W

etla

nds

Map

Seg

men

t 1

S

tream

s an

d W

etla

nds

Map

Seg

men

t 2

S

tream

s an

d W

etla

nds

Map

Seg

men

t 3

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Min

utes

– T

he m

inut

es fr

om th

e M

ay 1

7, 2

007

mee

ting

have

bee

n po

sted

on

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te.

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

pro

vide

furth

er u

pdat

es o

n re

cent

ly c

ompl

eted

/ong

oing

env

ironm

enta

l an

d te

chni

cal s

tudi

es, f

ield

ver

ifica

tion

mee

tings

, and

nex

t ste

ps to

war

ds th

e D

EIS

. T

he N

CTA

requ

este

d co

mm

ents

, iss

ues,

and

con

cern

s fro

m th

e ag

enci

es re

gard

ing

envi

ronm

enta

l iss

ues

base

d on

the

rece

ntly

co

mpl

eted

stu

dies

. Pr

esen

tatio

n –

A p

ower

poin

t pre

sent

atio

n w

as u

sed

in th

e di

scus

sion

. Is

sues

cov

ered

in th

e pr

esen

tatio

n in

clud

ed th

e de

cisi

on to

stu

dy to

ll-on

ly a

ltern

ativ

es in

the

DE

IS, r

ecen

tly c

ompl

eted

Pha

se II

his

toric

re

sour

ce s

urve

ys a

nd th

e ar

chae

olog

ical

reso

urce

sur

veys

, fie

ld v

erifi

catio

n m

eetin

gs fo

r wet

land

s,

stre

ams,

and

pon

ds, a

nd o

ther

upd

ates

on

spec

ial t

echn

ical

stu

dies

, eng

inee

ring

desi

gns,

com

mun

ity

char

acte

ristic

s, a

nd to

ll tra

ffic

fore

cast

s w

ere

prov

ided

.

The

pres

enta

tion

info

rmat

ion

is s

umm

ariz

ed b

elow

:

Toll

Alte

rnat

ive

o

In F

ebru

ary

2007

, a d

ecis

ion

was

mad

e by

bot

h N

CTA

and

NC

DO

T to

pro

ceed

with

onl

y ev

alua

ting

toll

alte

rnat

ives

in th

e D

EIS

. Th

is d

ecis

ion

was

bas

ed o

n co

nsid

erat

ion

that

the

NC

DO

T do

es n

ot

have

suf

ficie

nt fu

ndin

g w

ithin

the

fore

seea

ble

futu

re to

impl

emen

t the

pro

ject

as

a no

n-to

ll fa

cilit

y.

Toll

Col

lect

ion

o

No

cash

lane

s ar

e in

clud

ed in

the

desi

gn o

f the

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or fo

r the

ope

ning

yea

r of

2015

. Th

e de

sign

s at

the

inte

rcha

nges

will

be

base

d on

acc

omm

odat

ing

elec

troni

c to

ll co

llect

ion

only

.

C-22

Pag

e 10

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

Rec

ently

Com

plet

ed S

tudi

es

H

isto

ric A

rchi

tect

ural

Res

ourc

es

o

The

Pha

se II

repo

rt pr

epar

ed b

y M

atts

on, A

lexa

nder

and

Ass

ocia

tes

(MA

&A

) was

com

plet

ed in

M

ay 2

007

and

revi

ewed

by

NC

DO

T.

o

A m

eetin

g w

as h

eld

on J

une

12, 2

007

with

HP

O, N

CD

OT

and

MA

&A to

revi

ew p

rope

rties

iden

tifie

d in

the

Pha

se II

repo

rt. 1

52 o

f the

180

wer

e de

term

ined

not

elig

ible

and

a c

oncu

rren

ce fo

rm w

as

sign

ed fo

r tho

se p

rope

rties

. N

CD

OT

and

HP

O in

dica

ted

that

the

rem

aini

ng p

rope

rties

requ

ire m

ore

info

rmat

ion

to b

e ad

ded

to th

e P

hase

II re

port.

Afte

r rev

iew

of t

he a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion,

the

NC

DO

T w

ill de

term

ine

the

elig

ibilit

y fo

r the

Nat

iona

l Reg

iste

r of t

hese

pro

perti

es.

.

Arc

haeo

logi

cal R

esou

rces

o

A

Fin

al A

rcha

eolo

gica

l Ass

essm

ent p

repa

red

by C

oast

al C

arol

ina

Res

earc

h w

as s

ubm

itted

, re

view

ed, a

nd a

ppro

ved

by N

CD

OT.

The

y w

ill su

bmit

the

repo

rt to

the

Offi

ce o

f Sta

te A

rcha

eolo

gy

(OS

A).

N

atur

al R

esou

rces

o

Fi

eld

verif

icat

ion

mee

tings

for w

etla

nds,

stre

ams,

and

pon

ds w

ere

com

plet

ed in

Seg

men

t 1 (S

&ME

) an

d S

egm

ent 2

(JH

Car

ter a

nd A

ssoc

iate

s).

Seg

men

t 3 (t

he C

aten

a G

roup

) will

be c

ompl

eted

Ju

ne 2

5-26

, 200

7. E

coS

cien

ce p

rese

nted

a d

etai

led

sum

mar

y of

the

wet

land

s, s

tream

s, a

nd

pond

s by

Seg

men

t inc

ludi

ng th

e ev

alua

tion

fact

ors

and

biol

ogic

al fe

atur

es.

o

E

arth

Tec

h w

ill as

sem

ble

the

final

Nat

ural

Sys

tem

s R

epor

t tha

t sum

mar

izes

all

cons

ulta

nts’

wor

k up

on re

ceip

t of t

he d

raft

repo

rts fr

om e

ach

of th

e th

ree

subc

onsu

ltant

s. T

he d

ocum

ent i

s ex

pect

ed

to b

e co

mpl

eted

in e

arly

fall.

.

S

peci

al T

echn

ical

Stu

dies

o

W

ithin

Seg

men

t K1D

, the

Alle

n S

team

Sta

tion

had

a si

te s

uita

bilit

y st

udy

perfo

rmed

for t

he d

orm

ant

fly a

sh b

asin

as

a po

ssib

le la

ndfil

l site

. Th

e N

CD

OT

Geo

tech

nica

l Uni

t rev

iew

ed th

e st

udy,

and

, af

ter c

onsi

derin

g se

vera

l opt

ions

, det

erm

ined

that

brid

ging

of t

he fl

y as

h ba

sin

was

the

only

re

ason

able

and

feas

ible

opt

ion,

if th

is s

egm

ent w

ere

chos

en.

The

poss

ible

brid

ging

of t

he fl

y as

h ba

sin

was

furth

er d

iscu

ssed

with

the

NC

DO

T S

truct

ure

Des

ign

Uni

t and

they

indi

cate

d th

ey c

ould

pr

ovid

e co

st e

stim

ates

on

this

stru

ctur

e at

a la

ter t

ime,

if n

eces

sary

.

Ong

oing

Stu

dies

o

P

relim

inar

y E

ngin

eerin

g de

sign

and

traf

fic o

pera

tions

ana

lyse

s w

ork

are

both

pro

ceed

ing

conc

urre

ntly

with

dra

ft co

mpl

etio

n da

tes

of O

ctob

er a

nd J

une

(this

mon

th),

resp

ectiv

ely.

o

Ty

pica

l sec

tions

, mai

nlin

e sh

ifts

base

d on

fiel

d su

rvey

s, a

nd in

terc

hang

e co

nfig

urat

ions

wer

e pr

esen

ted.

Tw

o ex

ampl

es o

f the

mai

nlin

e sh

ifts

wer

e sh

own

alon

g w

ith s

ever

al e

xam

ples

of t

he

inte

rcha

nge

conf

igur

atio

n ch

ange

s (c

hang

es fr

om th

e fu

nctio

nal d

esig

n) b

ased

on

the

rece

ntly

co

mpl

eted

his

toric

and

nat

ural

reso

urce

sur

veys

.

o

Wor

k on

the

Com

mun

ity C

hara

cter

istic

s R

epor

t has

beg

un a

nd s

take

hold

er in

terv

iew

s ar

e in

the

proc

ess

of b

eing

sch

edul

ed.

o

M/A

/B is

pre

parin

g to

ll tra

ffic

fore

cast

s fo

r the

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

(DS

As) a

nd is

on

sche

dule

for c

ompl

etio

n in

Aug

ust 2

007.

The

ir ba

se y

ear m

odel

wor

k ha

s be

en c

ompl

eted

and

th

ey a

re s

tarti

ng o

n th

e 20

30 m

odel

runs

.

Nex

t Ste

ps T

owar

ds D

raft

Envi

ronm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent (

DEI

S)

o

Indi

rect

and

Cum

ulat

ive

Effe

cts

(ICE)

stu

dies

are

in th

e sc

opin

g pr

oces

s an

d w

ill be

sta

rting

soo

n.

o

Afte

r com

plet

ion

of th

e fie

ld v

erifi

catio

n m

eetin

gs, a

dditi

onal

pro

gres

s on

the

prel

imin

ary

desi

gns,

an

d de

term

inat

ions

of e

ligib

ility

by th

e H

PO

, it i

s be

lieve

d th

at s

ome

of th

e D

SA

cor

ridor

s m

ay b

e ca

ndid

ates

for e

limin

atio

n pr

ior t

o in

clus

ion

in th

e D

EIS

. A

s th

is in

form

atio

n be

com

es a

vaila

ble,

it

will

be p

rese

nted

to th

e en

viro

nmen

tal a

genc

ies.

Thi

s in

form

atio

n w

ill lik

ely

be p

rese

nted

nea

r the

en

d of

the

year

.o

To

ll tra

ffic

fore

cast

s ar

e on

sch

edul

e to

be

com

plet

e in

Aug

ust 2

007

and

ther

eafte

r, to

ll tra

ffic

capa

city

ana

lysi

s w

ould

be

done

.

o

NC

TA d

escr

ibed

the

Gas

ton

MP

O’s

reso

lutio

ns to

cha

nge

the

nam

e of

TIP

Pro

ject

U-3

321

to th

e G

arde

n P

arkw

ay.

U-3

321

is a

lread

y na

med

Gar

den

Par

kway

in th

e S

TIP

, but

R-2

608

is a

wai

ting

Pag

e 11

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

6/2

0/0

7

chan

ge to

the

US

321

Byp

ass.

Whe

n th

e na

me

chan

ge is

effe

ctiv

e in

the

STI

P, t

he n

ame

chan

ge

wou

ld b

e ad

opte

d at

that

poi

nt fo

rwar

d by

the

NC

TA.

o

Fi

eld

visi

ts fo

r nat

ural

reso

urce

s an

d hi

stor

ic re

sour

ces

can

be s

ched

uled

if th

ere

is in

tere

st fr

om

the

reso

urce

age

ncie

s. N

CTA

sol

icite

d av

aila

ble

date

s fro

m th

e ag

enci

es.

Q&

A:

How

will

tolls

be

colle

cted

if th

ere

are

no c

ash

lane

s?

Cas

hles

s to

ll co

llect

ion

likel

y w

ill us

e tra

nspo

nder

s an

d ca

mer

as a

t tol

l col

lect

ion

poin

ts o

n th

e m

ainl

ine

and

on th

e in

terc

hang

e ra

mps

. Th

e ca

mer

as w

ill c

aptu

re li

cens

e pl

ates

of v

ehic

les

that

don

’t ha

ve

trans

pond

ers.

The

regi

ster

ed o

wne

rs o

f tho

se v

ehic

les

will

be

mai

led

notic

es.

The

foot

prin

t nee

ded

for t

his

type

of t

oll c

olle

ctio

n is

not

muc

h di

ffere

nt th

an a

non

-toll

faci

lity.

Diff

eren

ces

exis

t prim

arily

on

the

ram

ps.

On

and

off r

amps

requ

ire a

cer

tain

leng

th o

f tan

gent

road

way

sec

tion

to p

rovi

de s

ight

dis

tanc

e fo

r the

toll

colle

ctio

n ca

mer

as, w

hich

als

o in

clud

es lo

op ra

mps

. C

onsi

dera

tion

for t

his

is b

eing

inco

rpor

ated

into

the

prel

imin

ary

engi

neer

ing

desi

gns.

Hav

e th

ere

been

any

dis

cuss

ions

with

EE

P?

Y

es, N

CTA

is a

ctiv

ely

coor

dina

ting

with

EE

P.

NC

TA p

lans

to s

ubm

it a

requ

est f

or a

pha

sed

appr

oach

to

miti

gatio

n, w

ith th

e fir

st p

hase

bei

ng fr

om N

C 2

79 to

I-48

5. D

ue to

the

size

of t

he p

roje

ct, a

pha

sed

appr

oach

is p

ract

ical

, and

EE

P is

rece

ptiv

e to

pla

nnin

g m

itiga

tion

in th

e sa

me

way

.

Wha

t abo

ut th

e ne

xt T

EA

C m

eetin

g?

In th

e ne

xt c

oupl

e of

mon

ths,

NC

TA w

ill be

con

cent

ratin

g on

com

plet

ing

field

ver

ifica

tion

mee

tings

and

ot

her o

ngoi

ng s

tudi

es.

A s

potli

ght m

eetin

g pr

obab

ly w

ill no

t be

held

for a

cou

ple

mon

ths.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

N

CTA

and

Eco

Sci

ence

will

wor

k on

with

the

reso

urce

age

ncie

s on

sch

edul

ing

som

e na

tura

l res

ourc

e fie

ld

tour

s an

d w

ill c

onta

ct th

e H

PO

to g

auge

thei

r int

eres

t in

sche

dulin

g a

field

vis

it fo

r his

toric

reso

urce

s.

Res

olut

ions

:

N

one

C-23

Mid

-Curr

ituck

Bridge

– F

ield

Vis

it

Pa

ge

1of

3

ME

ET

ING

SU

MM

AR

Y

July

10,

200

7 Fi

eld

Vis

it

Atte

ndee

s:G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e, U

SA

CE

Te

d B

iste

rfeld

, US

EP

A

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Chr

is M

ilitsc

her,

US

EP

A

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

R

on S

echl

er, N

MFS

Jo

hn H

enne

ssy,

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Dav

id W

ainw

right

, NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Jim

Hoa

dley

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Ste

ve L

ane,

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Sar

a W

insl

ow, N

CD

EN

R-D

MF

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

DE

NR

-WR

C

Sar

ah M

cBrid

e, N

CD

CR

-HP

O

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Je

ns G

erat

z, E

coS

cien

ce

John

Pag

e, P

B

Chr

is L

loyd

, PB

Bill

Ric

e, P

B

Rol

and

Rob

inso

n, P

B

Sam

Coo

per,

CZR

Tr

avis

Bro

wn,

CZR

Purp

ose:

The

pur

pose

of t

he fi

eld

mee

ting

was

to a

llow

the

envi

ronm

enta

l age

ncie

s th

e op

portu

nity

to re

view

and

com

men

t on

the

six

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

unde

r con

side

ratio

n fo

r the

Mid

-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge.

Sum

mar

y of

Pre

-Fie

ld V

isit

Brie

fing

(Jul

y 9,

200

7 8:

00P

M a

t Ham

pton

Inn,

Eliz

abet

h C

ity)

Sum

mar

y of

Fie

ld V

isit:

Atte

ndee

s m

et a

t 8:0

0AM

at t

he O

ld C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

Cou

rthou

se a

nd b

oard

ed v

ans

prov

ided

by

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y. B

ridge

cor

ridor

s w

ere

visi

ted

in th

e fo

llow

ing

orde

r: o

N

orth

ern

Out

er B

anks

site

(C1,

C3,

and

C5)

o

S

outh

ern

Out

er B

anks

site

(C2,

C4,

and

C6)

o

N

orth

ern

Mai

nlan

d si

te (C

1 an

d C

2)

o

Mid

dle

Mai

nlan

d si

te (C

3 an

d C

4)/S

outh

ern

Mai

nlan

d si

te (C

5 an

d C

6)

o

Wet

land

s w

est o

f US

158

(all

corr

idor

s)

N

orth

ern

Out

er B

anks

site

(C1,

C3,

and

C5)

– th

e si

te c

ross

es th

e C

orol

la B

ay

subd

ivis

ion

(cur

rent

ly u

nder

con

stru

ctio

n), a

s w

ell a

s up

land

fore

st, r

ed m

aple

mar

itim

e sw

amp,

and

coa

stal

wet

land

are

as.

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

TI

P N

o. R

-257

6

Mid

-Curr

ituck

Bridge

– F

ield

Vis

it

Pa

ge

2of

3

o

The

Cor

olla

Bay

sub

divi

sion

incl

udes

30

lots

, 10

of w

hich

are

alre

ady

sold

. A

hous

e un

der c

onst

ruct

ion

durin

g th

e fie

ld v

isit

appe

ared

to b

e in

the

path

of t

he

prop

osed

cor

ridor

. o

Th

e br

idge

cor

ridor

alig

nmen

t had

bee

n de

velo

ped

to a

void

an

exis

ting

pond

sou

th

of th

e C

orol

la B

ay s

ubdi

visi

on; h

owev

er, u

pon

exam

inat

ion

of th

e po

nd, a

genc

ies

indi

cate

d th

at th

e po

nd w

as n

ot e

colo

gica

lly im

porta

nt a

nd g

iven

a c

hoic

e of

av

oidi

ng c

oast

al w

etla

nds

or th

e po

nd, t

hey

wou

ld p

refe

r tha

t the

coa

stal

wet

land

s be

avo

ided

.o

A

genc

ies

requ

este

d th

at th

e al

ignm

ent b

e sh

ifted

sou

thw

ard

to m

inim

ize

impa

cts

to c

oast

al w

etla

nds.

o

A p

refe

renc

e fo

r thi

s al

tern

ativ

e ov

er th

e ot

her p

ropo

sed

Out

er B

anks

term

inus

w

as e

xpre

ssed

by

seve

ral a

genc

ies,

incl

udin

g N

MFS

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M, N

CD

EN

R-

DM

F, N

CD

EN

R-W

RC

, and

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q, b

ecau

se it

affe

cts

less

wet

land

are

a.

S

outh

ern

Out

er B

anks

site

(C2,

C4,

and

C6)

– th

e si

te is

just

nor

th o

f the

Tim

bukt

u sh

oppi

ng p

laza

nea

r Alb

acor

e R

oad.

It is

an

offic

ial m

ap s

ite fo

r the

pro

pose

d br

idge

. A

porti

on o

f the

site

had

bee

n pu

rcha

sed

by N

CD

OT

in th

e ea

rly 1

990s

to p

reve

nt it

from

be

ing

deve

lope

d un

der t

he g

roun

d ru

les

asso

ciat

ed w

ith a

n of

ficia

l map

. The

site

incl

udes

a

larg

e po

nd, u

plan

d fo

rest

, red

map

le m

ariti

me

swam

p, a

nd c

oast

al w

etla

nd a

reas

.o

N

ewly

pla

ced

surv

ey m

arke

rs w

ere

obse

rved

at t

he s

ite a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith a

pen

ding

tra

nsfe

r of a

por

tion

of th

e pr

oper

ty n

ot in

the

offic

ial m

ap s

ite fr

om th

e cu

rren

t ow

ner t

o a

utili

ty c

ompa

ny.

o

Age

ncie

s ob

serv

ed th

is s

ite to

be

mor

e ec

olog

ical

ly im

porta

nt th

an th

e N

orth

ern

Out

er B

anks

opt

ion.

o

A

genc

ies

also

com

men

ted

that

this

site

wou

ld h

ave

few

er o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

miti

gatio

n.

N

orth

ern

Mai

nlan

d si

te (C

1 an

d C

2) –

this

cor

ridor

par

alle

ls a

n ex

istin

g ut

ility

ease

men

t fro

m U

S 1

58 to

the

Sou

nd.

o

The

corr

idor

is in

pro

xim

ity to

a h

isto

ric s

truct

ure

dete

rmin

ed e

ligib

le fo

r the

N

atio

nal R

egis

ter.

o

Age

ncie

s ha

d no

spe

cific

con

cern

s w

ith th

is c

orrid

or, i

nclu

ding

the

pote

ntia

l im

pact

to

the

hist

oric

stru

ctur

e.o

A

sec

ond

hist

oric

stru

ctur

e is

nor

th o

f thi

s co

rrido

r and

was

als

o ob

serv

ed d

urin

g th

e fie

ld v

isit.

M

iddl

e M

ainl

and

site

(C3

and

C4)

– th

is c

orrid

or ro

ughl

y pa

ralle

ls A

ydle

tt R

oad

from

US

15

8 to

nea

r Cur

rituc

k S

ound

and

then

pas

ses

thou

gh th

e co

mm

unity

of A

ydle

tt.o

V

ans

trave

led

alon

g A

ydle

tt R

oad

afte

r it t

urns

sou

th to

par

alle

l the

Sou

nd a

nd

obse

rved

the

appr

oxim

ate

loca

tion

of th

e co

rrido

r alo

ng th

e S

ound

sho

re, a

s w

ell

as s

ever

al h

ouse

s th

at w

ould

be

relo

cate

d if

this

cor

ridor

wer

e se

lect

ed.

o

Van

s th

en p

arke

d al

ong

Ayd

lett

Roa

d (w

here

the

corri

dor p

aral

lels

the

road

), an

d ag

enci

es e

nter

ed M

aple

Sw

amp.

o

M

aple

Sw

amp

cont

ains

som

e ba

y fo

rest

com

mun

ity. T

he d

ensi

ty a

nd q

ualit

y of

the

bay

fore

st h

ighe

r at t

he s

outh

ern

corr

idor

(C5/

C6)

. o

A

genc

ies

sugg

este

d in

corp

orat

ing

exis

ting

Ayd

lett

Roa

d in

to th

e br

idge

cor

ridor

. N

CTA

indi

cate

d th

at it

may

be

diffi

cult

to p

rovi

de a

cces

s to

rem

aini

ng p

ortio

ns o

f th

e co

mm

unity

of A

ydle

tt if

the

exis

ting

road

is re

plac

ed w

ith a

new

stru

ctur

e.

C-24

Mid

-Curr

ituck

Bridge

– F

ield

Vis

it

Pa

ge

3of

3

S

outh

ern

Mai

nlan

d si

te (C

5 an

d C

6) –

this

cor

ridor

is lo

cate

d ap

prox

imat

ely

2,90

0 fe

et

sout

h of

the

C3/

C4

corri

dor i

n M

aple

Sw

amp.

Age

ncie

s w

alke

d so

uth

thro

ugh

Map

le

Sw

amp

from

the

Mid

dle

Mai

nlan

d co

rrido

r to

dete

rmin

e th

e qu

ality

of t

he b

ay fo

rest

co

mm

unity

.o

Th

is c

orrid

or fr

agm

ents

a m

ore

cont

iguo

us tr

act o

f Map

le S

wam

p (la

rge

bloc

ks o

f un

inte

rrup

ted

fore

st a

re im

porta

nt h

abita

t for

wild

life,

incl

udin

g be

ars,

mig

rato

ry

bird

s, e

tc).

o

The

corri

dor w

ould

impa

ct a

larg

er a

rea

of b

ay fo

rest

com

mun

ity, a

sig

nific

ant

natu

ral h

erita

ge c

omm

unity

. Age

ncie

s in

dica

ted

this

com

mun

ity is

the

mos

t pris

tine

of it

s ty

pe a

nd c

onta

ins

the

larg

est s

peci

men

s of

Lob

lolly

bay

they

hav

e en

coun

tere

do

N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

indi

cate

d th

is o

ptio

n m

ay n

ot b

e pe

rmitt

able

.

W

etla

nds

wes

t of U

S 1

58 –

are

as o

f wet

land

wes

t of U

S 15

8 w

ould

be

affe

cted

with

all

corri

dors

by

an in

terc

hang

e be

twee

n U

S 1

58 a

nd th

e pr

opos

ed b

ridge

. o

A

genc

ies

stre

ssed

that

impa

cts

to w

etla

nds

in th

is a

rea

shou

ld b

e m

inim

ized

, and

th

at im

pact

s th

at c

ould

not

be

min

imiz

ed w

ould

requ

ire ju

stifi

catio

n.

Oth

er d

iscu

ssio

n:

A

genc

ies

sugg

este

d se

vera

l pot

entia

l miti

gatio

n op

tions

for i

mpa

cts

to M

aple

Sw

amp,

in

clud

ing

pres

erva

tion

of th

e ba

y fo

rest

com

mun

ity, i

mpr

ovem

ents

to th

e hy

drol

ogic

flow

ac

ross

Ayd

lett

Roa

d.

FH

WA

sug

gest

ed th

at th

e C

3/C

4 an

d C

5/C

6 co

rrido

rs o

n th

e m

ainl

and

coul

d be

co

mbi

ned

to d

evel

op a

cor

ridor

that

min

imiz

es im

pact

to th

e ba

y fo

rest

in M

aple

Sw

amp

as w

ell a

s m

inim

izes

impa

cts

to th

e co

mm

unity

of A

ydle

tt.

A

genc

ies

aske

d ab

out f

undi

ng re

lativ

e to

the

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es. N

CTA

’s

Chi

ef F

inan

cial

Offi

cer,

Gra

dy R

anki

n, w

ill be

invi

ted

to a

ttend

the

July

18,

200

7 TE

AC

m

eetin

g to

ans

wer

que

stio

ns.

U

SA

CE

requ

este

d th

at fu

nctio

nal p

lans

for a

ll H

ighw

ay Im

prov

emen

t Alte

rnat

ives

be

revi

ewed

at t

he J

uly

18, 2

007

TEA

C m

eetin

g.

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

7/1

8/0

7

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Ju

ly 1

8, 2

007

9:00

AM

to N

oon

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Boa

rd R

oom

Proj

ect:

TIP

R-2

576

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Stu

dy

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:R

ob A

yers

, FH

WA

(via

pho

ne)

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Chr

is M

ilitsc

her,

US

EP

A

Gar

y Jo

rdon

, US

FWS

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

Ji

m H

oadl

ey, N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

S

arah

Win

slow

, NC

DE

NR

-DM

F Tr

avis

Wils

on, N

CD

ENR

-WR

C

Sar

a M

cBrid

e, N

CD

CR

-HPO

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Den

ise

Cau

ley,

NC

TA

Dan

e B

ergl

und,

NC

TA

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T B

rian

Yam

amot

o, N

CD

OT

Daw

n R

iers

on, N

CD

OT

Lonn

ie B

rook

s, N

CD

OT

Cra

ig D

eal,

HN

TB

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Jo

hn P

age,

PB

C

hris

Llo

yd, P

B

Rol

and

Rob

inso

n, P

B

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls:

M

eetin

g ag

enda

Com

paris

on o

f Wet

land

Impa

cts

Gen

eral

Ass

embl

y H

B 2

53 w

ith S

tatu

te 1

36-1

02.7

Hur

rican

e E

vacu

atio

n S

tand

ard

U

SA

CE

pot

entia

l SA

V lo

catio

ns m

appi

ng

D

raft

Mee

ting

Sum

mar

y fro

m J

uly

10th fi

eld

visi

t

Func

tiona

l des

ign

draw

ings

and

scr

oll m

aps

of th

e br

idge

and

road

way

alte

rnat

ives

, inc

ludi

ng a

CD

of t

he

func

tiona

l des

igns

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es –

An

over

view

of p

revi

ousl

y di

scus

sed

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent

Alte

rnat

ives

(ER

1, E

R2,

MC

B1,

MC

B2,

and

MC

B3) w

as p

rese

nted

, hig

hlig

htin

g ch

arac

teris

tics

and

impa

cts

of e

ach

alte

rnat

ive.

In

addi

tion,

bas

ed o

n di

scus

sion

at t

he J

une

TEA

C m

eetin

g, N

CTA

has

dev

elop

ed

MC

B4,

whi

ch in

clud

es c

ompo

nent

s of

MC

B3

(con

stru

ctio

n of

a n

ew b

ridge

acr

oss

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

, som

e w

iden

ing

on N

C 1

2 to

acc

omm

odat

e tra

ffic

from

the

brid

ge to

Cur

rituc

k C

lub

Driv

e, a

nd a

n ad

ditio

nal

north

boun

d la

ne o

n U

S 1

58 b

etw

een

the

brid

ge a

nd N

C 1

68) p

lus

an a

dditi

onal

nor

thbo

und

lane

on

US

15

8 fro

m N

C 1

2 to

the

Wrig

ht M

emor

ial B

ridge

. Thi

s al

tern

ativ

e w

ould

ach

ieve

the

max

imum

redu

ctio

n in

hu

rrica

ne e

vacu

atio

n tim

e po

ssib

le w

ith im

prov

emen

ts w

ithin

the

proj

ect s

tudy

are

a (2

1.4

hour

s).

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) M

eetin

g

C-25

Pag

e 2

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

7/1

8/0

7

Sum

mar

y of

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es d

iscu

ssio

n:

o

ER

2 w

ould

per

form

poo

rly in

term

s of

traf

fic a

nd c

onge

stio

n m

easu

res.

NC

TA p

ropo

ses

to

elim

inat

e th

is a

ltern

ativ

e.

o

MC

B1

and

ER

1 ha

ve m

ajor

dis

plac

emen

ts o

f hom

es a

nd b

usin

esse

s in

Dar

e C

ount

y. B

ased

on

the

num

ber o

f dis

plac

emen

ts, N

CTA

pro

pose

s to

elim

inat

e th

ese

alte

rnat

ives

. o

M

CB

2 pe

rform

s w

ell i

n te

rms

of tr

affic

and

doe

s no

t hav

e th

e hi

gh le

vel o

f dis

plac

emen

ts a

s M

CB

1 an

d E

R1.

How

ever

, MC

B2

wou

ld re

sult

in a

sig

nific

ant g

ap b

etw

een

cost

and

pot

entia

l fin

anci

ng fo

r th

e pr

ojec

t. N

CTA

pro

pose

s to

elim

inat

e th

is a

ltern

ativ

e, n

otin

g th

at th

e se

lect

ion

of M

CB

3 or

M

CB

4 w

ould

not

pre

clud

e N

CD

OT

from

impl

emen

ting

othe

r com

pone

nts

of M

CB

2 at

a fu

ture

tim

e w

hen

fund

ing

is a

vaila

ble.

The

se im

prov

emen

ts w

ould

requ

ire a

sep

arat

e en

viro

nmen

tal d

ocum

ent.

US

AC

E p

oint

ed o

ut th

at th

e tra

ffic

bene

fits

of th

is a

ltern

ativ

e ex

ceed

thos

e on

MC

B3,

and

ask

ed

that

the

alte

rnat

ive

not b

e el

imin

ated

bas

ed o

n fu

ndin

g al

one.

o

M

CB

3 an

d M

CB

4 ar

e pr

opos

ed b

y N

CTA

and

FH

WA

for d

etai

led

stud

ies.

The

wid

enin

g of

NC

12

to fo

ur la

nes

need

ed w

ith a

brid

ge w

ould

be

need

ed th

e ye

ar o

f pro

ject

ope

ning

from

the

C1/

C3/

C5

brid

ge te

rmin

us to

Alb

acor

e S

treet

. Th

e w

iden

ing

of N

C 1

2 fro

m A

lbac

ore

Stre

et to

Cur

rituc

k C

lub

Roa

d w

ith e

ither

Out

er B

anks

term

inus

cou

ld b

e de

laye

d to

as

late

as

2018

. Thi

s w

iden

ing

will

be

part

of th

e pr

opos

ed a

ctio

n bu

t con

stru

ctio

n m

ay b

e ph

ased

. A d

ecis

ion

on p

hasi

ng th

is

cons

truct

ion

will

be m

ade

base

d on

inpu

t fro

m th

e co

unty

, tol

l tra

ffic

dive

rsio

n es

timat

es, a

nd

perm

ittin

g co

nsid

erat

ions

.

Brid

ge C

orrid

ors

– S

ix b

ridge

cor

ridor

s, c

ompr

ised

of t

hree

pot

entia

l cor

ridor

s on

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

ainl

and

and

two

pote

ntia

l cor

ridor

s on

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y O

uter

Ban

ks, w

ere

revi

ewed

dur

ing

a fie

ld

visi

t on

July

10,

200

7.

o

The

C5

and

C6

brid

ge o

ptio

ns w

ould

hav

e th

e hi

ghes

t fra

gmen

tatio

n im

pact

to M

aple

Sw

amp.

B

ased

on

com

men

ts fr

om th

e ag

enci

es, i

nclu

ding

USF

WS

, NC

DEN

R-D

WQ

, and

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C,

NC

TA p

ropo

sed

elim

inat

ing

this

cor

ridor

due

to im

pact

s to

the

bay

fore

st c

omm

unity

in M

aple

S

wam

p. A

genc

ies,

with

the

exce

ptio

n of

US

EP

A, a

gree

d w

ith e

limin

atin

g th

is c

orrid

or.

o

The

C3

and

C4

brid

ge o

ptio

ns w

ould

hav

e th

e hi

ghes

t im

pact

on

the

com

mun

ity o

f Ayd

lett,

as

wel

l as

impa

cts

to M

aple

Sw

amp.

NC

TA p

ropo

sed

elim

inat

ing

this

cor

ridor

. Age

ncie

s su

gges

ted

that

N

CTA

sho

uld

look

at m

odify

ing

this

cor

ridor

to a

ttem

pt to

min

imiz

e im

pact

s to

Map

le S

wam

p so

uth

of A

ydle

tt R

oad,

as

wel

l as

to th

e co

mm

unity

of A

ydle

tt.

o

The

C1

and

C2

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

will

be

stud

ied

in d

etai

l in

the

DE

IS.

NC

TA p

ropo

sed

sele

ctio

n of

MC

B3

and

MC

B4

with

Brid

ge C

orrid

ors

C1

and

C2

as th

e de

taile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

and

ask

ed if

the

agen

cies

had

con

cern

s. Is

sues

of c

once

rn s

houl

d be

pro

vide

d in

writ

ing

with

in

30 d

ays

per t

he S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n.

Rev

iew

of F

unct

iona

l Des

ign

Plan

s --

The

road

way

and

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

e dr

awin

gs w

ere

revi

ewed

to

illus

trate

the

exte

nt a

nd n

atur

e of

the

relo

catio

ns a

long

the

ER

1 an

d E

R2

alte

rnat

ives

and

to s

ecur

e fe

edba

ck o

n th

e U

S 1

58/M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge in

terc

hang

e co

nfig

urat

ions

.

Fina

nces

– A

pre

sent

atio

n w

as m

ade

by D

ane

Ber

glun

d, N

CTA

Sen

ior A

ccou

ntan

t, on

the

busi

ness

de

cisi

ons

inhe

rent

in a

reve

nue

bond

issu

e. T

he im

porta

nce

of c

ost e

stim

ates

, rid

ersh

ip fo

reca

st, t

oll

reve

nue

fore

cast

s an

d th

e im

pact

upo

n to

ll br

idge

ope

ratio

ns w

ere

broa

dly

sum

mar

ized

. Th

e am

ount

that

ca

n be

fina

nced

is b

ased

on

the

proj

ecte

d re

venu

e an

d es

timat

ed p

roje

ct c

osts

. The

tota

l am

ount

to b

e fin

ance

d in

clud

es in

tere

st, i

nfla

tion,

ope

ratin

g an

d m

aint

enan

ce c

osts

, in

addi

tion

to c

onst

ruct

ion

cost

s.

With

reve

nue

bond

s an

d TI

FIA

loan

s, th

e to

tal c

ost o

f the

pro

ject

cou

ld n

ot b

e fin

ance

d, th

eref

ore

leav

ing

a ga

p be

twee

n th

e fu

ndin

g an

d th

e co

st o

f the

pro

ject

. For

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es E

R1,

ER

2,

MC

B1,

and

MC

B2,

ther

e w

ould

be

a si

gnifi

cant

am

ount

of g

ap fu

ndin

g re

quire

d. F

or M

CB

3 an

d M

CB

4, th

is

gap

wou

ld b

e le

ss. A

lso,

thes

e tw

o al

tern

ativ

es c

ould

be

cons

ider

ed fo

r a P

ublic

Priv

ate

Par

tner

ship

, in

whi

ch a

priv

ate

entit

y w

ould

fund

con

stru

ctio

n, o

pera

tion,

and

mai

nten

ance

of t

he p

roje

ct fo

r an

exte

nded

pe

riod.

Hur

rican

e Ev

acua

tion

Stat

ute

– A

dis

cuss

ion

ensu

ed a

bout

Sta

tute

136

-102

.7, w

hich

indi

cate

s “th

e hu

rrica

ne e

vacu

atio

n st

anda

rd to

be

used

for a

ny b

ridge

or h

ighw

ay c

onst

ruct

ion

proj

ect p

ursu

ant t

o th

is

Cha

pter

sha

ll be

no

mor

e th

an 1

8 ho

urs,

as

reco

mm

ende

d by

the

Sta

te E

mer

genc

y M

anag

emen

t offi

cial

s.”

Pag

e 3

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

7/1

8/0

7

Ther

e w

as c

onsi

dera

ble

deba

te re

gard

ing

the

legi

slat

ive

inte

nt o

f the

18

hour

eva

cuat

ion

stan

dard

(see

Q

&A

sec

tion)

.

Q&

A: 1.

EP

A s

ugge

sted

that

FH

WA

con

side

r a ti

ered

EIS

bec

ause

of f

undi

ng s

hortf

alls

, ina

bilit

y to

fund

som

e al

tern

ativ

es, t

he in

abili

ty o

f the

alte

rnat

ives

to m

eet t

he 1

8 ho

ur e

vacu

atio

n st

anda

rd a

nd th

e im

plic

atio

ns o

f go

ing

outs

ide

the

stud

y ar

ea to

mee

t the

18

hour

sta

ndar

d.FH

WA

, NC

TA a

nd N

CD

OT

will

cons

ider

.

2.

EP

A s

aid

GS

136

-89.

183

seem

s to

indi

cate

that

the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k Br

idge

Cor

ridor

sho

uld

be a

t the

Virg

inia

S

tate

Lin

e an

d th

e hu

rric

ane

stat

ute

appe

ars

to re

quire

pro

ject

s to

mee

t the

18-

hour

cle

aran

ce ti

me.

N

CTA

and

NC

DO

T w

ill lo

ok in

to th

e hi

stor

y an

d le

gisl

ativ

e in

tent

of b

oth

stat

utes

.

3.S

HP

O q

uest

ione

d ho

w b

onds

are

gra

ded

and

the

influ

ence

upo

n fin

anci

al m

arke

ts.

Bon

ds a

re g

rade

d or

rate

d by

bon

d ra

ting

agen

cies

. B

ond

ratin

gs in

fluen

ce b

ond

inte

rest

rate

s.

4.E

PA

inqu

ired

abou

t acc

omm

odat

ing

toll

incr

ease

s in

the

futu

re.

P

rovi

sion

s ar

e in

corp

orat

ed in

the

bond

inde

ntur

es a

llow

ing

tolls

to ri

se in

ste

p w

ith th

e in

flatio

n of

op

erat

ing

and

mai

nten

ance

cos

ts.

5.It

was

not

ed th

at D

ivis

ion

1 an

d C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

may

be

cons

ider

ing

build

ing

a pa

ved

road

in th

e cu

rren

tly

non-

road

acc

essi

ble

area

of t

he C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

Out

er B

anks

. N

CTA

will

look

into

this

.

6.E

PA

furth

er a

sked

abo

ut th

e to

ll re

venu

es a

nd h

ow th

e de

mog

raph

ics

of th

e us

ers

are

acco

mm

odat

ed.

The

dem

ogra

phic

s/in

com

e le

vel o

f the

typi

cal b

ridge

use

r is

cons

ider

ed in

the

Traf

fic a

nd R

even

ue S

tudy

to

dete

rmin

e th

e op

timum

toll

rate

. Th

e P

relim

inar

y Tr

affic

and

Rev

enue

Stu

dy (c

ompl

eted

by

Wilb

ur S

mith

A

ssoc

iate

s in

Jan

uary

200

7) is

ava

ilabl

e on

the

NC

TA w

eb s

ite.

7.

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C re

ques

ted

NC

12

relo

catio

ns b

e di

vide

d be

twee

n th

ose

whe

re th

e im

prov

emen

t tak

es th

e st

ruct

ure

and

thos

e w

here

the

stru

ctur

e is

ass

umed

to b

e ta

ken

beca

use

enou

gh lo

t is

take

n th

at th

e lo

t si

ze b

ecom

es to

o sm

all t

o m

eet c

ount

y st

anda

rds.

It a

lso

was

ask

ed w

hy e

xcep

tions

to th

e D

are

Cou

nty

ordi

nanc

e re

late

d to

min

imum

lot s

izes

cou

ld n

ot b

e w

aive

d, p

artic

ular

ly if

sep

tic s

yste

ms

wer

e no

t inv

olve

d in

the

loss

of l

and.

Th

is in

form

atio

n w

ill be

pro

vide

d.

8.FH

WA

inqu

ired

abou

t NC

DO

T ac

cept

ance

of d

esig

n ex

cept

ions

in th

e th

ree-

lane

and

two-

lane

NC

12

impr

ovem

ent a

ltern

ativ

es.

It w

as fe

lt th

at th

e de

sign

exc

eptio

ns w

ere

min

imal

and

with

in N

CD

OT’

s le

vel o

f tol

eran

ce.

This

wou

ld b

e ex

plor

ed fu

rther

and

in m

ore

deta

il du

ring

prel

imin

ary

and

final

des

ign,

if n

eces

sary

.

9.E

PA

que

stio

ned

the

use

of 1

7-fo

ot m

edia

ns in

the

four

-lane

NC

12

alte

rnat

ives

and

sug

gest

ed a

nar

row

er

med

ian.

Th

e m

edia

n is

as

narro

w a

s it

can

be to

pro

vide

for l

eft t

urn

lane

s. F

HW

A re

spon

ded

by q

uest

ioni

ng s

afet

y an

d dr

iver

exp

ecta

tions

of a

var

iabl

e m

edia

n w

idth

. A

lso,

inte

rsec

tions

are

clo

se e

noug

h to

geth

er th

at a

s so

on a

s th

e m

edia

n na

rrow

ed, i

t wou

ld h

ave

to w

iden

aga

in fo

r the

nex

t int

erse

ctio

n’s

left

turn

lane

.

10.

EP

A q

uest

ione

d th

e ad

equa

cy o

f the

at g

rade

“T” i

nter

sect

ion

prop

osed

for N

C 1

2 an

d th

e ne

w b

ridge

. It

has

been

det

erm

ined

that

this

con

figur

atio

n w

ill w

ork

as th

e vo

lum

e of

traf

fic fr

om a

nd to

the

north

on

NC

12

is n

ot s

uffic

ient

to w

arra

nt a

larg

er o

r mor

e co

mpl

icat

ed d

esig

n.

11.

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C in

quire

d ab

out a

void

ing

the

CA

MA

wet

land

s on

the

north

ern

term

inus

(C1/

C3/

C5)

nea

r N

C 1

2.

The

alig

nmen

t can

be

revi

sed

to a

void

all

CA

MA

wet

land

s. S

ome

impa

cts

to S

ectio

n 40

4 w

etla

nds

wou

ld

rem

ain.

C-26

Pag

e 4

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

7/1

8/0

7

12.

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C a

sked

abo

ut a

n in

terc

hang

e w

ith a

sm

alle

r foo

tprin

t at N

C 1

2, in

clud

ing

an u

rban

-sty

le

inte

rcha

nge.

Th

e co

nfig

urat

ion

show

n on

the

draw

ing

was

dev

elop

ed w

ith fe

atur

es th

at a

lread

y re

duce

its

foot

prin

t som

e (S

ee th

e re

spon

se to

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q q

uest

ion

10 in

Han

dout

7).

Oth

er c

onfig

urat

ions

, suc

h as

an

urba

n in

terc

hang

e w

ith th

e ra

mps

tigh

t aga

inst

the

road

will

be e

xam

ined

dur

ing

prel

imin

ary

desi

gn.

13.

Mul

tiple

age

ncie

s no

ted

the

sign

ifica

nce

of th

e B

ay F

ores

t sou

th o

f Ayd

lett

Roa

d. I

t is

very

uni

que,

pa

rticu

larly

bec

ause

of t

he s

ize

of th

e tre

es.

US

FWS

indi

cate

d th

at th

ey h

ad n

ot s

een

anyt

hing

like

it.

It w

as s

tate

d th

at b

ecau

se p

ract

icab

le a

ltern

ativ

es e

xist

, it w

as u

nlik

ely

that

a S

ectio

n 40

4 P

erm

it co

uld

be

issu

ed fo

r a p

roje

ct in

the

C5/

C6

corr

idor

. Th

e B

ay F

ores

t get

s m

ore

narr

ow n

orth

tow

ards

Ayd

lett

Roa

d an

d th

e fo

rest

nor

th o

f Ayd

lett

Roa

d is

of a

diff

eren

t cha

ract

er a

nd q

ualit

y. U

SFW

S s

aid

the

intro

duct

ion

of

a ro

ad o

r brid

ge in

the

C5/

C6

corr

idor

in M

aple

Sw

amp

wou

ld a

lter i

t by

brin

ging

in m

ore

sunl

ight

and

in

vasi

ve s

peci

es.

The

area

sho

uld

be p

rote

cted

and

pre

serv

ed.

NC

TA w

ill de

term

ine

if m

ore

info

rmat

ion

exis

ts o

n th

e B

ay F

ores

t sys

tem

. N

CTA

ask

ed if

it w

ould

be

appr

opria

te to

dro

p th

e C

3/C

4 an

d C

5/C

6 co

rrid

ors

from

furth

er c

onsi

dera

tion

and

focu

s on

the

C1/

C2

corr

idor

s. A

noth

er re

ason

to d

rop

the

C3/

C4

corr

idor

s is

bec

ause

they

wou

ld p

ass

thro

ugh

the

mid

dle

and

mos

t dev

elop

ed p

art o

f Ayd

lett.

14.

EP

A in

dica

ted

that

ther

e w

as n

ot e

noug

h in

form

atio

n to

dro

p an

y co

rrid

or a

t thi

s tim

e. E

PA

sai

d fo

r ex

ampl

e th

at th

e N

CTA

had

not

don

e a

full

anal

ysis

of m

igra

tory

bird

impa

cts

and

it m

ight

pro

ve th

at th

ere

wer

e m

igra

tory

bird

s in

C1/

C2

and

for t

hat r

easo

n C

5/C

6 m

ight

pro

ve to

be

the

bette

r alte

rnat

ive.

EP

A d

id

not c

onsi

der t

he c

omm

unity

impa

ct w

ith C

3/C

4 to

be

nota

ble

in th

at o

ther

NC

DO

T pr

ojec

ts h

ave

muc

h gr

eate

r com

mun

ity im

pact

s.

15.

NC

DE

NR

-WR

C in

dica

ted

that

C3/

C4

and

C5/

C6

coul

d be

dro

pped

at t

his

time.

US

FWS

sai

d th

at w

ith

rega

rds

to m

igra

tory

bird

s, C

5/C

6 w

ould

be

the

mos

t lik

ely

loca

tion

for t

his

to b

e an

issu

e. U

SFW

S a

gree

s w

ith d

ropp

ing

C5/

C6

at th

is ti

me.

N

CTA

sai

d th

ey c

ould

look

at m

odifi

catio

ns to

the

C3/

C4

corri

dor,

incl

udin

g m

ovin

g th

e co

rrido

r nor

th o

f A

ydle

tt R

oad.

16.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

if th

e br

idge

cor

ridor

cou

ld a

lso

serv

e lo

cal A

ydle

tt R

oad

traffi

c.

This

wou

ld n

ot b

e fe

asib

le. T

oll c

olle

ctio

n fo

r the

brid

ge w

ill be

nea

r US

158

, so

an a

ltern

ativ

e fre

e ro

ute

wou

ld s

till n

eed

to b

e pr

ovid

ed fo

r acc

essi

ng re

mai

ning

por

tions

of t

he c

omm

unity

of A

ydle

tt. F

or to

ll en

forc

emen

t pur

pose

s, it

is n

ot p

ossi

ble

to p

rovi

de a

cces

s fro

m th

e br

idge

faci

lity

dire

ctly

into

the

com

mun

ity o

f Ayd

lett.

17.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M in

dica

ted

that

just

bec

ause

they

had

not

yet

sub

mitt

ed c

omm

ents

in w

ritin

g, N

CTA

sho

uld

not a

ssum

e th

ey h

ave

no c

omm

ents

. Th

ey h

ave

not h

ad ti

me

to p

repa

re c

omm

ents

. N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

no

ted

that

new

info

rmat

ion

is c

ontin

uous

ly b

eing

mad

e av

aila

ble.

EP

A a

lso

said

they

had

not

had

tim

e to

su

bmit

writ

ten

com

men

ts.

N

CTA

sai

d th

at th

e ne

w in

form

atio

n po

sted

was

bei

ng p

rovi

ded

at th

e re

ques

t of t

he a

genc

ies.

NC

TA

aske

d w

hen

they

cou

ld e

xpec

t writ

ten

com

men

ts fr

om N

CD

CM

and

EP

A, w

ho c

ould

not

giv

e a

defin

ite

timef

ram

e. A

genc

ies

requ

este

d th

at th

ere

not b

e a

TEA

C m

eetin

g fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t in

Aug

ust i

n or

der t

o al

low

tim

e fo

r the

m to

revi

ew a

nd c

omm

ent o

n m

ater

ials

rece

ived

to d

ate.

NC

TA w

ill co

nsid

er th

is re

ques

t.

18.

NC

DE

NR

-DM

F in

dica

ted

that

the

entir

e so

und

is p

oten

tial S

AV

hab

itat e

ven

if S

AV

s ar

e no

t cur

rent

ly

pres

ent.

The

ava

ilabi

lity

of S

AV

info

rmat

ion

from

Eliz

abet

h C

ity U

nive

rsity

was

not

ed.

NC

TA a

sked

for g

uida

nce

with

rega

rds

to h

ow to

add

ress

dire

ct S

AV

impa

cts

and

impa

cts

to p

oten

tial S

AV

ha

bita

t as

the

stud

y pr

ogre

sses

. For

inst

ance

, is

it pr

actic

al to

avo

id d

irect

impa

cts

if S

AV

loca

tions

var

y ye

ar to

yea

r. N

CTA

has

bee

n try

ing

to c

onta

ct E

lizab

eth

City

Uni

vers

ity a

bout

SA

V in

form

atio

n an

d w

ill co

ntin

ue to

do

so.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA a

nd P

B w

ill co

ntin

ue to

sea

rch

for m

ore

stat

e ra

te a

ccom

mod

atio

ns fo

r the

Fie

ld R

evie

w o

n Ju

ly 1

0.

[Sta

te ra

te a

ccom

mod

atio

ns w

ere

avai

labl

e at

the

Qua

lity

Inn

in E

lizab

eth

City

.]

NC

TA, F

HW

A a

nd P

B w

ill co

ntin

ue to

add

ress

the

mer

its o

f the

pro

ject

con

figur

atio

n an

d br

idge

loca

tion

alte

rnat

ives

.

Pag

e 5

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

7/1

8/0

7

[Thi

s in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he J

uly

10, 2

007

field

vis

it an

d at

the

July

18,

200

7 TE

AC

mee

ting.

]

Age

ncie

s pr

ovid

e co

mm

ents

or q

uest

ions

by

July

17,

200

7 on

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es.

[Ver

bal c

omm

ents

wer

e re

ceiv

ed fr

om U

SA

CE

dur

ing

the

July

10,

200

7 fie

ld v

isit,

and

writ

ten

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

from

US

AC

E o

n Ju

ly 1

7, 2

007.

]

Age

ncie

s pr

ovid

e an

y qu

estio

ns b

y Ju

ly 1

7, 2

007

on p

revi

ous

stud

y fin

ding

s on

brid

ge c

orrid

or

loca

tions

. [N

o qu

estio

ns o

r com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

on

prev

ious

stu

dies

rela

ted

to th

e br

idge

cor

ridor

lo

catio

ns.]

N

CTA

and

PB

will

prov

ide

acre

s of

CAM

A w

etla

nds

affe

cted

by

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

C1

to C

6.

[Thi

s in

form

atio

n w

as a

vaila

ble

on th

e TE

AC

site

on

July

17,

200

7 an

d di

strib

uted

at t

he T

EA

C

mee

ting

on J

uly

18, 2

007.

]

Con

duct

fiel

d vi

sit o

f brid

ge c

orrid

ors

on J

uly

10, 2

007.

[T

he fi

eld

visi

t was

con

duct

ed o

n Ju

ly 1

0, 2

007.

A d

raft

mee

ting

sum

mar

y w

as d

istri

bute

d at

the

July

18,

200

7 TE

AC

mee

ting.

]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA/N

CD

OT

will

inve

stig

ate

the

legi

slat

ive

inte

nt o

f 18-

hour

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

stan

dard

(GS

136

-10

2.7)

FH

WA

/NC

TA to

look

into

legi

slat

ive

inte

nt o

f the

acc

eler

ated

pilo

t tol

l brid

ge p

roje

ct (G

S 1

36-8

9.18

3) w

ith

spec

ific

rega

rd to

the

term

inol

ogy

"bor

derin

g th

e S

tate

of V

irgin

ia"

FH

WA

/NC

TA to

con

side

r Tie

red

EIS

reco

mm

enda

tion

NC

TA w

ill a

sk C

arol

ina

Land

for a

bre

akdo

wn

of re

loca

tions

from

dire

ct im

pact

s an

d re

loca

tions

from

re

duce

d lo

t siz

e on

ly

N

CTA

will

che

ck o

n m

inim

um lo

t siz

e or

dina

nces

, pre

vale

nce

of in

divi

dual

sep

tic s

yste

ms,

and

rela

tion

of

lot s

ize

to th

e C

AM

A la

nd u

se p

lan

NC

TA w

ill ch

eck

with

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y on

pot

entia

l ext

ensi

on o

f NC

12

north

; NC

TA w

ill ch

eck

with

N

CD

OT

Div

isio

n 1

NC

TA w

ill c

onsi

der a

ltern

ativ

e in

terc

hang

e co

nfig

urat

ions

for t

he U

S 1

58/M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge in

terc

hang

e

NC

TA w

ill ev

alua

te m

odify

ing

C3/

C4

to m

inim

ize

impa

cts

to th

e ba

y fo

rest

(shi

ft no

rth o

f Ayd

lett

Roa

d) a

nd

to th

e co

mm

unity

of A

ydle

tt

N

CTA

will

chec

k w

ith N

CD

EN

R-D

NH

on

info

rmat

ion

on th

e ba

y fo

rest

sys

tem

NC

TA w

ill co

ntin

ue to

pur

sue

EC

SU

SAV

stu

dy in

form

atio

n

NC

TA w

ill co

nsid

er w

heth

er to

mee

t on

the

proj

ect i

n A

ugus

t

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

and

issu

es o

f con

cern

on

Hig

hway

Impr

ovem

ent A

ltern

ativ

es a

nd b

ridge

co

rrido

rs (p

ropo

sed

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

) with

in 3

0 da

ys, a

s no

ted

in th

e S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan.

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

the

draf

t mee

ting

sum

mar

y fro

m th

e Ju

ly 1

0, 2

007

field

vis

it by

A

ugus

t 15,

200

7.

C-27

Pag

e 6

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

7/1

8/0

7

Dat

e:

July

18,

200

7 1:

30 P

M to

2:0

0 P

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Boa

rd R

oom

Nor

ther

n W

ake

Expr

essw

ay T

oll P

laza

Spo

tligh

t:

Add

ition

al A

ttend

ees:

Eric

Als

mey

er, U

SA

CE

Fl

emin

g E

l-Am

in, T

riang

le T

rans

it A

utho

rity

Ken

Ivey

, PE

, NC

DO

T Tr

affic

Eng

inee

ring

& S

afet

y S

yste

ms

Bra

nch

Reg

ina

Pag

e, P

E, N

CD

OT

Traf

fic E

ngin

eerin

g &

Saf

ety

Sys

tem

s B

ranc

h D

avid

Cha

ng, P

E, N

CD

OT

Hyd

raul

ics

Uni

t W

ally

Bow

man

, PE

, NC

DO

T, D

ivis

ion

5 Tr

acy

Rob

erts

, AIC

P, H

NTB

/NC

TA G

EC

Ji

m C

oope

r, E

coS

cien

ce C

orpo

ratio

n Ji

m B

uck,

PE

, Bak

er E

ngin

eerin

g K

en G

illan

d, B

aker

Eng

inee

ring

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls:

(Pos

ted

on T

EAC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

S

tart

of S

tudy

Let

ter

H

ando

ut 1

. Pro

ject

Bac

kgro

und,

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d, S

ched

ule

Fi

gure

1.

Nor

ther

n W

ake

Exp

ress

way

Tol

l Pla

za -

Vic

inity

Map

Figu

re 2

. N

orth

ern

Wak

e E

xpre

ssw

ay T

oll P

laza

Aer

ial P

hoto

grap

hy

S

ectio

n 12

9 A

gree

men

t for

Nor

ther

n W

ake

Exp

ress

way

, Wes

tern

Wak

e E

xpre

ssw

ay, a

nd T

riang

le

Par

kway

N

C G

ener

al A

ssem

bly

Aut

horiz

atio

n fo

r Tol

ling

the

Nor

ther

n W

ake

Exp

ress

way

Nor

ther

n W

ake

Exp

ress

way

Pow

erP

oint

Sco

ping

Pre

sent

atio

n

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Purp

ose

– C

ondu

ct S

tart

of S

tudy

and

sco

ping

mee

ting.

Proj

ect V

icin

ity/S

tudy

Are

a –

The

prop

osed

pro

ject

is lo

cate

d in

wes

tern

Wak

e C

ount

y ju

st s

outh

of t

he

Dur

ham

Cou

nty

line.

The

pro

ject

stu

dy a

rea

is lo

cate

d al

ong

the

Nor

ther

n W

ake

Exp

ress

way

(NW

E)

betw

een

the

NC

55

and

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

inte

rcha

nges

. Th

e st

udy

corri

dor i

s ap

prox

imat

ely

700

feet

wid

e an

d 7,

120

feet

long

. M

ost o

f the

stu

dy a

rea

is lo

cate

d w

ithin

exi

stin

g N

CD

OT

right

of w

ay.

Proj

ect P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

– Th

e pu

rpos

e of

this

pro

ject

is to

gen

erat

e fu

ndin

g fo

r pro

per o

pera

tion

and

mai

nten

ance

of t

he N

WE

bet

wee

n N

C 5

5 an

d N

C 5

4, a

nd to

impl

emen

t leg

isla

tive

auth

oriz

atio

n to

toll.

The

need

for t

his

proj

ect i

s th

at th

ere

is in

suffi

cien

t fun

ding

to c

over

the

cost

nec

essa

ry fo

r pro

per o

pera

tion

and

mai

nten

ance

of t

he N

WE

bet

wee

n N

C 5

5 an

d N

C 5

4, in

clud

ing

reco

nstru

ctio

n, re

surfa

cing

, res

tora

tion,

an

d re

habi

litat

ion.

Proj

ect D

escr

iptio

n –

This

pro

ject

pro

pose

s to

inst

all a

mai

nlin

e to

ll pl

aza

on th

e ex

istin

g N

WE

betw

een

NC

55

and

NC

54.

Thi

s 2.

8 m

ile lo

ng s

egm

ent w

as re

cent

ly c

ompl

eted

by

the

NC

DO

T as

Sta

te

Tran

spor

tatio

n Im

prov

emen

t Pro

gram

(STI

P) P

roje

ct N

umbe

r R-2

000

AA

/AB

.

The

prop

osed

toll

colle

ctio

n fa

cilit

y w

ould

be

com

pris

ed o

f a fr

ee-fl

owin

g se

ctio

n on

the

mai

nlin

e tra

vel

lane

s in

whi

ch to

ll fa

res

wou

ld b

e ga

ther

ed e

lect

roni

cally

. V

ehic

les

wou

ld tr

avel

thro

ugh

this

sec

tion

at

high

way

spe

eds.

Add

ition

ally

, the

re w

ould

be

tem

pora

ry “c

ash

lane

s” c

onst

ruct

ed a

t app

roxi

mat

ely

the

sam

e lo

catio

n as

the

elec

troni

c co

llect

ion

poin

t to

allo

w to

lling

of v

ehic

les

not e

quip

ped

for e

lect

roni

c to

lling

. Th

e nu

mbe

r of c

ash

lane

s ha

s no

t bee

n de

term

ined

but

will

be

base

d on

traf

fic fo

reca

sts

and

oper

atio

ns.

The

cash

lane

s w

ill be

unm

anne

d. S

ite fe

atur

es fo

r the

toll

colle

ctio

n fa

cilit

y in

clud

e a

park

ing

area

, acc

ess

lane

s fo

r cas

h to

ll is

land

s, a

bui

ldin

g ho

usin

g an

em

erge

ncy

gene

rato

r, an

ove

rhea

d ga

ntry

, and

mas

t lig

htin

g.

Pag

e 7

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

7/1

8/0

7

NC

TA, i

n co

nsul

tatio

n w

ith F

HW

A, a

ntic

ipat

es th

at th

e pr

opos

ed a

ctio

n w

ill b

e cl

assi

fied

as a

Cat

egor

ical

E

xclu

sion

.

Proj

ect A

utho

rizat

ion

- The

Nor

th C

arol

ina

Gen

eral

Ass

embl

y ha

s au

thor

ized

the

tolli

ng o

f the

Nor

ther

n W

ake

Exp

ress

way

bet

wee

n I-4

0 an

d N

C 5

5. A

dditi

onal

ly, a

Sec

tion

129

Agr

eem

ent b

etw

een

the

FHW

A,

NC

TA, a

nd N

CD

OT

was

exe

cute

d on

Dec

embe

r 6, 2

006,

whi

ch a

llow

s fo

r tol

ling

of th

e fa

cilit

y.

Prev

ious

Stu

dies

- In

Jan

uary

200

7, E

coS

cien

ce d

elin

eate

d st

ream

s an

d w

etla

nds

in th

e vi

cini

ty o

f the

pr

opos

ed to

ll pl

aza

(Fig

ure

2).

Stre

ams

in th

e pr

ojec

t are

a ar

e un

nam

ed tr

ibut

arie

s to

Kit

Cre

ek, t

here

fore

re

ceiv

ing

the

sam

e w

ater

qua

lity

clas

sific

atio

n as

Kit

Cre

ek, w

hich

is c

lass

ified

as

wat

er s

uppl

y w

ater

shed

IV

and

nut

rient

sen

sitiv

e w

ater

s fro

m a

poi

nt 1

.3 m

iles

upst

ream

from

its

inte

rsec

tion

with

NC

55

to

Nor

thea

st C

reek

.

Acc

ordi

ng to

the

Sec

tion

404

perm

it, 1

.002

acr

es o

f wet

land

s an

d 3,

123

linea

r fee

t of s

tream

wer

e im

pact

ed b

y th

e co

nstru

ctio

n of

Sec

tion

AA

(I-5

40 (R

alei

gh O

uter

Loo

p) fr

om N

C 5

5 W

est o

f Mor

risvi

lle to

R

esea

rch

Tria

ngle

Par

k Ea

st L

imits

) of S

TIP

R-2

000.

In th

e 19

90 F

inal

Env

ironm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent f

or S

TIP

R-2

000,

Sec

tion

AA

had

no

nois

e or

air

qual

ity,

cultu

ral r

esou

rce,

pro

tect

ed s

peci

es, h

azar

dous

was

te, o

r min

eral

reso

urce

impa

cts,

and

min

imal

co

mm

unity

impa

cts.

Proj

ect S

ched

ule

– S

copi

ng c

omm

ents

wer

e re

ques

ted

prio

r to

Aug

ust 1

, 200

7. F

ield

wor

k fo

r the

nat

ural

re

sour

ce te

chni

cal r

epor

t (N

RTR

), no

ise,

and

hyd

raul

ics

repo

rts w

ill be

car

ried

out i

n A

ugus

t. T

he N

RTR

is

sche

dule

d fo

r com

plet

ion

in S

epte

mbe

r. T

he C

ateg

oric

al E

xclu

sion

is s

ched

uled

to b

e si

gned

in O

ctob

er

2007

.

Oth

er D

iscu

ssio

n:U

SA

CE

indi

cate

d th

at a

Nat

ionw

ide

23 p

erm

it w

ill lik

ely

be a

ppro

pria

te fo

r the

pro

ject

.

Pub

lic in

put f

or th

e pr

ojec

t will

incl

ude

the

stud

y te

am’s

ava

ilabi

lity

to a

nsw

er q

uest

ions

at t

he p

ublic

he

arin

g fo

r Tria

ngle

Par

kway

(STI

P U

-476

3B).

Q&

A:

US

EP

A a

sked

abo

ut th

e po

tent

ial s

tream

and

wet

land

impa

cts

of th

e co

nstru

ctio

n of

the

toll

plaz

a?

Bak

er s

tate

d th

at in

side

the

area

pre

viou

sly

delin

eate

d by

Eco

Sci

ence

that

ther

e w

ere

appr

oxim

atel

y 93

4 fe

et o

f uni

mpa

cted

(i.e

., no

t cul

verte

d or

fille

d by

the

exis

ting

road

way

) stre

ams

and

0.85

acr

es o

f wet

land

s.

It w

as n

oted

that

the

proj

ect s

tudy

are

a ha

d be

en e

xten

ded

and

that

add

ition

al d

elin

eatio

ns w

ould

be

nece

ssar

y. M

inim

izat

ion

step

s w

ould

be

take

n to

redu

ce th

e po

tent

ial i

mpa

cts

to th

ese

reso

urce

s.

NC

DO

T as

ked

abou

t the

num

ber o

f cas

h la

nes

and

the

traffi

c fo

reca

st m

etho

dolo

gy th

at w

ill b

e im

plem

ente

d fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t.

Bak

er s

tate

d th

at fo

ur c

ash

lane

s w

ill b

e us

ed a

s a

base

ass

umpt

ion.

Thi

s as

sum

ptio

n w

ill b

e ve

rifie

d by

V

ISS

IM a

naly

sis.

NC

DO

T ag

reed

that

VIS

SIM

was

an

appr

opria

te s

imul

atio

n an

alys

is to

ol.

NC

DO

T st

ated

rese

rvat

ions

abo

ut th

e st

op c

ondi

tion

man

date

d by

the

cash

lane

s an

d th

e op

erat

iona

l is

sues

ass

ocia

ted

with

the

cash

lane

s.

NC

TA s

tate

d th

at th

ey w

ere

awar

e of

the

issu

e an

d th

at th

e pr

ojec

t des

ign

team

was

wor

king

on

the

wea

ve

issu

e as

soci

ated

with

the

cons

truct

ion

of th

e N

WE

toll

plaz

a be

twee

n tw

o ne

arby

inte

rcha

nges

(NC

55

and

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

).

NC

DO

T as

ked

if ch

ange

s to

the

exis

ting

trave

l lan

es w

ere

envi

sion

ed.

N

CTA

sta

ted

that

at t

his

time,

no

chan

ges

to e

xist

ing

trave

l lan

es w

ere

envi

sion

ed.

TTA

ask

ed if

spe

cial

equ

ipm

ent w

ould

be

need

ed o

n th

eir b

uses

if a

n ag

reem

ent w

ere

reac

hed

that

al

low

ed fr

ee o

r red

uced

fare

s.

NC

TA s

tate

d th

at b

uses

wou

ld h

ave

the

oppo

rtuni

ty to

use

tran

spon

ders

on

the

mai

nlin

e an

d w

ould

not

be

requ

ired

to s

top

to u

se c

ash

lane

s.

C-28

Pag

e 8

of 8

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

7/1

8/0

7

US

AC

E a

sked

abo

ut th

e pr

ojec

t sch

edul

e pa

st O

ctob

er.

NC

TA a

nsw

ered

that

that

con

stru

ctio

n of

the

NW

E T

oll P

laza

is a

ntic

ipat

ed to

be

incl

uded

in th

e de

sign

bu

ild c

ontra

ct fo

r the

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

. C

onst

ruct

ion

activ

ities

may

beg

in w

ithin

the

next

yea

r.

NC

DO

T as

ked

if no

ise

stud

ies

wou

ld b

e co

nduc

ted

in th

e vi

cini

ty o

f the

Bre

cken

ridge

dev

elop

men

t. N

CTA

sta

ted

that

noi

se s

tudi

es u

sing

TN

M 2

.5, i

nclu

ding

an

eval

uatio

n of

noi

se m

itiga

tion

wal

ls, w

ould

take

pl

ace

as p

art o

f the

Cat

egor

ical

Exc

lusi

on.

Am

bien

t noi

se m

easu

rem

ents

wou

ld ta

ke p

lace

with

NC

-540

in

plac

e.

NC

HP

O a

sked

if a

dditi

onal

con

stru

ctio

n w

ould

be

need

ed o

nce

the

tem

pora

ry c

ash

lane

s ar

e re

mov

ed?

N

CTA

sta

ted

that

ther

e ar

e no

add

ition

al c

onst

ruct

ion

requ

irem

ents

env

isio

ned

thro

ugh

the

desi

gn y

ear f

or

toll

tech

nolo

gy im

plem

enta

tion.

Fiv

e ye

ars

from

ope

ning

, the

cas

h la

nes

will

be re

mov

ed a

nd e

lect

roni

c to

ll co

llect

ion

will

rem

ain

in p

lace

.

TTA

ask

ed a

bout

pro

visi

ons

for o

ut-o

f-tow

n tra

vele

rs o

nce

the

cash

lane

s ar

e re

mov

ed?

NC

TA s

tate

d th

at th

ere

wou

ld b

e si

gnag

e to

indi

cate

that

the

toll

faci

lity

was

ahe

ad.

Ther

e ar

e al

so

north

ern

and

sout

hern

non

-toll

rout

es fo

r tho

se n

ot w

antin

g to

use

the

toll

faci

lity.

Als

o th

ere

wou

ld b

e vi

deo

tollin

g an

d op

tions

to p

re-re

gist

er fo

r tho

se w

ho la

ck tr

ansp

onde

rs.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Non

e

New

Act

ion

item

s:

Age

ncie

s pr

ovid

e sc

opin

g co

mm

ents

(stu

dy a

rea,

pur

pose

& n

eed,

env

ironm

enta

l con

cern

s, p

erm

ittin

g,

etc)

to N

CTA

no

late

r tha

n A

ugus

t 1st, 2

007.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t 9

/19/0

7

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

S

epte

mbe

r 19,

200

7

9:

00 A

M to

Noo

n

N

C T

urnp

ike

Aut

horit

y O

ffice

Bui

ldin

g G

roun

d Fl

oor C

onfe

renc

e R

oom

(G-1

3)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Sco

tt M

cLen

don,

US

AC

E

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Chr

isto

pher

Milit

sche

r, U

SE

PA

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Jim

Hoa

dley

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Bru

ce E

llis, N

CD

OT-

NE

U

Eliz

abet

h Lu

sk, N

CD

OT-

NE

U

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T-P

DEA

B

rian

Yam

amot

o, N

CD

OT-

PD

EA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

A

nne

Red

mon

d, H

NTB

Je

ns G

erat

z, E

coS

cien

ce

John

Pag

e, P

B

Bill

Ric

e, P

B

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

H

ando

ut 8

– R

espo

nse

to A

genc

y C

omm

ents

at t

he J

uly

18, 2

007

TEA

C M

eetin

g (u

pdat

ed S

ept.

5, 2

007)

Han

dout

8 A

ttach

men

t – H

isto

ric S

AV

Map

ping

Han

dout

9 –

Res

pons

e to

Writ

ten

TEA

C C

omm

ents

Req

uest

ed in

Jul

y 20

07

H

ando

ut 1

0 –

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

(upd

ated

Sep

tem

ber 1

9, 2

007)

Fina

l Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Res

pons

es to

age

ncy

com

men

ts a

t the

Jul

y 18

, 200

7 TE

AC

mee

ting

– R

espo

nses

to a

genc

y co

mm

ents

mad

e at

the

July

18,

200

7 TE

AC

mee

ting

are

incl

uded

in H

ando

ut 8

. The

com

men

ts a

nd

resp

onse

s w

ere

revi

ewed

.

Res

pons

es to

writ

ten

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed s

ince

the

July

18,

200

7 TE

AC

mee

ting

– W

ritte

n co

mm

ents

w

ere

rece

ived

from

US

EPA

, US

AC

E, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q, a

nd N

CD

ENR

-DM

F. R

espo

nses

to th

ese

com

men

ts

are

incl

uded

in H

ando

ut 9

. Que

stio

ns a

nd d

iscu

ssio

n on

this

han

dout

can

be

foun

d in

the

Q&A

sec

tion

of

thes

e m

inut

es.

o

Ferr

ies

– A

dditi

onal

con

side

ratio

n an

d an

alys

is h

as b

een

com

plet

ed fo

r a fe

rry

alte

rnat

ive.

The

se

alte

rnat

ives

are

ess

entia

lly th

e sa

me

as th

e br

idge

alte

rnat

ives

, but

repl

ace

the

brid

ge w

ith fe

rry

serv

ice.

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) M

eetin

g –

East

C-29

Pag

e 2

of 4

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t 9

/19/0

7

o

US

EP

A n

oted

that

the

I-73

DE

IS p

repa

red

for S

CD

OT

has

good

dis

cuss

ion

of N

EP

A c

ross

-cut

ting

issu

es a

nd re

com

men

ded

that

NC

TA o

btai

n a

copy

to c

onsi

der a

s a

go-b

y.

o

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M n

oted

that

they

will

be p

rovi

ding

writ

ten

com

men

ts o

n al

tern

ativ

es s

elec

tion.

The

se

com

men

ts w

ill be

sim

ilar t

o th

ose

alre

ady

subm

itted

by

othe

r age

ncie

s.

Det

aile

d St

udy

Alte

rnat

ives

– N

CTA

reite

rate

d its

sel

ectio

n of

MC

B3

and

MC

B4 w

ith B

ridge

Cor

ridor

s C

1 an

d C

2 as

the

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es w

ith th

e fo

llow

ing

deta

ils:

o

The

C1/

C2

mai

nlan

d co

rrid

or w

ill b

e ex

pand

ed to

ext

end

from

just

sou

th o

f Ayd

lett

Roa

d no

rth to

th

e po

wer

line

corr

idor

to a

llow

for m

ore

deta

iled

field

stu

dies

and

shi

fting

of t

he a

lignm

ent t

o m

inim

ize

impa

cts.

o

A

ltern

ate

conf

igur

atio

ns w

ill be

con

side

red

for t

he in

terc

hang

e at

US

158

. Int

erse

ctio

ns w

ill a

lso

be

asse

ssed

for f

easi

bilit

y.

o

Res

ults

of o

ngoi

ng S

AV

stu

dies

will

be u

sed

to m

inim

ize

SA

V im

pact

s w

hen

dete

rmin

ing

the

brid

ge

alig

nmen

t. o

O

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks, w

etla

nd im

pact

s w

ill be

min

imiz

ed a

s m

uch

as p

ossi

ble.

Q&

A: 1.

Wha

t is

the

sour

ce o

f the

hur

rican

e st

atis

tics

used

to re

spon

d to

US

EP

A P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Com

men

t #3?

Th

e da

ta w

as g

athe

red

from

the

Nat

iona

l Hur

rican

e C

ente

r, N

OAA

, NC

Clim

ate

Cen

ter.

A fu

ll re

port

will

be

prov

ided

to a

genc

ies

by N

CD

OT.

2.W

ill th

e D

EIS

add

ress

sto

rmw

ater

runo

ff fro

m a

brid

ge, a

s w

ell a

s ad

ditio

nal i

mpa

cts

rela

ted

to s

torin

g an

d tre

atin

g st

orm

wat

er (i

.e. l

and

for t

reat

men

t are

as, e

tc.)?

Th

ese

impa

cts

will

be

disc

lose

d in

the

DE

IS a

nd d

iscu

ssed

with

age

ncie

s at

upc

omin

g TE

AC

mee

tings

. N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

reco

mm

ende

d th

at N

CTA

coo

rdin

ate

with

NC

DEN

R-S

torm

wat

er D

ivis

ion

early

in th

e de

sign

pro

cess

to e

nsur

e pr

oper

sto

rmw

ater

mea

sure

s ar

e in

clud

ed.

3.N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

ask

ed if

wid

enin

g on

NC

12

does

not

impr

ove

hurr

ican

e cl

eara

nce

times

, why

it is

incl

uded

in

the

alte

rnat

ives

. N

C 1

2 is

not

a c

ontro

lling

link

for h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

n; th

eref

ore

impr

ovem

ents

to N

C 1

2 do

not

effe

ct

clea

ranc

e tim

es. H

owev

er, i

mpr

ovem

ents

to N

C 1

2 w

ould

impr

ove

daily

traf

fic fl

ow in

the

proj

ect a

rea.

4.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

ask

ed a

bout

pot

entia

l iss

ues

with

nav

igab

ility

rela

ted

to th

e br

idge

. N

CD

ENR

-DC

M a

dded

th

at C

AM

A re

quire

s m

aint

enan

ce o

f con

ditio

ns c

ompa

rabl

e w

hat e

xist

s cu

rren

tly.

NC

TA h

as c

oord

inat

ed w

ith U

SC

G re

gard

ing

navi

gabi

lity

of C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd. U

SCG

is a

men

able

to lo

okin

g in

to w

ho is

usi

ng C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd a

nd w

hat t

heir

requ

irem

ents

wou

ld b

e in

term

s of

nav

igat

ion.

5.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

indi

cate

d th

at m

itiga

tion

for t

he p

roje

ct s

houl

d in

clud

e S

AV

impa

cts,

not

ing

that

sha

ding

of

SA

V c

ould

requ

ire m

itiga

tion.

S

tudi

es a

re o

ngoi

ng to

det

erm

ine

the

exte

nt o

f SA

V in

the

proj

ect a

rea.

NC

TA w

ill co

ordi

nate

with

NC

DO

T,

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M, N

CD

ENR

-DM

F, a

nd N

MFS

to id

entif

y ap

prop

riate

miti

gatio

n fo

r SA

V im

pact

s. N

CD

OT

sugg

este

d th

at m

itiga

tion

coul

d in

clud

e co

nstru

ctin

g oy

ster

bed

s or

fund

ing

rese

arch

effo

rts o

r wat

er q

ualit

y m

onito

ring.

6.U

SFW

S n

oted

that

ther

e w

as d

iscu

ssio

n du

ring

the

July

10,

200

7 fie

ld v

isit

abou

t pre

serv

ing

Map

le S

wam

p as

par

t of t

he m

itiga

tion

for t

he p

roje

ct a

nd a

sked

if th

at d

iscu

ssio

n ha

d be

en d

ocum

ente

d.

This

dis

cuss

ion

was

doc

umen

ted

in m

eetin

g m

inut

es fo

r the

fiel

d vi

sit,

as w

ell a

s in

mee

ting

min

utes

for t

he

July

18,

200

7 TE

AC

mee

ting.

US

EP

A s

ugge

sted

that

as

a fir

st s

tep

to d

eter

min

ing

the

feas

ibilit

y of

this

pr

opos

al, p

rope

rty o

wne

rs w

ould

nee

d to

be

cont

acte

d to

gau

ge th

eir w

illin

gnes

s to

sel

l and

/or p

rese

rve

the

prop

erty

. US

FWS

add

ed th

at a

loca

l lan

d tru

st m

ay b

e ab

le to

ass

ist i

n th

is e

ffort.

In a

dditi

on, l

ocal

land

use

re

gula

tions

sho

uld

be re

view

ed to

det

erm

ine

if th

ere

may

alre

ady

be p

rote

ctio

ns in

pla

ce. N

CTA

will

disc

uss

this

furth

er w

ith N

CD

OT

and

NC

EE

P. U

SE

PA

poi

nted

out

that

FH

WA

and

NC

DO

T ha

ve n

ot

hist

oric

ally

miti

gate

d fo

r ind

irect

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts,

and

sug

gest

ed th

at a

com

mitm

ent f

or a

mor

e ro

bust

miti

gatio

n pl

an c

ould

hel

p al

levi

ate

agen

cy c

once

rns

abou

t the

alte

rnat

ives

sel

ectio

n. F

HW

A

requ

irem

ents

do

not r

equi

re m

itiga

tion

for i

ndire

ct a

nd c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

s.

Pag

e 3

of 4

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t 9

/19/0

7

7.N

CW

RC

requ

este

d cl

arifi

catio

n th

at n

o no

n-br

idge

alte

rnat

ives

are

pro

pose

d fo

r det

aile

d st

udy

and

expr

esse

d co

ncer

n th

at a

n ad

equa

te c

ompa

rison

of s

econ

dary

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts

coul

d no

t be

com

plet

ed w

ithou

t a n

on-b

ridge

alte

rnat

ive

bein

g st

udie

d in

det

ail.

Bas

ed o

n th

e re

sults

of t

he a

ltern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

pro

cess

, NC

TA is

pro

posi

ng to

ass

ess

only

brid

ge

alte

rnat

ives

in th

e D

EIS

. NC

TA is

wor

king

with

Eas

t Car

olin

a U

nive

rsity

(EC

U) t

o as

sess

sec

onda

ry a

nd

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts

for t

he p

roje

ct a

nd h

as a

sked

that

EC

U c

onsi

der a

non

-brid

ge s

cena

rio fo

r com

paris

on

with

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

es.

8.U

SA

CE

ask

ed if

FH

WA

is s

atis

fied

that

requ

irem

ents

of S

ectio

n 60

02 h

ave

been

met

with

resp

ect t

o se

lect

ion

of d

etai

led

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es.

FHW

A s

tate

d th

at b

ased

on

the

alte

rnat

ives

ana

lysi

s an

d sc

reen

ing

that

has

bee

n co

mpl

eted

, the

y ar

e sa

tisfie

d w

ith th

e re

com

men

datio

n to

stu

dy o

nly

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

es. F

HW

A p

oint

ed o

ut a

lso

that

ther

e is

st

ate

legi

slat

ion

man

datin

g th

at th

is p

roje

ct b

e st

udie

d as

a b

ridge

bas

ed th

e ab

ility

to to

ll a

new

faci

lity.

Fu

ndin

g ne

eds

to b

e co

nsid

ered

– if

this

pro

ject

is n

ot a

toll

proj

ect i

t will

not b

e bu

ilt. T

ollin

g co

uld

have

be

en in

corp

orat

ed in

to th

e pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed fo

r the

pro

ject

; how

ever

, NC

TA e

lect

ed to

con

tinue

with

the

purp

ose

and

need

dev

elop

ed b

y N

CD

OT

with

the

agen

cies

thro

ugh

the

Mer

ger 0

1 pr

oces

s.

9.H

as a

Pub

lic P

rivat

e P

artn

ersh

ip b

een

secu

red

for t

his

proj

ect?

N

o co

mm

itmen

t for

a P

ublic

Priv

ate

Par

tner

ship

is in

pla

ce a

t thi

s po

int,

thou

gh p

rivat

e en

titie

s ha

ve

expr

esse

d in

tere

st in

this

pro

ject

.

10.

Age

ncie

s re

spon

ded

that

abi

lity

to o

btai

n fu

ndin

g fo

r the

pro

ject

is s

pecu

lativ

e, a

nd U

SA

CE

not

ed th

at th

ey

are

not c

omfo

rtabl

e dr

oppi

ng a

ltern

ativ

es b

ased

on

fund

ing

with

out t

he fu

ndin

g al

read

y in

pla

ce.

MC

B2

is th

e on

ly a

ltern

ativ

e el

imin

ated

from

furth

er c

onsi

dera

tion

due

to la

ck o

f fun

ding

. Oth

er a

ltern

ativ

es

wer

e ev

alua

ted

thro

ugh

the

scre

enin

g pr

oces

s in

clud

ed in

Han

dout

3 (M

ay 2

007)

bas

ed o

n th

eir

effe

ctiv

enes

s at

mee

ting

the

proj

ect p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed,

traf

fic b

enef

its, a

nd p

oten

tial i

mpa

cts.

ER

1 an

d M

CB

1 w

ere

elim

inat

ed b

ased

on

the

high

num

ber o

f rel

ocat

ions

requ

ired

for w

iden

ing

NC

12

to fo

ur la

nes

in D

are

Cou

nty.

ER

2 w

as e

limin

ated

bec

ause

it p

rovi

des

min

imal

traf

fic b

enef

its. F

HW

A a

dded

that

thes

e re

sults

are

bas

ed o

n an

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng p

roce

ss a

nd a

ltern

ativ

es c

an n

ot b

e ar

bitra

rily

carr

ied

forw

ard.

11.

US

EP

A n

oted

that

ther

e sh

ould

be

a fu

ll ra

nge

of a

ltern

ativ

es c

onsi

dere

d in

the

DE

IS, i

nclu

ding

a n

on-

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

e, s

o th

at im

pact

s ca

n be

eva

luat

ed e

qual

ly. A

lso,

the

publ

ic s

houl

d be

giv

en a

n op

portu

nity

to c

omm

ent o

n th

e ra

nge

of a

ltern

ativ

es, i

nclu

ding

upg

radi

ng th

e ex

istin

g ro

ads.

A

ltern

ativ

es c

onsi

dere

d to

this

poi

nt, i

nclu

ding

non

-brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

es, h

ave

been

eva

luat

ed th

roug

h th

e al

tern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

pro

cess

intro

duce

d at

the

May

200

7 TE

AC

mee

ting.

At e

ach

stag

e of

scr

eeni

ng,

equi

vale

nt le

vels

of d

ata

wer

e us

ed fo

r all

alte

rnat

ives

. The

scr

eeni

ng p

roce

ss w

as u

sed

to e

valu

ate

a ra

nge

of a

ltern

ativ

es a

nd d

eter

min

e w

hich

alte

rnat

ives

sho

uld

be s

tudi

ed in

det

ail i

n th

e D

EIS

.

Pub

lic w

orks

hops

will

be

held

as

soon

as

poss

ible

and

the

publ

ic w

ill b

e in

vite

d to

com

men

t on

all

alte

rnat

ives

.

12.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

abo

ut th

e st

atus

of i

nvita

tion

lette

rs fo

r coo

pera

ting

and

parti

cipa

ting

agen

cies

. Th

ese

lette

rs a

re b

eing

pre

pare

d an

d w

ill be

dis

tribu

ted

befo

re th

e ne

xt T

EA

C m

eetin

g.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA/N

CD

OT

will

inve

stig

ate

the

legi

slat

ive

inte

nt o

f 18-

hour

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

stan

dard

(GS

136

-10

2.7)

[See

Han

dout

8 fo

r res

pons

e.]

FH

WA

/NC

TA to

look

into

legi

slat

ive

inte

nt o

f the

acc

eler

ated

pilo

t tol

l brid

ge p

roje

ct (G

S 1

36-8

9.18

3) w

ith

spec

ific

rega

rd to

the

term

inol

ogy

"bor

derin

g th

e S

tate

of V

irgin

ia"

[See

Han

dout

8 fo

r res

pons

e.]

FH

WA

/NC

TA to

con

side

r Tie

red

EIS

reco

mm

enda

tion

[S

ee H

ando

ut 8

for r

espo

nse.

]

NC

TA w

ill a

sk C

arol

ina

Land

for a

bre

akdo

wn

of re

loca

tions

from

dire

ct im

pact

s an

d re

loca

tions

from

re

duce

d lo

t siz

e on

ly

[See

Han

dout

8 fo

r res

pons

e.]

C-30

Pag

e 4

of 4

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

Eas

t 9

/19/0

7

N

CTA

will

che

ck o

n m

inim

um lo

t siz

e or

dina

nces

, pre

vale

nce

of in

divi

dual

sep

tic s

yste

ms,

and

rela

tion

of

lot s

ize

to th

e C

AM

A la

nd u

se p

lan

[S

ee H

ando

ut 8

for r

espo

nse.

]

NC

TA w

ill ch

eck

with

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y on

pot

entia

l ext

ensi

on o

f NC

12

north

; NC

TA w

ill ch

eck

with

N

CD

OT

Div

isio

n 1

[S

ee H

ando

ut 8

for r

espo

nse.

]

NC

TA w

ill c

onsi

der a

ltern

ativ

e in

terc

hang

e co

nfig

urat

ions

for t

he U

S 1

58/M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge in

terc

hang

e [S

ee H

ando

ut 8

for r

espo

nse.

]

NC

TA w

ill ev

alua

te m

odify

ing

C3/

C4

to m

inim

ize

impa

cts

to th

e ba

y fo

rest

(shi

ft no

rth o

f Ayd

lett

Roa

d) a

nd

to th

e co

mm

unity

of A

ydle

tt

[See

Han

dout

8 fo

r res

pons

e.]

N

CTA

will

chec

k w

ith N

CD

EN

R-D

NH

on

info

rmat

ion

on th

e ba

y fo

rest

sys

tem

[S

ee H

ando

ut 8

for r

espo

nse.

]

NC

TA w

ill co

ntin

ue to

pur

sue

EC

SU

SAV

stu

dy in

form

atio

n [S

ee H

ando

ut 8

for r

espo

nse.

]

NC

TA w

ill co

nsid

er w

heth

er to

mee

t on

the

proj

ect i

n A

ugus

t [T

he A

ugus

t mee

ting

was

can

celle

d.]

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts a

nd is

sues

of c

once

rn o

n H

ighw

ay Im

prov

emen

t Alte

rnat

ives

, brid

ge

corri

dors

, and

pro

pose

d D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es w

ithin

30

days

, as

note

d in

the

Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n.

[Writ

ten

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

from

US

AC

E, U

SEP

A, N

CD

EN

R-D

MF,

and

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q. S

ee

Han

dout

9 fo

r res

pons

es to

writ

ten

com

men

ts.]

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n th

e dr

aft m

eetin

g su

mm

ary

from

the

July

10,

200

7 fie

ld v

isit

by

Aug

ust 1

5, 2

007.

[N

o co

mm

ents

wer

e re

ceiv

ed.]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

N

CTA

will

com

plet

e an

d di

strib

ute

a fin

al a

ltern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

repo

rt fo

r age

ncy

revi

ew a

nd c

omm

ent.

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

any

add

ition

al w

ritte

n co

mm

ents

on

the

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng c

oncl

usio

ns p

rese

nted

in

Han

dout

10,

whi

ch s

tate

s th

at M

CB

3 an

d M

CB4

alte

rnat

ives

with

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

C1

and

C2

will

be

eval

uate

d in

the

DE

IS, b

y O

ctob

er 1

9, 2

007.

NC

TA w

ill di

strib

ute

invi

tatio

n le

tters

to c

oope

ratin

g an

d pa

rtici

patin

g ag

enci

es.

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

1

1/1

4/0

7

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

N

ovem

ber 1

4, 2

007

9:00

am

to 1

0:30

am

N

C T

urnp

ike

Aut

horit

y O

ffice

Bui

ldin

g G

roun

d Fl

oor C

onfe

renc

e R

oom

(G-1

3)

Proj

ect:

STI

P U

-476

3B T

riang

le P

arkw

ay

Tria

ngle

Par

kway

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Eric

Als

mey

er, U

SA

CE

Tr

avis

Wils

on, N

CW

RC

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, E

PA

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Chr

is M

ilitsc

her,

EP

A

Rob

Rid

ings

, NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Bria

n W

renn

, NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arly

, HP

O

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Tim

McF

adde

n, N

CD

OT–

Alt.

Del

iver

y N

icol

e H

ackl

er, N

CD

OT–

Alt.

Del

iver

y N

ilesh

Sur

ti, N

CD

OT–

Alt.

Del

iver

y

Tony

Hou

ser,

NC

DO

T–R

oadw

ay D

esig

n

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Jim

Coo

per,

Eco

Sci

ence

R

icha

rd B

ollin

ger,

Tran

site

Ja

y B

isse

tt, M

ulke

y

Jeff

Rec

k, M

ulke

y D

avid

Boc

ker,

Mul

key

Ang

ela

Par

ker,

Mul

key

Cin

dy C

arr,

Mul

key

John

ny B

anks

, Mul

key

Bill

Hoo

d, M

ulke

y

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls h

ave

been

pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

30

% H

ydra

ulic

Des

ign

Pla

ns

H

alf-s

ize

draf

t pub

lic h

earin

g m

ap

H

ando

ut 1

from

Oct

ober

17,

200

7 TE

AC

Mee

ting

– W

etla

nd a

nd S

tream

Impa

ct T

able

Han

dout

3 fr

om O

ctob

er 1

7, 2

007

TEA

C M

eetin

g –

NC

540

Stre

am a

nd W

etla

nd Im

pact

Tab

le

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

is m

eetin

g w

as to

pro

vide

a b

rief p

roje

ct s

tatu

s up

date

, dis

cuss

any

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed o

n av

oida

nce

and

min

imiz

atio

n, p

ropo

sed

wid

enin

g of

eas

tbou

nd N

C 5

40 a

nd q

ualit

ativ

e In

dire

ct a

nd C

umul

ativ

e E

ffect

s (IC

E) r

esul

ts, a

nd re

view

the

30%

Hyd

raul

ic P

lans

.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

dur

ing

the

mee

ting:

Publ

ic H

earin

g M

ap O

verv

iew

/Pro

ject

Des

crip

tion

- Tria

ngle

Par

kway

is p

ropo

sed

as a

six

-lane

tolle

d fre

eway

faci

lity

with

a 4

6 fo

ot g

rass

ed m

edia

n w

ith 1

2-fo

ot p

aved

insi

de s

houl

ders

and

12-

foot

pav

ed

outs

ide

shou

lder

s. E

ach

of th

e pr

opos

ed tr

avel

lane

s is

12-

foot

wid

e. T

he p

roje

ct is

loca

ted

in s

outh

ern

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) M

eetin

g

C-31

Pag

e 2

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

Dur

ham

Cou

nty

and

wes

tern

Wak

e C

ount

y, p

redo

min

atel

y w

ithin

RTP

. Th

e pr

ojec

t inc

lude

s th

e fo

llow

ing

impr

ovem

ents

:

C

onst

ruct

ion

of a

full

cont

rol a

cces

s ro

ad e

xten

ding

app

roxi

mat

ely

3.4

mile

s in

leng

th fr

om N

C 5

40 to

I-40

.

Con

stru

ctin

g a

com

pres

sed

split

dia

mon

d in

terc

hang

e be

twee

n D

avis

Driv

e an

d H

opso

n R

oad

with

one

-w

ay fr

onta

ge ro

ads

conn

ectin

g D

avis

Driv

e an

d H

opso

n R

oad.

Con

stru

ctin

g du

al b

ridge

s ov

er B

urde

ns C

reek

.

Con

stru

ctin

g to

ll pl

azas

on

the

inte

rcha

nge

ram

ps a

t Hop

son

Roa

d.

C

onst

ruct

ing

toll

plaz

as o

n th

e ra

mp

betw

een

wes

tbou

nd N

C 5

40 a

nd n

orth

boun

d Tr

iang

le P

arkw

ay a

nd

the

flyov

er ra

mp

betw

een

sout

hbou

nd T

riang

le P

arkw

ay a

nd e

astb

ound

NC

540

.

W

iden

ing

appr

oxim

atel

y 0.

8 m

iles

in th

e m

edia

n of

nor

thbo

und

NC

147

from

I-40

to C

ornw

allis

Roa

d.

W

iden

ing

the

outs

ide

lane

of e

astb

ound

NC

540

by

one-

lane

(The

tota

l len

gth

of th

e w

iden

ing

alon

g N

C

540

is a

ppro

xim

atel

y 1.

3 m

iles)

.

Wid

enin

g th

e tw

o-la

ne fl

yove

r ram

p fro

m e

astb

ound

NC

540

to T

riang

le P

arkw

ay to

thre

e-la

nes.

Wid

enin

g th

e ex

istin

g br

idge

s on

NC

540

ove

r Dav

is D

rive,

Cis

co A

cces

s R

oad

and

prop

osed

Lou

is

Ste

phen

s R

oad.

Con

stru

ctin

g th

e K

it C

reek

Roa

d co

nnec

tor.

(The

Kit

Cre

ek R

oad

conn

ecto

r, w

hich

wou

ld p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

co

nnec

tivity

bet

wee

n D

avis

Driv

e an

d C

hurc

h S

treet

, is

curre

ntly

incl

uded

as

part

of th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

at th

e re

ques

t of t

he T

own

of M

orris

ville

. A fi

nal d

ecis

ion

on th

e co

nstru

ctio

n of

the

Kit

Cre

ek

conn

ecto

r will

be m

ade

afte

r all

com

men

ts a

re re

ceiv

ed o

n th

is e

nviro

nmen

tal d

ocum

ent a

nd th

roug

h th

e pu

blic

hea

ring

proc

ess.

)

Proj

ect S

tatu

s U

pdat

e –

An

upda

te o

n th

e pr

ojec

t sta

tus

was

pro

vide

d to

the

mee

ting

atte

ndee

s.

Thi

s up

date

incl

uded

the

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n:

o

Qua

litat

ive

Indi

rect

and

Cum

ulat

ive

Effe

cts

(ICE

) pre

sent

atio

n an

d A

void

ance

and

Min

imiz

atio

n –

Com

men

ts, i

ssue

s or

con

cern

s on

the

ICE

pre

sent

atio

n an

d th

e Av

oida

nce

and

Min

imiz

atio

n di

scus

sion

wer

e re

ques

ted

at th

e O

ctob

er 1

7, 2

007

TEA

C M

eetin

g by

Nov

embe

r 9, 2

007.

The

N

CTA

did

not

rece

ive

any

com

men

ts. I

f the

re a

re a

ny c

omm

ents

, iss

ues

or c

once

rns,

ple

ase

subm

it th

em to

Jen

nife

r Har

ris a

s so

on a

s po

ssib

le. T

he d

raft

ICE

ass

essm

ent i

s cu

rren

tly b

eing

re

view

ed b

y N

CD

OT

and

FHW

A. T

he re

port

shou

ld b

e fin

aliz

ed w

ithin

the

next

few

wee

ks a

nd w

ill be

mad

e av

aila

ble

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

.

o

EP

A q

uest

ione

d th

e re

view

of h

ydra

ulic

pla

ns p

rior t

o th

e is

suan

ce o

f the

Env

ironm

enta

l A

sses

smen

t (E

A).

The

NC

TA is

usi

ng a

n ex

pedi

ted

proc

ess

to im

plem

ent t

he p

roje

ct. F

HW

A a

nd

NC

TA a

ckno

wle

dged

that

the

team

is p

roce

edin

g at

risk

in o

rder

to m

eet a

n ex

pedi

ted

sche

dule

, an

d co

mm

ente

d th

at if

the

plan

s ch

ange

d ba

sed

on th

e pu

blic

hea

ring

or c

omm

ents

rece

ived

du

ring

the

EA

revi

ew p

erio

d th

at th

ose

chan

ges

to th

e de

sign

pla

ns w

ould

be

revi

sed

and

re-

revi

ewed

with

the

agen

cies

. No

appr

oval

s ar

e fin

al u

ntil

the

final

NE

PA

doc

umen

t is

com

plet

ed a

nd

the

401

and

404

perm

its a

re is

sued

. The

re w

ill be

add

ition

al o

ppor

tuni

ties

for t

he e

nviro

nmen

tal

revi

ew a

genc

ies

to p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

prio

r to

the

subm

ittal

of t

he p

erm

it pa

ckag

e. It

sho

uld

be

note

d th

is p

roje

ct h

as b

een

scre

ened

out

of t

he 4

04/N

EP

A M

erge

r Pro

cess

in J

uly

2006

.

o

The

NC

TA is

aw

are

of th

e co

ncer

ns ra

ised

by

the

empl

oyee

s at

the

EP

A fa

cilit

y lo

cate

d ad

jace

nt to

th

e pr

ojec

t. Th

e N

CTA

has

had

num

erou

s m

eetin

gs w

ith b

oth

EP

A a

nd N

IEH

S m

anag

emen

t and

th

e em

ploy

ee’s

uni

on re

pres

enta

tives

thro

ugho

ut th

e pl

anni

ng p

roce

ss to

dis

cuss

thei

r con

cern

s re

gard

ing

acce

ss to

the

cam

pus

and

air q

ualit

y at

the

dayc

are.

EP

A re

com

men

ded

that

a

chro

nolo

gy o

f coo

rdin

atio

n w

ith E

PA

/ N

EIH

S d

urin

g th

e pl

anni

ng p

roce

ss b

e di

sclo

sed

in th

e E

A.

o

A q

uant

itativ

e M

obile

Sou

rce

Air

Toxi

cs (M

SA

Ts) A

naly

sis

is b

eing

pre

pare

d fo

r the

pro

ject

and

will

be in

clud

ed in

the

EA

. The

pre

limin

ary

Noi

se R

epor

t has

det

erm

ined

that

a n

oise

wal

l is

feas

ible

an

d re

ason

able

at t

he d

ayca

re fa

cilit

y lo

cate

d on

the

EPA

pro

perty

. A D

esig

n N

oise

Rep

ort w

ill be

pr

epar

ed a

nd c

ompl

eted

prio

r to

the

Pub

lic H

earin

g to

fina

lize

the

need

for t

he n

oise

wal

l. In

ad

ditio

n, th

ere

is a

n en

viro

nmen

tal c

omm

itmen

t in

the

EA

and

in th

e D

esig

n-B

uild

sco

pe o

f wor

k to

m

inim

ize

the

cutti

ng o

f tre

es a

long

the

EP

A p

rope

rty in

the

vici

nity

of t

he d

ayca

re.

o

NC

TA a

nd N

CD

OT

will

cont

inue

to e

valu

ate

the

acce

ss to

EP

A a

t Hop

son

Roa

d w

ith th

e N

CD

OT

afte

r com

men

ts a

re re

ceiv

ed o

n th

e E

A a

nd a

fter t

he P

ublic

Hea

ring.

The

cur

rent

des

ign

incl

udes

a

left-

over

at t

his

inte

rsec

tion

base

d on

the

proj

ect-l

evel

traf

fic a

naly

sis

and

NC

DO

T R

oadw

ay D

esig

n

Pag

e 3

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

Man

ual a

nd M

edia

n C

ross

over

Spa

cing

Gui

delin

es, w

hich

reco

mm

ends

a 1

,200

-foot

min

imum

in

ters

ectio

n sp

acin

g fo

r div

ided

hig

hway

s w

ithou

t ful

l con

trol o

f acc

ess

and

post

ed s

peed

s of

45

mph

and

less

. H

opso

n R

oad

is a

NC

DO

T st

ate

mai

ntai

ned

faci

lity.

The

refo

re, a

ny d

ecis

ions

on

acce

ss m

ust b

e ap

prov

ed b

y N

CD

OT.

The

NC

TA w

ill in

clud

e th

e in

form

atio

n re

latin

g to

the

coor

dina

tion

com

plet

ed w

ith th

e E

PA

and

NIE

HS

in th

e E

A. O

nce

com

plet

ed, t

he E

A w

ill be

av

aila

ble

on th

e N

CTA

web

site

.

o

The

EP

A c

omm

ente

d th

at s

tudi

es s

how

the

nois

e w

all s

houl

d he

lp m

itiga

te th

e M

SA

Ts a

t the

da

ycar

e. M

SA

T ef

fect

s va

ry a

ccor

ding

to th

e tim

e of

yea

r and

are

mor

e of

an

issu

e du

ring

cool

w

inte

r day

s. M

SA

Ts te

nd to

hyd

roly

ze (m

ix in

with

air

and

hum

idity

), an

d ef

fect

s ar

e fe

lt im

med

iate

ly a

djac

ent t

o th

e ro

adw

ay (w

ithin

100

feet

). T

he d

ayca

re is

app

roxi

mat

ely

10 to

12

feet

ab

ove

the

elev

atio

n of

the

prop

osed

road

way

.

Rev

iew

of t

he 3

0% H

ydra

ulic

Pla

ns –

Jef

f Rec

k pr

ocee

ded

with

the

revi

ew o

f the

30%

hyd

raul

ic p

lans

for t

he

proj

ect.

The

follo

win

g is

a d

iscu

ssio

n of

eac

h w

etla

nd o

r stre

am s

ite b

eing

impa

cted

by

the

proj

ect:

Gen

eral

A

ll w

ater

s w

ithin

the

proj

ect a

re C

lass

‘C’ n

utrie

nt s

ensi

tive

wat

ers.

The

proj

ect f

alls

with

in th

e C

ape

Fear

Riv

er B

asin

.

Gra

ss S

wal

e tre

atm

ent w

ill oc

cur i

n m

ultip

le lo

catio

ns th

roug

hout

the

proj

ect i

n di

tche

s w

here

flat

slo

pes

can

be m

aint

aine

d.

P

re-fo

rmed

sco

ur h

oles

will

also

be

utiliz

ed a

s tre

atm

ent m

easu

res.

Pro

pose

d cu

lver

ts w

ill be

bur

ied

1 ft

to p

rovi

de fo

r fis

h pa

ssag

e.

C

ross

pip

es in

juris

dict

iona

l per

enni

al s

tream

s w

ill be

bur

ied

1 fo

ot.

C

ross

pip

es in

juris

dict

iona

l int

erm

itten

t stre

ams

will

be

burie

d 1f

oot f

or c

ulve

rts g

reat

er th

an 4

8 in

ches

and

20

% o

f the

pip

e di

amet

er fo

r cul

verts

less

than

48

inch

es in

dia

met

er.

(The

cro

ss p

ipe

topi

c w

as c

larif

ied

afte

r the

mee

ting

with

NC

DEN

R-D

WQ

& N

CW

RC

via

em

ail s

tatin

g:

Cro

ss p

ipes

in ju

risdi

ctio

nal p

eren

nial

and

inte

rmitt

ent s

tream

s w

ill b

e bu

ried

1 fo

ot fo

r cul

verts

gre

ater

than

48

inch

es a

nd 2

0% o

f the

pip

e di

amet

er fo

r cul

verts

less

than

48

inch

es in

dia

met

er.)

Shee

t 2-D

ET-1

D

etai

ls S

heet

o

A

ll im

pact

s sh

all b

e te

mpo

rary

. o

R

ipra

p at

inle

t of t

empo

rary

cul

vert

is p

ropo

sed

to p

rovi

de p

ositi

ve d

rain

age

sinc

e th

e in

let i

s pe

rche

d.

o

Stre

am N

SL

is c

onsi

dere

d pe

rman

ent i

mpa

cts

curr

ently

, but

nee

ds to

be

chan

ged

to te

mpo

rary

st

ream

impa

cts

sinc

e cu

lver

t ext

ensi

ons

will

be

rem

oved

and

eve

ryth

ing

will

be

put b

ack

to e

xist

ing

cond

ition

s. T

he im

pact

s ta

ble

will

also

be

revi

sed

to re

flect

this

cha

nge.

Shee

t 2-D

ET-2

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o im

pact

s

Shee

t 4

Cul

vert

Cro

ssin

g at

Sta

. 99+

37 –

L–

o

A s

ingl

e bo

x cu

lver

t is

prop

osed

to m

atch

the

chan

nel s

hape

o

R

ipra

p w

ill be

rem

oved

from

cha

nnel

bed

per

requ

est.

C

ulve

rt C

ross

ing

at S

ta. 1

1+28

–Y

5DR

1–

o

Wai

ting

on g

eote

chni

cal i

nfor

mat

ion

to d

eter

min

e if

exis

ting

botto

mle

ss a

rch

culv

ert c

an w

ithst

and

addi

tiona

l fill

o

C

urre

nt d

esig

n sh

ows

prop

osed

9’ x

6’ b

ox c

ulve

rt to

repl

ace

botto

mle

ss a

rch

culv

ert (

wor

st c

ase

scen

ario

).

Bas

e D

itch

o

At g

rade

W

etla

nds

o

Impa

cts

at a

ppro

x. S

ta. 1

09+0

0 du

e to

the

road

way

alig

nmen

t.

C-32

Pag

e 4

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

Gen

eral

Com

men

t: N

CW

RC

not

ed n

ot to

put

ripr

ap in

per

enni

al c

hann

els

for e

nerg

y di

ssip

atio

n.

Shee

t 5 (N

o C

omm

ents

from

Reg

ulat

ory

Age

ncie

s)

Inte

rmitt

ent S

tream

o

A

ppro

xim

atel

y 20

0 ft

of im

pact

s at

app

rox.

Sta

. 120

+00

Shee

t 6

Cul

vert

Cro

ssin

g at

Sta

. 125

+00

–L–

o

C

an b

e bu

ilt in

the

dry,

with

out a

dditi

onal

impa

cts

to th

e st

ream

. o

2

ft si

ll in

cul

vert

carry

ing

“non

” bas

e flo

w.

o

Cul

vert

is b

urie

d 1

ft o

R

eque

st m

ade

to re

mov

e rip

rap

from

cha

nnel

bed

C

ulve

rt C

ross

ings

at S

ta. 1

42+5

3 –L

– a

nd S

ta. 2

29+8

5 –Y

1–

o

Can

be

built

in th

e dr

y, w

ithou

t add

ition

al im

pact

s to

the

stre

am.

o

2 ft

sill

in c

ulve

rt ca

rryin

g “n

on” b

ase

flow

. o

C

ulve

rt is

bur

ied

1 ft

o

Gra

ss-li

ned

swal

es b

efor

e di

rect

dis

char

ge in

to c

ulve

rt.

o

Con

cern

abo

ut th

e ch

anne

l bet

wee

n th

ese

two

culv

erts

U

SA

CE

ask

ed if

the

two

culv

erts

cou

ld b

e co

nnec

ted.

NC

TA s

tate

d th

at th

ey c

ould

not

bec

ause

ther

e w

ould

be

too

muc

h di

rect

dis

char

ge in

to th

e cu

lver

ts, a

nd th

e br

idge

lim

its th

e al

ignm

ent o

ptio

ns.

A

t the

requ

est o

f US

AC

E, N

CTA

pla

ns to

look

at t

he d

etai

led

desi

gn fo

r thi

s ch

anne

l prio

r to

the

next

TE

AC

m

eetin

g in

Dec

embe

r to

mak

e su

re th

e ch

anne

l is

stab

le.

Ther

e is

a lo

t of w

ater

flow

ing

thro

ugh

the

chan

nel a

nd th

ere

are

two

bend

s in

the

chan

nel;

thes

e ar

e bo

th d

esig

n co

ncer

ns.

The

velo

city

of t

he

chan

nel a

t tha

t site

is 7

.6 ft

/s a

nd th

e be

d sl

ope

is 0

.5%

.

Ther

e w

as a

requ

est b

y U

SA

CE

to re

info

rce

the

chan

nel a

s m

uch

as n

eces

sary

, inc

ludi

ng a

ddin

g rip

rap

if ne

eded

.

Wet

land

s o

A

ssum

ing

tota

l tak

es fo

r all

wet

land

s

Per

enni

al S

tream

s o

Th

ere

will

be

som

e pe

renn

ial s

tream

s bu

ried.

Pon

ds

o

Ther

e w

as a

que

stio

n ab

out i

mpa

cts

to th

e of

fice

park

sto

rmw

ater

pon

ds s

how

n on

She

et 6

. NC

TA

stat

ed th

at th

e cu

rren

t des

igns

do

not i

mpa

ct a

ny o

f the

sto

rmw

ater

pon

ds a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith th

e of

fice

park

s on

She

et 6

.

G

ener

al C

omm

ents

o

R

emov

e “D

rain

Ditc

h” fr

om th

e su

rvey

file

thro

ugho

ut th

e en

tire

proj

ect.

o

At a

ppro

x. S

ta. 2

41+0

0 –Y

1– th

ere

is ri

prap

in th

e ju

risdi

ctio

nal s

tream

that

was

per

mitt

ed u

nder

TI

P P

roje

ct U

-402

6.

Shee

t 7

Per

enni

al S

tream

o

A

t mat

ch li

ne fo

r She

et 6

, app

rox.

75

ft of

stre

am w

ill be

impa

cted

. Th

e st

ream

turn

s to

inte

rmitt

ent

afte

r tha

t, an

d th

e w

hole

are

a w

ill be

a to

tal t

ake.

o

O

pen

chan

nel f

low

with

ripr

ap w

ill be

add

ed to

the

wes

t sid

e of

the

proj

ect t

o re

loca

te th

e st

ream

.

Inte

rmitt

ent S

tream

s at

nor

th s

ide

of H

opso

n R

d.

o

Add

ing

a di

tch

to h

andl

e th

e flo

w.

Ditc

h w

ill b

e gr

ass

lined

for t

he fi

rst h

alf t

hen

rip ra

pped

.

Pag

e 5

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

Shee

t 8

Inte

rmitt

ent S

tream

o

Fr

om b

egin

ning

of s

heet

to S

ta. 1

85+0

0 –L

– th

e in

term

itten

t stre

am w

ill be

a fu

ll ta

ke.

o

Rel

ocat

ing

stre

am fr

om th

e ea

st s

ide

of th

e pr

ojec

t to

the

wes

t sid

e.

P

eren

nial

Stre

ams

o

From

Sta

. 185

+00

–L–

to th

e en

d of

the

shee

t the

per

enni

al s

tream

will

be a

full

take

.

Shee

t 9

Per

enni

al S

tream

s o

Im

pact

s up

to S

ta. 1

91+0

0 –L

–, a

fter t

hat w

e w

ill no

long

er b

e im

pact

ing

it o

R

ipra

p w

ill m

ost l

ikel

y be

add

ed to

that

stre

am (o

nly

show

ing

on th

e ba

nks

curre

ntly

) due

to th

e hi

gh v

eloc

ity o

f the

wat

er e

xitin

g th

e 72

” cro

ss-p

ipe.

72” C

ross

-pip

e

o

Look

at e

nerg

y di

ssip

ater

s be

side

s rip

rap.

o

U

SA

CE

ask

ed if

a b

end

be a

dded

. N

CTA

sta

ted

that

a b

end

coul

d no

t be

adde

d be

caus

e th

e am

ount

of d

isch

arge

and

the

size

of t

he c

ulve

rt cr

eate

con

cern

of d

ebris

pot

entia

l at t

he b

end.

The

ov

eral

l ske

w a

ngle

will

be

look

ed a

t and

revi

sed

if fe

asib

le.

W

etla

nds

o

Fill

slop

e in

to w

etla

nds

at a

ppro

x. S

ta. 2

04+0

0 –L

–.

o

A 5

ft b

erm

will

be p

rovi

ded

at th

e ba

se o

f slo

pe.

G

ener

al

o

Com

men

t tha

t tra

ffic

flow

arro

ws

appe

ar to

be

reve

rsed

on

som

e sh

eets

. o

N

CD

OT

inqu

ired

if th

e w

all c

ould

be

mov

ed b

ack

furth

er fr

om g

uard

rail.

Shee

t 10

W

etla

nds

o

Wet

land

s fro

m S

ta. 2

07+0

0 –L

– to

211

+00

–L–

will

be to

tal t

ake.

o

W

etla

nds

from

Sta

. 218

–L–

to n

ext s

heet

will

be to

tal t

ake.

Shee

t 11

W

etla

nds

o

Brid

ge o

ver w

etla

nds

Th

ere

is a

ben

t loc

ated

in th

e w

etla

nds

U

SA

CE

ask

ed h

ow m

uch

will

be

impa

cted

due

to a

cces

s fo

r con

stru

ctio

n. N

CTA

resp

onde

d th

at th

ere

will

be te

mpo

rary

impa

cts

for t

he a

cces

s an

d co

nstru

ctio

n; th

e be

nt w

ill be

a p

erm

anen

t im

pact

.

EP

A re

ques

ted

that

the

340’

brid

ge o

ver t

he F

EM

A-re

gula

ted

stre

am b

e do

cum

ente

d as

avo

idan

ce a

nd

min

imiz

atio

n.

Shee

t 12

C

ulve

rt E

xten

sion

on

–Y3–

o

C

ulve

rt dr

oppe

d at

out

fall

to m

atch

sco

ur h

ole

o

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q re

ques

ted

the

rem

oval

of t

he ri

prap

from

the

chan

nel a

nd in

stea

d us

ing

the

NC

DO

T en

ergy

dis

sipa

ter c

ell.

Shee

t 13

C

ulve

rt E

xten

sion

o

E

xten

ding

exi

stin

g 8’

x 6

’ cul

vert

o

No

ripra

p in

cha

nnel

Juris

dict

iona

l Int

erm

itten

t Stre

am im

pact

s on

–Y

4RP

C–

o

Rel

ocat

ing

stre

am (d

iver

ting

it)

o

Rip

rap

will

be p

ut o

n em

bank

men

t

Shee

t 14

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

W

iden

ing

exis

ting

road

o

S

heet

Flo

w in

to e

xist

ing

stre

am, n

o im

pact

s

Floo

dpla

in m

ay b

e cr

eate

d by

exc

avat

ing

emba

nkm

ent

C-33

Pag

e 6

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

Shee

t 15

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

W

iden

ing

exis

ting

road

o

S

heet

Flo

w in

to e

xist

ing

stre

am, n

o im

pact

s

Floo

dpla

in m

ay b

e cr

eate

d by

exc

avat

ing

emba

nkm

ent

Shee

t 16

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

W

iden

ing

exis

ting

road

o

S

heet

Flo

w in

to e

xist

ing

stre

am, n

o im

pact

s

Cul

vert

Ext

ensi

on

o

No

impa

cts

Fl

oodp

lain

may

be

crea

ted

by e

xcav

atin

g em

bank

men

t

Shee

t 17

R

etai

ning

wal

l on

–YR

PA

– ne

eded

due

to to

ll pl

aza

- (w

orst

cas

e sc

enar

io if

ther

e ar

e ca

sh c

olle

ctio

n fa

cilit

ies

inst

ead

of a

ll el

ectro

nic

toll

colle

ctio

n)

o

Mig

ht re

quire

ext

ensi

on o

f tw

o cu

lver

ts

S

ta. 4

0+00

–Y

BFL

Y–

cul

vert

exte

nsio

n (w

orst

cas

e sc

enar

io if

ther

e ar

e ca

sh c

olle

ctio

n fa

cilit

ies

inst

ead

of

all e

lect

roni

c to

ll co

llect

ion)

Shee

t 18

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o pr

opos

ed w

ork

o

No

impa

cts

Shee

t 19

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o pr

opos

ed w

ork

o

No

impa

cts

Shee

t 20

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o im

pact

s

Shee

t 21

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

No

impa

cts

Shee

t 22

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o im

pact

s

Shee

t 23

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o im

pact

s

Shee

t 24

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o im

pact

s

Shee

t 25

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o im

pact

s

Shee

t 26

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o im

pact

s

Shee

t 27

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

P

erm

itted

und

er U

-402

6

Shee

t 28

(No

Com

men

ts fr

om R

egul

ator

y A

genc

ies)

N

o im

pact

s

Pag

e 7

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

Shee

t 29

In

term

itten

t Stre

am

o

75 ft

of s

tream

will

be b

urie

d o

E

xist

ing

36” p

ipe

at th

is lo

catio

n w

ill be

ext

ende

d

Nex

t Ste

ps

NC

TA w

ill re

view

the

draf

t per

mit

draw

ing

with

the

agen

cies

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

The

NC

TA w

ill di

strib

ute

the

draf

t per

mit

draw

ings

to th

e ag

enci

es p

rior t

o th

e (D

ecem

ber o

r Jan

uary

) TE

AC

mee

ting.

At t

he m

eetin

g, th

e N

CTA

will

revi

ew th

e pe

rmit

draw

ings

with

the

agen

cies

. Th

e hy

drau

lic

desi

gn e

ngin

eers

will

be p

rese

nt a

t the

mee

ting

to re

view

the

draw

ings

and

dis

cuss

com

men

ts w

ith th

e ag

enci

es.

(Not

e: N

CTA

ant

icip

ates

sub

mitt

ing

the

perm

it ap

plic

atio

ns in

Feb

ruar

y 20

08.)

B

rian

Wre

nn w

ill be

repr

esen

ting

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q fr

om th

is p

oint

forw

ard

as A

ctin

g S

uper

viso

r sin

ce J

ohn

Hen

ness

y is

no

long

er in

this

pos

ition

.

C-34

Pag

e 8

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

Dat

e:

N

ovem

ber 1

4, 2

007

10:3

0 am

to 1

2:30

pm

N

C T

urnp

ike

Aut

horit

y O

ffice

Bui

ldin

g G

roun

d Fl

oor C

onfe

renc

e R

oom

(G-1

3)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Chr

isto

pher

Milit

sche

r, U

SE

PA

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Ron

Sec

hler

, NM

FS

Jim

Hoa

dley

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Bria

n W

renn

, NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arly

, NC

DC

R-H

PO

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Bru

ce E

llis, N

CD

OT-

NE

U

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T-P

DEA

Je

nnife

r Har

ris, N

CTA

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

Jens

Ger

atz,

Eco

Sci

ence

Jo

hn P

age,

PB

M

ike

Fend

rick,

PB

E

ric M

isak

, PB

Bill

Ric

e, P

B

Sam

Coo

per,

CZR

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls h

ave

been

pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

H

ando

ut 1

1 –

Con

cept

ual A

ltern

ativ

es R

efin

emen

t

Bat

hym

etric

and

SA

V D

ata

from

US

AC

E

Com

pres

sed

Y In

terc

hang

e C

once

pt (S

heet

s 1

and

2 of

2)

S

igna

lized

Inte

rsec

tion

Con

cept

(She

ets

1 an

d 2

of 2

)

Trum

pet I

nter

chan

ge C

once

pt (S

heet

s 1

and

2 of

2)

N

C 1

2 A

ltern

ativ

es C

1C a

nd C

1D

N

C 1

2 A

ltern

ativ

es C

1A, C

2A, a

nd C

1B

U

SA

CE

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

Hyd

rogr

aphi

c an

d S

ubm

erge

d A

quat

ic V

eget

atio

n S

urve

y (S

epte

mbe

r 200

7)

N

CD

OT

SA

V F

ield

Sur

vey

Sum

mar

y (O

ctob

er 2

6, 2

007)

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

dis

cuss

resu

lts o

f env

ironm

enta

l fie

ld s

tudi

es, i

nclu

ding

sub

mer

ged

aqua

tic

vege

tatio

n (S

AV

) map

ping

, wet

land

del

inea

tions

, and

tree

sur

veys

in M

aple

Sw

amp,

and

revi

ew c

once

ptua

l in

terc

hang

e an

d al

ignm

ent o

ptio

ns fo

r brid

ge c

orrid

ors.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Alte

rnat

ives

for D

etai

led

Stud

y –

NC

TA is

wor

king

to a

ddre

ss w

ritte

n co

mm

ents

rece

ived

from

the

agen

cies

on

the

prop

osed

alte

rnat

ives

for d

etai

led

stud

y an

d to

com

plet

e do

cum

enta

tion

of th

e al

tern

ativ

es

anal

ysis

pro

cess

. A d

raft

alte

rnat

ives

stu

dy re

port

will

be

circ

ulat

ed fo

r age

ncy

and

publ

ic c

omm

ent o

nce

it is

com

plet

e. N

CTA

is p

roce

edin

g w

ith e

nviro

nmen

tal f

ield

stu

dies

for t

he M

CB

3 an

d M

CB4

brid

ge

alte

rnat

ives

in th

e C

1 an

d C

2 br

idge

cor

ridor

s, a

s th

ere

has

been

gen

eral

agr

eem

ent t

hat t

hose

alte

rnat

ives

sh

ould

be

stud

ied

in d

etai

l in

the

draf

t env

ironm

enta

l im

pact

sta

tem

ent (

DE

IS).

Envi

ronm

enta

l Fie

ld S

tudi

es –

With

in th

e C

1/C

2 br

idge

cor

ridor

s, e

nviro

nmen

tal f

ield

stu

dies

are

un

derw

ay. T

his

incl

udes

: SA

V/b

athy

met

ry m

appi

ng s

tudi

es c

ondu

cted

by

US

AC

E, w

etla

nd d

elin

eatio

ns,

and

tree

surv

eys

in M

aple

Sw

amp.

o

SA

V -

SA

V a

nd b

athy

met

ry s

urve

ys w

ere

cond

ucte

d by

US

AC

E fo

r the

NC

TA in

Jun

e/Ju

ly 2

007.

Fr

om th

e m

appi

ng, U

SAC

E w

as a

ble

to id

entif

y ar

eas

curre

ntly

con

tain

ing

SA

V a

s w

ell a

s w

ater

de

pth

(and

pot

entia

l SA

V h

abita

t) th

roug

hout

the

stud

y ar

ea. T

he re

sults

of t

he U

SA

CE

sur

vey

Pag

e 9

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

wer

e pr

ovid

ed to

and

fiel

d ch

ecke

d by

NC

DO

T-N

EU

in A

ugus

t 200

7 an

d fo

und

to b

e ac

cura

te.

On

bath

ymet

ry m

appi

ng, a

reas

sho

wn

in g

reen

are

sha

llow

er th

an a

reas

in b

lue.

SA

V h

abita

t is

cons

ider

ed to

be

area

s w

ith le

ss th

an 5

feet

of w

ater

dep

th. P

oten

tial i

mpa

cts

for t

he b

ridge

al

tern

ativ

es w

ill be

cal

cula

ted

for b

oth

exis

ting

SA

V a

nd p

oten

tial S

AV

hab

itat.

NC

TA h

as re

ceiv

ed

a fin

al re

port

from

US

ACE

sum

mar

izin

g th

e re

sults

of t

heir

surv

ey. H

ard

copi

es o

f the

repo

rt w

ere

dist

ribut

ed a

t the

mee

ting,

and

the

repo

rt is

ava

ilabl

e on

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te.

o

Wet

land

del

inea

tions

- W

etla

nd d

elin

eatio

ns a

re o

n-go

ing

in th

e C

1 an

d C

2 co

rrid

ors.

CZR

use

d ae

rial p

hoto

grap

hs, s

oils

map

ping

, and

the

Nor

th C

arol

ina

Nat

ural

Her

itage

dat

abas

e to

iden

tify

pote

ntia

l wet

land

are

as.

Pot

entia

l wet

land

s w

ere

map

ped

in th

e of

fice

and

field

che

cked

. C

ZR is

in

the

proc

ess

of fl

aggi

ng w

etla

nd b

ound

arie

s an

d ha

s ha

d on

e fie

ld m

eetin

g w

ith th

e U

SA

CE

repr

esen

tativ

e (O

uter

Ban

ks s

ide)

. CZR

not

ed th

at s

ever

al is

olat

ed w

etla

nds

wer

e lo

cate

d on

the

Out

er B

anks

alo

ng N

C 1

2 an

d w

ill lik

ely

be s

ubje

ct to

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q ju

risdi

ctio

n.

The

field

che

cked

wet

land

impa

cts

wer

e us

ed in

the

com

paris

on o

f int

erch

ange

and

inte

rsec

tion

alte

rnat

ives

in th

e C

1 an

d C

2 co

rrido

rs d

iscu

ssed

bel

ow.

o

Tree

sur

veys

in M

aple

Sw

amp

- CZR

con

duct

ed a

tree

sur

vey

in M

aple

Sw

amp

to id

entif

y tre

es

grea

ter t

han

22 in

ches

dia

met

er a

t bre

ast h

eigh

t (D

BH).

Tree

s w

ith d

iam

eter

s la

rger

than

22

inch

es

repr

esen

ted

less

than

15

perc

ent o

f the

num

ber o

f tre

es s

urve

yed.

Lar

ger t

rees

wer

e co

ncen

trate

d so

uth

of A

ydle

tt R

oad,

whe

re th

e la

rges

t tre

es w

ould

sur

pass

the

stat

e’s

curr

ent L

oblo

lly B

ay

“Cha

mpi

on T

ree”

, whi

ch is

18

inch

es D

BH.

CZR

als

o re

cord

ed d

ensi

ty o

f tre

es g

reat

er th

an 1

0 in

ches

DB

H p

er a

cre,

spe

cies

com

posi

tion,

and

hab

itat/c

omm

unity

type

. S

ome

lobl

olly

bay

tree

s ar

e fo

und

north

of A

ydle

tt R

oad,

but

the

curre

nt C

1/C

2 al

ignm

ent,

whi

ch is

nor

th o

f and

par

alle

l to

an e

xist

ing

pow

erlin

e co

rrid

or, w

ould

avo

id im

pact

s to

lobl

olly

bay

s. M

aps

show

ing

the

resu

lts o

f th

is s

urve

y ar

e in

clud

ed in

Han

dout

11.

Wor

k Pl

an fo

r Com

plet

ion

of th

e A

ltern

ativ

es S

tudi

es –

NC

TA is

con

tinui

ng w

ork

on th

e co

mpl

ete

draf

t A

ltern

ativ

es S

tudy

Rep

ort,

whi

ch w

ill su

mm

ariz

e th

e al

tern

ativ

es d

evel

opm

ent a

nd a

naly

sis

proc

ess

and

docu

men

t NC

TA’s

reco

mm

ende

d de

taile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

. The

com

plet

ed re

port

will

be

dist

ribut

ed fo

r ag

ency

and

pub

lic re

view

, lik

ely

early

in J

anua

ry 2

008.

Citi

zens

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps w

ill a

lso

be h

eld

in la

te J

anua

ry/e

arly

Feb

ruar

y 20

08 to

obt

ain

publ

ic c

omm

ent o

n th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

alte

rnat

ives

con

side

red

for t

he p

roje

ct. D

ates

hav

e no

t yet

bee

n de

term

ined

for t

he C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal

Wor

ksho

ps b

ut w

ill b

e pr

ovid

ed to

age

ncy

repr

esen

tativ

es a

s so

on a

s th

ey a

re a

vaila

ble.

A s

umm

ary

of th

e pu

blic

com

men

ts w

ill be

pro

vide

d to

the

agen

cies

.

US

158

Inte

rcha

nge

Alte

rnat

ives

– B

ased

on

agen

cy c

omm

ents

rece

ived

dur

ing

the

July

200

7 fie

ld v

isit,

m

ultip

le in

terc

hang

e co

nfig

urat

ions

at U

S 1

58 a

nd th

e pr

opos

ed b

ridge

wer

e co

nsid

ered

to m

inim

ize

impa

cts

to w

etla

nds

wes

t of U

S 1

58.

Thre

e co

nfig

urat

ions

wer

e ev

alua

ted

in d

etai

l usi

ng c

once

ptua

l de

sign

s an

d fie

ld-c

heck

ed w

etla

nd im

pact

cal

cula

tions

. Tol

l col

lect

ion

and

supp

ort f

acilit

ies

for t

he

inte

rcha

nge

optio

ns h

ave

been

inco

rpor

ated

to m

inim

ize

wet

land

impa

cts.

The

se c

onfig

urat

ions

all

tie to

a

two-

lane

brid

ge a

t thi

s tim

e, a

s N

CTA

is e

valu

atin

g 20

35 tr

affic

pro

ject

ions

and

lane

requ

irem

ents

for t

he

brid

ge.

o

Trum

pet i

nter

chan

ge –

the

trum

pet i

nter

chan

ge c

onfig

urat

ion

was

orig

inal

ly p

ropo

sed

in th

e pr

evio

us s

tudi

es b

ut w

ould

hav

e im

pact

s to

wet

land

s w

est o

f US

158

. Thi

s co

ncep

t inc

lude

s a

sing

le to

ll co

llect

ion

plaz

a, o

pera

tions

faci

litie

s, a

nd a

relo

catio

n of

Ayd

lett

Roa

d to

the

sout

h. T

his

inte

rcha

nge

conf

igur

atio

n ha

s th

e gr

eate

st w

etla

nd im

pact

s an

d w

ould

relo

cate

thre

e re

side

nces

an

d tw

o bu

sine

sses

. The

cos

t of t

his

inte

rcha

nge

is a

lso

rela

tivel

y hi

gh d

ue to

the

amou

nt o

f br

idgi

ng re

quire

d to

min

imiz

e w

etla

nd im

pact

s.

o

Com

pres

sed

Y in

terc

hang

e –

this

inte

rcha

nge

conc

ept w

as d

evel

oped

to m

inim

ize

wet

land

impa

cts

wes

t of U

S 1

58. I

t wou

ld u

se ra

mp

toll

colle

ctio

n pl

azas

, whi

ch w

ould

not

hav

e an

y w

etla

nd

impa

cts.

Thi

s in

terc

hang

e co

nfig

urat

ion

is p

refe

rred

by

NC

TA b

ecau

se o

f low

er p

oten

tial w

etla

nd

impa

cts,

goo

d tra

ffic

flow

, and

low

er c

osts

.

o

Sig

naliz

ed in

ters

ectio

n –

this

con

cept

wou

ld u

se a

sig

naliz

ed in

ters

ectio

n to

con

trol s

outh

boun

d U

S

158

traffi

c on

to th

e br

idge

and

wes

tbou

nd b

ridge

traf

fic o

nto

US

158

. The

sou

thbo

und

lane

s of

US

15

8 w

ould

be

shift

ed to

allo

w fo

r uni

mpe

ded

sout

hbou

nd fl

ow a

nd c

reat

e a

stor

age

area

for c

ars

turn

ing

onto

the

brid

ge. T

his

conc

ept w

ould

incl

ude

a si

ngle

toll

plaz

a, w

hich

wou

ld re

sult

in s

ome

fille

d an

d br

idge

d w

etla

nd im

pact

s. T

his

conc

ept i

s al

so th

e m

ost e

xpen

sive

and

is n

ot p

refe

rred

by

NC

DO

T or

NC

TA.

C-35

Pag

e 10

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/1

4/0

7

US

FWS

, USA

CE

, and

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q a

gree

d th

at th

e co

mpr

esse

d Y

inte

rcha

nge

is p

refe

rred.

US

EP

A

sugg

este

d ca

rryi

ng b

oth

the

trum

pet a

nd c

ompr

esse

d Y

inte

rcha

nges

forw

ard

at a

n eq

ual l

evel

of d

etai

l for

pu

blic

inpu

t. A

ll th

ree

inte

rcha

nge

conf

igur

atio

ns a

nd th

eir a

naly

sis

will

be

incl

uded

in th

e dr

aft A

ltern

ativ

es

Stu

dy R

epor

t.

NC

12

Inte

rsec

tions

– N

CTA

orig

inal

ly p

rese

nted

two

pote

ntia

l Out

er B

anks

term

ini f

or th

e pr

ojec

t –

C1/

C3/

C5

term

ini n

ear t

he C

orol

la B

ay d

evel

opm

ent n

orth

of M

onte

rey

Sho

res,

and

the

C2/

C4/

C6

term

ini

near

the

Tim

Buk

II sh

oppi

ng c

ente

r. A

t the

Jul

y 20

07 fi

eld

visi

t, ag

enci

es re

ques

ted

that

NC

TA e

valu

ate

shift

ing

the

C1/

C3/

C5

to th

e so

uth

to m

inim

ize

impa

cts

to c

oast

al w

etla

nds.

In a

dditi

on, i

n w

ritte

n co

mm

ents

da

ted

Oct

ober

22,

200

7, N

CD

ENR

-DC

M re

ques

ted

that

NC

TA c

onsi

der a

n al

tern

ativ

e al

ignm

ent t

hat w

ould

m

inim

ize

dire

ct im

pact

s to

cur

rent

SA

V b

eds.

In re

spon

se to

thes

e co

mm

ents

, sev

eral

opt

ions

wer

e de

velo

ped

for e

ach

of th

e or

igin

al te

rmin

i with

in th

e ex

istin

g st

udy

corri

dors

.

o

C1

– or

igin

al n

orth

ern

term

ini t

hat i

mpa

cts

new

Cor

olla

Bay

sub

divi

sion

and

coa

stal

wet

land

s.

o

C1A

– a

void

s di

rect

impa

cts

to e

xist

ing

SA

V b

eds,

but

wou

ld h

ave

grea

ter i

mpa

cts

to e

xist

ing

Mon

tere

y S

hore

s su

bdiv

isio

n.

o

C1B

– ti

es in

bet

wee

n C

orol

la B

ay a

nd M

onte

rey

Sho

res

and

wou

ld n

ot d

irect

ly im

pact

exi

stin

g re

side

nces

in e

ither

dev

elop

men

t; m

inim

izes

impa

cts

to c

oast

al w

etla

nds.

o

C

1C a

nd C

1D –

sou

thw

ard

shift

s of

C1

with

in C

orol

la B

ay to

min

imiz

e co

asta

l wet

land

impa

cts.

o

C

2 –

orig

inal

sou

ther

n te

rmin

i at T

imB

ukII

shop

ping

cen

ter;

subs

tant

ially

impa

cts

acce

ss to

sev

eral

co

mm

erci

al p

rope

rties

. o

C

2A –

sou

thw

ard

shift

of C

2 to

min

imiz

e ac

cess

cha

nges

to c

omm

erci

al p

rope

rties

.

Cos

ts fo

r the

se o

ptio

ns a

re n

ot a

fact

or in

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g as

cos

t is

mor

e de

pend

ent o

n th

e le

ngth

of

wid

enin

g re

quire

d on

NC

12

(app

roxi

mat

ely

2 m

iles

for C

2 op

tions

and

app

roxi

mat

ely

4 m

iles

for C

1 op

tions

). N

CTA

pro

pose

s to

elim

inat

e O

ptio

n C

1A b

ecau

se o

f its

com

mun

ity im

pact

s, a

nd a

lthou

gh it

wou

ld

avoi

d cu

rrent

SA

V b

eds,

it w

ould

impa

ct p

oten

tial S

AV

hab

itat.

NC

TA w

ill di

scus

s O

ptio

ns C

1, C

1B, C

1C,

and

C1D

with

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y an

d pr

esen

t to

the

publ

ic. L

ikew

ise,

NC

TA w

ill di

scus

s O

ptio

ns C

2 an

d C

2A

with

the

Cou

nty

and

pres

ent t

o th

e pu

blic

.

Invi

tatio

ns to

Par

ticip

atin

g an

d C

oope

ratin

g A

genc

ies

– N

CTA

dis

tribu

ted

invi

tatio

n le

tters

for s

tate

ag

enci

es to

bec

ome

parti

cipa

ting

agen

cies

and

requ

este

d re

spon

ses

by D

ecem

ber 1

4, 2

007.

Invi

tatio

n le

tters

for f

eder

al a

genc

ies

to b

ecom

e co

oper

atin

g an

d/or

par

ticip

atin

g ag

enci

es w

ill b

e m

aile

d to

fede

ral

agen

cy re

pres

enta

tives

from

FH

WA

.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill c

ompl

ete

and

dist

ribut

e a

final

dra

ft al

tern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

repo

rt fo

r age

ncy

revi

ew a

nd

com

men

t. [P

repa

ratio

n of

this

repo

rt is

und

erw

ay.]

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

any

add

ition

al w

ritte

n co

mm

ents

on

the

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng c

oncl

usio

ns p

rese

nted

in

Han

dout

10,

whi

ch s

tate

s th

at M

CB

3 an

d M

CB4

alte

rnat

ives

with

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

C1

and

C2

will

be

eval

uate

d in

the

DE

IS, b

y O

ctob

er 1

9, 2

007.

[W

ritte

n co

mm

ents

wer

e re

ceiv

ed fr

om U

SE

PA

(Oct

ober

19,

200

7 em

ail),

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (O

ctob

er 1

2,

2007

lette

r), N

CW

RC

(Oct

ober

15,

200

7 le

tter)

, NC

DE

NR

-DM

F (O

ctob

er 1

8, 2

007

lette

r), a

nd N

CD

EN

R-

DC

M (O

ctob

er 2

2, 2

007

lette

r).]

NC

TA w

ill di

strib

ute

invi

tatio

n le

tters

to c

oope

ratin

g an

d pa

rtici

patin

g ag

enci

es.

[Invi

tatio

n le

tters

to p

artic

ipat

ing

stat

e ag

enci

es w

ere

dist

ribut

ed a

t the

Nov

embe

r 14,

200

7 TE

AC

mee

ting.

R

espo

nses

hav

e be

en re

ceiv

ed fr

om N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q a

nd N

CD

EN

R-D

MF.

Invi

tatio

ns to

fede

ral

coop

erat

ing

and

parti

cipa

ting

agen

cies

wer

e di

strib

uted

via

mai

l by

FHW

A.]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill c

ompl

ete

and

dist

ribut

e a

final

dra

ft al

tern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

repo

rt fo

r age

ncy

revi

ew a

nd

com

men

t.

NC

TA w

ill s

ched

ule

Citi

zens

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps a

nd n

otify

age

ncie

s of

the

date

s fo

r the

se

wor

ksho

ps.

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts o

n U

S 1

58 in

terc

hang

e al

tern

ativ

es a

nd N

C 1

2 in

ters

ectio

n op

tions

.

Age

ncie

s w

ill re

spon

d to

invi

tatio

ns to

bec

ome

coop

erat

ing

and/

or p

artic

ipat

ing

agen

cies

.

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Fe

brua

ry 5

, 200

8

1:

30 P

M to

2:3

0 P

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Chr

isto

pher

Milit

sche

r, U

SE

PA

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Ron

Sec

hler

, NM

FS (v

ia p

hone

) C

athy

Brit

tingh

am, N

CD

ENR

-DC

M

Dav

id W

ainw

right

, NC

DEN

R-D

WQ

S

ara

Win

slow

, NC

DEN

R-D

MF

(via

pho

ne)

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arle

y, N

CD

CR

-HP

O

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

S

am S

t. C

lair,

NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Je

ns G

erat

z, E

coS

cien

ce

John

Pag

e, P

B

Chr

is L

loyd

, PB

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls h

ave

been

pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

M

id-C

urrit

uck

Wor

ksho

p Po

stca

rd N

otifi

catio

n (F

ebru

ary

2008

)

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

pre

pare

for d

istri

butio

n of

the

Alte

rnat

ives

Stu

dy R

epor

t and

pro

vide

an

over

view

of u

pcom

ing

Citi

zens

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Stat

emen

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Stu

dy R

epor

t Sta

tus

– Th

e S

tate

men

t of

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d is

bei

ng u

pdat

ed to

inco

rpor

ate

2035

No-

Bui

ld tr

affic

fore

cast

dat

a to

cor

resp

ond

to th

e de

sign

yea

r use

d fo

r the

pro

ject

.

NC

TA is

con

tinui

ng w

ork

on th

e co

mpl

ete

draf

t Alte

rnat

ives

Stu

dy R

epor

t, w

hich

will

sum

mar

ize

the

alte

rnat

ives

dev

elop

men

t and

ana

lysi

s pr

oces

s an

d do

cum

ent N

CTA

’s re

com

men

ded

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es. T

he c

ompl

eted

repo

rt w

ill be

dis

tribu

ted

for a

genc

y an

d pu

blic

revi

ew to

obt

ain

com

men

t on

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d al

tern

ativ

es c

onsi

dere

d fo

r the

pro

ject

. A

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) Mee

ting

C-36

Pag

e 2

of 9

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

sum

mar

y of

the

publ

ic c

omm

ents

will

be p

rovi

ded

to th

e ag

enci

es b

efor

e th

e A

pril

2008

TE

AC

mee

ting.

Two,

Thr

ee, a

nd F

our L

ane

Brid

ge D

iscu

ssio

n –

PB

pro

vide

d an

ove

rvie

w o

f the

diff

eren

ces

betw

een

2, 3

and

4 la

ne b

ridge

sce

nario

s fo

r the

Mid

Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

. U

nder

the

2035

trav

el

dem

and

fore

cast

, a tw

o la

ne b

ridge

ope

rate

s at

an

acce

ptab

le L

evel

of S

ervi

ce (L

OS

D) d

urin

g th

e S

umm

er W

eekd

ay.

The

four

lane

brid

ge s

cena

rio o

pera

tes

a be

tter L

OS

but

affo

rds

a tra

vel t

ime

savi

ngs

of ju

st a

few

min

utes

ove

r the

two

lane

brid

ge.

The

four

lane

brid

ge w

ill ha

ve a

cap

ital c

ost

of a

ppro

xim

atel

y $1

22 m

illion

mor

e th

an th

e tw

o la

ne b

ridge

.

A th

ree

lane

brid

ge s

cena

rio w

as e

valu

ated

but

is s

ubje

ct to

a s

erie

s of

ope

ratio

nal i

ssue

s th

at

impa

ct s

afet

y an

d co

sts.

Thr

ee la

ne s

cena

rios

unde

r a fi

xed

lane

ove

rhea

d si

gnal

sys

tem

wer

e ev

alua

ted,

but

foun

d to

be

prob

lem

atic

whe

n de

alin

g w

ith s

easo

nal u

sers

. Th

is s

yste

m w

orks

bes

t un

der a

com

mut

er p

atte

rn w

here

dai

ly u

sers

hav

e ad

just

ed th

eir d

rivin

g be

havi

or to

acc

omm

odat

e th

e si

gnal

s w

hich

con

trol l

ane

acce

ss.

A m

ovab

le b

arrie

r was

con

side

red

as a

noth

er th

ree

lane

op

tion

but i

s co

stly

to im

plem

ent a

nd h

as s

afet

y co

ncer

ns fo

r the

ope

ratin

g st

aff a

nd u

sers

.

The

inte

rcha

nge

with

US

158

, the

inte

rsec

tion

with

NC

12

as w

ell a

s th

e ap

proa

ches

to th

e br

idge

w

ill b

e si

zed

to a

ccom

mod

ate

sum

mer

wee

kend

pea

k tra

ffic

to a

void

bac

k-up

s en

terin

g an

d ex

istin

g th

e br

idge

.

All

2, 3

and

4 la

ne b

ridge

con

ditio

ns a

ssum

e a

toll

brid

ge.

Citi

zens

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps F

ebru

ary

26th

, 27t

h an

d 28

th (4

:00

to 8

:00

PM) –

Citi

zens

In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

hav

e be

en s

ched

uled

for F

ebru

ary

26, 2

7 an

d 28

. Th

e w

orks

hops

(4:0

0 to

8:

00 P

M) w

ill b

e in

form

al w

ith n

o pr

esen

tatio

n pr

ovid

ed.

The

inte

nt is

to p

rovi

de a

ttend

ees

the

oppo

rtuni

ty to

revi

ew p

roje

ct in

form

atio

n on

the

purp

ose

and

need

, stu

dy a

rea,

and

alte

rnat

ives

un

der c

onsi

dera

tion

and

solic

it an

d re

spon

d to

atte

ndee

com

men

ts a

nd in

quiri

es.

Pre

sent

atio

ns to

C

urrit

uck

and

Dar

e C

ount

y of

ficia

ls w

ill o

ccur

on

Febr

uary

26

(Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y) a

nd 2

8 (D

are

Cou

nty)

bef

ore

the

wor

ksho

ps.

App

roxi

mat

ely

12,0

00 p

ostc

ards

ann

ounc

ing

the

wor

ksho

ps w

ill b

e m

aile

d to

pro

perty

ow

ners

, offi

cial

s an

d ci

tizen

s w

ho a

re o

n th

e m

ailin

g lis

t. A

fter t

he w

orks

hops

a

new

slet

ter w

ill be

dis

tribu

ted.

East

Car

olin

a U

nive

rsity

– N

CTA

pro

vide

d an

upd

ate

on th

e pr

ogre

ss o

f wor

k be

ing

com

plet

ed b

y E

ast C

arol

ina

Uni

vers

ity (E

CU

). E

CU

rece

ived

a S

AFE

TEA

-LU

ear

mar

k to

do

rese

arch

on

the

Mid

-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge p

roje

ct, a

nd a

re p

rovi

ding

sup

port

for i

ndire

ct a

nd c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

s as

sess

men

t, so

cioe

cono

mic

ana

lysi

s, a

nd s

uppl

emen

tal t

raffi

c op

erat

ions

eva

luat

ions

.

Map

le S

wam

p –

NC

TA p

rovi

ded

rece

nt n

ews

rega

rdin

g cl

ear c

ut o

pera

tions

that

hav

e oc

curr

ed o

n a

100-

acre

par

cel j

ust n

orth

of A

ydle

tt R

oad.

NC

TA n

oted

that

EC

U is

look

ing

into

pre

serv

atio

n op

portu

nitie

s fo

r Map

le S

wam

p as

par

t of t

heir

wor

k.

Q&

A: 1.

US

EP

A a

sked

if h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

n tim

es v

ary

with

2, 3

and

4 la

ne b

ridge

opt

ions

. Th

e nu

mbe

r of l

anes

on

the

brid

ge d

oes

not a

ffect

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

time

beca

use

the

criti

cal l

ink

to h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

n is

US

158

betw

een

the

Wrig

ht M

emor

ial B

ridge

and

NC

12

.

2.N

CD

CR

-HPO

inqu

ired

if to

lls w

ould

be

colle

cted

for b

oth

dire

ctio

ns o

f tra

vel.

N

CTA

cur

rent

ly p

lans

to c

olle

ct to

lls fo

r bot

h di

rect

ions

of t

rave

l on

the

brid

ge.

FHW

A a

dded

th

at to

lls w

ould

be

susp

ende

d un

der e

mer

genc

y ev

acua

tion

orde

rs.

3.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

ask

ed h

ow th

e C

1/C

2 to

uchd

own

poin

t opt

ions

will

be a

ddre

ssed

. N

CTA

ass

ured

that

they

will

all b

e in

clud

ed in

the

DE

IS a

s pa

rt of

the

alte

rnat

ives

as

sess

men

t dis

cuss

ion.

Add

ition

ally

, pub

lic in

put w

ill b

e co

llect

ed a

t Citi

zens

Info

rmat

iona

l W

orks

hops

in F

ebru

ary,

and

age

ncy

inpu

t will

be fu

rther

ass

esse

d at

the

next

TE

AC

Pag

e 3

of 9

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

mee

ting,

pla

nned

for A

pril

2008

. P

B p

rovi

ded

addi

tiona

l com

men

ts o

n th

e op

erat

iona

l and

la

nd c

onst

rain

ts th

at w

ill in

fluen

ce th

e ul

timat

e co

nfig

urat

ion

of th

e C

1 an

d C

2 al

ignm

ents

.

PB

als

o el

abor

ated

on

the

conf

igur

atio

ns o

f the

inte

rcha

nges

und

er s

tudy

at U

S 1

58.

The

inte

rcha

nge

conf

igur

atio

n w

ill b

e in

fluen

ced

by th

e ne

ed to

redu

ce w

etla

nd a

nd h

igh

qual

ity

reso

urce

impa

cts

bala

nced

aga

inst

the

spac

e co

nstra

ints

of f

ittin

g th

e to

ll pl

azas

, offi

ces,

m

aint

ence

faci

litie

s an

d ac

cess

road

s in

to th

e in

terc

hang

e. A

ll of

thes

e co

nsid

erat

ions

will

be

pro

vide

d in

the

Alte

rnat

ives

Stu

dy R

epor

t and

DEI

S.

PB

furth

er a

sser

ted

that

all

alte

rnat

ives

will

be p

rese

nted

at t

he C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

; how

ever

, mor

e em

phas

is w

ill be

pla

ced

on th

e E

R a

nd M

CB

bui

ld a

ltern

ativ

es.

4.U

SA

CE

inqu

ired

abou

t the

ava

ilabi

lity

of re

vise

d S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se &

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

tudy

Rep

ort b

efor

e th

e C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

. N

CTA

con

firm

ed th

e in

tent

is to

hav

e bo

th d

ocum

ents

ava

ilabl

e be

fore

the

wor

ksho

ps. H

ard

copi

es w

ill be

dis

tribu

ted

to th

e ag

enci

es, a

nd th

e do

cum

ents

will

be p

oste

d to

the

NC

TA

web

site

for p

ublic

revi

ew.

US

AC

E w

as p

leas

ed w

ith th

e la

ngua

ge u

sed

in th

e w

orks

hop

post

card

not

ifica

tion.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Obt

ain

com

men

ts o

n co

ncep

tual

inte

rcha

nge

and

alig

nmen

t opt

ions

for b

ridge

cor

ridor

s.

[Com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

from

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (1

0/22

/07)

and

USE

PA

(12/

14/0

7) o

n co

ncep

tual

in

terc

hang

e an

d al

ignm

ent o

ptio

ns fo

r brid

ge c

orrid

ors.

]

Dis

tribu

te in

vita

tion

lette

rs to

par

ticip

atin

g an

d co

oper

atin

g ag

enci

es.

[Res

pons

es to

par

ticip

atin

g ag

ency

invi

tatio

ns w

ere

rece

ived

from

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M,

NC

DE

NR

-DM

F, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

, NC

WR

C, a

nd N

CD

CR

-HP

O. T

he U

SA

CE

acc

epte

d th

e in

vita

tion

to b

ecom

e a

coop

erat

ing

and

parti

cipa

ting

agen

cy.]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill di

strib

ute

the

Alte

rnat

ives

Stu

dy R

epor

t for

age

ncy

and

publ

ic c

omm

ent.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e

C-37

Pag

e 4

of 9

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Fe

brua

ry 5

, 200

8

2:

30 p

m to

3:3

0 pm

N

C T

urnp

ike

Aut

horit

y O

ffice

Boa

rd R

oom

(Sui

te 4

00)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-332

9 M

onro

e C

onne

ctor

– N

HF-

74(2

1)

STI

P R

-255

9 M

onro

e By

pass

– N

HF-

74(8

)

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or /

Byp

ass

Spot

light

:

Atte

ndee

s:

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps,

FHW

A

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Chr

is M

ilitsc

her,

US

EP

A

Ste

ve L

und,

US

AC

E

Mar

ella

Bun

cick

, US

FWS

(by

phon

e)

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arly

, NC

DC

R-H

PO

Mar

la C

ham

bers

, NC

WR

C (b

y ph

one)

P

olly

Les

pina

sse,

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (b

y ph

one)

A

nne

Gam

ber,

NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s Jo

hn C

onfo

rti, N

CD

OT-

PDE

A

Rya

n W

hite

, NC

DO

T-P

DEA

D

eway

ne S

ykes

, NC

DO

T-R

DU

B

ob C

ook,

MU

MP

O (b

y ph

one)

S

teve

DeW

itt, N

CTA

Je

nnife

r Har

ris,

NC

TA

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

A

nne

Red

mon

d, H

NTB

C

arl G

ibila

ro, P

BS

&J

Kie

rste

n G

iugn

o, P

BS

&J

Jill

Gur

ak, P

BS&

J M

icha

el G

lode

n, E

coS

cien

ce

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

all m

ater

ials

hav

e be

en p

oste

d to

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te)

M

eetin

g A

gend

a

Dra

ft TE

AC

Mee

ting

Min

utes

(Dec

embe

r 5, 2

007)

Sum

mar

y of

Pub

lic C

omm

ents

and

Sum

mar

y of

Age

ncy

Com

men

ts a

nd R

espo

nses

Purp

ose:

Th

e pu

rpos

e of

this

mee

ting

was

to d

iscu

ss a

genc

y an

d pu

blic

com

men

ts o

n th

e D

raft

Alte

rnat

ives

D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Sum

mar

y of

Pub

lic C

omm

ents

on

Dra

ft A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort

– Th

e D

raft

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t was

dis

tribu

ted

to th

e ag

enci

es

and

post

ed to

the

NC

TA w

ebsi

te in

ear

ly N

ovem

ber 2

007.

No

com

men

ts o

n th

e an

alys

es

incl

uded

in th

e re

port

wer

e re

ceiv

ed fr

om th

e pu

blic

. Th

e va

st m

ajor

ity o

f com

men

ts w

ere

rega

rdin

g sp

ecifi

c co

rrid

or s

egm

ents

. Th

e fo

llow

ing

sum

mar

y of

pub

lic c

omm

ents

was

pr

ovid

ed:

o

Twen

ty-tw

o in

quiri

es a

bout

impa

cts

to in

divi

dual

pro

perti

es.

o

Two

com

men

ts re

gard

ing

impr

ovem

ents

nee

ded

on U

S 6

01 b

etw

een

US

74

and

the

Nor

th C

arol

ina/

Sou

th C

arol

ina

bord

er.

o

One

com

men

t to

use

NC

218

as

the

rout

e fo

r the

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or/B

ypas

s.

o

Two

emai

ls s

uppo

rting

alte

rnat

ives

that

incl

ude

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 18A

. o

S

ixty

-sev

en e

mai

ls o

ppos

ing

alte

rnat

ives

that

incl

ude

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 18A

. o

Th

e To

wn

of S

tallin

gs, T

own

of M

atth

ews,

and

City

of M

onro

e co

mm

ente

d vi

a le

tters

and

/or l

ocal

reso

lutio

ns in

sup

port

of ro

utes

that

do

not i

nclu

de C

orrid

or

Seg

men

t 18A

. o

C

PC

C c

omm

ente

d in

opp

ositi

on to

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 18A

. o

A

ppro

xim

atel

y 2,

300

sign

atur

es, i

nclu

ding

1,6

93 p

etiti

ons

and

609

copi

es o

f a fo

rm

lette

r, w

ere

rece

ived

in o

ppos

ition

to a

ltern

ativ

es th

at in

clud

e C

orrid

or S

egm

ent

18A

.o

V

illage

of L

ake

Par

k op

pose

d al

tern

ativ

es th

at in

clud

e up

grad

ing

exis

ting

US

74,

in

clud

ing

alte

rnat

ives

that

incl

ude

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 2.

Pag

e 5

of 9

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

o

The

Tow

n of

Indi

an T

rail

indi

cate

d th

at C

orrid

or S

egm

ents

2 a

nd 2

2A a

re

inco

nsis

tent

with

loca

l lan

d us

e pl

ans

and

expr

esse

s co

ncer

n th

at C

orrid

or

Seg

men

t 2 w

ould

impa

ct th

e O

ld H

icko

ry In

dust

rial P

ark.

Sum

mar

y of

Age

ncy

Com

men

ts o

n D

raft

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t –S

ever

al a

genc

ies

requ

este

d ad

ditio

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

on A

ltern

ativ

e G

, upg

radi

ng e

xist

ing

US

74,

in

clud

ing

pote

ntia

l ind

irect

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts.

Bas

ed o

n th

ese

com

men

ts, N

CTA

will

carr

y A

ltern

ativ

e G

forw

ard

on a

n in

terim

bas

is u

ntil

addi

tiona

l inf

orm

atio

n ca

n be

eva

luat

ed o

n tra

ffic

fore

cast

s, d

irect

com

mun

ity im

pact

s, a

nd p

oten

tial i

ndire

ct a

nd c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

s. A

ltern

ativ

e G

w

ill b

e in

clud

ed in

the

qual

itativ

e in

dire

ct a

nd c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

ana

lysi

s (IC

I). N

CTA

stil

l re

com

men

ds A

ltern

ativ

e G

be

elim

inat

ed fr

om fu

rther

con

side

ratio

n ba

sed

on th

e in

form

atio

n pr

ovid

ed in

the

Dra

ft A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort.

Onc

e th

e ad

ditio

nal a

naly

sis

is c

ompl

ete,

the

data

will

be p

rese

nted

at a

TE

AC

mee

ting

for d

iscu

ssio

n.

Sev

eral

age

ncie

s al

so c

omm

ente

d on

inte

rcha

nge

loca

tions

for t

he p

roje

ct. A

t thi

s tim

e,

inte

rcha

nges

for t

he d

etai

led

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es w

ill co

rresp

ond

to th

ose

in th

e Lo

ng R

ange

Tr

ansp

orta

tion

Pla

n; h

owev

er, d

ue to

pot

entia

l nat

ural

reso

urce

impa

cts,

NC

TA w

ill ev

alua

te a

ll al

tern

ativ

es w

ith a

nd w

ithou

t an

inte

rcha

nge

at In

dian

Tra

il Fa

irvie

w R

oad.

Thi

s w

ill al

low

for a

n eq

ual c

ompa

rison

of t

he a

ltern

ativ

es.

NC

WR

C c

omm

ente

d th

at im

pact

s fro

m A

ltern

ativ

e G

wou

ld li

kely

mak

e it

impr

actic

al a

nd

sugg

este

d th

at A

ltern

ativ

e E

sho

uld

also

be

cons

ider

ed fu

rther

. It

was

not

ed th

at th

is a

lignm

ent

wou

ld s

ubst

antia

lly im

pact

a re

side

ntia

l are

a (H

amilt

on P

lace

), w

hich

exh

ibite

d st

rong

opp

ositi

on

whe

n th

e al

ignm

ent w

as p

rese

nted

pre

viou

sly

as p

art o

f the

Mon

roe

Byp

ass

proj

ect a

nd m

ore

rece

ntly

as

part

of th

is p

roje

ct, a

s w

ell a

s tw

o hi

stor

ic p

rope

rties

(Sec

rest

Far

m a

nd H

iram

Sec

rest

H

ouse

). N

CW

RC

not

ed th

at if

the

stud

y te

am is

com

forta

ble

with

stu

dyin

g es

sent

ially

one

bui

ld

alte

rnat

ive

for t

he p

roje

ct, t

hen

she

wou

ld a

gree

as

wel

l. U

SE

PA

com

men

ted

that

a fu

ll an

alys

is

of fe

asib

le a

ltern

ativ

es s

houl

d be

con

duct

ed a

nd w

arne

d th

at th

e na

rrow

er th

e ra

nge

of

alte

rnat

ives

may

equ

ate

to a

n in

crea

se in

litig

atio

n ris

k. U

SA

CE

not

ed th

at fo

r Sec

tion

404

com

plia

nce,

alte

rnat

ives

can

be

cons

ider

ed a

nd e

limin

ated

prio

r to

deta

iled

stud

y as

long

as

the

proc

ess

and

deci

sion

s ar

e do

cum

ente

d ei

ther

in a

tech

nica

l rep

ort o

r in

the

Dra

ft E

IS.

FHW

A

note

d th

at th

e co

mm

ent t

o co

nsid

er a

noth

er a

ltern

ativ

e w

ould

be

cons

ider

ed; h

owev

er, F

HW

A is

co

mfo

rtabl

e w

ith th

e ra

nge

of a

ltern

ativ

es a

s pr

esen

ted

in th

e sc

reen

ing

docu

men

t. O

ver m

any

mee

tings

in 2

007,

the

scre

enin

g pr

oces

s w

as p

rese

nted

to th

e ag

enci

es fo

r com

men

t.

Indi

rect

and

Cum

ulat

ive

Impa

cts

– H

NTB

is c

urre

ntly

pre

parin

g a

draf

t qua

litat

ive

ICI,

whi

ch is

sc

hedu

led

to b

e pr

esen

ted

to th

e gr

oup

for d

iscu

ssio

n in

May

200

8. D

ata

colle

ctio

n ha

s be

gun.

Th

e fo

llow

ing

appr

oach

will

be u

sed

to c

ompl

ete

the

ICI a

naly

ses:

o

The

grow

th im

pact

stu

dy a

rea

has

been

iden

tifie

d an

d pr

ovid

ed to

FH

WA

for

appr

oval

. Th

e gr

owth

impa

ct s

tudy

are

a w

ill be

refin

ed a

s th

e IC

I mov

es fo

rwar

d an

d ad

ditio

nal d

ata

is a

vaila

ble.

o

Th

e IC

I will

prim

arily

look

at g

row

th a

roun

d pr

opos

ed in

terc

hang

e ar

eas.

The

ICI

will

ass

ume

the

sam

e in

terc

hang

es a

s pr

esen

ted

in th

e Lo

ng R

ange

Tra

nspo

rtatio

n P

lan,

but

will

anal

yze

the

proj

ect w

ith a

nd w

ithou

t a U

S 6

01 in

terc

hang

e.

o

Exi

stin

g an

d ne

w la

nd u

se o

rdin

ance

s w

ill be

revi

ewed

to d

eter

min

e ex

istin

g an

d fu

ture

land

use

. App

licab

le p

olic

ies

and

regu

latio

ns (e

.g.,

stre

am b

uffe

rs a

nd w

ater

qu

ality

) will

also

be

revi

ewed

. o

In

dica

tors

will

be d

evel

oped

in c

oord

inat

ion

with

app

ropr

iate

age

ncie

s to

ass

ist i

n ev

alua

ting

impa

cts.

o

M

eetin

gs w

ith lo

cal p

lann

ers

will

be c

oord

inat

ed b

etw

een

vario

us te

am m

embe

rs.

A li

st o

f que

stio

ns w

ill be

pre

pare

d an

d pr

ovid

ed to

the

plan

ners

in a

dvan

ce o

f the

m

eetin

gs.

o

The

ICI w

ill as

sum

e th

e ty

pica

l sec

tions

incl

uded

in th

e D

raft

Alte

rnat

ives

D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort f

or n

ew lo

catio

n an

d up

grad

e ex

istin

g ro

adw

ay

segm

ents

.

C-38

Pag

e 6

of 9

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Obt

ain

agen

cy in

put o

n qu

antit

ativ

e th

ird s

cree

ning

and

reco

mm

ende

d de

taile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

. [W

ritte

n co

mm

ents

rece

ived

from

US

AC

E, U

SE

PA

, US

FWS

, NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q, N

CD

CR

-HPO

, and

NC

WR

C.]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

Non

e.

Res

olut

ions

:

Con

clud

ed d

iscu

ssio

n on

det

aile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

– A

ltern

ativ

es A

, B, C

, D, A

1, A

2, A

3, B

1, B

2,

B3,

C1,

C2,

C3,

D1,

D2,

and

D3

will

be e

valu

ated

as

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es in

the

Dra

ft E

nviro

nmen

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t.

Alte

rnat

ive

G (u

pgra

ding

exi

stin

g U

S 7

4) w

ill be

car

ried

forw

ard

on a

n in

terim

bas

is u

ntil

such

tim

e as

add

ition

al in

form

atio

n ca

n be

dev

elop

ed a

nd e

valu

ated

, inc

ludi

ng p

oten

tial i

ndire

ct a

nd

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts.

Nex

t Ste

ps:

N

o TE

AC

mee

ting

in M

arch

200

8; n

ext a

ntic

ipat

ed T

EA

C m

eetin

g is

Apr

il 20

08.

In

dire

ct a

nd C

umul

ativ

e Im

pact

Ass

essm

ent

C

omm

unity

Impa

ct A

sses

smen

t

Func

tiona

l Des

igns

E

nviro

nmen

tal F

ield

Stu

dies

Pag

e 7

of 9

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Febr

uary

5, 2

008

3:30

pm

to 4

:30

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

S

TIP

U-3

321

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or –

STP

-121

3(6)

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or S

potli

ght:

Atte

ndee

s:

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Ste

ve L

und,

US

AC

E

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

EP

A

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Kris

tina

Sol

berg

, NC

DO

T-P

DE

A

Ann

e G

ambe

r, N

CD

OT-

Hyd

raul

ics

Bill

Bar

rett,

NC

DO

T-PD

EA

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Mic

hael

Glo

den,

Eco

Sci

ence

Cor

p.

Jeff

Day

ton,

HN

TB

Jill

Gur

ak, P

BS&

J C

arl G

ibila

ro, P

BS

&J

Via

Tele

phon

e:

M

arel

la B

unci

ck, U

SFW

S

Pol

ly L

espi

nass

e, N

CD

EN

R –

DW

Q

Mar

la C

ham

bers

, NC

WR

C

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls (P

oste

d on

TEA

C W

ebsi

te):

M

eetin

g A

gend

a

Han

dout

1 -

Pro

pose

d A

ppro

ach

to B

ridgi

ng D

ecis

ions

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

is m

eetin

g w

as to

pro

vide

a p

roje

ct s

tatu

s up

date

and

to d

iscu

ss th

e ap

proa

ch fo

r br

idgi

ng d

ecis

ions

for t

he D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es (C

oncu

rren

ce P

oint

2a)

.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

dur

ing

the

mee

ting:

Plan

ning

Pro

cess

to b

e U

sed

on th

e Pr

ojec

t - T

o da

te, t

he p

roje

ct e

nviro

nmen

tal r

evie

w p

roce

ss

has

been

follo

win

g th

e S

ectio

n 40

4 N

EPA

Mer

ger P

roce

ss fo

r the

Gas

ton

Eas

t-Wes

t Con

nect

or

proj

ect,

alth

ough

the

NC

TA is

not

a s

igna

tory

to th

e m

erge

r pro

cess

Mem

oran

dum

of

Und

erst

andi

ng.

Con

curre

nce

Poi

nt 1

(CP

1) (P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed)

and

CP

2 (D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es) h

ave

been

ob

tain

ed fo

r the

pro

ject

, with

abs

tent

ions

from

the

USE

PA

, US

FWS

, and

NC

WR

C o

n C

P 2

.

A fo

rmal

dec

isio

n ha

s no

t bee

n m

ade

on th

e en

viro

nmen

tal r

evie

w p

roce

ss th

at w

ill be

use

d. T

he

Nor

th C

arol

ina

Mer

ger P

roce

ss is

not

yet

com

plia

nt w

ith S

ectio

n 60

02 o

f SA

FTE

A-L

U.

How

ever

, M

r. S

ykes

not

ed th

at th

e pr

opos

ed c

hang

es to

mak

e it

com

plia

nt a

re c

lose

to b

eing

fina

lized

and

ap

prov

ed b

y th

e FH

WA

. A

t thi

s tim

e, th

e N

CTA

env

isio

ns to

at l

east

follo

w a

pro

cess

that

mirr

ors

the

Mer

ger P

roce

ss.

A C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n as

requ

ired

by S

ectio

n 60

02 o

f SA

FTE

A-L

U h

as n

ot b

een

com

plet

ed fo

r the

pr

ojec

t. T

he C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n an

d a

deci

sion

on

the

envi

ronm

enta

l rev

iew

pro

cess

to fo

llow

for t

he

proj

ect w

ill b

e m

ade

afte

r a S

ectio

n 60

02 c

ompl

iant

Mer

ger P

roce

ss is

app

rove

d an

d N

CTA

has

a

chan

ce to

revi

ew it

.

C-39

Pag

e 8

of 9

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

Upd

ates

to th

e Pu

rpos

e an

d N

eed

Stat

emen

t - T

he P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent w

as fi

naliz

ed in

A

ugus

t 200

2. I

n pr

epar

atio

n fo

r pro

duci

ng th

e D

EIS

, the

dat

a in

the

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t ne

eds

to b

e re

fresh

ed.

This

incl

udes

upd

atin

g th

e N

o-B

uild

traf

fic fo

reca

sts

from

yea

r 202

5 fo

reca

sts

to y

ear 2

030

fore

cast

s. S

ince

Aug

ust 2

002,

tran

spor

tatio

n an

d la

nd u

se p

lans

hav

e be

en

upda

ted

and

mor

e re

cent

soc

ioec

onom

ic d

ata

is a

vaila

ble.

Als

o si

nce

2002

, the

Stra

tegi

c H

ighw

ay

Cor

ridor

Pro

gram

was

ado

pted

by

NC

DO

T, a

nd th

e pr

ojec

t was

des

igna

ted

a S

trate

gic

Hig

hway

C

orrid

or.

An

upda

ted

Purp

ose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t will

be p

repa

red.

The

upd

ated

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t will

be m

ade

avai

labl

e to

the

reso

urce

age

ncie

s an

d th

e pu

blic

. N

CTA

cur

rent

ly is

in th

e pr

oces

s of

dev

elop

ing

the

2030

No-

Build

fore

cast

s an

d it

is a

ntic

ipat

ed th

e up

date

will

be

com

plet

ed

in a

few

mon

ths.

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t Add

endu

m -

An

adde

ndum

to th

e A

ltern

ativ

es

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t is

plan

ned

and

will

incl

ude

the

new

info

rmat

ion

abou

t Det

aile

d S

tudy

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t K1D

and

reco

mm

enda

tion

for e

limin

atio

n fro

m d

etai

led

stud

y, 2

030

Bui

ld

Toll

traffi

c fo

reca

sts,

and

a d

iscu

ssio

n of

the

proj

ect n

ow b

eing

stu

died

as

a to

ll fa

cilit

y. T

he

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t Add

endu

m w

ill be

mad

e av

aila

ble

to th

e re

sour

ce

agen

cies

and

the

publ

ic.

Publ

ic In

volv

emen

t - T

he N

CTA

is p

lann

ing

on h

oldi

ng c

itize

ns in

form

atio

nal w

orks

hops

sin

ce th

e la

st w

orks

hops

wer

e he

ld in

200

6. T

he u

pdat

ed P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent,

the

Alte

rnat

ives

D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort,

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t Add

endu

m

will

be p

rovi

ded

for p

ublic

and

age

ncy

com

men

t in

acco

rdan

ce w

ith S

ectio

n 60

02 p

ublic

invo

lvem

ent

requ

irem

ents

.

App

roac

h to

Dis

cuss

ing

Con

curr

ence

Poi

nt 2

a (B

ridgi

ng D

ecis

ions

) - A

lthou

gh th

e en

viro

nmen

tal r

evie

w p

roce

ss h

as n

ot b

een

final

ized

, the

NC

TA e

nvis

ions

at t

his

time

to a

t lea

st

follo

w a

pro

cess

that

mirr

ors

the

Mer

ger P

roce

ss.

The

atte

ndee

s ag

reed

that

it w

as a

ccep

tabl

e to

mov

e fo

rwar

d w

ith b

ridgi

ng d

ecis

ion

disc

ussi

ons.

The

term

Con

curr

ence

Poi

nt 2

a is

bei

ng u

sed

in th

is m

eetin

g si

nce

the

agen

cies

are

fam

iliar w

ith th

e te

rm a

nd th

e ty

pes

of in

form

atio

n pr

esen

ted

and

disc

usse

d at

CP

2a

mee

tings

are

the

sam

e ty

pes

of in

form

atio

n to

be

pres

ente

d fo

r the

Gas

ton

Eas

t-Wes

t Con

nect

or p

roje

ct.

The

NC

TA w

ants

inpu

t on

brid

ging

dec

isio

ns fo

r the

pro

ject

, reg

ardl

ess

of th

e en

viro

nmen

tal r

evie

w p

roce

ss u

ltim

atel

y ad

opte

d fo

r the

pro

ject

.

The

hand

out t

hat d

escr

ibes

the

prop

osed

app

roac

h fo

r dis

cuss

ing

brid

ging

for t

he p

roje

ct w

as

sum

mar

ized

by

Ms.

Gur

ak.

She

not

ed th

at th

e ap

proa

ch p

ropo

sed

in th

e ha

ndou

t is

base

d on

in

form

al d

iscu

ssio

ns h

eld

with

repr

esen

tativ

es fr

om U

SE

PA

and

US

AC

E d

urin

g th

e si

te v

isits

hel

d D

ecem

ber 1

7 an

d 18

, 200

7, w

here

a d

esire

was

exp

ress

ed to

try

to n

arro

w d

own

the

num

bers

of

cros

sing

s ne

edin

g to

be

disc

usse

d in

det

ail.

Cur

rent

ly, a

ccor

ding

to th

e fin

al P

relim

inar

y H

ydra

ulic

Tec

hnic

al M

emor

andu

m, t

here

are

129

cr

ossi

ngs

requ

iring

a m

ajor

stru

ctur

e (b

ridge

, box

cul

vert,

or p

ipe

72 in

ches

in d

iam

eter

or g

reat

er)

thro

ugho

ut th

e 12

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

.

The

prop

osed

app

roac

h w

ould

incl

ude

all c

ross

ings

requ

iring

a b

ridge

for h

ydra

ulic

pur

pose

s, a

ll tri

ple

box

culv

erts

, all

cros

sing

s of

hig

h qu

ality

wet

land

s, a

ll cr

ossi

ngs

of 3

03d-

liste

d st

ream

s, a

nd

thos

e no

n-br

idge

maj

or c

ross

ings

whe

re e

ngin

eerin

g ju

dgm

ent w

arra

nts

a co

mpa

rison

of t

he c

osts

of

a b

ridge

ver

sus

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure.

Exc

ludi

ng th

e la

st s

cree

ning

item

, thi

s re

sults

in a

m

inim

um o

f 32

cros

sing

s to

be

disc

usse

d. T

he la

st s

cree

ning

item

will

resu

lt in

mor

e cr

ossi

ngs,

but

it

is n

ot k

now

n at

this

tim

e ho

w m

any

mor

e.

US

EP

A s

tate

d th

ey h

ave

som

e co

ncer

ns a

bout

the

scre

enin

g ba

sed

on h

igh

qual

ity w

etla

nds.

She

st

ated

that

man

y of

the

fore

sted

wet

land

s in

the

corr

idor

s th

at s

he w

ould

con

side

r of h

igh

valu

e ar

e no

t sco

red

high

on

the

curr

ently

ava

ilabl

e ra

ting

form

s. S

he w

ould

like

info

rmat

ion

on a

ll th

e

Pag

e 9

of 9

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

2/5

/08

cros

sing

s in

ord

er to

det

erm

ine

if sh

e w

ould

like

any

add

ition

al o

nes

disc

usse

d. S

he s

tate

d U

SE

PA

w

ould

like

to ta

lk w

ith N

CTA

abo

ut u

sing

the

NC

WA

M fo

rms

for t

he L

east

Env

ironm

enta

lly

Dam

agin

g P

ract

icab

le A

ltern

ativ

e (L

EDP

A).

US

EP

A b

elie

ves

thes

e fo

rms

prov

ide

a be

tter p

ictu

re o

f th

e va

lue

of w

etla

nds.

US

EP

A a

lso

note

d th

ey w

ould

be

send

ing

com

men

ts to

NC

TA o

n th

e D

ecem

ber s

ite v

isit

sum

mar

y.

NC

WR

C s

tate

d th

ey th

ough

t mor

e th

at 3

2 cr

ossi

ngs

wou

ld n

eed

to b

e di

scus

sed.

The

y al

so w

ould

lik

e m

ore

info

rmat

ion

on a

ll th

e cr

ossi

ngs

befo

re a

gree

ing

to a

cer

tain

set

to d

iscu

ss.

The

NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s U

nit a

sked

if fl

oodp

lain

issu

es w

ere

cons

ider

ed.

The

final

Pre

limin

ary

Hyd

raul

ic T

echn

ical

Mem

oran

dum

was

pre

pare

d to

NC

DO

T st

anda

rds.

The

repo

rt ev

alua

ted

a 50

-ye

ar s

torm

eve

nt a

nd u

sed

urba

n re

gres

sion

equ

atio

ns, a

s di

rect

ed b

y N

CD

OT’

s H

ydra

ulic

s U

nit.

The

Nat

ural

Res

ourc

es T

echn

ical

Rep

ort (

NR

TR) c

urre

ntly

is a

vaila

ble

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

, w

ithou

t im

pact

cal

cula

tions

or d

iscu

ssio

n of

Rap

anos

form

s. T

he N

RTR

ver

sion

that

incl

udes

thes

e ite

ms

will

be

mad

e av

aila

ble

in F

ebru

ary

and

hard

cop

ies

will

be

sent

to th

ose

who

wou

ld li

ke o

ne.

How

ever

, the

new

Fig

ure

3 fro

m th

e N

RTR

that

sho

ws

the

juris

dict

iona

l res

ourc

es, c

orrid

or

boun

darie

s, a

nd p

relim

inar

y en

gine

erin

g de

sign

s, is

ava

ilabl

e no

w a

nd w

ill b

e po

sted

to th

e TE

AC

si

te in

the

next

cou

ple

days

.

The

NC

TA is

ope

n to

sug

gest

ions

on

whi

ch c

ross

ings

sho

uld

be d

iscu

ssed

and

com

men

ts fr

om th

e ag

enci

es a

re re

ques

ted

with

in a

cou

ple

wee

ks.

The

US

AC

E c

omm

ente

d th

at th

is p

ropo

sed

appr

oach

was

a g

ood

plac

e to

sta

rt w

ith b

ridgi

ng d

ecis

ions

. A

lso

note

d by

NC

TA w

as th

at a

dditi

onal

av

oida

nce

and

min

imiz

atio

n (in

clud

ing

brid

ging

) dis

cuss

ions

can

and

will

be d

iscu

ssed

for t

he

LED

PA

.

Wra

p-U

p / N

ext S

teps

:

NC

TA w

ill b

e up

datin

g th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent a

nd p

repa

ring

the

Alte

rnat

ives

D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort A

dden

dum

.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Non

e

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill po

st u

pdat

ed F

igur

e 3

from

the

NR

TR to

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te.

N

CTA

will

mak

e a

deci

sion

on

an e

nviro

nmen

tal r

evie

w p

roce

ss fo

r the

pro

ject

afte

r a S

ectio

n 60

02

com

plia

nt M

erge

r Pro

cess

is a

ppro

ved

and

NC

TA h

as a

cha

nce

to re

view

it.

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

inpu

t on

whi

ch c

ross

ings

sho

uld

be d

iscu

ssed

for p

oten

tial b

ridgi

ng.

U

SE

PA

will

prov

ide

com

men

ts o

n th

e m

inut

es fr

om th

e D

ecem

ber 1

7-18

fiel

d vi

sit.

C-40

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

A

pril

8, 2

008

10:0

0 A

M to

11:

30 A

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Chr

isto

pher

Milit

sche

r, U

SE

PA

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

Ji

m H

oadl

ey, N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Sar

a W

insl

ow, N

CD

ENR

-DM

F (v

ia p

hone

) Tr

avis

Wils

on, N

CW

RC

R

enee

Gle

dhill-

Ear

ley,

NC

DC

R-H

PO

(v

ia p

hone

)

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

D

esig

n R

enee

Roa

ch, N

CD

OT-

Traf

fic (v

ia

phon

e)

Bea

u M

emor

y, N

CTA

Je

nnife

r Har

ris, N

CTA

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

Jens

Ger

atz,

Eco

Sci

ence

Jo

hn P

age,

PB

D

an B

row

n, P

B

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls h

ave

been

pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort

H

ando

ut 1

2 –

Febr

uary

200

8 C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

Com

men

ts S

umm

ary

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

dis

tribu

te th

e re

vise

d S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t and

revi

ew p

ublic

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed fr

om th

e Fe

brua

ry 2

008

Citi

zens

In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Stat

emen

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

– M

inor

revi

sion

s w

ere

mad

e to

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

N

eed

sinc

e it

was

last

dis

cuss

ed, a

s no

ted

wou

ld b

e do

ne a

t the

Feb

ruar

y 20

08 T

EA

C m

eetin

g.

FHW

A a

nd N

CTA

inco

rpor

ated

thes

e ch

ange

s to

bet

ter r

efle

ct c

hang

es th

at h

ave

occu

rred

in

stat

e an

d lo

cal p

lans

, leg

isla

tion,

and

fund

ing

sinc

e th

e pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed w

as o

rigin

ally

de

velo

ped

in 2

003.

On

page

1-7

, an

addi

tiona

l nee

d is

iden

tifie

d th

at s

tate

s, “T

he n

eed

to

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) Mee

ting

Pag

e 2

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

impr

ove

syst

em e

ffici

ency

by

prov

idin

g an

add

ition

al li

nk b

etw

een

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

ainl

and

and

its O

uter

Ban

ks.”

Thi

s ne

ed is

bas

ed o

n th

e in

effic

ienc

ies

crea

ted

by th

e “U

-sha

ped”

rout

e to

ac

cess

the

north

ern

Out

er B

anks

, whi

ch re

sults

in in

crea

sed

trave

l tim

e an

d co

nges

tion

in th

e pr

ojec

t are

a, a

nd h

as b

een

addr

esse

d in

sta

te a

nd lo

cal l

egis

latio

n an

d pl

ans.

Thi

s ad

ditio

n w

as

pres

ente

d to

the

publ

ic a

t the

wor

ksho

ps in

late

Feb

ruar

y.

Als

o, tr

affic

fore

cast

s an

d hu

rric

ane

evac

uatio

n an

alys

is h

ave

been

upd

ated

to d

esig

n ye

ar 2

035.

W

hile

the

indi

vidu

al n

umbe

rs m

ay d

iffer

from

pre

viou

s ve

rsio

ns o

f the

repo

rt, th

e re

sults

are

the

sam

e. T

he n

ew s

tatis

tics

did

not c

hang

e th

e ne

eds

for t

he p

roje

ct.

NC

TA re

ques

ted

that

age

ncie

s be

pre

pare

d to

dis

cuss

any

com

men

ts o

n th

is re

port

at th

e M

ay 6

, 20

08 m

eetin

g.

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t – T

he a

ltern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

pro

cess

has

bee

n di

scus

sed

at

TEA

C m

eetin

gs fo

r sev

eral

mon

ths,

and

NC

TA h

as fi

nally

com

plet

ed a

repo

rt th

at d

ocum

ents

that

sc

reen

ing

proc

ess

and

resu

lts w

ith th

e re

com

men

ded

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es. T

he re

port

inco

rpor

ates

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed fr

om th

e ag

enci

es a

t TE

AC

mee

tings

and

writ

ten

com

men

ts o

n al

tern

ativ

es. A

lso,

the

repo

rt su

mm

ariz

es p

ublic

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed a

t and

follo

win

g ci

tizen

s in

form

atio

nal w

orks

hops

in F

ebru

ary

2008

rela

ting

to a

ltern

ativ

es c

onsi

dere

d.

Ther

e ha

ve b

een

chan

ges

in th

e da

ta s

ince

it w

as p

revi

ousl

y pr

esen

ted

to a

genc

ies,

incl

udin

g an

alys

es b

ased

on

upda

ted

2035

toll

traffi

c fo

reca

sts

and

impa

cts

for a

two-

lane

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

.

NC

TA re

ques

ted

agen

cies

pro

vide

any

add

ition

al c

omm

ents

on

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng a

nd

reco

mm

ende

d de

taile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

at o

r bef

ore

the

May

6, 2

008

TEA

C m

eetin

g.

Febr

uary

200

8 C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

Com

men

ts S

umm

ary

– Th

ree

citiz

ens

info

rmat

iona

l wor

ksho

ps w

ere

held

in F

ebru

ary

in th

e pr

ojec

t stu

dy a

rea.

Nea

rly 6

00 p

eopl

e pa

rtici

pate

d ov

er th

e th

ree

nigh

ts. A

t the

wor

ksho

ps, N

CTA

pre

sent

ed th

e pu

rpos

es a

nd n

eeds

fo

r the

pro

ject

and

the

alte

rnat

ives

con

side

red

in th

e sc

reen

ing

proc

ess,

as

wel

l as

NC

TA’s

re

com

men

ded

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es –

MC

B3

and

MC

B4

with

C1

and

C2

brid

ge c

orrid

ors.

292

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

at t

he w

orks

hops

or d

urin

g th

e 30

-day

com

men

t per

iod

follo

win

g th

e w

orks

hops

. Of t

hese

, 219

indi

cate

d a

pref

eren

ce fo

r an

alte

rnat

ive

on th

e pr

ojec

t; 18

6 w

ere

in

favo

r of t

he b

ridge

, citi

ng im

prov

ed a

cces

s an

d em

erge

ncy

evac

uatio

n, re

duce

d co

nges

tion

on

NC

12

and

pote

ntia

l eco

nom

ic b

enef

its a

s re

ason

s fo

r fav

orin

g th

e br

idge

. The

con

cern

s ra

ised

re

gard

ing

a br

idge

incl

uded

hab

itat a

nd n

atur

al re

sour

ce im

pact

con

cern

s; v

isua

l con

cern

s;

hist

oric

and

arc

haeo

logi

cal r

esou

rce

conc

erns

(prim

arily

to th

e no

rth o

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks s

ide)

; no

ise;

and

that

the

brid

ge w

ould

lead

to in

crea

sed

acce

ss fo

r crim

inal

s. S

ome

rais

ed c

once

rn

over

tollin

g th

e br

idge

, whi

le o

ther

s ag

reed

that

tollin

g w

as a

n ac

cept

able

way

of f

undi

ng th

e pr

ojec

t.

With

resp

ect t

o al

tern

ativ

e br

idge

loca

tions

on

the

Out

er B

anks

, the

C2

optio

n ju

st s

outh

of

Tim

Buc

kII w

as th

e pr

efer

red

optio

n in

man

y of

the

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed fr

om th

e pu

blic

.

Ther

e w

ere

man

y re

solu

tions

and

lette

rs re

ceiv

ed fr

om th

e lo

cal g

over

nmen

ts, t

ouris

m b

oard

, pl

anni

ng o

rgan

izat

ions

, and

bus

ines

s or

gani

zatio

ns.

All

wer

e in

favo

r of b

uild

ing

the

brid

ge.

Sev

eral

sen

t com

men

t let

ters

not

ing

that

reso

lutio

ns s

uppo

rting

the

brid

ge fr

om y

ears

ago

stil

l ho

ld tr

ue to

day.

Q&

A: 1.

US

EP

A a

sked

how

sea

leve

l ris

e w

ould

be

disc

usse

d in

the

DE

IS, n

otin

g a

rece

nt re

port

on th

e im

pact

s of

sea

leve

l ris

e on

infra

stru

ctur

e in

clud

ing

road

s an

d br

idge

s.

FHW

A s

tate

d th

at th

ere

is c

urre

ntly

no

guid

ance

for a

ddre

ssin

g se

a le

vel r

ise

in F

HW

A

NE

PA

doc

umen

ts. U

SE

PA

not

ed th

at b

ased

on

the

repo

rt, th

e O

uter

Ban

ks te

rmin

i und

er

cons

ider

atio

n m

ay b

e in

unda

ted

befo

re th

e de

sign

yea

r for

this

pro

ject

. US

EP

A w

ill pr

ovid

e th

e re

port

and

NC

TA w

ill re

view

.

C-41

Pag

e 3

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

2.U

SA

CE

ask

ed fo

r a d

efin

ition

of t

he w

ord

“sub

stan

tial”

as u

sed

on p

age

5 of

Han

dout

12.

S

ubst

antia

l des

crib

es th

e nu

mbe

r of c

omm

ents

rece

ivin

g no

ting

oppo

sitio

n to

alte

rnat

ives

th

at in

clud

ed im

prov

emen

t of e

xist

ing

road

s; 8

3 of

the

219

com

men

ts e

xpre

ssin

g a

pref

eren

ce n

oted

spe

cific

opp

ositi

on to

wid

enin

g ex

istin

g ro

ads

in th

e pr

ojec

t are

a.

3.U

SA

CE

and

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M n

oted

that

acc

ordi

ng to

the

Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t, th

e ci

tizen

s in

form

atio

nal w

orks

hops

sho

uld

have

bee

n he

ld d

urin

g th

e co

mm

ent p

erio

d fo

r rev

iew

ing

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort,

but N

CTA

hel

d th

e w

orks

hops

bef

ore

the

docu

men

ts w

ere

avai

labl

e fo

r rev

iew

. N

CTA

had

hop

ed to

hav

e th

e re

ports

ava

ilabl

e pr

ior t

o th

e w

orks

hops

but

was

not

abl

e to

do

so.

The

refo

re, N

CTA

will

be d

istri

butin

g a

post

card

ann

ounc

ing

the

avai

labi

lity

of th

e re

ports

on

the

NC

TA w

ebsi

te fo

r pub

lic re

view

and

com

men

t and

offe

ring

a se

cond

pub

lic

com

men

t per

iod.

The

pos

tcar

d w

ill be

dis

tribu

ted

to e

very

one

who

atte

nded

the

wor

ksho

ps a

s w

ell a

s to

the

entir

e pr

ojec

t mai

ling

list o

f nea

rly 1

2,00

0 na

mes

. Age

ncie

s su

gges

ted

that

har

d co

pies

of t

he re

ports

be

mad

e av

aila

ble

at lo

cal g

over

nmen

t offi

ces

in th

e pr

ojec

t are

a fo

r tho

se w

ithou

t acc

ess

to c

ompu

ters

. NC

TA a

gree

d an

d w

ill do

so.

A

genc

ies

also

ask

ed if

an

adde

ndum

or n

ote

shou

ld b

e ad

ded

to th

e S

ectio

n 60

02

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

to e

xpla

in th

e ac

tual

seq

uenc

e of

eve

nts.

NC

TA a

gree

d an

d w

ill dr

aft s

ome

text

.

4.U

SE

PA

not

ed th

at th

e A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort r

efer

s to

“a s

ingl

e pr

opos

ed p

roje

ct

in th

e R

alei

gh a

rea”

(pag

e 12

) as

an e

xcep

tion

to th

e st

ate

law

pro

hibi

ting

tolls

on

exis

ting

road

s an

d as

ked

whi

ch p

roje

ct th

at re

ferr

ed to

. A

legi

slat

ive

exce

ptio

n w

as m

ade

to a

llow

tolli

ng o

n th

e po

rtion

of N

C 5

40 b

etw

een

NC

54

and

NC

55

to c

ompl

ete

the

Tria

ngle

Exp

ress

way

. Thi

s se

ctio

n of

road

ope

ned

in 2

007

as a

non

-tolle

d fa

cilit

y. U

SE

PA

ask

ed a

bout

the

stat

us o

f the

Yad

kin

Riv

er b

ridge

re

plac

emen

t on

I-85.

NC

TA re

spon

ded

that

the

proj

ect i

s no

t an

offic

ial t

oll c

andi

date

pr

ojec

t at t

his

time,

but

if it

wer

e to

bec

ome

a ca

ndid

ate

toll

proj

ect,

stat

e le

gisl

atio

n w

ould

be

requ

ired

to a

llow

tollin

g on

the

exis

ting

rout

e.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill di

strib

ute

the

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t for

age

ncy

and

publ

ic c

omm

ent.

[The

repo

rt w

as n

ot d

istri

bute

d. T

he A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort a

nd S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd

Nee

d w

ere

dist

ribut

ed to

age

ncie

s at

the

Apr

il 8,

200

8 TE

AC

mee

ting

and

mad

e av

aila

ble

for

publ

ic c

omm

ent o

n th

e N

CTA

web

site

. In

addi

tion,

a p

ostc

ard

anno

unce

men

t will

be

dist

ribut

ed

the

wee

k of

Apr

il 14

ann

ounc

ing

the

avai

labi

lity

of th

e re

ports

and

requ

estin

g co

mm

ents

by

May

15

, 200

8. H

ard

copi

es o

f the

repo

rts w

ere

mai

led

to lo

cal g

over

nmen

t offi

ces

to b

e m

ade

avai

labl

e to

inte

rest

ed c

itize

ns.]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s re

view

revi

sed

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort f

or

disc

ussi

on a

t the

May

6, 2

008

TEA

C m

eetin

g.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e

Pag

e 4

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

A

pril

8, 2

008

1:30

pm

to 3

:00

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

STI

P U

-332

1 G

asto

n E

-W C

onne

ctor

– S

TP-1

213(

6)

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or S

potli

ght:

Atte

ndee

s:

G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A S

teve

Lun

d, U

SA

CE

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

C

hris

Milit

sche

r, U

SE

PA

M

arla

Cha

mbe

rs, N

CW

RC

D

eway

ne S

ykes

, NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n

Kris

tina

Sol

berg

, NC

DO

T - P

DE

A

Dan

Gris

som

, NC

DO

T-D

ivis

ion

12

Mic

hael

Glo

den,

Eco

Sci

ence

Cor

p.

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Jill

Gur

ak, P

BS&

J

Via

Tele

phon

e:

Mar

ella

Bun

cick

, US

FWS

P

olly

Les

pina

sse,

NC

DE

NR

- D

WQ

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls h

ave

been

pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

M

eetin

g A

gend

a

Mem

o –

Mer

ger P

roce

ss C

oncu

rrenc

e P

oint

2a

Brid

ging

Dec

isio

n In

form

atio

n –

NC

TA’s

R

espo

nse

to A

genc

y R

eque

sts

from

the

Mar

ch 4

, 200

8 M

eetin

g –

This

mem

o ad

dres

ses

actio

n ite

ms

from

the

Mar

ch 4

, 200

8 TE

AC

mee

ting.

Purp

ose:

Dis

cuss

act

ion

item

s fro

m th

e M

arch

4, 2

008

TEA

C M

eetin

g (C

oncu

rren

ce P

oint

2a

mee

ting)

in

orde

r to

achi

eve

agre

emen

t/con

curr

ence

on

the

brid

ging

/alig

nmen

t dec

isio

ns fo

r stre

ams

and

wet

land

s cr

osse

d by

the

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

(DS

As)

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Ms.

Har

ris o

pene

d th

e m

eetin

g w

ith in

trodu

ctio

ns.

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

com

plet

e di

scus

sion

s re

gard

ing

brid

ging

and

alig

nmen

t dec

isio

ns fo

r the

DS

As

(CP

2a).

She

not

ed th

at fu

rther

di

scus

sion

s re

gard

ing

brid

ging

and

per

mitt

ing

will

be

held

aga

in fo

r the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e at

CP

4a.

A g

ener

al d

iscu

ssio

n to

ok p

lace

prio

r to

the

disc

ussi

ons

of th

e in

divi

dual

cro

ssin

gs.

The

ques

tions

and

co

mm

ents

are

sum

mar

ized

bel

ow.

Min

utes

from

the

Mar

ch 4

, 200

8 M

eetin

g. M

s. H

arris

ask

ed if

any

one

had

any

com

men

ts o

r rev

isio

ns to

th

e M

arch

4, 2

008

mee

ting

min

utes

. N

o on

e ha

d an

y co

mm

ents

.

Oth

er Is

sues

. M

r. M

ilitsc

her s

tate

d he

cou

ld n

ot a

cces

s th

e TE

AC w

ebsi

te, a

s it

was

not

reco

gniz

ing

his

user

nam

e an

d pa

ssw

ord.

Ms.

Har

ris s

tate

d sh

e w

ould

ask

the

web

site

adm

inis

trato

r to

follo

w u

p w

ith M

r. M

ilitsc

her.

C-42

Pag

e 5

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

Ms.

Gur

ak b

egan

the

disc

ussi

on o

f the

act

ion

item

s re

ques

ted

at th

e M

arch

4, 2

008

mee

ting

that

wer

e su

mm

ariz

ed in

the

mem

o di

strib

uted

for t

he A

pril

8 TE

AC

mee

ting.

Wild

life

Pass

age

Stru

ctur

es

The

NC

TA a

gree

s to

stu

dy w

ildlif

e pa

ssag

e st

ruct

ures

at t

he fo

llow

ing

cros

sing

s of

Stre

am S

156

durin

g fin

al d

esig

n, if

they

are

par

t of t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

Thi

s w

ill be

incl

uded

as

a co

mm

itmen

t in

the

DEI

S.

Cro

ssin

g JD

6 –

cros

sing

of S

tream

S15

6 on

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ive

(DS

A) S

egm

ent J

1C

(wes

t of R

obin

son

Roa

d)

Cro

ssin

g JD

19 –

cro

ssin

g of

Stre

am S

156

on D

SA

Seg

men

t JX1

C

ross

ing

JD31

– c

ross

ing

of S

tream

S15

6 on

DS

A S

egm

ent J

2C

The

reso

urce

age

ncie

s as

ked

if th

is w

ildlif

e cr

ossi

ng w

as u

niqu

e to

any

of t

he a

ltern

ativ

es.

All

DS

As

cros

s S

tream

156

onc

e, s

o al

l DS

As

will

incl

ude

a w

ildlif

e pa

ssag

e st

ruct

ure

at th

is s

tream

.

The

WR

C s

tate

d th

ere

are

num

erou

s re

sour

ces

avai

labl

e to

ass

ist i

n de

sign

ing

wild

life

pass

ages

. Th

e W

RC

not

ed o

ne m

etho

d of

siz

ing

the

cros

sing

use

s an

“ope

nnes

s fa

ctor

” tha

t tak

es in

to a

ccou

nt

leng

th/h

eigh

t/wid

th o

f the

cro

ssin

g as

wel

l as

the

type

s of

wild

life

antic

ipat

ed to

use

the

cros

sing

. Th

e eq

uatio

n is

met

ric b

ased

. Th

e N

CD

OT

has

desi

gned

wild

life

cros

sing

s fo

r bea

rs o

n th

e I-2

6 (A

-10)

pr

ojec

t in

wes

tern

Nor

th C

arol

ina.

The

re h

ave

also

bee

n so

me

succ

essf

ul c

ross

ings

on

proj

ects

in

east

ern

Nor

th C

arol

ina.

The

NC

DO

T no

ted

that

Ted

Dev

ens

(NC

DO

T) is

wor

king

with

Virg

inia

Tec

h on

wild

life

cros

sing

stu

dies

.

US

FWS

not

ed th

at th

e 20

07 c

onfe

renc

e pr

ocee

ding

s fro

m IC

OE

T (In

tern

atio

nal C

onfe

renc

e on

Eco

logy

an

d Tr

ansp

orta

tion)

wou

ld b

e a

good

reso

urce

for w

ildlif

e cr

ossi

ng in

form

atio

n.

The

WR

C s

tate

d th

at d

urin

g fin

al d

esig

n fo

r the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e, th

e br

idge

s at

oth

er c

ross

ings

als

o sh

ould

be

desi

gned

to b

e w

ildlif

e fri

endl

y w

hen

feas

ible

.

Brid

ging

Bey

ond

Wha

t is

Req

uire

d fo

r Hyd

raul

ic C

onve

yanc

e

At t

he M

arch

4, 2

008

mee

ting,

the

NC

TA a

gree

d to

the

follo

win

g br

idge

s to

be

incl

uded

in th

e D

SA

de

sign

s. C

ross

ing

HD

27 –

DS

A S

egm

ent H

2A o

ver B

esse

mer

Bra

nch.

Cha

nge

from

trip

le b

ox c

ulve

rt to

a

brid

ge.

Cro

ssin

g H

D32

– D

SA

Seg

men

t H2C

ove

r Stre

am S

70 a

djac

ent t

o C

hape

l Gro

ve R

oad.

Ext

end

mai

nlin

e br

idge

s ov

er C

hape

l Gro

ve R

oad

to s

pan

Stre

am S

70.

Cro

ssin

g H

D17

– D

SA

Seg

men

t HX

2 ov

er S

tream

S79

adj

acen

t to

Cam

p R

otar

y R

oad.

Ext

end

mai

nlin

e br

idge

s ov

er C

amp

Rot

ary

Roa

d to

spa

n S

tream

S79

. C

ross

ing

HD

38 –

DS

A S

egm

ent H

3 ov

er S

tream

S13

5 (B

lack

woo

d C

reek

). C

hang

e fro

m a

trip

le

box

culv

ert t

o a

brid

ge.

The

NC

TA a

lso

agre

ed to

the

follo

win

g br

idge

s to

be

incl

uded

in th

e D

SA

des

igns

, as

requ

este

d at

the

Mar

ch 4

, 200

8 TE

AC

mee

ting.

Cro

ssin

g JB

2 –

DS

A S

egm

ent J

3 ov

er C

row

ders

Cre

ek.

Ext

end

mai

nlin

e br

idge

s ov

er C

row

ders

C

reek

to s

pan

Wet

land

103

. C

ross

ing

JD9

– D

SA

Seg

men

t J1C

ove

r Stre

am S

178.

Cha

nge

from

a tr

iple

box

cul

vert

to a

br

idge

. C

ross

ing

KD

3 –

DS

A S

egm

ent K

3A o

ver S

tream

S25

9 (C

ataw

ba C

reek

). E

xten

d m

ainl

ine

brid

ges

over

Cat

awba

Cre

ek to

spa

n m

ain

body

of W

etla

nd W

248.

Pag

e 6

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

Cro

ssin

g KD

17 –

DS

A S

egm

ent K

1B o

ver S

tream

S25

9 (C

ataw

ba C

reek

). E

xten

d m

ainl

ine

brid

ges

over

Cat

awba

Cre

ek to

spa

n m

ain

body

of W

etla

nd W

248.

The

reso

urce

age

ncie

s ag

reed

to th

e ad

ditio

nal b

ridge

s an

d ha

d no

furth

er c

omm

ents

.

Cos

t Est

imat

e fo

r Brid

ge a

t Cro

ssin

g H

B1

At t

he M

arch

4, 2

008

mee

ting,

the

reso

urce

age

ncie

s re

ques

ted

a co

st e

stim

ate

for a

dditi

onal

brid

ges

at

Cro

ssin

g H

B1 (D

SA

Seg

men

t H1A

ove

r Cro

wde

rs C

reek

nea

r the

US

29-

74 in

terc

hang

e).

The

addi

tiona

l br

idge

s w

ould

incl

ude

exte

ndin

g th

e m

ainl

ine

brid

ges

over

Cro

wde

rs C

reek

to s

pan

Wet

land

12,

and

co

nstru

ctin

g br

idge

s ov

er W

etla

nd 1

2 fo

r the

WB

Con

nect

or o

ff ra

mp

to U

S 2

9-74

and

the

WB

Con

nect

or

on ra

mp

(loop

) fro

m U

S 2

9-74

.

In 2

007

dolla

rs, t

he c

ost o

f all

thes

e ad

ditio

nal b

ridge

s w

ould

be

$15.

5 m

illion

. Th

e or

igin

al c

ost f

or th

e sh

orte

r mai

nlin

e br

idge

s w

as $

2.1

mill

ion.

If t

he in

terc

hang

e is

elim

inat

ed, t

he c

ost o

f the

ext

ende

d m

ainl

ine

brid

ges

(no

ram

ps) w

ould

be

$11.

4 m

illion

.

The

reso

urce

age

ncie

s re

ques

ted

info

rmat

ion

on th

e co

sts

of th

e C

row

ders

Cre

ek ra

mp

brid

ges

to b

e in

clud

ed in

thes

e m

inut

es.

The

cost

s w

ere

calc

ulat

ed p

ost m

eetin

g.Th

ese

two

brid

ges,

off

ram

p fro

m

WB

Con

nect

or to

US

29-

74 o

ver C

row

ders

Cre

ek a

nd o

n ra

mp

from

US

29-

74 to

EB

Con

nect

or o

ver

Cro

wde

rs C

reek

, wou

ld e

ach

be a

bout

38

feet

wid

e an

d 12

0 fe

et lo

ng.

The

tota

l cos

t for

the

two

ram

p br

idge

s w

ould

be

appr

oxim

atel

y $1

mill

ion.

Ther

e w

as a

que

stio

n ab

out w

heth

er th

e lo

op ra

mp

coul

d be

ext

ende

d to

shi

ft ou

t of t

he w

etla

nd.

If it

was

ex

tend

ed, i

t wou

ld e

ncro

ach

farth

er in

to th

e flo

odpl

ain

of C

row

ders

Cre

ek a

nd n

eare

r to

the

cree

k. I

t can

no

t be

shor

tene

d du

e to

sig

ht d

ista

nce

requ

irem

ents

for t

he to

ll co

llect

ion

equi

pmen

t.

The

reso

urce

age

ncie

s w

ould

pre

fer t

o el

imin

ate

the

US

29-

74 in

terc

hang

e. A

s di

scus

sed

at th

e M

arch

4,

2008

mee

ting,

the

NC

TA w

ill be

con

side

ring

elim

inat

ing

the

US

29-

74 in

terc

hang

e (fo

r all

DS

As).

The

G

asto

n U

rban

Are

a M

PO

(GU

AM

PO

) is

also

look

ing

at th

is is

sue.

The

pot

entia

l elim

inat

ion

of th

is

inte

rcha

nge

will

be

pres

ente

d to

the

publ

ic fo

r com

men

t at C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

pla

nned

for

this

sum

mer

.

The

reso

urce

and

regu

lato

ry a

genc

ies

agre

ed th

at e

xten

ding

the

mai

nlin

e br

idge

s ov

er C

row

ders

Cre

ek

to a

lso

span

Wet

land

12

wou

ld n

ot b

e co

st e

ffect

ive.

The

US

FWS

poi

nted

out

that

the

area

of t

he

wet

land

cro

ssed

by

the

mai

nlin

e br

idge

s is

fore

sted

. Th

is v

eget

atio

n w

ould

be

clea

red

to c

onst

ruct

the

low

brid

ges.

Reg

row

th o

f veg

etat

ion

unde

r the

brid

ges

wou

ld n

ot b

e th

e sa

me

as th

e ex

istin

g co

nditi

ons.

It

may

be

mor

e ef

fect

ive

to re

stor

e th

e ea

ster

n pa

rt of

Wet

land

12

and

fill t

he w

este

rn p

art.

The

US

EP

A s

tate

d th

at s

ince

Cro

wde

rs C

reek

is a

303

d lis

ted

stre

am, B

MP

(Bes

t Man

agem

ent

Pra

ctic

es) m

easu

res

such

as

basi

ns a

lso

shou

ld b

e co

nsid

ered

to e

nsur

e th

at C

row

ders

Cre

ek w

ould

not

be

impa

cted

by

road

side

dra

inag

e.

In c

oncl

usio

n, it

was

dec

ided

to s

how

the

impa

cts

of fi

lling

Wet

land

12

in th

e D

EIS

, but

to a

lso

disc

uss

the

pote

ntia

l elim

inat

ion

of th

e U

S 2

9-74

inte

rcha

nge.

If t

his

DS

A S

egm

ent i

s pa

rt of

the

Pre

ferre

d A

ltern

ativ

e, m

itiga

tion

and

min

imiz

atio

n m

easu

res

will

be re

visi

ted

at C

oncu

rrenc

e P

oint

4a.

The

ag

enci

es a

gree

d th

at it

was

not

cos

t effe

ctiv

e to

ext

end

the

mai

nlin

e br

idge

s to

spa

n W

etla

nd 1

2.

Mai

nlin

e A

lignm

ent S

hift

at C

ross

ing

HB

3 to

Avo

id W

etla

nd W

51

A fu

ll di

scus

sion

of t

he a

lignm

ent s

hift

inve

stig

atio

n is

incl

uded

in S

ectio

n 5a

of t

he m

emo

prov

ided

as

part

of th

e A

pril

8, 2

008

mee

ting.

Cro

ssin

g H

B3

is lo

cate

d at

Cro

wde

rs C

reek

for D

SA

Seg

men

ts H

3 an

d H

2A n

ear t

he U

S 2

9-74

inte

rcha

nge.

At t

he M

arch

4, 2

008

mee

ting,

the

reso

urce

and

regu

lato

ry

agen

cies

requ

este

d th

at a

shi

ft in

the

Cor

ridor

H3

alig

nmen

t be

inve

stig

ated

to m

ove

the

H3

alig

nmen

t to

the

east

so

the

US

29-

74 in

terc

hang

e ra

mps

wou

ld a

void

Wet

land

51.

C-43

Pag

e 7

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

The

alig

nmen

ts in

this

loca

tion

wer

e pl

aced

to m

inim

ize

relo

catio

ns a

nd im

pact

s to

the

thre

e ju

nkya

rds

in

the

vici

nity

.

DS

A S

egm

ent H

2A c

an n

ot b

e sh

ifted

to th

e ea

st w

ithin

the

corri

dor b

ound

arie

s du

e to

cur

ve ra

dii

cons

train

ts.

The

alig

nmen

t in

DS

A S

egm

ent H

3 w

ould

nee

d to

shi

ft ab

out 2

40 fe

et to

the

east

to a

void

Wet

land

51.

Th

is w

ould

enc

roac

h di

rect

ly o

n th

e P

utna

m A

uto

Bod

y ju

nkya

rd a

nd w

ould

incr

ease

impa

cts

to S

tream

S

54 fr

om 1

88 lf

to a

bout

575

lf.

The

sam

e di

scus

sion

rega

rdin

g el

imin

atin

g th

e U

S 2

9-74

inte

rcha

nge

was

hel

d fo

r thi

s lo

catio

n. T

he

reso

urce

age

ncie

s w

ould

pre

fer t

o el

imin

ate

the

US

29-

74 in

terc

hang

e. A

s di

scus

sed

at th

e M

arch

4,

2008

mee

ting,

the

NC

TA w

ill be

con

side

ring

elim

inat

ing

the

US

29-

74 in

terc

hang

e (fo

r all

DS

As).

The

G

UA

MP

O is

look

ing

at th

is is

sue.

The

pot

entia

l elim

inat

ion

of th

is in

terc

hang

e w

ill be

pre

sent

ed to

the

publ

ic fo

r com

men

t at C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

pla

nned

for t

his

sum

mer

. Th

e N

CTA

re

com

men

ded

not s

hifti

ng th

e al

ignm

ent a

t thi

s lo

catio

n, p

artic

ular

ly s

ince

the

elim

inat

ion

of th

e in

terc

hang

e is

bei

ng c

onsi

dere

d. T

he re

sour

ce a

nd re

gula

tory

age

ncie

s co

nditi

onal

ly a

gree

d.

The

US

EP

A re

ques

ted

that

a c

ost e

stim

ate

be p

rovi

ded

for b

ridgi

ng W

etla

nd W

51 fo

r Cor

ridor

Seg

men

ts

H3

and

H2A

(thi

s w

ould

invo

lve

brid

ges

only

on

the

ram

ps).

The

US

EP

A s

tate

d th

at th

ey w

ould

pro

vide

in

form

atio

n ab

out p

oten

tial c

osts

for r

eloc

atin

g th

e P

utna

m A

uto

Bod

y ju

nkya

rd.

The

cost

s w

ere

calc

ulat

ed p

ost m

eetin

g. F

or C

orrid

or S

egm

ent H

3, tw

o br

idge

s ar

e pr

opos

ed (o

ne fo

r the

ram

p an

d on

e fo

r the

loop

ram

p). T

hese

two

brid

ges

wou

ld b

e be

twee

n 37

feet

to 5

0 fe

et w

ide,

and

470

feet

to 5

60 fe

et

long

. Th

e to

tal c

ost f

or th

e tw

o br

idge

s w

ould

be

appr

oxim

atel

y $4

.8 m

illio

n. F

or C

orrid

or S

egm

ent H

2,

thre

e br

idge

s ar

e pr

opos

ed (o

ne fo

r the

loop

ram

p an

d tw

o fo

r the

ram

ps).

The

se th

ree

brid

ges

wou

ld b

e be

twee

n 37

feet

to 5

0 fe

et w

ide,

and

130

feet

to 5

00 fe

et lo

ng.

The

tota

l cos

t for

the

thre

e br

idge

s on

S

egm

ent H

2 ar

e ap

prox

imat

ely

$3.3

mill

ion.

Mai

nlin

e A

lignm

ent S

hift

at C

ross

ing

JD17

to A

void

Par

alle

l Im

pact

s to

Str

eam

S14

6

A fu

ll di

scus

sion

of t

he a

lignm

ent s

hift

inve

stig

atio

n is

incl

uded

in S

ectio

n 5b

of t

he m

emo

prov

ided

as

part

of th

e A

pril

8, 2

008

mee

ting.

The

NC

TA re

com

men

ds n

ot s

hifti

ng th

is a

lignm

ent.

The

reso

urce

age

ncie

s ag

reed

.

Mai

nlin

e A

lignm

ent S

hift

at C

ross

ing

KD

17 to

Avo

id th

e Ea

ster

nmos

t Fin

ger o

f Wet

alnd

W24

8

A fu

ll di

scus

sion

of t

he a

lignm

ent s

hift

inve

stig

atio

n is

incl

uded

in S

ectio

n 5c

of t

he m

emo

prov

ided

as

part

of th

e A

pril

8, 2

008

mee

ting.

The

NC

TA re

com

men

ds n

ot s

hifti

ng th

is a

lignm

ent.

The

reso

urce

age

ncie

s ag

reed

.

Y-Li

ne (C

ross

-Str

eet)

Alig

nmen

t Shi

ft at

Cro

ssin

g K

D31

to A

void

Con

fluen

ce o

f Bea

verd

am C

reek

an

d Le

gion

Lak

e St

ream

A fu

ll di

scus

sion

of t

he a

lignm

ent s

hift

inve

stig

atio

n is

incl

uded

in S

ectio

n 5d

of t

he m

emo

prov

ided

as

part

of th

e A

pril

8, 2

008

mee

ting.

The

NC

TA re

com

men

ds n

ot s

hifti

ng th

is a

lignm

ent a

t thi

s tim

e. I

f thi

s co

rrido

r is

sele

cted

as

the

Pre

ferre

d A

ltern

ativ

e, th

is c

ross

ing

will

be re

visi

ted

durin

g fin

al d

esig

n w

hen

mor

e re

fined

map

ping

is a

vaila

ble.

The

re

sour

ce a

genc

ies

agre

ed.

Pag

e 8

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

Con

clus

ions

The

reso

urce

age

ncie

s ag

reed

that

dis

cuss

ions

for C

oncu

rren

ce P

oint

2a

wer

e co

mpl

ete.

Bel

ow is

an

upda

ted

tabl

e su

mm

ariz

ing

the

final

dec

isio

ns m

ade

as p

art o

f CP

2a fo

r the

maj

or h

ydra

ulic

cro

ssin

gs.

Cro

ssin

g D

ecis

ion

Cos

t Diff

eren

tial

for C

ross

ing

HD

26

Rev

isit

this

are

a fo

r min

imiz

atio

n m

easu

res

durin

g C

P4a

--

HD

27

Cha

nge

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

from

a c

ulve

rt to

a b

ridge

S

avin

gs o

f $0.

44

mill

ion

HB

1

The

pote

ntia

l elim

inat

ion

of th

e in

terc

hang

e w

ill b

e pr

esen

ted

for p

ublic

com

men

t at t

he n

ext C

itize

ns

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps.

Elim

inat

ing

the

inte

rcha

nge

will

be e

valu

ated

for t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

N/A

HB

2

The

pote

ntia

l elim

inat

ion

of th

e in

terc

hang

e w

ill b

e pr

esen

ted

for p

ublic

com

men

t at t

he n

ext C

itize

ns

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps.

Elim

inat

ing

the

inte

rcha

nge

will

be e

valu

ated

for t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

N/A

HB

3

The

pote

ntia

l elim

inat

ion

of th

e in

terc

hang

e w

ill b

e pr

esen

ted

for p

ublic

com

men

t at t

he n

ext C

itize

ns

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps.

Elim

inat

ing

the

inte

rcha

nge

will

be e

valu

ated

for t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

N/A

HD

29

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

culv

ert.

--

HD

31

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

culv

ert.

--

HD

59

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

brid

ge.

--

HD

32C

hang

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

e fro

m a

cul

vert

to a

brid

ge

sinc

e a

culv

ert d

oes

not a

ppea

r fea

sibl

e fro

m a

des

ign

stan

dpoi

nt a

t thi

s tim

e.

Incr

ease

of $

0.96

m

illio

n

HD

10

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

culv

ert.

--

HD

17

Cha

nge

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

from

a c

ulve

rt to

a b

ridge

si

nce

a cu

lver

t doe

s no

t app

ear f

easi

ble

from

a d

esig

n st

andp

oint

at t

his

time.

Incr

ease

of $

1.27

m

illio

n

HD

35

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

culv

ert.

--

HD

48C

hang

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

e fro

m a

cul

vert

to a

brid

ge

due

to s

ize

of B

lack

woo

d C

reek

, flo

odpl

ain,

and

pro

xim

ity

to C

row

ders

Cre

ek c

onflu

ence

.

Incr

ease

of $

1.75

m

illio

n

JB2

Ext

end

reco

mm

ende

d br

idge

stru

ctur

e ap

prox

imat

ely

365

feet

to s

pan

Wet

land

W10

3 in

add

ition

to C

row

ders

Cre

ek.

In

crea

se o

f $4.

1 m

illio

nJB

1 N

o ch

ange

in th

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

e –

a br

idge

. --

JD29

N

o ch

ange

in th

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

e –

a br

idge

. --

JD4

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

brid

ge.

--

JD17

N

o ch

ange

in th

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

e –

a br

idge

.

--

JD6,

JD

19 a

nd

JD31

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

culv

ert.

How

ever

, an

addi

tiona

l cul

vert

or o

ther

mea

sure

will

be

cons

ider

ed fo

r wild

life

pass

age

durin

g fin

al d

esig

n.

Incr

ease

for w

ildlif

e pa

ssag

e st

ruct

ures

un

know

n.

JD21

N

o ch

ange

in th

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

e –

a cu

lver

t. --

JD9

Cha

nge

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

from

a c

ulve

rt to

a

brid

ge.

Incr

ease

of $

0.84

m

illio

nJD

26

No

chan

ge in

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

pipe

--

K

D54

N

o ch

ange

in th

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

e –

a cu

lver

t. --

K

D25

N

o ch

ange

in th

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

e –

a br

idge

. --

C-44

Pag

e 9

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

Cro

ssin

g D

ecis

ion

Cos

t Diff

eren

tial

for C

ross

ing

KD

3E

xten

d re

com

men

ded

brid

ge s

truct

ure

abou

t 395

ft to

sp

an W

etla

nd W

248

in a

dditi

on to

Cat

awba

Cre

ek.

In

crea

se o

f $4.

0 m

illio

n

KD

17E

xten

d re

com

men

ded

brid

ge s

truct

ure

abou

t 370

ft to

sp

an W

etla

nd W

248

in a

dditi

on to

Cat

awba

Cre

ek.

In

crea

se o

f $4.

2 m

illio

nK

D2

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

culv

ert.

--

KB

3, K

B5,

KB

7 N

o ch

ange

in th

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

es –

brid

ges

over

th

e S

outh

For

k C

ataw

ba R

iver

. --

KB4,

KB6

N

o ch

ange

in th

e re

com

men

ded

stru

ctur

es –

brid

ges

over

th

e C

ataw

ba R

iver

. --

KD

7, K

D29

, KD

16

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

culv

ert.

--

KD

31

No

chan

ge in

the

reco

mm

ende

d st

ruct

ure

– a

culv

ert.

If

this

cro

ssin

g is

par

t of t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive,

dur

ing

final

des

ign,

NC

TA w

ill in

vest

igat

e th

e fe

asib

ility

of s

hifti

ng

the

alig

nmen

t of D

ixie

Riv

er R

oad

at th

is c

ross

ing

to a

void

th

e co

nflu

ence

of B

eave

rdam

Cre

ek a

nd L

egio

n La

ke

Stre

am.

--

Wra

p-U

p / N

ext S

teps

:

C

oncu

rrenc

e P

oint

2a

brid

ging

and

alig

nmen

t dec

isio

ns a

re c

ompl

ete.

NC

TA w

ill in

corp

orat

e th

e co

nclu

sion

s of

CP

2a in

to th

e D

EIS

.

New

Act

ion

Item

s

Th

e ag

enci

es re

ques

ted

info

rmat

ion

on th

e co

sts

of th

e C

row

ders

Cre

ek ra

mp

brid

ges

for

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t H1A

to b

e in

clud

ed in

thes

e m

inut

es.

The

cost

for t

hese

ram

p br

idge

s is

app

roxi

mat

ely

$1,0

00,0

00 (s

ee d

etai

led

info

rmat

ion

in

thes

e m

inut

es).

Th

e ag

enci

es re

ques

ted

info

rmat

ion

on th

e co

sts

of b

ridgi

ng W

etla

nd W

51 a

long

Cor

ridor

S

egm

ents

H3

and

H2B

.

The

cost

for t

he b

ridge

s al

ong

Seg

men

t H3

is a

ppro

xim

atel

y $4

,800

,000

, and

the

prop

osed

cos

t for

the

brid

ges

alon

g S

egm

ent H

2B is

app

roxi

mat

ely

$3,3

00,0

00 (s

ee

deta

iled

info

rmat

ion

in th

ese

min

utes

).

Th

e U

SE

PA

sta

ted

they

wou

ld p

rovi

de in

form

atio

n fo

r a c

ost e

stim

ate

for r

eloc

atin

g th

e P

utna

m

Aut

o B

ody

junk

yard

loca

ted

near

the

US

29-

74 in

terc

hang

e fo

r Cor

ridor

Seg

men

ts H

3 an

d H

2C.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

N

CTA

will

prep

are

a co

st e

stim

ate

for C

ross

ing

HB

1 fo

r pro

vidi

ng b

ridge

s ov

er C

row

ders

Cre

ek

for t

he m

ainl

ine

and

WB

off

ram

p to

spa

n W

etla

nd 1

2.

Cos

t est

imat

es p

rovi

ded

as d

escr

ibed

in th

e re

spon

se m

emo

hand

ed o

ut a

t the

Apr

il 8,

20

08 T

EA

C m

eetin

g.

N

CTA

to c

onsi

der e

limin

atin

g th

e C

orrid

or S

egm

ent H

1A/U

S 2

9-74

inte

rcha

nge

ram

p th

at

prov

ides

acc

ess

from

US

29-

74 to

WB

Con

nect

or.

This

ram

p cr

osse

s ov

er W

12.

NC

TA is

con

side

ring

elim

inat

ing

the

US

29-

74 in

terc

hang

e fo

r all

DS

As.

The

GU

AM

PO

is

eva

luat

ing

this

opt

ion.

The

opt

ion

will

be

pres

ente

d to

the

publ

ic fo

r com

men

t at

upco

min

g w

orks

hops

this

sum

mer

.

Pag

e 10

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

4/8

/08

N

CTA

will

con

side

r pro

vidi

ng w

ildlif

e pa

ssag

e st

ruct

ures

at J

D6,

JD

19, a

nd J

D31

.

NC

TA a

gree

s to

stu

dy w

ildlif

e pa

ssag

es a

t JD

6, J

D19

, or J

D 3

1, w

hich

ever

is in

clud

ed

as p

art o

f the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e.

N

CTA

will

con

side

r the

add

ition

al b

ridgi

ng re

com

men

datio

ns m

ade

durin

g th

e m

eetin

g. T

hese

in

clud

e ch

angi

ng a

cul

vert

to a

brid

ge fo

r Cro

ssin

g JD

9 an

d ex

tend

ing

the

brid

ges

at J

B2,

K

D3/

KD

17 to

spa

n hi

gh v

alue

/hig

h qu

ality

wet

land

s.

NC

TA h

as in

clud

ed b

ridge

s fo

r the

se c

ross

ings

, as

requ

este

d by

the

reso

urce

age

ncie

s.

N

CTA

will

inve

stig

ate

the

feas

ibilit

y of

shi

fting

alig

nmen

ts a

t the

follo

win

g lo

catio

ns:

o

M

ainl

ine

shift

at H

B3

east

to a

void

W51

o

M

ainl

ine

shift

at J

D17

to a

void

par

alle

l im

pact

s to

S14

6 o

M

ainl

ine

shift

at K

D3

to a

void

the

east

ernm

ost f

inge

r of W

248

o

Y-li

ne s

hift

at K

D31

to a

void

con

fluen

ce o

f Bea

verd

am C

reek

and

Leg

ion

Lake

Stre

am

As

deta

iled

in th

e A

pril

8, 2

008

mem

o an

d th

ese

min

utes

, non

e of

thes

e al

ignm

ent s

hifts

will

be

impl

emen

ted

at th

is ti

me.

The

Y-li

ne a

lignm

ent s

hift

at K

D31

will

be

revi

ewed

dur

ing

final

de

sign

if it

is p

art o

f the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e.

Res

olut

ions

:

Th

is c

oncl

udes

the

disc

ussi

on o

n br

idgi

ng a

nd a

lignm

ent d

ecis

ions

for t

he G

asto

n E

-W C

onne

ctor

. N

CTA

, NC

DO

T, F

HW

A, a

nd th

e ag

enci

es h

ave

reac

hed

agre

emen

t/con

curre

nce

on th

e pr

opos

ed

cros

sing

s.

C-45

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

5/6

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

M

ay 6

, 200

8

9:

30 A

M to

11:

30 A

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

R

on S

echl

er, N

MFS

(via

pho

ne)

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

B

rian

Wre

nn, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Dav

id J

oyne

r, N

CTA

S

teve

DeW

itt, N

CTA

Je

nnife

r Har

ris, N

CTA

B

ill M

alle

y, P

erki

ns C

oie

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

S

penc

er F

rank

lin, H

NTB

M

icha

el G

lode

n, E

coS

cien

ce

John

Pag

e, P

B

Don

Bro

wn,

PB

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls h

ave

been

pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n (d

ated

May

5, 2

008)

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

dis

cuss

age

ncy

com

men

ts o

n th

e re

vise

d S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

At t

he A

pril

8, 2

008

TEA

C m

eetin

g, a

genc

ies

wer

e pr

ovid

ed a

revi

sed

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d th

e A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort f

or re

view

and

com

men

t. W

ritte

n co

mm

ents

wer

e re

ceiv

ed fr

om

US

EP

A a

nd N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

in a

dvan

ce o

f the

May

TE

AC

mee

ting.

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Sect

ion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n Pl

an –

NC

TA d

istri

bute

d a

revi

sed

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan.

The

pla

n ha

s be

en re

vise

d to

inco

rpor

ate

com

men

ts fr

om F

HW

A, a

s w

ell a

s to

refle

ct

actu

al p

roje

ct s

tatu

s on

sev

eral

item

s th

at h

ave

alre

ady

been

com

plet

ed o

r for

whi

ch

assu

mpt

ions

hav

e ch

ange

d si

nce

the

plan

was

dra

fted.

Age

ncie

s ar

e w

elco

me

to p

rovi

de

addi

tiona

l com

men

ts if

they

hav

e an

y.

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) Mee

ting

Pag

e 2

of 3

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

5/6

/08

Pred

evel

opm

ent A

gree

men

t and

Indu

stry

For

um –

NC

TA is

hos

ting

and

Indu

stry

For

um

on M

ay 7

, 200

8 to

pre

sent

the

proj

ect t

o pr

ospe

ctiv

e de

velo

pers

, con

tract

ors,

and

fina

ncie

rs.

NC

TA w

ill a

lso

be h

oldi

ng o

ne-o

n-on

e m

eetin

gs w

ith th

ese

grou

ps to

dis

cuss

and

obt

ain

feed

back

on

pote

ntia

l pro

cure

men

t met

hods

for d

eliv

erin

g th

is p

roje

ct, i

nclu

ding

use

of a

P

rede

velo

pmen

t Agr

eem

ent (

PD

A) o

r mor

e tra

ditio

nal P

ublic

Priv

ate

Par

tner

ship

. Und

er a

P

DA

pro

cure

men

t, N

CTA

wou

ld b

ring

a pr

ivat

e pa

rtner

into

the

proc

ess

early

, lik

ely

late

r thi

s ye

ar, t

o he

lp d

evel

op th

e pr

ojec

t con

curre

nt w

ith th

e N

EP

A p

roce

ss.

At t

his

time,

NC

TA is

an

ticip

atin

g th

at th

e m

ajor

ity, i

f not

all,

of t

he p

roje

ct w

ill be

fina

nced

by

the

priv

ate

partn

er.

Age

ncie

s ar

e in

vite

d to

atte

nd th

e In

dust

ry F

orum

if in

tere

sted

. NC

TA h

as a

sked

pro

spec

tive

partn

ers

not t

o co

ntra

ct a

genc

y re

pres

enta

tives

dire

ctly

to d

iscu

ss th

e pr

ojec

t.

Stat

emen

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t – T

he S

tate

men

t of

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d di

strib

uted

in A

pril

2008

incl

udes

an

addi

tiona

l nee

d fro

m w

hat w

as

disc

usse

d w

ith a

genc

ies

in 2

007.

Thi

s ne

w n

eed

stat

es, “

“The

nee

d to

impr

ove

syst

em

effic

ienc

y by

pro

vidi

ng a

n ad

ditio

nal l

ink

betw

een

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

ainl

and

and

its O

uter

B

anks

.” T

his

need

is b

ased

on

the

inef

ficie

ncie

s cr

eate

d by

the

“U-s

hape

d” ro

ute

to a

cces

s th

e no

rther

n O

uter

Ban

ks, w

hich

resu

lts in

incr

ease

d tra

vel t

ime

and

cong

estio

n in

the

proj

ect

area

, and

has

bee

n ad

dres

sed

in s

tate

and

loca

l leg

isla

tion

and

plan

s.

US

AC

E c

omm

ente

d th

at th

e in

clus

ion

of “p

rovi

de a

new

tran

spor

tatio

n lin

k” in

the

new

pro

ject

ne

ed p

recl

udes

any

alte

rnat

ive

that

doe

s no

t inc

lude

a b

ridge

, and

may

be

undu

ly li

miti

ng th

e ra

nge

of a

ltern

ativ

es a

nd u

ltim

atel

y th

e se

lect

ion

of th

e le

ast e

nviro

nmen

tally

dam

agin

g pr

actic

able

alte

rnat

ive.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M c

omm

ente

d th

at th

ey w

ould

nee

d to

dis

cuss

the

addi

tiona

l nee

d st

atem

ent i

nter

nally

and

det

erm

ine

if it

is c

onsi

sten

t with

thei

r age

ncy’

s di

rect

ion

on s

tate

men

ts o

f pur

pose

and

nee

d an

d sp

ecifi

cally

if th

e w

ordi

ng u

nnec

essa

rily

limits

the

loca

tion

or d

esig

n of

the

proj

ect.

NC

DEN

R-D

CM

not

ed th

at th

e el

emen

ts in

clud

ed in

th

is s

tate

men

t had

bee

n di

scus

sed

durin

g pr

evio

us a

genc

y in

volv

emen

t in

the

proj

ect y

ears

ag

o an

d ha

d no

t bee

n in

clud

ed in

the

stat

emen

t of p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

dded

th

at th

e ad

ditio

n of

this

nee

d m

ay b

e an

“iss

ue o

f con

cern

” for

thei

r age

ncy.

NC

WR

C s

aid

that

th

eir c

once

rn w

as p

rimar

ily w

ith th

e “p

rovi

ding

a n

ew tr

ansp

orta

tion

link”

term

inol

ogy

and

they

co

uld

be c

omfo

rtabl

e w

ith th

e re

mai

nder

of t

he n

eed

stat

emen

t. U

SE

PA

agr

eed

that

this

par

t of

the

need

sta

tem

ent s

houl

d be

del

eted

. NC

TA a

gree

d to

con

side

r thi

s co

mm

ent.

US

FWS

not

ed th

ey w

ould

not

be

taki

ng a

pos

ition

on

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d or

re

com

men

ded

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es. U

SFW

S n

oted

that

NC

TA s

houl

d di

scus

s th

e N

orth

A

mer

ican

Wat

erfo

wl M

anag

emen

t Pla

n in

the

Dra

ft E

IS. J

ohn

Sta

nton

is th

e co

ntac

t per

son

for t

his

prog

ram

.

FHW

A a

dded

that

thei

r leg

al a

dvis

ors

are

com

forta

ble

with

the

addi

tion

of th

e ne

w n

eed

stat

emen

t as

writ

ten

beca

use

of th

e su

bsta

ntia

tion

for a

ddin

g it

(i.e.

the

num

ber o

f sta

te a

nd

loca

l pla

ns th

at in

clud

e th

e pr

ojec

t). F

HW

A n

oted

that

eve

n w

ithou

t the

new

nee

d st

atem

ent,

the

ER

alte

rnat

ives

wou

ld b

e sc

reen

ed o

ut a

s no

t pra

ctic

able

bef

ore

deta

iled

stud

y du

e to

ec

onom

ic fe

asib

ility

cons

ider

atio

ns.

NC

TA re

min

ded

agen

cies

that

all

info

rmat

ion

pres

ente

d in

the

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t w

ill be

incl

uded

in th

e D

raft

EIS

, inc

ludi

ng in

form

atio

n on

the

ER

alte

rnat

ives

. If

addi

tiona

l st

udie

s ar

e ne

eded

for t

he E

R a

ltern

ativ

es, t

he q

uest

ion

beco

mes

wha

t lev

el o

f det

ail i

s ap

prop

riate

for f

urth

er a

naly

zing

them

.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M n

oted

that

SA

V im

pact

s an

d m

itiga

tion

plan

s sh

ould

be

disc

usse

d in

det

ail i

n th

e D

raft

EIS

for a

ll al

tern

ativ

es.

Publ

ic C

omm

ents

on

Stat

emen

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng

Rep

ort –

A p

ostc

ard

anno

unce

men

t was

dis

tribu

ted

to th

e pr

ojec

t mai

ling

list o

f nea

rly

12,0

00 a

ddre

sses

to a

nnou

nce

the

avai

labi

lity

of th

e re

ports

on

NC

TA’s

web

site

and

requ

est

com

men

ts. H

ard

copi

es o

f the

repo

rts w

ere

mai

led

to lo

cal g

over

nmen

t offi

ces

to b

e m

ade

avai

labl

e to

inte

rest

ed c

itize

ns. C

omm

ents

wer

e re

ques

ted

by M

ay 1

5, 2

008.

As

of th

is

mee

ting,

onl

y a

few

com

men

ts h

ave

been

rece

ived

. The

se w

ill b

e co

nsid

ered

alo

ng w

ith

C-46

Pag

e 3

of 3

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

5/6

/08

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed a

t and

follo

win

g th

e Fe

brua

ry 2

008

Citi

zens

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps

rela

ted

to p

roje

ct p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

and

alte

rnat

ives

. Age

ncie

s w

ill b

e pr

ovid

ed a

sum

mar

y of

ad

ditio

nal c

omm

ents

rece

ived

from

the

publ

ic p

rior t

o th

e ne

xt T

EA

C m

eetin

g.

Q&

A: 1.

NC

WR

C a

nd N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

poi

nted

out

that

pre

viou

s di

scus

sion

s be

twee

n N

CTA

and

ag

enci

es in

dica

ted

that

fina

nces

and

tollin

g w

ould

not

be

cons

ider

ed d

urin

g al

tern

ativ

es

scre

enin

g an

d N

EP

A a

naly

sis,

but

that

NC

TA w

ould

eva

luat

e a

rang

e of

alte

rnat

ives

and

if

NC

TA c

ould

not

impl

emen

t the

alte

rnat

ive

that

was

ulti

mat

ely

sele

cted

, the

pro

ject

w

ould

reve

rt to

NC

DO

T fo

r im

plem

enta

tion.

How

ever

, bas

ed o

n th

e A

ltern

ativ

es

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t, N

CTA

is n

ow u

sing

fina

ncia

l fea

sibi

lity

as a

reas

on fo

r elim

inat

ing

alte

rnat

ives

from

furth

er c

onsi

dera

tion,

par

ticul

arly

the

ER

2 an

d M

CB

2 al

tern

ativ

es.

N

CTA

may

hav

e in

dica

ted

early

in th

e pr

ojec

t dev

elop

men

t pro

cess

that

lack

of f

undi

ng

shou

ld n

ot p

recl

ude

alte

rnat

ives

from

bei

ng c

onsi

dere

d; h

owev

er, t

here

is n

ow a

bet

ter

unde

rsta

ndin

g of

the

real

ity o

f the

fund

ing

situ

atio

n. N

CD

OT

has

no fu

ndin

g fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t, th

eref

ore

if it

is n

ot b

uilt

as a

toll

proj

ect,

it w

ill no

t be

built

. Bas

ed o

n gu

idan

ce

from

FH

WA

ent

itled

“NE

PA

Ana

lysi

s of

Tol

l Roa

ds”,

finan

cial

feas

ibilit

y is

a v

alid

bas

is fo

r el

imin

atin

g no

n-to

ll al

tern

ativ

es.

2.U

SA

CE

ask

ed h

ow m

uch

of th

e no

n-to

lled

porti

ons

of th

e pr

ojec

t a p

rivat

e pa

rtner

cou

ld

be e

xpec

ted

to fi

nanc

e.

NC

TA a

ntic

ipat

es th

at a

priv

ate

partn

er c

ould

cov

er th

e co

st o

f eith

er M

CB

3 or

MC

B4

alte

rnat

ives

, inc

ludi

ng n

on-to

lled

porti

ons

of th

ese

alte

rnat

ives

. NC

TA d

oes

not e

xpec

t th

at a

priv

ate

partn

er w

ould

be

will

ing

to fi

nanc

e ad

ditio

nal i

mpr

ovem

ents

suc

h as

the

addi

tiona

l len

gth

of N

C 1

2 w

iden

ing

incl

uded

in th

e M

CB

2 al

tern

ativ

e. N

CTA

will

disc

uss

this

issu

e fu

rther

with

pot

entia

l priv

ate

partn

ers

durin

g th

e In

dust

ry F

orum

and

One

-on-

One

Mee

tings

to b

e he

ld M

ay 7

-8, 2

008.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s to

revi

ew th

e re

vise

d S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng

Rep

ort f

or d

iscu

ssio

n at

the

May

6, 2

008

TEA

C m

eetin

g.

[Writ

ten

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

from

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (A

pril

29, 2

008)

and

US

EP

A (M

ay 5

, 20

08) p

rior t

o th

e M

ay 6

, 200

8 TE

AC

mee

ting.

]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de a

ny a

dditi

onal

com

men

ts o

n th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t by

May

16,

200

8.

[Fol

low

ing

the

mee

ting,

writ

ten

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

from

USA

CE

(May

21,

200

8), N

CD

EN

R-

DC

M (M

ay 6

, 200

8), N

CD

EN

R-D

MF

(May

12,

200

8), N

CD

CR

-HPO

(Apr

il 30

, 200

8), a

nd N

CW

RC

(M

ay 1

3, 2

008)

and

add

ition

al c

omm

ents

wer

e re

ceiv

ed fr

om N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

(May

16,

200

8).]

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

any

add

ition

al c

omm

ents

on

the

revi

sed

Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan.

N

CTA

will

prov

ide

a lin

k to

the

FHW

A’s

“NE

PA

Ana

lysi

s of

Tol

l Roa

ds” g

uida

nce

docu

men

t [h

ttp://

ww

w.e

nviro

nmen

t.fhw

a.do

t.gov

/gui

debo

ok/N

EPA

_tol

lroad

s.as

p].

[NC

TA p

rovi

ded

this

to a

genc

ies

via

emai

l on

May

6, 2

008.

]

NC

TA w

ill p

rovi

de a

n up

date

d su

mm

ary

of p

ublic

com

men

ts o

n th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort f

ollo

win

g th

e cl

ose

of th

e pu

blic

com

men

t per

iod

on M

ay

15, 2

008.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

July

8, 2

008

10:0

0 A

M to

12:

00 P

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

S

TIP

R-2

576

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Stu

dy -

BR

S-O

OO

S(3

5)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e, U

SA

CE

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Sar

a W

insl

ow, N

CD

ENR

-DM

F (v

ia p

hone

) C

athy

Brit

tingh

am, N

CD

ENR

-DC

M

Jim

Hoa

dley

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Dav

id W

ainw

right

, NC

DEN

R-D

WQ

Tr

avis

Wils

on, N

CW

RC

G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A Lo

nnie

Bro

oks,

NC

DO

T-S

truct

ure

Des

ign

Ren

ee R

oach

, NC

DO

T-Tr

affic

(via

pho

ne)

Ben

Jetta

Joh

nson

, NC

DO

T-C

onge

stio

n M

anag

emen

t (vi

a ph

one)

Bria

n Y

amam

oto,

NC

DO

T-P

DE

A

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T-P

DEA

D

eway

ne S

ykes

, NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n D

avid

Joy

ner,

NC

TA

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Rei

d S

imon

s, N

CTA

B

ill M

alle

y, P

erki

ns C

oie

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

S

penc

er F

rank

lin, H

NTB

M

icha

el G

lode

n, E

coS

cien

ce

John

Pag

e, P

B

Eric

Mis

ak, P

B D

on B

row

n, P

B

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls h

ave

been

pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n (d

ated

Jul

y 2,

200

8)

Le

tter f

rom

Jen

nife

r Har

ris d

ated

Jul

y 2,

200

8 (w

ith a

ttach

men

ts)–

Res

pons

e to

Age

ncy

Com

men

ts re

gard

ing

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort

Le

tter f

rom

Dav

id J

oyne

r dat

ed J

uly

2, 2

008

– D

ecis

ion

on A

dvan

cing

Exi

stin

g R

oad

Alte

rnat

ives

fo

r Det

aile

d S

tudy

Han

dout

13

– M

ay 2

008

Citi

zens

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort

Com

men

ts S

umm

ary

H

ando

ut 1

4 –

Sum

mar

y of

Age

ncy

Com

men

ts R

ecei

ved

May

200

8

Han

dout

15

– S

cope

for E

valu

atin

g E

R2

and

MC

B2 a

s D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es in

the

DE

IS

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

dis

cuss

NC

TA’s

resp

onse

to a

genc

y co

mm

ents

on

the

Stat

emen

t of

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d D

raft

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t, as

wel

l as

the

scop

e of

wor

k fo

r pro

ceed

ing

with

det

aile

d st

udie

s of

the

ER

2 an

d M

CB

2 al

tern

ativ

es.

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) Mee

ting

C-47

Pag

e 2

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Lette

r fro

m J

enni

fer H

arris

dat

ed J

uly

2, 2

008

– R

espo

nse

to A

genc

y C

omm

ents

rega

rdin

g St

atem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort –

Age

ncie

s w

ere

emai

led

a co

py o

f, an

d w

ere

prov

ided

a h

ard

copy

of,

a le

tter f

rom

NC

TA in

resp

onse

to a

genc

y co

mm

ents

rece

ived

on

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d (A

pril

2008

) and

Alte

rnat

ives

S

cree

ning

Rep

ort (

Apr

il 20

08).

A c

opy

of th

e le

tter w

as d

istri

bute

d to

mee

ting

atte

ndee

s an

d th

e m

ajor

poi

nts

revi

ewed

.

o

The

new

ly a

dded

nee

d st

atem

ent (

the

4th b

ulle

t) in

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

N

eed

(“Th

e ne

ed to

impr

ove

syst

em e

ffici

ency

by

prov

idin

g an

add

ition

al li

nk

betw

een

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

ainl

and

and

its O

uter

Ban

ks”)

will

be

rem

oved

. S

ubst

antia

ting

info

rmat

ion

for t

his

need

, suc

h as

incl

usio

n of

the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k Br

idge

in

pla

nnin

g an

d le

gisl

ativ

e do

cum

ents

, will

rem

ain

in th

e do

cum

ent.

Age

ncie

s ag

reed

.

o

NC

TA w

ill re

tain

ER

2, M

BC

2, a

nd M

CB4

alte

rnat

ives

for d

etai

led

stud

y in

the

Dra

ft E

IS. E

R1

and

MC

B1

will

be e

limin

ated

from

furth

er s

tudy

, as

will

othe

r con

cept

ual

alte

rnat

ives

dis

cuss

ed in

the

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t, in

clud

ing

trans

it, s

hifti

ng

rent

al ti

mes

, tra

nspo

rtatio

n sy

stem

s m

anag

emen

t, an

d fe

rry a

ltern

ativ

es. T

here

wer

e no

oth

er s

ugge

stio

ns fo

r oth

er a

ltern

ativ

es to

be

cons

ider

ed. A

genc

ies

agre

ed.

o

MC

B3

will

also

be

elim

inat

ed fr

om fu

rther

stu

dy d

ue to

its

sim

ilarit

y to

MC

B4.

A

genc

ies

agre

ed.

o

Brid

ge c

orrid

ors

C1

and

C2

will

be

eval

uate

d in

det

ail i

n th

e D

raft

EIS

. Oth

er c

orrid

ors

will

not b

e co

nsid

ered

furth

er. A

genc

ies

agre

ed.

o

The

1995

Not

ice

of In

tent

(NO

I) fo

r the

pro

ject

was

resc

inde

d an

d a

new

NO

I was

is

sued

by

FHW

A in

Jun

e. C

opie

s of

thes

e no

tices

are

atta

ched

to th

e le

tter.

o

NC

TA a

ntic

ipat

es th

e ad

ditio

nal s

tudi

es fo

r ER

2 an

d M

CB

2 w

ill ta

ke a

ppro

xim

atel

y 6

mon

ths

to c

ompl

ete.

The

refo

re, t

he re

vise

d pr

ojec

t sch

edul

e is

:

Dra

ft E

IS –

Jan

uary

200

9

Fina

l EIS

– A

ugus

t 200

9

Rec

ord

of D

ecis

ion

– O

ctob

er 2

009

o

Par

ticip

atin

g an

d co

oper

atin

g ag

ency

invi

tatio

n le

tters

wer

e di

strib

uted

by

NC

TA a

nd

FHW

A p

rior t

o is

suin

g th

e ne

w N

OI.

NC

TA n

oted

that

thes

e in

vita

tions

and

all

resp

onse

s re

ceiv

ed a

re s

till c

onsi

dere

d va

lid. A

genc

ies

agre

ed.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M n

oted

app

reci

atio

n fo

r NC

TA’s

dec

isio

n to

eva

luat

e E

R2

as a

det

aile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ive

in th

e D

raft

EIS

.

The

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort w

ill be

revi

sed

to re

flect

th

ese

deci

sion

s an

d m

ade

avai

labl

e fo

r age

ncy

revi

ew b

y A

ugus

t 10.

Lette

r fro

m D

avid

Joy

ner d

ated

Jul

y 2,

200

8 –

Dec

isio

n on

Adv

anci

ng E

xist

ing

Roa

d A

ltern

ativ

es fo

r Det

aile

d St

udy

– Th

e N

orth

Car

olin

a G

ener

al A

ssem

bly

appr

oved

$99

milli

on o

f an

nual

fund

ing

for T

urnp

ike

proj

ects

, inc

ludi

ng $

15 m

illion

per

yea

r for

the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

pr

ojec

t. Th

is m

oney

is a

llow

ed to

be

used

to a

ssis

t in

payi

ng d

ebt s

ervi

ce fo

r the

toll

reve

nue

bond

s us

ed to

fina

nce

the

proj

ect.

The

re is

cur

rent

ly n

o m

oney

in th

e S

TIP

to b

uild

road

s in

the

proj

ect a

rea.

Mr.

Joyn

er s

ugge

sted

that

the

NC

TA a

nd th

e ag

enci

es c

ontin

ue to

talk

toge

ther

ove

r the

nex

t few

m

onth

s ab

out p

roje

ct fi

nanc

ing.

He

note

d th

at b

y la

w, N

CTA

can

not t

oll a

n ex

istin

g ro

ad;

ther

efor

e, a

n al

tern

ativ

e w

ith e

xist

ing

road

impr

ovem

ents

onl

y ca

n no

t be

fund

ed w

ith to

ll re

venu

es a

nd n

on-b

ridge

com

pone

nts

of a

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

e m

ay n

ot b

e ab

le to

be

fund

ed w

ith

Pag

e 3

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

toll

reve

nues

. N

CTA

issu

ed a

requ

est f

or q

ualif

icat

ions

for p

rivat

e pa

rtner

s in

tere

sted

in

deve

lopi

ng, c

onst

ruct

ing,

ope

ratin

g, m

aint

aini

ng, a

nd fi

nanc

ing

the

proj

ect,

and

stat

emen

ts o

f qu

alifi

catio

ns w

ere

rece

ived

from

four

team

s.

Han

dout

15

– Sc

ope

for E

valu

atin

g ER

2 an

d M

CB

2 as

Det

aile

d St

udy

Alte

rnat

ives

in th

e D

EIS

– E

R2

and

MC

B2 w

ill be

eva

luat

ed a

s de

taile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

to th

e sa

me

leve

l as

MC

B4

has

been

. Thi

s w

ill in

clud

e de

taile

d en

viro

nmen

tal s

tudi

es –

wet

land

/stre

am d

elin

eatio

ns,

natu

ral r

esou

rce

com

mun

ity m

appi

ng, h

isto

ric re

sour

ces,

haz

ardo

us m

ater

ials

iden

tific

atio

n, a

nd

othe

r inf

orm

atio

n ty

pica

lly g

athe

red.

NC

TA w

ants

any

sug

gest

ions

for a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion

the

agen

cies

wou

ld li

ke to

see

incl

uded

in th

e D

raft

EIS

. Age

ncie

s of

fere

d th

e fo

llow

ing:

o

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M s

tate

d th

at N

CTA

sho

uld

disc

uss

subm

erge

d aq

uatic

veg

etat

ion

(SA

V) i

mpa

cts,

SA

V m

itiga

tion,

sea

leve

l ris

e, a

nd w

etla

nd m

itiga

tion.

Spe

cific

ally

, im

pact

s to

SA

V a

nd S

AV

hab

itat s

houl

d be

cal

cula

ted

for a

reas

of C

urrit

uck

Soun

d le

ss th

an 6

feet

dee

p.

o

US

EP

A n

oted

that

wet

land

impa

cts

on th

e O

uter

Ban

ks m

ay n

eed

to b

e m

itiga

ted

for

on th

e O

uter

Ban

ks, a

s N

C E

EP

may

not

be

able

to p

rovi

de a

dequ

ate

com

pens

ator

y m

itiga

tion

for t

hese

impa

cts.

US

EP

A w

ill ch

eck

on th

e st

atus

of a

gui

danc

e do

cum

ent/i

nter

agen

cy a

gree

men

t dis

cuss

ing

this

issu

e.

o

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q re

ques

ted

that

impa

cts

for w

etla

nds

be p

rese

nted

by

corri

dor a

nd

dist

ingu

ishe

d be

twee

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks a

nd th

e m

ainl

and.

NC

TA w

ill in

clud

e th

is

info

rmat

ion

in th

e m

eetin

g m

inut

es. (

See

“Tab

le 2

” and

“Tab

le 4

” atta

ched

– th

ese

tabl

es h

ave

been

revi

sed

from

the

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t; al

so n

ote

that

the

impa

cts

have

bee

n co

rrec

ted

from

thos

e pr

esen

ted

in th

e A

pril

2008

repo

rt to

refle

ct

the

curr

ent p

relim

inar

y de

sign

and

brid

ge w

idth

.)

o

US

FWS

not

ed th

at N

CTA

sho

uld

cons

ider

pot

entia

l sec

onda

ry e

ffect

s of

the

ER

2 an

d M

CB

2 al

tern

ativ

es in

the

non-

road

acc

essi

ble

area

s no

rth o

f Cor

olla

, add

ing

that

w

iden

ing

NC

12

may

mak

e it

easi

er to

brin

g pr

e-fa

bric

ated

hom

es in

to th

at a

rea.

o

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q a

lso

note

d th

at p

oten

tial f

or d

evel

opm

ent i

n th

e A

ydle

tt ar

ea n

ear t

he

prop

osed

brid

ge te

rmin

us s

houl

d be

fully

eva

luat

ed.

o

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

dded

that

the

perm

it ap

plic

atio

n fo

r Pha

se 2

of t

he C

orol

la B

ay

deve

lopm

ent n

ear t

he C

2 br

idge

cor

ridor

alte

rnat

ive

is u

nder

revi

ew.

Stu

dies

for E

R2

and

MC

B2 in

clud

e ad

vanc

ing

the

func

tiona

l des

igns

to p

relim

inar

y de

sign

s.

Roa

d dr

aina

ge w

ill ha

ve to

be

addr

esse

d. C

urre

ntly

, the

re a

re n

o ou

tfalls

in S

outh

ern

Sho

res,

an

d in

Duc

k th

ere

are

outfa

lls d

rain

ing

to C

urrit

uck

Soun

d. U

SE

PA o

ffere

d to

pro

vide

a re

cent

do

cum

ent a

vaila

ble

on in

filtra

tion

syst

ems.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M s

aid

that

filte

r sys

tem

s ar

e be

ing

inst

alle

d on

oce

an o

utfa

lls in

Nag

s H

ead.

NC

DEN

R-D

CM

is n

ot p

erm

ittin

g an

y ne

w o

cean

ou

tfalls

, but

may

per

mit

reha

bilit

atio

n of

exi

stin

g ou

tfalls

.

Ther

e is

a o

ne-m

ile s

ectio

n in

Duc

k th

at is

alre

ady

thre

e la

nes

and

will

not

be

alte

red

for

alte

rnat

ives

ER

2 an

d M

CB2

. Le

ft tu

rn re

stric

tions

will

be p

lace

d on

som

e su

bdiv

isio

n in

ters

ectio

ns to

faci

litat

e tra

ffic

mov

emen

t. O

n U

S 1

58 b

etw

een

the

Wrig

ht M

emor

ial B

ridge

and

N

C 1

2, a

sup

erst

reet

typi

cal s

ectio

n is

bei

ng d

iscu

ssed

with

NC

DO

T in

lieu

of a

rteria

l wid

enin

g.

NC

DO

T’s

US

158/

NC

12

inte

rcha

nge

proj

ect (

STI

P N

o. R

-445

7) w

ill re

mai

n a

sepa

rate

pro

ject

.

Q&

A: 1.

US

AC

E a

sked

abo

ut d

ocum

enta

tion

for e

limin

atin

g br

idge

cor

ridor

s fu

rther

to th

e so

uth.

D

ocum

enta

tion

for t

his

deci

sion

is in

clud

ed in

the

Apr

il 20

08 A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

R

epor

t in

Sec

tion

3.2.

The

se c

orrid

ors

wer

e ge

nera

lly e

limin

ated

from

con

side

ratio

n du

e to

impa

cts

to th

e co

mm

unity

of P

opla

r Bra

nch

on th

e m

ainl

and,

a g

roup

of m

arsh

isla

nds

in C

urrit

uck

Soun

d (a

Sig

nific

ant N

atur

al H

erita

ge A

rea)

, and

the

Pin

e Is

land

Aud

ubon

S

anct

uary

(a C

oast

al B

arrie

r Res

ourc

es A

ct a

rea)

, as

wel

l as

due

to tr

affic

con

side

ratio

ns

– a

brid

ge fu

rther

sou

th w

ould

hav

e in

trodu

ced

addi

tiona

l con

gest

ion

into

alre

ady

C-48

Pag

e 4

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

cong

este

d ar

eas

of D

are

Cou

nty

and

Duc

k an

d ca

used

add

ition

al c

omm

unity

dis

rupt

ion

and

disp

lace

men

t, pa

rticu

larly

sin

ce th

e ex

istin

g N

C 1

2 rig

ht o

f way

is o

nly

60-fe

et w

ide

in

this

are

a.

2.U

SA

CE

ask

ed h

ow m

uch

of th

e no

n-to

lled

porti

ons

of th

e pr

ojec

t a p

rivat

e pa

rtner

cou

ld

be e

xpec

ted

to fi

nanc

e.

NC

TA w

ill be

ask

ing

pote

ntia

l priv

ate

partn

ers

to p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion

on th

is

topi

c du

ring

the

proc

urem

ent p

roce

ss fo

r the

pre

deve

lopm

ent a

gree

men

t to

help

ans

wer

th

is q

uest

ion,

spe

cific

ally

with

rega

rds

to im

prov

emen

ts in

clud

ed in

the

MC

B2

alte

rnat

ive.

3.

US

AC

E re

ques

ted

info

rmat

ion

on th

e hi

stor

y of

STI

P fu

ndin

g fo

r the

pro

ject

. N

CTA

will

prov

ide

this

info

rmat

ion

via

emai

l to

agen

cies

follo

win

g th

e m

eetin

g.

4.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

how

fina

ncia

l fea

sibi

lity

will

be

cons

ider

ed in

the

NE

PA

and

pe

rmitt

ing

proc

esse

s, n

otin

g th

at th

is d

iffer

s fro

m th

e N

CD

OT

proc

ess

whe

re fu

ndin

g is

al

mos

t nev

er c

onsi

dere

d du

ring

proj

ect p

lann

ing.

Th

is is

sue

is s

omet

hing

that

NC

TA is

als

o le

arni

ng. N

CTA

will

wor

k w

ith F

HW

A an

d th

e ag

enci

es o

ver t

he c

omin

g m

onth

s to

det

erm

ine

how

bes

t to

inco

rpor

ate

finan

cial

fe

asib

ility

into

pro

ject

dec

isio

ns; h

owev

er, i

t is

NC

TA’s

bel

ief t

hat i

t is

an is

sue

that

mus

t be

con

side

red

in p

roje

ct p

lann

ing

and

in d

eter

min

ing

if al

tern

ativ

es a

re re

ason

able

and

fe

asib

le.

5.U

SE

PA

ask

ed if

con

stru

ctio

n ph

asin

g w

ould

be

disc

usse

d in

the

Dra

ft E

IS.

Con

stru

ctio

n ph

asin

g w

ill lik

ely

be d

iscu

ssed

in th

e D

raft

EIS

, in

term

s of

pro

ject

fin

anci

ng, m

eetin

g tra

ffic

oper

atio

nal n

eeds

, and

min

imiz

ing

envi

ronm

enta

l im

pact

s du

ring

initi

al c

onst

ruct

ion.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de a

ny a

dditi

onal

com

men

ts o

n th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t by

May

16,

200

8.

[Writ

ten

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

from

US

AC

E (M

ay 2

1, 2

008)

,US

EP

A (M

ay 5

, 200

8),

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (M

ay 6

, 200

8), N

CD

ENR

-DM

F (M

ay 1

2, 2

008)

, NC

DC

R-H

PO

(Apr

il 30

, 200

8),

and

NC

WR

C (M

ay 1

3, 2

008)

and

NC

DEN

R-D

WQ

(Apr

il 29

, 200

8 an

d M

ay 1

6, 2

008)

.]

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de a

ny a

dditi

onal

com

men

ts o

n th

e re

vise

d S

ectio

n 60

02 P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n.[N

o co

mm

ents

wer

e re

ceiv

ed.]

N

CTA

will

prov

ide

a lin

k to

the

FHW

A’s

“NE

PA

Ana

lysi

s of

Tol

l Roa

ds” g

uida

nce

docu

men

t [h

ttp://

ww

w.e

nviro

nmen

t.fhw

a.do

t.gov

/gui

debo

ok/N

EPA

_tol

lroad

s.as

p].

[NC

TA p

rovi

ded

this

to a

genc

ies

via

emai

l on

May

6, 2

008.

]

NC

TA w

ill p

rovi

de a

n up

date

d su

mm

ary

of p

ublic

com

men

ts o

n th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort f

ollo

win

g th

e cl

ose

of th

e pu

blic

com

men

t per

iod

on M

ay

15, 2

008.

[Han

dout

13

is a

sum

mar

y of

pub

lic c

omm

ents

on

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort.]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA to

revi

se a

nd re

circ

ulat

e th

e S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

and

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng

Rep

ort b

ased

on

deci

sion

s pr

esen

ted

in L

ette

r fro

m J

enni

fer H

arris

dat

ed J

uly

2, 2

008

by A

ugus

t 10

, 200

8.

NC

TA w

ill pr

ovid

e hi

stor

y of

STI

P fu

ndin

g fo

r R-2

576.

[N

CTA

pro

vide

d th

is to

age

ncie

s vi

a em

ail o

n Ju

ly 1

0, 2

008.

]

US

EP

A w

ill pr

ovid

e ne

w g

uida

nce

on in

filtra

tion

basi

ns a

nd w

ill ch

eck

on g

uida

nce

docu

men

t/int

erag

ency

agr

eem

ent d

iscu

ssin

g w

etla

nd im

pact

s an

d m

itiga

tion

on th

e O

uter

Ban

ks.

[Gui

danc

e on

Cla

ss V

UIC

wel

ls re

ceiv

ed o

n Ju

ly 1

0, 2

008.

]

Age

ncie

s w

ill pr

ovid

e ad

ditio

nal c

omm

ents

on

topi

cs a

nd is

sues

they

wou

ld li

ke to

see

add

ress

ed

in th

e D

raft

EIS

. [A

dditi

onal

com

men

ts h

ave

been

rece

ived

via

em

ail f

rom

US

FWS

and

NC

DEN

R-D

CM

and

are

at

tach

ed to

thes

e m

inut

es. I

n re

spon

se to

que

stio

ns fr

om N

CD

ENR

-DC

M re

gard

ing

impa

cts

to

SA

V h

abita

t for

are

as o

f Cur

rituc

k S

ound

6 fe

et d

eep

or le

ss, p

leas

e se

e “T

able

6” a

ttach

ed –

this

Pag

e 5

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

tabl

e ha

s be

en re

vise

d fro

m th

e A

pril

2008

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t to

incl

ude

this

in

form

atio

n. A

dditi

onal

ly, i

mpa

cts

have

bee

n co

rrec

ted

to re

flect

cur

rent

pre

limin

ary

desi

gns.

]

Res

olut

ions

:

NC

TA w

ill ev

alua

te E

R2,

MC

B2,

and

MC

B4

as d

etai

led

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es in

the

Dra

ft E

IS.

C-49

Pag

e 6

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

July

8, 2

008

1:00

pm

to 3

:00

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

S

TIP

R-3

329

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or –

NH

F-74

(21)

S

TIP

R-2

559

Mon

roe

Byp

ass

– N

HF-

74(8

)

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or /

Byp

ass

Spot

light

:

Atte

ndee

s:

Don

nie

Brew

, FH

WA

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Ste

ve L

und,

US

AC

E

Mar

ella

Bun

cick

, US

FWS

M

arla

Cha

mbe

rs, N

CW

RC

(via

pho

ne)

Pol

ly L

espi

nass

e, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

Jo

hn C

onfo

rti, N

CD

OT-

PDE

A

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Rei

d S

imon

s, N

CTA

B

ill M

alle

y, P

erki

ns C

oie

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

D

onna

Kee

ner,

HN

TB

Dav

id B

ass,

PB

S&

J C

lint M

orga

n, P

BS

&J

Jill

Gur

ak, P

BS&

J M

icha

el G

lode

n, E

coS

cien

ce

Pau

l Pet

igou

t, E

SI

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

all m

ater

ials

hav

e be

en p

oste

d to

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te)

M

eetin

g A

gend

a

Map

of p

roje

ct s

egm

ents

Purp

ose:

Th

e pu

rpos

e of

this

mee

ting

was

to p

rese

nt a

n ov

ervi

ew o

f the

func

tiona

l des

ign

plan

s un

der

deve

lopm

ent a

nd o

btai

n ag

ency

feed

back

.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Th

e fo

llow

ing

info

rmat

ion

was

dis

cuss

ed a

t the

mee

ting:

Proj

ect U

pdat

e –

The

agen

cies

last

met

in F

ebru

ary

2008

to d

iscu

ss th

is p

roje

ct. A

t tha

t tim

e,

NC

TA re

com

men

ded

16 D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es e

xten

ding

from

I-48

5 in

Mec

klen

burg

Cou

nty

to U

S 7

4 ne

ar M

arsh

ville

. Sin

ce th

en, N

CTA

has

bee

n w

orki

ng o

n de

taile

d st

udie

s fo

r the

se

alte

rnat

ives

, inc

ludi

ng tr

affic

fore

cast

s fo

r des

ign

year

203

5 w

ith to

lls (i

nclu

ding

sce

nario

s w

ith

and

with

out c

erta

in in

terc

hang

es a

s re

ques

ted

by a

genc

y co

mm

ents

dur

ing

alte

rnat

ives

de

velo

pmen

t); tr

affic

cap

acity

ana

lysi

s; a

nd e

nviro

nmen

tal f

ield

stu

dies

, inc

ludi

ng w

etla

nd a

nd

stre

am d

elin

eatio

ns. F

ield

mee

tings

to re

view

del

inea

ted

wet

land

s an

d st

ream

s w

ere

held

with

U

SA

CE

and

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q o

n M

ay 2

8 an

d 29

and

Jun

e 2.

Qua

litat

ive

indi

rect

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

ct s

tudi

es a

nd c

omm

unity

impa

ct a

sses

smen

ts a

re a

lso

unde

rway

. Fin

ding

s fro

m th

e in

dire

ct

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

ct s

tudy

will

be p

rese

nted

at t

he A

ugus

t TE

AC

mee

ting.

Add

ition

ally

, age

ncie

s ha

d re

ques

ted

that

add

ition

al in

form

atio

n be

pro

vide

d fo

r the

upg

rade

ex

istin

g U

S 7

4 al

tern

ativ

e be

fore

agr

eein

g to

elim

inat

e it

as a

det

aile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ive.

NC

TA

has

purs

ued

this

alte

rnat

ive

furth

er to

det

erm

ine

the

appr

opria

te ty

pica

l sec

tion,

incl

udin

g ob

tain

ing

addi

tiona

l tra

ffic

fore

cast

s. T

his

traffi

c da

ta re

flect

s th

at e

ven

mor

e tra

ffic

than

orig

inal

ly

pred

icte

d w

ould

util

ize

the

free

front

age

road

s ra

ther

than

the

tolle

d fre

eway

lane

s; th

eref

ore,

ad

ditio

nal f

ront

age

road

lane

s w

ould

be

need

ed, a

nd th

e ov

eral

l foo

tprin

t of t

his

alte

rnat

ive

wou

ld

be la

rger

than

ass

umed

in th

e A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort (

April

200

8). T

his

info

rmat

ion

will

be d

istri

bute

d to

age

ncie

s pr

ior t

o th

e A

ugus

t TE

AC

mee

ting

and

disc

usse

d at

th

at m

eetin

g.

Ove

rvie

w o

f Fun

ctio

nal D

esig

ns –

Fun

ctio

nal d

esig

ns w

ere

revi

ewed

by

proj

ect s

egm

ent f

rom

w

est t

o ea

st, n

otin

g in

terc

hang

e co

nfig

urat

ions

, y-li

ne im

prov

emen

ts a

nd c

ross

ings

, nat

ural

Pag

e 7

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

reso

urce

avo

idan

ce a

nd m

inim

izat

ion

effo

rts im

plem

ente

d, a

nd o

ther

con

stra

ints

. Eng

inee

rs a

lso

note

d w

here

des

igns

had

bee

n al

tere

d fro

m p

revi

ous

stud

ies

cond

ucte

d by

NC

DO

T. S

egm

ents

di

scus

sed

wer

e 18

A, 2

1, 3

0, 3

1, 3

6, 4

1, 4

3, 1

, 1A

, 2, 2

2A, 3

4, 4

0, a

nd 4

2. In

terc

hang

es a

re

prop

osed

at I

-485

/Sta

llings

Roa

d (S

egm

ent 1

8A) o

r US

74

east

of S

tallin

gs R

oad

(Seg

men

t 1/

1A/2

), In

dian

Tra

il Fa

irvie

w R

oad,

Uni

onvi

lle In

dian

Tra

il R

oad,

Roc

ky R

iver

Roa

d, U

S 6

01, N

C

200,

Aus

tin C

hane

y R

oad,

For

est H

ills S

choo

l Roa

d, a

nd U

S 7

4.

Whe

n as

ked,

US

AC

E a

gree

d th

at N

CTA

’s e

fforts

to a

void

and

min

imiz

e im

pact

s to

nat

ural

re

sour

ces

durin

g th

e de

sign

pro

cess

wer

e ev

iden

t. U

SFW

S c

omm

ente

d th

at N

CTA

sho

uld

incl

ude

a di

scus

sion

of c

omm

unity

impa

cts

resu

lting

from

pro

pose

d ro

ad c

losu

res

and

aest

hetic

s of

the

prop

osed

pro

ject

in th

e D

raft

EIS

.

NC

TA w

ill ha

ve m

appi

ng o

f the

func

tiona

l des

igns

ava

ilabl

e in

Aug

ust o

r Sep

tem

ber o

nce

revi

ews

are

com

plet

ed b

y N

CTA

, NC

DO

T, a

nd F

HW

A. P

relim

inar

y hy

drau

lics

anal

ysis

and

brid

ging

de

cisi

ons

will

be

pres

ente

d an

d di

scus

sed

in S

epte

mbe

r and

/or O

ctob

er w

ith th

e ag

enci

es.

Proj

ect S

ched

ule

– N

CTA

ant

icip

ates

com

plet

ing

the

Dra

ft E

IS fo

r sig

natu

re in

Dec

embe

r 200

8 an

d ci

rcul

atin

g fo

r age

ncy

and

publ

ic re

view

and

com

men

t in

Janu

ary

2009

. NC

TA is

pla

nnin

g to

re

com

men

d a

pref

erre

d al

tern

ativ

e in

the

Dra

ft E

IS. T

his

wou

ld b

e su

bjec

t to

agen

cy a

nd p

ublic

co

mm

ent.

The

Fina

l EIS

is s

ched

uled

for r

elea

se in

Aug

ust 2

009,

and

the

Rec

ord

of D

ecis

ion

is

sche

dule

d fo

r Oct

ober

200

9.

Q&

A:

1.H

as N

CTA

iden

tifie

d lo

catio

ns fo

r tol

l col

lect

ion

faci

litie

s an

d th

e po

tent

ial i

mpa

cts

from

th

ose?

The

proj

ect w

ill h

ave

all e

lect

roni

c to

ll co

llect

ion.

2.P

lans

sho

w a

n in

terc

hang

e at

Roc

ky R

iver

Roa

d fo

r all

alte

rnat

ives

, but

the

Alte

rnat

ives

D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort d

id n

ot.

At t

his

poin

t, w

e ar

e go

ing

to in

clud

e al

l int

erch

ange

s in

des

igns

for a

ll al

tern

ativ

es fo

r pu

rpos

es o

f cal

cula

ting

and

com

parin

g im

pact

s an

d co

sts

in th

e D

raft

EIS

; how

ever

, we

may

hav

e fu

rther

dis

cuss

ions

abo

ut in

terc

hang

e lo

catio

ns a

s pa

rt of

avo

idan

ce a

nd

min

imiz

atio

n fo

r the

pre

ferre

d al

tern

ativ

e.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Con

clud

e di

scus

sion

on

sele

ctio

n of

det

aile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA to

sch

edul

e A

ugus

t TE

AC

mee

ting

for w

eek

of A

ugus

t 4 in

Cha

rlotte

-Gas

toni

a ar

ea.

[Thi

s m

eetin

g ha

s be

en s

ched

uled

for T

hurs

day,

Aug

ust 7

at 9

:00

AM

. The

mee

ting

will

be

held

at

PB

S&

J’s

Cha

rlotte

Offi

ce (5

200

77 C

ente

r Dr.,

Sui

te 5

00, C

harlo

tte, N

C 2

8217

) or v

ia v

ideo

co

nfer

ence

at P

BS

&J’

s R

alei

gh O

ffice

(161

6 E

ast M

illbro

ok R

oad,

Sui

te 3

10, R

alei

gh, N

C

2760

9).]

N

CTA

to p

rovi

de in

form

atio

n on

add

ition

al s

tudi

es o

f upg

rade

exi

stin

g U

S 7

4 al

tern

ativ

e.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e.

C-50

Pag

e 8

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

July

8, 2

008

3:00

pm

to 5

:00

pm

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Boa

rd R

oom

Proj

ect:

S

TIP

U-3

321

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or –

STP

-121

3(6)

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or S

potli

ght:

Atte

ndee

s:G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A S

teve

Lun

d, U

SA

CE

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

M

arel

la B

unci

ck, U

SFW

S

Pol

ly L

espi

nass

e, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

M

arla

Cha

mbe

rs, N

CW

RC

(via

pho

ne)

Han

k G

raha

m, G

UA

MP

O (v

ia p

hone

) R

andi

Gat

es, G

UA

MP

O (v

ia p

hone

) Je

nnife

r Har

ris, N

CTA

D

eway

ne S

ykes

, NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n

Tris

tram

For

d, N

CD

OT-

HEU

B

ill M

alle

y, P

erki

ns C

oie

Jeff

Day

ton,

HN

TB

Ann

e R

edm

ond,

HN

TB

Mic

hael

Glo

den,

PB

S&

J Ji

ll G

urak

, PBS

&J

Sco

tt La

ne, L

ouis

Ber

ger G

roup

Ju

lie F

lesc

h-P

ate,

Lou

is B

erge

r Gro

up

Lisa

Mur

phy,

Lou

is B

erge

r Gro

up

Chr

is W

alsh

, Lou

is B

erge

r Gro

up

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

all m

ater

ials

hav

e be

en p

oste

d to

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te)

M

eetin

g A

gend

a.

P

ower

poin

t pre

sent

atio

ns fo

r the

Dra

ft In

dire

ct a

nd C

umul

ativ

e E

ffect

s (IC

E) A

sses

smen

t Rev

iew

, U

pdat

ed P

urpo

se &

Nee

d S

tate

men

t and

Alte

rnat

ives

Rep

ort A

dden

dum

.

ICE

Fig

ures

, inc

ludi

ng m

aps

for g

row

th p

oten

tial w

ith a

nd w

ithou

t the

Pro

ject

.

Upd

ated

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent.

Purp

ose:

The

purp

oses

of t

he m

eetin

g w

ere

to d

iscu

ss th

e an

alys

is a

nd re

sults

from

the

Dra

ft IC

E A

sses

smen

t, pr

esen

t the

Upd

ated

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent,

disc

uss

the

item

s up

date

d an

d ad

ded

in th

e A

dden

dum

to th

e A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd E

valu

atio

n R

epor

t, pr

ovid

e an

upd

ate

on th

e st

atus

of

the

Sec

tion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

for t

he p

roje

ct, a

nd a

nnou

nce

the

upco

min

g C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal

Wor

ksho

ps.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Pres

enta

tion

on th

e IC

E St

udy

- Sco

tt La

ne fr

om L

ouis

Ber

ger g

roup

beg

an th

e po

wer

poin

t pr

esen

tatio

n by

pro

vidi

ng a

n ov

ervi

ew o

f the

ana

lysi

s m

etho

ds, d

ata,

and

resu

lts fo

r the

ICE

st

udy.

He

stat

ed th

at s

copi

ng m

eetin

gs w

ere

held

in J

une

and

July

200

7 w

ith th

e re

sour

ce

agen

cies

to d

iscu

ss th

e IC

E s

tudy

and

topi

cs to

incl

ude

in th

e an

alys

is.

He

note

d th

at, a

s an

ex

ampl

e, th

e to

pic

of h

abita

t fra

gmen

tatio

n, w

as s

ugge

sted

dur

ing

the

stud

y sc

opin

g pr

oces

s.

Mr.

Lane

als

o de

scrib

ed th

e va

rious

stu

dy a

reas

use

d in

the

anal

ysis

and

the

stak

ehol

der

inte

rvie

w p

roce

ss.

Ove

r 36

inte

rvie

ws

wer

e co

nduc

ted

with

pro

ject

are

a st

akeh

olde

rs s

uch

as

loca

l pla

nnin

g st

aff,

real

est

ate

agen

ts, r

iver

keep

ers,

and

dev

elop

ers.

The

inte

rvie

wee

’s

resp

onse

s w

ere

wei

ghte

d ba

sed

on th

e in

terv

iew

ee’s

kno

wle

dge

of e

ach

stud

y di

stric

t.

Lisa

Mur

phy

desc

ribed

the

data

col

lect

ed a

nd it

s lim

itatio

ns, a

nd h

ow it

was

use

d in

the

spat

ial

grid

ana

lysi

s. A

s an

exa

mpl

e, fa

rmla

nd a

nd fo

rest

ed la

nd in

form

atio

n w

as c

olle

cted

from

the

Nat

iona

l Lan

d C

over

dat

abas

e (2

002)

. Th

is 2

002

data

base

was

cor

rect

ed to

200

6 us

ing

aeria

l ph

otog

raph

y.

Pag

e 9

of 1

0

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

7/8

/08

Julie

Fle

sch-

Pat

e re

view

ed th

e IC

E s

tudy

ste

ps 4

and

5 re

latin

g to

iden

tifyi

ng e

ffect

-cau

sing

ac

tiviti

es a

nd id

entif

ying

pot

entia

l ind

irect

and

cum

ulat

ive

effe

cts

for f

urth

er a

naly

sis.

Pres

enta

tion

on th

e U

pdat

ed P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Stat

emen

t and

the

Add

endu

m to

the

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Eva

luat

ion

Rep

ort -

Jill

Gur

ak fr

om P

BS

&J

gave

a b

rief

pow

erpo

int p

rese

ntat

ion.

She

beg

an w

ith a

des

crip

tion

of th

e m

ajor

topi

cs in

clud

ed in

the

Upd

ated

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent.

A d

escr

iptio

n of

maj

or u

pdat

es in

the

Add

endu

m to

th

e A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd E

valu

atio

n R

epor

t inc

lude

d th

e in

corp

orat

ion

of 2

030

traffi

c fo

reca

sts,

the

incl

usio

n of

tollin

g, a

nd th

e el

imin

atio

n of

cor

ridor

seg

men

t K1D

.

Upc

omin

g C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal W

orks

hops

- Th

e N

CTA

will

be c

ondu

ctin

g C

itize

ns

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

p S

erie

s #3

this

sum

mer

on

the

follo

win

g da

tes:

o

A

ugus

t 6 a

t Oly

mpi

c H

igh

Sch

ool i

n C

harlo

tte

o

Aug

ust 7

at S

outh

poin

t Hig

h S

choo

l in

Belm

ont

o

Aug

ust 1

1 at

the

Gas

toni

a A

dult

Rec

reat

ion

Cen

ter i

n G

asto

nia

The

purp

ose

of th

e w

orks

hops

is to

pre

sent

and

ask

for i

nput

on

the

Upd

ated

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd

Nee

d S

tate

men

t, A

dden

dum

to th

e A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd E

valu

atio

n R

epor

t (in

clud

ing

the

elim

inat

ion

of C

orrid

or S

egm

ent K

1D),

and

the

pote

ntia

l elim

inat

ion

of th

e U

S 2

9-74

in

terc

hang

e. T

he ri

ght o

f way

lim

its fo

r the

pre

limin

ary

engi

neer

ing

desi

gns

and

the

stud

y co

rrid

or

boun

darie

s w

ill a

lso

be p

rese

nted

on

larg

e-sc

ale

aeria

l pho

togr

aphs

.

Sect

ion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n Pl

an U

pdat

e - T

he s

tatu

s of

the

proj

ect’s

Sec

tion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

not c

hang

ed m

uch

over

the

past

few

mon

ths.

The

pla

n w

ill in

clud

e ea

rly p

ublic

invo

lvem

ent

and

stat

e th

at a

not

ifica

tion

of p

roje

ct in

itiat

ion

lette

r fro

m N

CTA

to F

HW

A w

ill be

pre

pare

d. T

he

coor

dina

tion

plan

als

o w

ill st

ate

that

the

proj

ect w

ill fo

llow

a p

roce

ss th

at w

ill m

irror

the

6002

co

mpl

iant

mer

ger p

roce

ss s

oon

to b

e ad

opte

d by

the

NC

DO

T, F

HW

A, a

nd re

sour

ce a

genc

ies,

ev

en th

ough

the

NC

TA w

ill no

t be

a si

gnat

ory

to th

e M

emor

andu

m o

f Agr

eem

ent.

The

NC

TA w

ill be

requ

estin

g th

at th

e re

sour

ce a

genc

ies

re-s

ign

Con

curr

ence

Poi

nts

1 an

d 2

base

d on

the

Upd

ated

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent a

nd th

e A

dden

dum

to th

e A

ltern

ativ

es

Dev

elop

men

t and

Eva

luat

ion

Rep

ort,

once

the

agen

cies

hav

e a

chan

ce to

revi

ew th

ose

repo

rts

and

afte

r the

pub

lic h

as c

omm

ente

d. A

fter C

P1

and

CP

2 ar

e re

-sig

ned,

the

NC

TA w

ill re

ques

t co

ncur

renc

e on

CP

2a.

The

US

FWS

wou

ld li

ke to

see

the

publ

ic c

omm

ents

from

the

upco

min

g C

itize

ns In

form

atio

nal

Wor

ksho

ps a

nd a

ny re

sulti

ng c

hang

es to

thes

e do

cum

ents

, bef

ore

re-s

igni

ng C

P1

and

CP

2 an

d si

gnin

g C

P2a

. O

ther

reso

urce

age

ncie

s in

atte

ndan

ce a

gree

d.

The

com

men

t per

iod

on th

ese

item

s w

ill lik

ely

exte

nd th

roug

h A

ugus

t, so

a s

umm

ary

will

be

avai

labl

e in

Sep

tem

ber.

Q&

A:

1.W

hen

will

the

ICE

repo

rt be

ava

ilabl

e fo

r rev

iew

? Th

e re

port

is u

nder

fina

l rev

iew

by

the

NC

DO

T. I

t is

expe

cted

to b

e av

aila

ble

for

dist

ribut

ion

in o

ne to

two

wee

ks.

Mr.

Lund

, Ms.

Bun

cick

, Ms.

Cha

mbe

rs, a

nd M

r. M

ilits

cher

will

be p

rovi

ded

hard

cop

ies

of th

e re

port.

Mr.

Gra

ham

, Ms.

Les

pina

sse,

and

M

s. M

atth

ews

requ

este

d a

CD

.

2.W

hy is

the

pote

ntia

l for

gro

wth

effe

cts

low

in Y

ork

Cou

nty,

SC

? H

ow w

ell a

re th

ey

follo

win

g th

eir p

lans

?

Inte

rvie

wee

s fro

m Y

ork

Cou

nty

stat

ed th

ey fe

el th

ey a

re fa

r eno

ugh

away

to n

ot b

e su

bsta

ntia

lly a

ffect

ed b

y th

e pr

opos

ed p

roje

ct.

One

issu

e of

con

cern

they

did

men

tion

was

the

pote

ntia

l for

incr

ease

d sc

hool

atte

ndan

ce re

sulti

ng fr

om in

crea

sed

grow

th.

Ove

rall,

inte

rvie

wee

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ipat

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opos

ed p

roje

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C-51

Pag

e 10

of 1

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pik

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ere

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Nat

ural

Her

itage

Are

as ta

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)?

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Prev

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NC

TA to

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and

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Pur

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ft IC

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e en

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Aug

ust.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e.

Mid-C

urrituck Bridge S

tudy 26

Alternatives S

creening Report

Table 2. Evaluation of Existing Road (ER) and Mid Currituck Bridge (MCB) Alternatives

Highway Improvement Alternatives ER1 ER2 MCB1 MCB2 MCB3 MCB4

Components Bridge NA NA 2 lane bridge 2 lane bridge 2 lane bridge 2 lane bridge

US 158 (Wright Memorial Bridge to NC 12) 8 lanes 8 lanes6 lanes (8lanes in

NC 12 area)

6 lanes (8lanes in

NC 12 area)5 lanes 5 lanes

NC 12 (Dare County north of US 158) 4 lanes 3 lanes 4 lanes 3 lanes 2 lanes 2 lanes

NC 12 (Currituck County) 4 lanes 4 lanes 4 lanes 4 lanes 2 lanes (4 nearbridge)

2 lanes (4 nearbridge)

Location of US 158 Contraflow or ThirdNorthbound Lane for Hurricane Evacuation

WrightMemorialBridge toNC 168(24.5miles)

WrightMemorialBridge toNC 168(24.5miles)

Mid Currituck Bridge to NC 168 (5 miles)

Same as MCB3plus Wright

Memorial BridgeNC 12 (1.5 miles)

Economic Feasibility Capital Cost (in millions)

Two Lane Mid Currituck Bridge (average of six potentialcorridors) NA NA $385 $385 $385 $385

NC 12 $550 $207 $550 $207 $72 $72

US 158 in Dare County $41 $41 $27 $27 $0 $7

US 158 in Currituck County (third northbound lane) $67 $67 $16 $16 $16 $16

TOTAL CAPITAL COST WITH A TWO LANE BRIDGE $658 $315 $978 $635 $473 $480

Available Capital Funding (in millions)Potential Total Revenue Bond Financing $0 $0 $284 $284 $284 $284Potential Transportation Infrastructure Finance andInnovation Act (TIFIA) Financing

$0 $0 $128 $128 $128 $128

Potential Capital Funding Shortfall (Surplus) (total costminus available funding)

$658 $315 $566 $223 $61 $68

C-52

Mid-C

urrituck Bridge S

tudy 27

Alternatives S

creening Report

Table 2 (continued). Evaluation of Existing Road (ER) and Mid Currituck Bridge (MCB) Alternatives


Potential for Public Private Partnership to cover shortfall No No No No Yes YesTravel Benefits1

2035 Traffic Flow BenefitsPercent Reduction in Congested Annual Millions of VMT

At LOS E or F 55% 22% 64% 50% 37% 37%At LOS F 51% 27% 91% 91% 71% 71%At a poor LOS F 100% 44% 100% 100% 69% 69%

Percent Reduction in Miles of Road Operating at LOS FSummer Weekday (SWD) 100% 60% 100% 100% 61% 61%Summer Weekend (SWE) 37% 10% 89% 89% 73% 73%Weighted Average of SWD & SWE 66% 33% 94% 94% 68% 68%

Percent Reduction in Miles of Road Operating at aPoor LOS F

Summer Weekday (SWD) 100% 35% 100% 100% 86% 86%Summer Weekend (SWE) 100% 25% 100% 100% 75% 75%Weighted Average of SWD & SWE 100% 32% 100% 100% 83% 83%

2035 Travel Time Benefits (Aydlett Rd to Albacore St)Percent Reduction in Summer Travel Time via WrightMemorial Bridge (weighted average of SWD & SWE) 48% 19% 53% 44% 31% 31%

Percent Reduction in Summer Travel Time via CurrituckSound Crossing (weighted average of SWD & SWE) NA NA 93% 93% 93% 93%

Mid-C

urrituck Bridge S

tudy 28

Alternatives S

creening Report

Table 2 (continued). Evaluation of Existing Road (ER) and Mid Currituck Bridge (MCB) AlternativesHighway Improvement Alternatives

ER1 ER2 MCB1 MCB2 MCB3 MCB42035 Hurricane Evacuation BenefitClearance Time With US 158 Northbound Contraflow Lanein Currituck County

27.4 hrs 27.4 hrs 27.4 hrs 27.4 hrs 27.4 hrs 27.4 hrs

Percent of a Reduction from 36.3 hours to 18 hours 49% 49% 49% 49% 49% 49%Amount Above 18 hour Goal 8.9 hrs 8.9 hrs 8.9 hrs 8.9 hrs 8.9 hrs 8.9 hrs

Clearance Time With US 158 Third Northbound Lane inCurrituck County

21.8 hrs 21.8 hrs 21.8 hrs 21.8 hrs 26.6 hrs 21.8 hrs

Percent of a Reduction from 36.3 hours to 18 hours 79% 79% 79% 79% 53% 79%

Amount Above 18 hour Goal 3.8 hrs 3.8 hrs 3.8 hrs 3.8 hrs 8.6 hrs 3.8 hrs

System Linkage and Efficiency Benefit

Percent Reduction in Total Annual Millions of VehicleMiles Traveled (VMT) 0% 0% 13% 13% 13% 13%

Consistent with Strategic Highway Corridor Vision Plan No No Yes2 Yes2 Yes Yes

Consistent with Intrastate System Designations No No Yes2 Yes2 Yes Yes

Impact Potential Displacement

Mid Currituck Bridge (average of C1 to C6) 0 0 5 5 5 5NC 12 195 15 195 15 5 5US 158 in Dare County 0 0 0 0 0 0US 158 in Currituck County (third northbound lane) 32 32 1 1 1 1

TOTAL DISPLACEMENT 227 47 201 21 11 11

C-53

Mid-C

urrituck Bridge S

tudy 29

Alternatives S

creening Report

Table 2 (concluded). Evaluation of Existing Road (ER) and Mid Currituck Bridge (MCB) Alternatives


Rural/Beach Community Fragmentation

Fourthroughlanescrossedby beachusers,

shoppers,or hotelguests inDare

County.

New turnlane

crossedby beachusers orhotel

guests inDare

County.

Same as ER1plus MidCurrituck

Bridge passesthrough

Aydlett (C3and C4through

center) andC1, C3, andC5 passthroughmiddle of

newsubdivision.

New turn lanecrossed by

beach users orhotel guests inDare County,plus MidCurrituck

Bridge passesthrough

Aydlett (C3and C4

through center)and C1, C3,and C5 passthrough

middle of newsubdivision.

Mid CurrituckBridge passes

through Aydlett(C3 and C4

through center)and C1, C3, andC5 pass throughmiddle of newsubdivision.

Mid CurrituckBridge passes

through Aydlett(C3 and C4

through center)and C1, C3, andC5 pass throughmiddle of newsubdivision.

Habitat Fragmentation None None

Associated with Mid Currituck Bridge crossingof Maple Swamp and loss of swamp forest and hardwood forest; C1 to C4in vicinity of an existing forest edge; C5 and C6 create a new edge and

also use bay forest.Wetland Filled/Bridged (Acres)

Mid Currituck Bridge on Mainland (average of C1 to C6,see Table 4 for acres by corridor)

0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 14.2/6.5 14.2/6.5 14.2/6.5 14.2/6.5

Mid Currituck Bridge on Outer Banks (average of C1 toC6, see Table 4 for acres by corridor)

0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/2.0 0.0/2.0 0.0/2.0 0.0/2.0

NC 12 10.9/0.0 10.4/0.0 10.9/0.0 10.4/0.0 6.3/0.0 6.3/0.0US 158 in Dare County 4.2/0.0 4.2/0.0 3.4/0.0 3.4/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0US 158 in Currituck County (third northbound lane) 12.4/0.0 12.4/0.0 10.8/0.0 10.8/0.0 10.8/0.0 10.8/0.0

TOTAL WETLANDS FILLED/BRIDGED 27.5/0.0 27.0/0.0 39.3/8.5 38.3/8.5 30.8/8.5 30.8/8.5High Quality Resources Filled/Bridged (Acres)

Mid Currituck Bridge (average of C1 to C6, see Table 4for acres by corridor))

0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 4.8/6.6 4.8/6.6 4.8/6.6 4.8/6.6

NC 12 17.8/0.0 16.8/0.0 17.8/0.0 16.8/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0US 158 in Dare County 0.2/0.0 0.2/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0US 158 in Currituck County (third northbound lane) 1.4/0.0 1.4/0.0 1.4/0.0 1.4/0.0 1.4/0.0 1.4/0.0

TOTAL HIGH QUALITY RESOURCES FILLED/BRIDGED 19.4/0.0 18.4/0.0 24.0/6.6 23.0/6.6 6.2/6.6 6.2/6.61 The absolute numbers associated with the percents shown are included in Table 7 in the Appendix. Several charts showing these findings in a graphical formalso are included in the Appendix.

2Consistent because it includes a Mid Currituck Bridge, however, these plans do not call for the improvement of NC 12, which is a component of thesealternatives.

Mid-C

urrituck Bridge S

tudy 54

Alternatives S

creening Report

Table 4. Comparison of Bridge Corridors C1 Through C6

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6

Major Utility Conflicts (yes or no) No No No No No No

Railroad Crossings (number) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Displacements (number)

Residences 6 6 7 7 0 0

Businesses 0 1 0 1 1 0

Cemeteries (all or part) 1 1 1 1 0 0

Recorded Historic Sites 0 0 0 0 0 0

Rural Community Fragmentation on MainlandPasses through

Aydlett north of its centerPasses through center

of AydlettAt southern end

of Aydlett

Beach Community Fragmentation on Outer Banks

Passes between2 subdivisionstaking southern

end of one

None,in commercial

area


end of one

None,in commercial

area


end of one

None,in commercial

area

Greenway Crossings (number) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Low Income or Minority Populations (yes or no) No No No No No No

Potential Section 4(f) Impacts (yes or no) No No No No No No

SOCIAL,ECONOMIC,AND

CULTURALIMPACTS

Hazardous Materials Sites (number completely or partiallyused) 0 0 0 0 0 0

C-54

Mid-C

urrituck Bridge S

tudy 55

Alternatives S

creening Report

Table 4. Comparison of Bridge Corridors C1 Through C6

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6Known Federally Listed Species Habitat (NaturalHeritage Program) (number of areas affected)

0 0 0 0 0 0

100 Year Floodplain Impacts (yes or no) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Habitat Fragmentation(Maple Swamp Bridged on Mainland)

Bridge corridor parallel to powerline corridor; swamp forest lost; in

vicinity of existing edge

Bridge corridor parallel toAydlett Road ; swamp forest lost; in

vicinity of existing edge

Bridge corridor is a newcrossing ; swamp and bay forest

lost; new edge createdWetland Impacts

Crossings (number) 3 3 4 4 4 4Total Area on Mainland (acres; bridged is width ofbridge times length)

7.6 (fill)7.4 (bridged)






Total Area on Outer Banks (acres; bridged is widthof bridge times length) 1.5 (bridged) 2.5 (bridged) 1.5 (bridged) 2.5 (bridged) 1.5 (bridged) 2.5 (bridged)

Coastal (CAMA) wetland area on Outer Banks(acres; bridged is width of bridge times length) 1.2 (bridged) 1.0 (bridged) 1.2 (bridged) 1.1 (bridged) 1.2 (bridged) 1.0 (bridged)

Stream Impacts

Crossings (number) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Length in feet (within design construction limits) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Potential Riparian Buffer Impacts (yes or no) No No No No No NoWater Supply Critical Areas (yes or no) No No No No No No

Maple Swamp;Gordonia Forest


Maple Swamp;Gordonia Forest;North River/Great Swamp

Maple Swamp;Gordonia Forest;North River/Great Swamp



High Quality ResourcesForest is different character and

quality than C3 to C6.and while of value is not as unique

Bay forest exists but isthinner and smallerthan C5 and C6.

Passes though a bay forest uniqueprimarily because of the large size

of the trees.Crossings (number) 2 2 2 2 2 2

NATURALRESOURCESIMPACTS

Area (acres)0.85 (fill)

7.8 (bridged)0.85 (fill)





5.5 (bridged)

1

Shum

ate,

Chr

isty

From

:H

arris

, Jen

nife

rSe

nt:

Tues

day,

Jul

y 08

, 200

8 5:

12 P

MTo

:'G

ary_

Jord

an@

fws.

gov'

Cc:

Shu

mat

e, C

hris

ty; p

agej

,Su

bjec

t:R

e: M

id-C

urrit

uck

Thank you Gary.

----- Original Message -----

From: [email protected] <[email protected]>

To: Harris, Jennifer

Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>;

[email protected] <[email protected]>;

[email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected]

<[email protected]>; [email protected]

<[email protected]>; [email protected]

<[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>;

[email protected] <[email protected]>

Sent: Tue Jul 08 16:39:02 2008

Subject: Mid-Currituck

Jennifer,

I have a few questions and comments for consideration in the development of the DEIS for

R-2576.

1) Will the bridge be lighted? If so, the effects of bridge lighting on night migrating

birds needs to be addressed in the document. The USFWS would strongly prefer that the

bridge not be lighted, but if that is proposed, there needs to be measures implemented

which would reduce the lighting and minimize impacts on migratory birds. I understand

that in the state of New York, there was a significant lawsuit regarding the effects of a

lighted bridge on migratory birds.

2) Regardless of whether the bridge is lighted or not, the effects to migratory birds

needs to be addressed in the DEIS. Sec. 3(e)(1) of Federal Executive Order 13186 states

each agency shall “support the conservation intent of the migratory bird conventions by

integrating bird conservation principles, measures, and practices into agency activities

and by avoiding or minimizing, to the extent practicable, adverse impacts on migratory

bird resources when conducting agency actions.”

3) The old US 64 bridge across Croatan Sound has had a very bad problem of attracting

migrating purple martins. They temporarily roost underneath the bridge and then fly in

the path of cars. During a period of about two months out of each year, thousands of

purple martins are killed by traffic.

There is something about the design of the bridge which attracts them there to roost. The

new US 64 bridge does not attract them. NCTA needs to avoid any design that would attract

roosting purple martins or any other species.

Please note that I did not cc anyone from PB because I did not have their email addresses.

Gary Jordan

US Fish and Wildlife Service

PO Box 33726

Raleigh, NC 27636-3726

Phone (919) 856-4520 ext. 32

Fax (919) 856-4556

[email protected]

C-55

Shum

ate,

Chr

isty

From

: C

athy

Brit

tingh

am [C

athy

.Brit

tingh

am@

ncm

ail.n

et]

Sent

: Fr

iday

, Jul

y 11

, 200

8 2:

50 P

MTo

: B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e; D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht; C

hris

Mili

tsch

er; K

athy

Mat

thew

s; G

ary

Jord

an; G

eorg

e H

oops

; Har

ris,

Jenn

ifer;

Shu

mat

e, C

hris

ty; A

my

Sim

es; J

im H

oadl

ey; Y

amam

oto,

Bria

n F;

Ron

Sec

hler

; Don

nie

Bre

w; S

ara

Win

slow

; Tra

vis

Wils

on; R

enee

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dhill

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Dev

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mas

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agej

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ykes

, Dew

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L; J

ethr

oSu

bjec

t: R

-257

6 D

EIS

, NC

12

Inte

rsec

tion

Alte

rnat

ives

& H

urric

ane

Eva

cuat

ion

Atta

chm

ents

: The

Virg

inia

Pilo

t Jun

e 20

08 a

rticl

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rric

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evac

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n.do

c

7/29

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8

Hi J

enni

fer,

I hav

e tw

o ad

ditio

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ents

at t

his t

ime

rega

rdin

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e D

EIS

for R

-257

6:

1. H

as N

CTA

det

erm

ined

whi

ch o

f the

NC

12

Inte

rsec

tion

Alte

rnat

ives

it p

lans

to st

udy

in d

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the

DEI

S? I

was

un

able

to fi

nd th

is in

form

atio

n in

the

docu

men

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and

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NC

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inte

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afte

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rece

ive

addi

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orm

atio

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om N

CTA

rega

rdin

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V im

pact

s. T

his i

nfor

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coul

d be

pr

ovid

ed in

the

DEI

S if

NC

TA p

lans

to c

arry

forw

ard

all s

even

NC

12

Inte

rsec

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Alte

rnat

ives

in th

e D

EIS.

How

ever

, if

NC

TA p

lans

to e

limin

ate

any

of th

e N

C 1

2 In

ters

ectio

n A

ltern

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om fu

rther

stud

y be

fore

the

DEI

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fina

lized

, th

en D

CM

reco

mm

ends

that

this

be

adde

d as

a d

iscu

ssio

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pic

at a

futu

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EAC

mee

ting

whe

n th

e ad

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nal

info

rmat

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rega

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V im

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vaila

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2. N

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has p

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the

NEP

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erge

r Tea

m fo

r R-2

544

& R

-254

5 w

ith th

e at

tach

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th

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irgin

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the

poss

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at a

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ld b

e cu

t off

thro

ugh

NC

168

to V

irgin

ia d

urin

g a

hurr

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e ev

acua

tion.

If I

rem

embe

r cor

rect

ly, t

he h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

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alys

is fo

r R-2

576

assu

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that

a c

erta

in p

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th

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acue

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ill tr

avel

nor

th to

Virg

inia

on

NC

168

.H

ow d

oes N

CTA

pla

n to

add

ress

the

poss

ible

scen

ario

as

desc

ribed

in th

e at

tach

ed n

ewsp

aper

arti

cle?

H

ow d

oes t

his e

ffec

t the

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

anal

ysis

that

has

bee

n do

ne

for R

-257

6? D

CM

reco

mm

ends

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this

be

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DEI

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TEA

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--

Cathy Brittingham

Transportation Project Coordinator

N.C. Division of Coastal Management

1638 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-1638

(919) 733-2293 x238 telephone

(919) 733-1495 FAX

The

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ls c

once

rned

abo

ut tr

affic

alo

ng e

vacu

atio

n ro

ute

CU

RR

ITU

CK

CO

UN

TY, N

.C.

If a

larg

e hu

rric

ane

appr

oach

es, t

ouris

ts a

nd re

side

nts f

rom

the

Out

er B

anks

and

C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

may

be

turn

ed a

way

from

Ham

pton

Roa

ds.

Emer

genc

y pl

anne

rs w

ant t

o cl

ose

N.C

. 168

in B

arco

and

div

ert t

raff

ic w

est o

n U

.S. 1

58.

But

U.S

. 158

shrin

ks fr

om fi

ve la

nes t

o tw

o th

ere

and

coul

d cr

eate

a m

ajor

traf

fic ja

m.

"It c

ould

be

a m

ess,"

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

anag

er D

an S

canl

on sa

id.

The

so-c

alle

d B

arco

div

ersi

onar

y pl

an w

as d

ebat

ed Ju

ne 1

2 w

hen

emer

genc

y of

ficia

ls

from

bot

h st

ates

met

in C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty.

Off

icia

ls a

re e

xpec

ted

to re

conv

ene

in Ju

ly,

said

Mik

e Sp

rayb

erry

, dep

uty

dire

ctor

and

ope

ratio

ns c

hief

for t

he N

orth

Car

olin

a D

ivis

ion

of E

mer

genc

y M

anag

emen

t.

With

a la

rge

hurr

ican

e ap

proa

chin

g, it

wou

ld ta

ke 3

0 ho

urs t

o ge

t 95

perc

ent o

f the

traf

fic

to sa

fety

thro

ugh

the

Bar

co in

ters

ectio

n, a

ccor

ding

to a

200

5 st

udy

by th

e st

ate

high

way

de

partm

ent.

"It's

goi

ng to

be

toug

h,"

said

San

dy C

asey

, chi

ef d

eput

y fo

r the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y Sh

eriff

's O

ffic

e. "

I'd sa

y it

wou

ld ta

ke n

ot h

ours

, but

day

s."

Bet

wee

n 20

0,00

0 an

d 30

0,00

0 pe

ople

may

nee

d to

eva

cuat

e th

e O

uter

Ban

ks, w

hile

V

irgin

ia c

ould

hav

e to

mov

e tw

o or

thre

e tim

es a

s man

y pe

ople

.

It w

ould

not

mak

e se

nse

to a

llow

the

Out

er B

anks

traf

fic in

to H

ampt

on R

oads

dur

ing

an

evac

uatio

n, sa

id B

ob S

piel

denn

er, s

poke

sman

for t

he V

irgin

ia D

epar

tmen

t of E

mer

genc

y M

anag

emen

t.

"The

goa

l is t

o ge

t the

m w

est,"

Spi

elde

nner

said

.

But

mos

t Out

er B

anks

tour

ists

wou

ld b

e fr

om V

irgin

ia, c

ount

ered

Ron

Wal

l, na

tura

l ha

zard

s pro

gram

man

ager

for t

he N

. C. D

ivis

ion

of E

mer

genc

y M

anag

emen

t.

"The

peo

ple

com

ing

ther

e w

ill b

e pe

ople

from

Virg

inia

and

they

'll p

roba

bly

wan

t to

go

back

that

way

," W

all s

aid.

"I w

ould

arg

ue w

ith th

e V

irgin

ia p

lan.

I ca

n't s

ee th

em c

losi

ng

the

road

to V

irgin

ia re

side

nts."

The

Bar

co d

iver

sion

ary

plan

cal

ls fo

r tra

ffic

to fo

llow

U.S

. 158

by

turn

ing

wes

t fro

m th

e

C-56

five-

lane

hig

hway

ont

o Sh

ortc

ut R

oad,

a tw

o-la

ne st

retc

h of

U.S

. 158

. Tra

ffic

wou

ld

cont

inue

into

Cam

den

Cou

nty

and

turn

righ

t ont

o N

.C. 3

43, a

lso

a tw

o-la

ne ro

ad, a

nd

pass

thro

ugh

Sout

h M

ills a

nd b

riefly

turn

ont

o U

.S. 1

7 be

fore

retu

rnin

g to

U.S

. 158

to

war

d G

ates

Cou

nty.

Ano

ther

opt

ion

wou

ld b

e to

send

traf

fic th

roug

h El

izab

eth

City

to so

uthb

ound

U.S

. 17,

a

five-

lane

hig

hway

. But

the

rout

e w

ould

pas

s thr

ough

low

-lyin

g ar

eas t

hat h

ave

flood

ed in

pa

st h

urric

anes

.

The

near

est s

helte

r wou

ld b

e in

Roc

ky M

ount

, Sca

nlon

said

. Dar

e C

ount

y m

ight

hav

e to

al

ter e

vacu

atio

n pl

ans a

nd d

irect

mor

e pe

ople

wes

t on

U.S

. 64,

a fo

ur-la

ne h

ighw

ay

thro

ugh

Col

umbi

a, h

e sa

id.

Nor

th C

arol

ina

and

Virg

inia

off

icia

ls w

ill c

omm

unic

ate

clos

ely

thro

ugh

the

emer

genc

y,

Spra

yber

ry sa

id.

"We'r

e m

ovin

g in

to so

met

hing

like

this

as w

ell o

rder

ed a

s pos

sibl

e,"

Spra

yber

ry sa

id.

"No

mat

ter h

ow w

ell y

ou p

lan

and

coor

dina

te so

me

of th

is, i

t's st

ill g

oing

to b

e ug

ly."

Ret

urn

to T

oday

's C

lips

Mid-C

urrituck Bridge S

tudy 74

Alternatives S

creening Report

Table 6. Comparison of NC 12 Intersection Alternatives

Original C1 C1A C1B C1C C1D Original C2 C2A SAV Bridged (in acres) 3.2 0.0 4.4 4.5 4.3 6.0 5.5Potential SAV Habitat Bridged (over areas of soundless than 4 feet deep in acres)

6.5 7.9 8.5 8.1 7.7 14.2 12.6

Potential SAV Habitat Bridged (over areas of soundless than 6 feet deep in acres)

13.3 16.1 15.3 14.9 14.5 20.6 17.9

Coastal Wetlands Bridged / Filled (in acres) 2.1 / 0 0.0 / 0.0 0.0 / 0.0 0.0 / 0.0 0.0 / 0.0 1.4 / 0.0 0.8 / 0.0Non Coastal Wetlands Bridged/Filled (in acres) 0.8 / 0.7 0.3 / 0.4 0.0 / 0.9 0.3 / 1.4 0.6 / 1.5 1.8 / 0.2 1.4 / 0.0

Displacements

1 home13 vacantresidentialparcels

9 homes11 vacantresidentialparcels



13 vacantresidentialparcels

1 business None

Community ImpactsBisects a

developingsubdivision

Bisects existingsubdivision;separates

approximately¾ of homes

fromcommunity

center;substantialchange in

internal trafficmovement.

Passesbetween twosections of asubdivisionbut both haveindependentaccess to NC12; pond filled

At edge of adevelopingsubdivision;pond partially

filled

Bisects adevelopingsubdivisionbut moretowards itssouthern

boundary thanoriginal C1

None, exceptthose related

toNC 12 access

None

NC 12 Widening to 4Lanes (in miles)

4.2 3.2 3.7 3.8 4.1 2.5 2.1

Total NC 12 Access Points 27 19 24 26 26 17 10Access Points with RevisedAccess

13 10 12 12 13 10 3

Right In – Right Out(RIRO) Only 10 8 10 8 10 8 3

Proposed Leftovers (noleft turns from accesspoint)

3 2 2 3 3 2 0

Changes Required inLocal Road andDriveway Access(Currituck ClubhouseRoad to Virgin GordoCrescent)

Road Closure 0 0 0 1 0 0 0Proximity to Marsh Islands (closest point in feet) Beyond 1,000 feet 900 feet 575 feet

C-57

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

O

ctob

er 7

, 200

8

9:

00 A

M to

12:

30 P

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e, U

SA

CE

C

hris

toph

er M

ilitsc

her,

US

EP

A

Kat

hy M

atth

ews,

US

EP

A

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

R

on S

echl

er, N

MFS

(via

pho

ne)

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Dav

id C

hang

, NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s B

enJe

tta J

ohns

on, N

CD

OT-

Traf

fic

Eng

inee

ring

(via

pho

ne)

Bria

n Y

amam

oto,

NC

DO

T-P

DE

A

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T-P

DEA

Jo

hn W

adsw

orth

, NC

DO

T-A

ltern

ativ

e D

eliv

ery

Uni

t

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Tr

acy

Rob

erts

, HN

TB

Jens

Ger

atz,

PB

S&

J Jo

hn P

age,

PB

M

arle

na E

vere

tt, P

B

Bill

Ric

e, P

B

Eric

Mis

ak, P

B Ja

mes

Kle

ckle

y, E

CU

D

an M

arcu

cci,

EC

U

Kat

e C

hris

tenb

ury,

EC

U

Con

or H

arris

on, E

CU

Ji

ll B

rent

, EC

U

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls h

ave

been

pos

ted

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

es M

ap

M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

Indi

rect

and

Cum

ulat

ive

Effe

cts

Pow

erP

oint

slid

es

H

ando

ut 1

6 –

ER

2 an

d M

CB

2 D

etai

led

Stud

ies

S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

(Oct

ober

200

8)

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

pre

sent

Eas

t Car

olin

a U

nive

rsity

’s w

ork

on th

e in

dire

ct a

nd c

umul

ativ

e ef

fect

s as

sess

men

t and

dis

cuss

des

ign

conc

epts

for d

etai

led

stud

ies

of th

e M

CB

2 an

d E

R2

alte

rnat

ives

.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Th

e fo

llow

ing

info

rmat

ion

was

dis

cuss

ed a

t the

mee

ting:

Indi

rect

and

Cum

ulat

ive

Effe

cts

Ass

essm

ent –

Dan

Mar

cucc

i and

Jam

es K

leck

ley

from

Eas

t C

arol

ina

Uni

vers

ity (E

CU

) pre

sent

ed o

ngoi

ng w

ork

rela

ted

to th

e as

sess

men

t of p

oten

tial i

ndire

ct

and

cum

ulat

ive

effe

cts

asso

ciat

ed w

ith th

e de

taile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

for t

he p

roje

ct. T

he IC

E

stud

y ar

ea s

patia

l bou

ndar

ies

incl

ude

all o

f Cur

rituc

k an

d D

are

Cou

ntie

s, a

s w

ell a

s po

rtion

s of

su

rrou

ndin

g co

untie

s an

d pa

rt of

the

Ham

pton

Roa

ds, V

irgin

ia a

rea.

Bot

h C

urrit

uck

and

Dar

e

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) Mee

ting

Pag

e 2

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

Cou

ntie

s ha

ve C

oast

al A

rea

Man

agem

ent A

ct (C

AM

A) L

and

Use

Pla

ns, a

s do

the

tow

ns in

Dar

e C

ount

y. T

he T

own

of S

outh

ern

Sho

res

is c

urre

ntly

upd

atin

g its

CAM

A p

lan.

It w

as a

lso

note

d th

at

Car

ova

is in

clud

ed in

the

Gro

wth

Ser

vice

Are

a (G

SA

) bec

ause

of i

ts re

crea

tiona

l use

.

EC

U re

view

ed th

e ac

tiviti

es th

at w

ould

pot

entia

lly c

ause

indi

rect

and

cum

ulat

ive

effe

cts.

USE

PA

ad

ded

that

inva

sive

spe

cies

sho

uld

be c

onsi

dere

d, a

s th

ey m

ight

spr

ead

durin

g co

nstru

ctio

n of

th

e pr

ojec

t as

wel

l as

any

indu

ced

deve

lopm

ent.

Che

mic

al tr

eatm

ent (

erad

icat

ion)

in c

omba

ting

thes

e sp

ecie

s is

not

ade

quat

ely

refle

cted

in th

e ge

nera

l typ

es o

f im

pact

-cau

sing

act

iviti

es ta

ble

show

n in

the

Pow

erP

oint

slid

es.

US

EP

A s

aid

that

ope

n an

d di

stur

bed

area

s, a

s w

ell a

s co

nstru

ctio

n eq

uipm

ent u

se s

prea

ds in

vasi

ve s

peci

es (i

.e.,

kudz

u).

In th

e pr

ojec

t are

a, in

vasi

ve

spec

ies

are

curre

ntly

alo

ng U

S 1

58 b

ut n

ot in

Map

le S

wam

p. U

SEP

A c

ited

an e

xam

ple

whe

re

Nor

th C

arol

ina

Dep

artm

ent o

f Env

ironm

ent a

nd N

atur

al R

esou

rces

(NC

DEN

R) h

ave

wor

ked

to

erad

icat

e ph

ragm

ites

from

a m

itiga

tion

site

for m

ore

than

5 y

ears

. Th

e in

dire

ct p

oten

tial f

or

inva

sive

spe

cies

sho

uld

be ta

ken

into

acc

ount

.

EC

U d

iscu

ssed

the

pote

ntia

l ind

uced

act

iviti

es a

nd d

evel

opm

ent r

elat

ed to

the

proj

ect,

such

as:

ch

ange

s in

the

num

ber o

f day

vis

itors

, cha

nges

in th

e nu

mbe

r of p

erm

anen

t res

iden

ts, c

hang

es in

de

velo

pmen

t on

the

mai

nlan

d, c

hang

es in

dev

elop

men

t on

the

NC

12-

acce

ssib

le O

uter

Ban

ks,

and

chan

ges

in d

evel

opm

ent o

n th

e no

n-N

C 1

2-ac

cess

ible

Out

er B

anks

in C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty.

EC

U a

lso

disc

usse

d de

scrib

ed th

e po

tent

ial i

ndire

ct a

nd c

umul

ativ

e im

pact

type

s to

be

cons

ider

ed a

nd e

xpla

ined

how

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y ca

lcul

ated

thei

r fut

ure

land

use

in th

eir

CA

MA

Lan

d U

se P

lan

with

resp

ect t

o ur

ban

use.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M c

autio

ned

that

the

CA

MA

Lan

d U

se P

lans

are

not

sta

tic a

nd th

at th

ey a

re u

pdat

ed e

very

5 y

ears

.

EC

U n

oted

that

with

in th

e C

arov

a ar

ea th

ere

is a

hot

el p

ropo

sed

for d

evel

opm

ent.

The

pro

pose

d pl

an is

sch

edul

ed to

be

cons

ider

ed b

y th

e co

unty

com

mis

sion

ers

at th

eir N

ovem

ber 1

7 m

eetin

g an

d co

unty

pla

nner

s ha

ve n

ot re

com

men

ded

the

hote

l in

Car

ova.

[N

ote:

it w

as la

ter f

ound

that

th

is is

the

sam

e de

velo

pmen

t rej

ecte

d m

onth

s ag

o by

the

coun

ty p

lann

ing

boar

d. T

he d

evel

oper

is

onl

y no

w a

ppea

ling

the

deci

sion

to th

e co

unty

com

mis

sion

ers.

] It w

as n

oted

that

in th

e pa

st,

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y an

d pe

rson

s in

the

Car

ova

area

hav

e op

pose

d ev

en m

inor

impr

ovem

ents

to th

e ex

istin

g sa

nd ro

ad a

nd a

pro

pose

d co

mm

erci

al d

evel

opm

ent.

Thu

s, th

ere

is c

urre

nt re

sist

ance

to

chan

ging

the

stat

us q

uo in

the

Car

ova

area

. Th

ese

are

trend

s th

at a

re c

onsi

dere

d w

hen

eval

uatin

g th

e po

tent

ial f

or in

dire

ct im

pact

s as

a re

sult

of th

is p

roje

ct.

US

FWS

que

stio

ned

how

one

sho

uld

inte

rpre

t whe

re th

e la

nd s

uita

bilit

y m

ap fr

om th

e C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

Land

Use

Pla

n th

at s

how

s la

nd s

uita

ble

for d

evel

opm

ent w

ithin

par

t of a

wild

life

refu

ge.

No

one

knew

the

answ

er, t

he c

ount

y w

ill be

ask

ed. U

SE

PA

ask

ed w

hat i

s th

e cr

iteria

bei

ng u

sed

by th

e C

AM

A p

lans

to d

eter

min

e su

itabi

lity

for d

evel

opm

ent.

Joh

n P

age

answ

ered

by

poin

ting

out o

n th

e m

ap w

hich

are

as a

re th

e le

ast s

uita

ble

for d

evel

opm

ent,

whi

ch te

nd to

be

the

area

’s

exte

nsiv

e sw

amps

and

oth

er w

etla

nds.

US

EP

A s

tate

d th

e C

AM

A p

lans

do

not c

onsi

der a

ll of

the

item

s th

at c

ould

rest

rict l

and

use.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M s

ugge

sted

that

she

can

invi

te th

e C

AM

A la

nd

use

plan

ner,

Cha

rlene

Ow

ens,

to jo

in th

e ne

xt T

EA

C m

eetin

g. C

harle

ne is

loca

ted

in th

e E

lizab

eth

City

offi

ce.

EC

U n

oted

that

ess

entia

lly la

nd s

uita

bilit

y ca

n be

def

ined

as

“can

we

phys

ical

ly b

uild

it”?

US

EP

A q

uest

ione

d w

heth

er C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

took

into

acc

ount

prim

e an

d un

ique

farm

land

soi

ls w

hen

cons

ider

ing

whe

ther

land

is s

uita

ble

for d

evel

opm

ent.

FH

WA

sta

ted

impa

cts

on p

rime

and

uniq

ue fa

rmla

nd o

nly

wou

ld b

e re

quire

d fo

r dire

ct im

pact

s.

EC

U d

iscu

ssed

the

key

cons

ider

atio

ns in

add

ress

ing

how

the

proj

ect c

ould

cha

nge

deve

lopm

ent.

A

rece

nt e

cono

mic

dev

elop

men

t stu

dy b

eing

don

e fo

r the

cou

nty

by s

taff

at th

e U

nive

rsity

of

Nor

th C

arol

ina

at C

hape

l Hill

was

men

tione

d. I

t was

exp

lain

ed th

at th

is a

rea

has

uniq

ue

stru

ctur

es a

nd a

uni

que

popu

latio

n. O

ther

fact

ors

besi

des

trans

porta

tion

tend

to d

omin

ate

deve

lopm

ent t

rend

s, u

nlik

e tra

ditio

nal d

evel

opm

ent w

here

acc

ess

to w

ork

is a

n im

porta

nt fa

ctor

.

US

FWS

ask

ed w

heth

er th

e an

alys

is ta

kes

into

acc

ount

cha

nges

in lo

cal p

oliti

cs, e

.g. l

arge

hom

es

in n

on-r

oad

area

s an

d de

man

d fo

r a p

aved

road

in C

arov

a. E

CU

ans

wer

ed th

at th

ere

is a

lot o

f re

deve

lopm

ent i

n D

are

Cou

nty

in th

e ro

ad-a

cces

sibl

e ar

eas

and

that

ther

e ar

e m

ultip

le fa

ctor

s to

C-58

Pag

e 3

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

resi

st a

ny d

eman

d fo

r a p

aved

road

to th

e C

arov

a ar

ea.

A p

aved

road

in C

arov

a ap

pear

s un

likel

y to

hap

pen.

EC

U s

aid

the

impa

ct a

naly

sis

wou

ld c

onsi

der c

urre

nt a

nd p

lann

ed a

vaila

bilit

y of

vis

itor s

ervi

ces,

pa

st p

refe

renc

es o

f vis

itors

, bea

ch d

rivin

g re

gula

tions

, and

com

petin

g re

crea

tion

and

deve

lopm

ent o

ppor

tuni

ties

(i.e.

, Virg

inia

Bea

ches

in a

ssoc

iatio

n w

ith d

ay v

isito

rs).

Kee

ping

ch

arac

teris

tics

of w

hat i

s th

ere

now

on

the

Out

er B

anks

is k

ey fo

r a s

ervi

ce b

ased

eco

nom

y. T

he

driv

ers

of th

e ec

onom

ic a

naly

sis

are

empl

oym

ent,

inco

me,

tax

reve

nue,

tour

ists

and

resi

dent

s.

The

Out

er B

anks

is a

uni

que

econ

omy.

The

nex

t ste

p fo

r the

eco

nom

ic a

naly

sis

is c

ompl

etin

g th

e de

term

inat

ion

of in

duce

d ac

tiviti

es.

US

EP

A s

tate

d th

at th

ere

coul

d be

som

e re

deve

lopm

ent i

ssue

s be

caus

e th

e FE

MA

floo

d in

sura

nce

expi

red

on S

epte

mbe

r 30,

200

8 an

d th

at th

is is

sue

shou

ld b

e co

nsid

ered

in th

e st

udy.

N

CTA

sho

uld

cons

ider

the

exte

nt to

whi

ch D

are

and

Cur

rituc

k co

untie

s al

low

pla

cing

stru

ctur

es in

flo

odpl

ains

. U

SE

PA

sai

d th

e flo

odpl

ain

shou

ld b

e co

mpa

red

with

pot

entia

l dev

elop

men

t and

re

deve

lopm

ent a

reas

.

US

EP

A a

sked

if in

frast

ruct

ure

adeq

uacy

will

be s

tudi

ed.

EC

U a

nsw

ered

infra

stru

ctur

e is

bei

ng

revi

ewed

bas

ed o

n th

e C

AMA

Lan

d U

se P

lan.

US

EP

A q

uest

ione

d if

ther

e ar

e cu

rren

t pla

ns fo

r up

grad

ing

or in

crea

sing

cap

acity

to s

erve

dev

elop

men

t tha

t is

proj

ecte

d an

d th

at lo

ng te

rm w

ater

su

pply

and

trea

tmen

t nee

ds to

be

cons

ider

ed.

EC

U n

oted

the

next

ste

ps fo

r the

impa

ct a

naly

sis

will

be

to c

ompl

ete

the

dete

rmin

atio

n of

in

duce

d ac

tiviti

es o

r ac

tions

, as

sess

ind

irect

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts,

and

com

plet

e do

cum

enta

tion.

NC

TA a

ntic

ipat

es c

ompl

etin

g th

e IC

E a

sses

smen

t by

the

end

of th

e ye

ar.

ER2

and

MC

B2

Det

aile

d St

udie

s –

The

func

tiona

l des

igns

pre

pare

d an

d us

ed fo

r cal

cula

ting

impa

cts

for t

he A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

Rep

ort a

ssum

ed a

cur

b an

d gu

tter t

ypic

al s

ectio

n al

ong

NC

12

for E

R2

and

MC

B2; h

owev

er, d

iscu

ssio

ns w

ith N

CD

OT

and

mor

e de

taile

d st

udie

s of

the

area

hav

e re

veal

ed th

at th

is ty

pica

l sec

tion

will

not

wor

k on

the

Out

er B

anks

bec

ause

the

wat

er

tabl

e is

ver

y hi

gh a

nd th

ere

are

no o

utfa

lls in

the

stud

y ar

ea.

With

in th

e pr

ojec

t are

a th

ere

are

no

stre

ams

or o

utle

ts fo

r run

off,

dune

s cr

eate

a ri

dge

and

NC

12

is o

ften

with

in a

low

lyin

g ar

ea.

Sev

eral

dra

inag

e st

udie

s ha

ve b

een

rece

ntly

com

plet

ed a

long

NC

12

and

wer

e re

view

ed fo

r use

in

dev

elop

men

t of t

he p

relim

inar

y de

sign

alo

ng N

C 1

2 (s

ee H

ando

ut 1

6).

Bas

ed o

n th

is, d

rain

age

on N

C 1

2 w

as e

valu

ated

in fo

ur z

ones

:

o

Zone

1 (f

rom

Sky

line

Driv

e to

Oce

an B

oule

vard

) – N

C 1

2 is

the

low

poi

nt a

nd

rece

ives

dra

inag

e fro

m s

urro

undi

ng d

evel

opm

ent.

Infil

tratio

n di

tche

s w

ould

be

desi

gned

to a

ccom

mod

ate

drai

nage

from

NC

12

and

deve

lopm

ent.

US

EP

A

sugg

este

d ch

ecki

ng if

the

infil

trativ

e tre

nch

wou

ld c

onta

ct th

e gr

ound

wat

er.

PB

an

swer

ed th

at th

e pr

esum

ptio

n is

the

infil

tratio

n di

tche

s w

ill be

sha

llow

eno

ugh

not t

o co

me

in c

onta

ct w

ith th

e gr

ound

wat

er s

o th

ey g

ener

ally

rem

ain

dry.

o

Zone

2 (f

rom

Oce

an B

oule

vard

to P

love

r Driv

e) c

ould

use

bes

t man

agem

ent

prac

tices

(BM

P’s

) suc

h as

wet

pon

ds a

nd in

filtra

tion

basi

ns.

US

EP

A s

tate

d a

pref

eren

ce fo

r the

infil

tratio

n ba

sins

, bec

ause

of t

he fe

cal c

olifo

rm c

an th

rive

in

wet

pon

ds.

PB

sai

d th

at is

the

stud

y te

am’s

pre

fere

nce

as w

ell.

[The

re is

a g

ap b

etw

een

Zone

s 2

and

3 w

here

no

impr

ovem

ents

are

pro

pose

d.

This

is th

e ex

istin

g 3-

lane

sec

tion

of N

C 1

2 in

Duc

k.]

o

Zone

3 (f

rom

Coo

k D

rive

to H

unt C

lub

Driv

e) c

ould

use

she

et fl

ow o

r BM

P’s

. A

t a

mee

ting

with

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q S

torm

Wat

er M

anag

emen

t, th

ey in

dica

ted

they

w

ould

pre

fer B

MP

’s.

o

Zone

4 (f

rom

Hun

t Clu

b D

rive

to th

e en

d of

wid

enin

g) –

a 4

-foot

wid

e in

filtra

tion

ditc

h co

uld

be u

sed.

In

this

are

a, d

rain

age

patte

rns

are

such

that

we

only

nee

d

Pag

e 4

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

to a

ccou

nt fo

r the

infil

tratio

n of

road

dra

inag

e an

d no

t dev

elop

men

t dra

inag

e.

This

des

ign

wou

ld b

e us

ed fo

r all

alte

rnat

ives

, inc

ludi

ng E

R2,

MC

B2

and

MC

B4.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q n

oted

that

pro

perty

ow

ners

sho

uld

be c

onta

cted

if th

ere

will

be im

pact

s to

exi

stin

g st

orm

wat

er p

onds

and

thei

r per

mits

cou

ld re

quire

mod

ifica

tions

.

Alo

ng N

C 1

2 th

e sp

eed

limit

is 4

5 m

ph e

xcep

t whe

n it

is 3

5 m

ph in

the

sum

mer

(w

ithin

D

uck

it is

25

mph

). T

he c

urre

nt d

esig

n of

NC

12

is fo

r 35

mph

. N

CD

OT

agre

ed th

at th

e de

sign

spe

ed fo

r the

wid

ened

NC

12

coul

d be

35

mph

to m

inim

ize

impa

cts

to s

urro

undi

ng

land

use

.

For w

iden

ing

on U

S 1

58 b

etw

een

the

Wrig

ht M

emor

ial B

ridge

and

NC

12

incl

uded

in E

R2

and

MC

B2,

NC

DO

T re

ques

ted

a su

pers

treet

de

sign

ra

ther

th

an

stan

dard

ar

teria

l w

iden

ing.

A

gra

phic

dep

ictin

g th

is c

once

pt is

incl

uded

in H

ando

ut 1

6.

It w

as in

dica

ted

that

traf

fic v

olum

es w

ere

grea

t eno

ugh

to re

quire

dua

l U-tu

rn la

nes

in th

e W

al-M

art a

rea.

Q&

A: 1.

US

EP

A a

sked

why

a 4

-lane

sec

tion

is n

eede

d on

NC

12

in C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

in a

ll of

the

alte

rnat

ives

.In

the

case

of E

R2,

ther

e w

ould

be

suffi

cien

t tra

ffic

in C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

to w

arra

nt fo

ur

lane

s as

far n

orth

as

Alb

acor

e S

treet

and

four

lane

s co

uld

be a

ccom

mod

ated

in th

e ex

istin

g rig

ht o

f way

in th

is a

rea.

Fou

r lan

es a

re n

ot in

clud

ed in

Dar

e C

ount

y w

ith th

is

alte

rnat

ive,

thou

gh th

e tra

ffic

wou

ld w

arra

nt fo

ur la

nes,

due

to th

e hi

gh n

umbe

r of

disp

lace

men

ts, w

hich

all

agre

ed w

ere

unac

cept

able

(ER

1 al

tern

ativ

e).

With

the

Mid

-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge, f

our l

anes

wou

ld b

e ne

eded

on

NC

12

so th

at b

ack-

ups

at tr

affic

sig

nals

w

ould

not

bac

k up

ont

o th

e br

idge

. A fu

ture

traf

fic s

igna

l is

plan

ned

for C

urrit

uck

Clu

bhou

se D

rive

and

is th

e so

uthe

rn e

xten

t of f

our-

lani

ng re

quire

d.

2.U

SE

PA

ask

ed if

sea

leve

l ris

e w

ill b

e do

cum

ente

d in

the

envi

ronm

enta

l doc

umen

t.

Sea

leve

l ris

e w

ill be

doc

umen

ted

in th

e en

viro

nmen

tal d

ocum

ent i

n a

sim

ilar m

anne

r to

how

it w

as a

ddre

ssed

in th

e B

onne

r Brid

ge (B

-250

0) F

inal

EIS

.

3.U

SE

PA

ask

ed if

a q

uant

itativ

e an

alys

is w

ill b

e co

mpl

eted

for p

oten

tial i

ndire

ct e

ffect

s to

w

ater

qua

lity.

At t

his

time,

a q

ualit

ativ

e an

alys

is is

bei

ng c

ompl

eted

for p

oten

tial i

mpa

cts

to th

e ha

bita

t an

d w

ater

qua

lity

base

d on

the

diffe

rent

alte

rnat

ive

scen

ario

s. A

qua

ntita

tive

anal

ysis

m

ay b

e co

mpl

eted

late

r dur

ing

the

perm

ittin

g pr

oces

s.

4.U

SFW

S a

sked

whe

re th

e R

ural

Pla

nnin

g O

rgan

izat

ion

(RP

O) s

tand

s in

the

upda

ting

of

the

com

preh

ensi

ve tr

ansp

orta

tion

plan

with

in th

eir j

uris

dict

ion.

EC

U a

nsw

ered

that

all

curre

nt p

lans

hav

e be

en re

view

ed a

nd th

ey a

re n

ot a

war

e of

pl

anne

d up

date

s fo

r Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y bu

t will

look

into

it.

5.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

ask

ed if

EC

U a

nd N

CTA

wer

e lo

okin

g in

to IC

E m

itiga

tion.

ICE

miti

gatio

n w

ill be

forth

com

ing

durin

g st

ep 8

of t

he a

sses

smen

t. R

esea

rch

is

unde

rway

. N

CD

ENR

-DC

M n

oted

that

on

som

e pr

ojec

ts m

itiga

tion

com

mitm

ents

are

re

quire

d of

loca

l com

mun

ities

. E

CU

sta

ted

that

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y ha

s so

lid la

nd u

se

cont

rols

alre

ady

in p

lace

.

6.U

SE

PA

not

ed th

at th

e co

st o

f NC

DO

T pr

ojec

ts h

as b

een

incr

easi

ng 2

per

cent

per

mon

th.

Is th

is s

omet

hing

that

has

bee

n fa

ctor

ed in

to p

roje

ct fi

nanc

e pl

anni

ng?

N

CTA

upd

ates

pro

ject

cos

ts m

onth

s an

d fu

ture

cos

t est

imat

es w

ill b

e pr

esen

ted

as a

ra

nge.

FH

WA

als

o ad

voca

tes

for p

rese

ntin

g co

st e

stim

ates

as

a ra

nge.

7.

US

EP

A a

sked

abo

ut th

e st

atus

of t

he P

ublic

Priv

ate

Par

tner

ship

? N

CTA

is c

ontin

uing

to p

ursu

e a

Pre

-Dev

elop

men

t Agr

eem

ent P

artn

er fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t. Th

ree

team

s of

con

tract

ors,

dev

elop

ers,

eng

inee

rs, a

nd fi

nanc

iers

, hav

e be

en s

hortl

iste

d an

d is

sued

a R

eque

st fo

r Pro

posa

ls. T

heir

prop

osal

s ar

e du

e O

ctob

er 2

7 an

d N

CTA

ho

pes

to s

elec

t a p

artn

er b

y m

id-N

ovem

ber.

The

RFP

spe

cific

ally

ask

s th

e th

ree

team

s

C-59

Pag

e 5

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

how

they

wou

ld h

andl

e a

varie

ty o

f env

ironm

enta

l iss

ues,

incl

udin

g ru

noff

from

the

brid

ge, m

itiga

tion,

per

mitt

ing,

etc

. NC

TA w

ill m

ake

the

RFP

ava

ilabl

e on

the

TEA

C

web

site

.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA to

revi

se a

nd c

ircul

ate

the

Sta

tem

ent o

f Pur

pose

and

Nee

d an

d A

ltern

ativ

es S

cree

ning

R

epor

t bas

ed o

n de

cisi

ons

pres

ente

d in

Let

ter f

rom

Jen

nife

r Har

ris d

ated

Jul

y 2,

200

8.

[A re

vise

d S

tate

men

t of P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

date

d O

ctob

er 2

008

was

dis

tribu

ted

at th

e O

ctob

er 7

, 20

08 m

eetin

g an

d is

pos

ted

to th

e TE

AC

web

site

. The

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng R

epor

t is

bein

g up

date

d to

refle

ct d

iscu

ssio

ns w

ith N

CD

OT

rega

rdin

g th

e N

o-B

uild

Alte

rnat

ive.

]

NC

TA w

ill pr

ovid

e hi

stor

y of

STI

P fu

ndin

g fo

r R-2

576.

[N

CTA

pro

vide

d th

is to

age

ncie

s vi

a em

ail o

n Ju

ly 1

0, 2

008.

]

US

EP

A w

ill pr

ovid

e ne

w g

uida

nce

on in

filtra

tion

basi

ns a

nd w

ill ch

eck

on g

uida

nce

docu

men

t/int

erag

ency

agr

eem

ent d

iscu

ssin

g w

etla

nd im

pact

s an

d m

itiga

tion

on th

e O

uter

Ban

ks.

[Gui

danc

e on

Cla

ss V

UIC

wel

ls re

ceiv

ed o

n Ju

ly 1

0, 2

008.

]

Age

ncie

s w

ill pr

ovid

e ad

ditio

nal c

omm

ents

on

topi

cs a

nd is

sues

they

wou

ld li

ke to

see

add

ress

ed

in th

e D

raft

EIS

. [A

dditi

onal

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

via

em

ail f

rom

US

FWS

and

NC

DEN

R-D

CM

and

atta

ched

to

the

July

8, 2

008

TEA

C m

eetin

g m

inut

es.]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill po

st th

e P

re-D

evel

opm

ent A

gree

men

t Req

uest

for P

ropo

sals

to th

e TE

AC

web

site

. [T

he R

FP a

nd R

FP a

ttach

men

ts w

ere

post

ed to

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te o

n O

ctob

er 8

, 200

8.]

A

genc

ies

will

pro

vide

add

ition

al c

omm

ents

or q

uest

ions

rela

ted

to th

e N

C 1

2 w

iden

ing,

typi

cal

sect

ion,

and

dra

inag

e op

tions

.

NC

TA w

ill w

ork

with

NC

DO

T to

sch

edul

e TE

AC

mee

tings

for 2

009.

If a

genc

ies

have

com

men

ts

abou

t dat

es, t

hey

shou

ld p

rovi

de th

ose

to J

enni

fer H

arris

.

Res

olut

ions

:

Age

ncie

s ag

reed

with

the

appr

oach

for d

etai

led

stud

ies

of N

C 1

2 fo

r ER

2 an

d M

CB

2.

Age

ncie

s ag

reed

with

wor

k do

ne o

n th

e In

dire

ct a

nd C

umul

ativ

e E

ffect

s As

sess

men

t thu

s fa

r.

Pag

e 6

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

O

ctob

er 7

, 200

8

1:

00 p

m to

3:3

0 pm

N

CTA

Boa

rd R

oom

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-332

9 M

onro

e C

onne

ctor

– N

HF-

74(2

1)

STI

P R

-255

9 M

onro

e By

pass

– N

HF-

74(8

)

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or /

Byp

ass

Spot

light

:

Atte

ndee

s:D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

S

teve

Lun

d, U

SA

CE

K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

M

arel

la B

unci

ck, U

SFW

S (v

ia p

hone

) M

arla

Cha

mbe

rs, N

CW

RC

P

olly

Les

pina

sse,

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

John

Wad

swor

th, N

CD

OT

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, N

CTA

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

Car

l Gib

ilaro

, PB

S&

J C

lint M

orga

n, P

BS

&J

Bry

an L

ambe

th, P

BS

&J

Mic

hael

Glo

den,

PB

S&

J P

hillip

Rog

ers,

HN

TB

Jam

es B

yrd,

HN

TB

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

Pos

ted

to th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

D

raft

TEA

C M

eetin

g M

inut

es (S

epte

mbe

r 23,

200

7)

P

ropo

sed

Dra

inag

e S

truct

ure

Map

s

Sel

ectio

n C

riter

ia H

ando

ut

R

ecom

men

ded

Pre

limin

ary

Cro

ssin

g S

ize

and

Brid

ge L

engt

hs (T

able

4)

S

potli

ghte

d Br

idge

s D

ata

She

ets

S

potli

ghte

d C

ulve

rts D

ata

She

ets

S

potli

ghte

d St

ruct

ures

Dat

a S

heet

s

Purp

ose:

Dis

cuss

info

rmat

ion

in o

rder

to a

chie

ve a

gree

men

t on

the

brid

ging

dec

isio

ns fo

r stre

ams

and

wet

land

s cr

osse

d by

the

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Sele

ctio

n C

riter

ia –

The

sel

ectio

n cr

iteria

(see

Sel

ectio

n C

riter

ia H

ando

ut) f

or id

entif

ying

maj

or

drai

nage

cro

ssin

gs m

atch

ed w

hat w

as p

revi

ousl

y us

ed w

ith e

ndor

sem

ent f

rom

the

agen

cies

for

the

Gas

ton

Eas

t Wes

t Con

nect

or.

Cro

ssin

gs o

f 303

(d) s

tream

s, s

tream

s w

hich

hav

e a

tripl

e bo

x cu

lver

t, an

d st

ream

s w

hich

dra

in 3

0 or

mor

e ac

res

wer

e id

entif

ied.

Of t

he fi

fty-s

ix to

tal d

rain

age

cros

sing

s on

the

proj

ect,

four

teen

cro

ssin

gs (n

ine

prop

osed

brid

ge c

ross

ings

and

five

pro

pose

d cu

lver

ts) w

ere

disc

usse

d in

det

ail (

see

Spo

tligh

ted

Brid

ges

Dat

a S

heet

s an

d S

potli

ghte

d C

ulve

rts

Dat

a S

heet

s).

Prop

osed

Maj

or B

ridge

Cro

ssin

gs –

Brid

ge le

ngth

s id

entif

ied

in th

e S

potli

ghte

d B

ridge

s D

ata

She

ets

wer

e no

t bas

ed o

n FE

MA

crit

eria

or p

rofil

es.

The

brid

ge le

ngth

s w

ere

base

d on

min

imum

N

CD

OT

desi

gn c

riter

ia, w

hich

iden

tify

10’ o

ffset

s fro

m th

e to

p of

ban

k an

d th

en p

roje

ct a

2:1

sl

ope

to in

ters

ect w

ith th

e pr

opos

ed ro

adw

ay p

rofil

e. A

lso,

it w

as n

oted

that

est

imat

ed b

ridge

co

sts

do n

ot in

clud

e an

nual

mai

nten

ance

cos

ts.

The

brid

ge le

ngth

s do

not

acc

ount

for F

EM

A

requ

irem

ents

rela

ted

to fl

ood

requ

irem

ents

. The

se s

tudi

es w

ill b

e do

ne d

urin

g fin

al d

esig

ns a

nd

brid

ge le

ngth

s w

ill b

e ad

just

ed a

ccor

ding

ly. A

genc

ies

also

requ

este

d th

at b

ridge

wid

ths

and

clea

ranc

e be

max

imiz

ed to

allo

w fo

r pos

sibl

e in

clus

ion

of a

nim

al c

ross

ings

at t

hese

loca

tions

or

that

floo

dpla

in p

ipes

, whi

ch c

ould

als

o be

use

d fo

r sm

all a

nim

al c

ross

ings

, be

cons

ider

ed in

the

fill

slop

es.

C-60

Pag

e 7

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

The

follo

win

g br

idge

s w

ere

prop

osed

bas

ed o

n hy

drau

lic a

naly

sis:

Prop

osed

Maj

or C

ulve

rt C

ross

ings

C

ulve

rts w

ere

reco

mm

ende

d at

the

follo

win

g lo

catio

ns b

ased

on

hydr

aulic

ana

lysi

s:

oC

ulve

rt C

ross

ing

#3 –

3-(

7’x1

0’) c

ulve

rt pr

opos

ed fo

r S00

8A o

n th

e m

ainl

ine

(Cor

ridor

S

egm

ent 1

8A).

Age

ncie

s re

ques

ted

a br

idge

be

cons

ider

ed d

ue to

the

303(

d) s

tatu

s of

th

e st

ream

and

bec

ause

brid

ges

are

prop

osed

or e

xist

ing

on u

pstre

am a

nd d

owns

tream

cr

ossi

ngs.

NC

TA a

gree

d to

dua

l 250

’ brid

ges

to b

ridge

Stre

am S

008A

; how

ever

, eq

ualiz

atio

n pi

pes

will

be

utili

zed

to m

aint

ain

hydr

aulic

con

nect

ivity

for W

etla

nd W

004

rath

er th

an e

xten

ding

the

brid

ge.

oC

ulve

rt C

ross

ing

#6 –

3-(

11’x

10’)

culv

ert p

ropo

sed

for S

008C

on

the

mai

nlin

e (C

orrid

or

Seg

men

t 18A

). U

SE

PA

and

NC

WR

C re

ques

ted

that

this

loca

tion

be b

ridge

d. T

he

drai

nage

are

a fo

r thi

s lo

catio

n is

ver

y sm

all a

nd d

oes

not m

eet N

CD

OT

crite

ria fo

r in

clus

ion

of a

brid

ge.

The

US

EP

A re

pres

enta

tive

note

d th

at a

ll ot

her 3

03(d

) stre

ams

are

brid

ged

so th

is o

ne s

houl

d be

brid

ged

also

. N

CTA

will

cons

ider

cha

ngin

g th

is lo

catio

n fro

m a

cul

vert

to a

brid

ge.

oC

ulve

rt C

ross

ing

#27

– 3-

(7’x

12’)

culv

ert p

ropo

sed

for S

076

on th

e m

ainl

ine

(Cor

ridor

S

egm

ent 3

1). C

once

rn w

as e

xpre

ssed

that

the

culv

ert a

t thi

s lo

catio

n co

uld

split

the

stre

am.

NC

TA w

ill co

nsid

er a

2 b

arre

l cul

vert,

whi

ch w

ould

be

suffi

cien

t hyd

raul

ical

ly.

It w

as n

oted

that

stru

ctur

es u

p an

d do

wns

tream

wou

ld n

eed

to b

e co

nsid

ered

in th

e se

lect

ion

proc

ess.

It w

as a

gree

d th

at th

is lo

catio

n w

ill be

a c

ulve

rt.

oC

ulve

rt C

ross

ing

#46

– 3-

(9’x

12’)

culv

ert p

ropo

sed

for S

152

on th

e m

ainl

ine

(Cor

ridor

S

egm

ent 3

4). T

he d

rain

age

area

at t

his

loca

tion

is w

ell b

elow

the

NC

DO

T re

quire

men

ts

for c

onsi

dera

tion

of a

brid

ge.

Age

ncie

s re

ques

ted

a fie

ld re

view

of t

his

cros

sing

bef

ore

mak

ing

a de

cisi

on.

oC

ulve

rt C

ross

ing

#47

– 3-

(9’x

12’)

culv

ert p

ropo

sed

for S

152

on th

e m

ainl

ine

(Cor

ridor

S

egm

ent 3

6). A

brid

ge w

as p

ropo

sed

at th

is lo

catio

n in

NC

DO

T’s

R-2

559

plan

s. U

SA

CE

re

ques

ted

a fie

ld re

view

for t

his

cros

sing

, as

wel

l as

cros

sing

#46

bef

ore

final

izin

g a

deci

sion

.

Cha

nges

to R

ecom

men

datio

ns -

NC

TA a

gree

d to

mak

e th

e fo

llow

ing

chan

ges

to it

s in

itial

re

com

men

datio

ns:

oC

ulve

rt C

ross

ing

#3 –

Cha

nge

from

a c

ulve

rt to

a 2

50’ b

ridge

to b

ridge

Stre

am S

008A

. o

Brid

ge C

ross

ing

#22A

– E

xten

d br

idge

from

165

’ to

230’

to b

ridge

Wet

land

W04

4.

oB

ridge

Cro

ssin

g #3

9 –

Agre

ed to

kee

p br

idge

at c

urre

nt p

ropo

sed

leng

th (3

75’)

but t

o di

scus

s po

ssib

le le

ngth

enin

g du

ring

furth

er a

void

ance

and

min

imiz

atio

n di

scus

sion

s on

th

e pr

efer

red

alte

rnat

ive.

o

Brid

ge C

ross

ings

#46

& 4

7 –

Hav

e a

field

revi

ew fo

r the

se lo

catio

ns.

oC

ulve

rt C

ross

ing

#6 –

Thi

s is

the

only

303

(d) c

ross

ing

with

out a

brid

ge.

NC

TA w

ill re

eval

uate

this

loca

tion

for p

oten

tial b

ridgi

ng.

Q&

A: 1.

Why

wer

en’t

cros

sing

s 1,

53

and

54 a

naly

zed

even

thou

gh th

ey a

ppea

r to

mee

t the

sel

ectio

n cr

iteria

?A

ll th

ree

of th

ese

cros

sing

s ar

e ex

istin

g cu

lver

t cro

ssin

gs u

nder

exi

stin

g U

S 7

4 an

d w

ould

be

re

plac

ed w

ith a

ppro

pria

te c

ulve

rt st

ruct

ures

.

2.W

ere

futu

re b

uild

-out

and

dev

elop

men

ts c

onsi

dere

d w

hen

sizi

ng th

e cr

ossi

ngs?

Th

e U

SG

S fo

rmul

a w

as u

sed

whi

ch ta

kes

into

acc

ount

futu

re la

nd-u

se c

hang

es.

3.H

ow w

as th

e av

oide

d le

ngth

of s

tream

dis

tanc

e de

term

ined

? Th

is w

as th

e di

stan

ce m

easu

red

alon

g th

e st

ream

to p

oint

s 40

’ out

side

the

slop

esta

kes.

4.C

an a

ll of

Stre

am 1

15B

be

brid

ged

at B

ridge

Cro

ssin

g #3

9?

S11

5B w

as o

nly

parti

ally

brid

ged

beca

use

it is

a la

tera

l stre

am im

pact

and

to c

ompl

etel

y br

idge

it

wou

ld b

e ex

trem

ely

cost

ly. T

his

optio

ns b

ridge

s S

115B

unt

il its

clo

sest

poi

nt to

the

edge

of t

he

prop

osed

fill

and

from

ther

e on

the

stre

am w

ill be

rero

uted

to th

e ed

ge o

f fill.

Thi

s w

as d

one

to

best

bal

ance

the

stre

am im

pact

s an

d th

e co

st o

f the

stru

ctur

e.

Pag

e 8

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

5.C

an th

e al

ignm

ent a

t Brid

ge C

ross

ing

#39

be s

hifte

d to

min

imiz

e im

pact

s?

If th

at c

ross

ing

is s

hifte

d, it

will

affe

ct o

ther

cro

ssin

gs.

How

ever

, the

alig

nmen

ts a

nd g

rade

s ha

ve

not y

et b

een

optim

ized

. Th

at w

ill be

eva

luat

ed fu

rther

onc

e a

pref

erre

d al

tern

ativ

e is

sel

ecte

d.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA to

pro

vide

add

ition

al s

tatis

tics

on u

pgra

de e

xist

ing

US

74

alte

rnat

ive.

[N

CTA

and

FH

WA

hav

e de

term

ined

that

this

info

rmat

ion

will

be

prov

ided

in th

e D

raft

EIS

for

agen

cy re

view

.]

NC

TA to

con

tinue

dev

elop

men

t of Q

ualit

ativ

e IC

E A

sses

smen

t and

pre

sent

find

ings

at u

pcom

ing

mee

tings

.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill re

valu

ate

Cro

ssin

g #6

to d

eter

min

e if

a br

idge

or c

ulve

rt sh

ould

be

reco

mm

ende

d.

N

CTA

will

sche

dule

a fi

eld

revi

ew m

eetin

g. A

genc

ies

will

prov

ide

avai

labl

e da

tes.

[T

he fi

eld

revi

ew m

eetin

g w

as s

ched

uled

for O

ctob

er 2

1, 2

008.

]

Res

olut

ions

:

Brid

ges

will

be

incl

uded

at t

he fo

llow

ing

loca

tions

:o

C

ross

ing

3/S

tream

S00

8A –

2-(2

50’x

48’)

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 18A

o

C

ross

ing

5A/S

tream

S00

8B –

50’

x40’

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 18A

o

C

ross

ing

19/S

tream

S04

7 –

2-(1

50’x

48’)

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 30

o

Cro

ssin

g 20

/Stre

am S

047

– 75

’x64

’ Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 30

o

Cro

ssin

g 21

/Stre

am S

047

– 2-

(110

’x56

’) C

orrid

or S

egm

ent 2

2A

o

Cro

ssin

g 22

A/S

tream

S04

7 &

Wet

land

W04

4 –

2-(2

30’x

32’)

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 22A

o

C

ross

ing

30/S

tream

S08

2 –

2-(2

40’x

48’)

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 34

o

Cro

ssin

g 37

/Stre

am S

111

– 2-

(320

’x48

’) C

orrid

or S

egm

ent 3

6 o

C

ross

ing

38/S

tream

S11

2 –

2-(2

80’x

48’)

Cor

ridor

Seg

men

t 36

o

Cro

ssin

g 39

/Stre

am S

111

– 2-

(375

’x48

’) C

orrid

or S

egm

ent 3

4

Cul

verts

will

be

incl

uded

at t

he fo

llow

ing

loca

tions

: o

C

ross

ing

27

Th

e fo

llow

ing

loca

tions

will

be re

eval

uate

d:

o

Cro

ssin

g 6

o

Cro

ssin

g 46

o

C

ross

ing

47

C-61

Pag

e 9

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

O

ctob

er 7

, 200

8

3:

30 p

m to

5:0

0 pm

N

C T

urnp

ike

Aut

horit

y B

oard

Roo

m

Proj

ect:

STI

P U

-332

1 G

asto

n E

-W C

onne

ctor

– S

TP-1

213(

6)

Gas

ton

E-W

Con

nect

or S

potli

ght:

Atte

ndee

s:

G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

D

onni

e Br

ew, F

HW

A K

athy

Mat

thew

s, U

SE

PA

P

olly

Les

pina

sse,

NC

DW

Q

Mar

la C

ham

bers

, NC

WR

C

Ste

ve L

und,

US

AC

E

Mar

ella

Bun

cick

, US

FWS

(via

pho

ne)

John

Wad

swor

th, N

CD

OT

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Jeff

Day

ton,

HN

TB

Jill

Gur

ak, P

BS&

J M

icha

el G

lode

n, P

BS

&J

Kie

rste

n G

iugn

o, P

BS

&J

Joan

na H

arrin

gton

, UR

S

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls:(

Pos

ted

to th

e TE

AC

web

site

)

Mee

ting

Age

nda

D

raft

TEA

C M

eetin

g M

inut

es (S

epte

mbe

r 23,

200

8)

D

raft

Sec

tion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

(dat

ed O

ctob

er 7

, 200

8)

S

igna

ture

For

m fo

r Con

curre

nce

Poi

nts

1, 2

, and

2a

(dat

ed O

ctob

er 7

, 200

8)

[The

fina

l sig

natu

re fo

rm w

ill b

e po

sted

onc

e al

l sig

natu

res

have

bee

n co

llect

ed.]

Purp

ose:

Dis

cuss

age

ncy

com

men

ts o

n th

e D

raft

Upd

ated

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t and

Dra

ft A

dden

dum

to th

e Fi

nal A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd A

naly

sis

Rep

ort;

disc

uss

agen

cy c

omm

ents

on

the

Indi

rect

and

Cum

ulat

ive

Effe

cts

Ass

essm

ent;

and

disc

uss

the

Sec

tion

6002

/Mer

ger 0

1 P

roce

ss a

nd S

ectio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

Ms.

Har

ris o

pene

d th

e m

eetin

g w

ith in

trodu

ctio

ns a

nd a

revi

ew o

f the

age

nda.

Upd

ated

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d St

atem

ent –

Ms.

Har

ris re

ques

ted

com

men

ts fr

om th

e te

am.

NC

WR

C n

oted

that

the

two

Cat

awba

Riv

er c

ross

ings

are

mor

e lik

e ar

ms

of L

ake

Wyl

ie, a

nd th

is

shou

ld b

e cl

arifi

ed in

the

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t. U

SE

PA

sug

gest

ed th

at g

row

th in

the

sout

heas

t por

tion

of th

e pr

ojec

t are

a is

due

to th

e lu

re o

f lak

esid

e liv

ing

rath

er th

an p

roxi

mity

to

Cha

rlotte

. U

SE

PA

bel

ieve

s th

at a

fter t

alki

ng w

ith th

e G

asto

n U

rban

Are

a M

PO

, the

MP

O s

eem

s to

be

prim

arily

focu

sed

on th

e C

ataw

ba R

iver

cro

ssin

g m

ore

than

any

thin

g el

se.

Traf

fic fo

reca

sts

for

non-

toll

scen

ario

s ar

e ap

prox

imat

ely

106,

000

vehi

cles

per

day

, and

traf

fic fo

reca

sts

for t

he to

ll sc

enar

io s

how

app

roxi

mat

ely

60,0

00 v

ehic

les

per d

ay u

sing

the

east

ern

end

of th

e pr

ojec

t. T

his

type

of d

eman

d ca

n on

ly b

e ac

com

mod

ated

with

a h

igh-

spee

d co

ntro

lled-

acce

ss fa

cilit

y. T

his

proj

ect i

s un

ique

in th

at th

ere

are

only

a fe

w e

xist

ing

cros

sing

s of

the

Cat

awba

Riv

er, a

nd th

e fo

reca

sts

show

that

ther

e is

a la

rge

dem

and

for m

ore

capa

city

bet

wee

n G

asto

n an

d M

eckl

enbu

rg

Cou

ntie

s. M

s. G

urak

not

ed th

at I-

85 is

alre

ady

expa

nded

to e

ight

lane

s ac

ross

the

Cat

awba

Riv

er

and

is p

roje

cted

to o

pera

te a

t lev

els

of s

ervi

ce F

in 2

030.

Mr.

Milit

sche

r was

not

abl

e to

atte

nd th

e m

eetin

g bu

t com

mun

icat

ed v

ia e

-mai

l with

the

team

that

he

did

not h

ave

any

envi

ronm

enta

l ob

ject

ions

on

the

Upd

ated

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t. M

s. H

arris

ask

ed th

e te

am if

ther

e w

ere

any

outs

tand

ing

issu

es w

ith th

e U

pdat

ed P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent.

The

team

agr

eed

ther

e w

ere

none

. U

SA

CE

indi

cate

d th

e te

am c

ould

ado

pt th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent.

The

rest

of

the

team

agr

eed.

Add

endu

m to

the

Fina

l Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Eva

luat

ion

Rep

ort –

Ms.

Har

ris

requ

este

d co

mm

ents

from

team

. N

CW

RC

sta

ted

the

fore

cast

s se

em to

sho

w th

at b

oth

the

New

Lo

catio

n A

ltern

ativ

e an

d im

prov

ing

exis

ting

I-85

are

both

nee

ded.

NC

WR

C a

sked

that

, giv

en th

e m

ixed

com

men

ts re

gard

ing

supp

ort f

or th

e pr

ojec

t rec

eive

d at

the

Aug

ust 2

008

Citi

zens

Pag

e 10

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

Info

rmat

iona

l Wor

ksho

ps, w

ould

it b

e ap

prop

riate

to d

o a

surv

ey o

f Gas

ton

Cou

nty

resi

dent

s re

gard

ing

the

need

for t

he p

roje

ct.

Ther

e w

ere

appr

oxim

atel

y 50

-60

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed th

at

spec

ifica

lly s

tate

d su

ppor

t or o

ppos

ition

to th

e pr

ojec

t or t

he n

eed

for t

he p

roje

ct o

ut o

f the

200

+ w

ritte

n co

mm

ents

rece

ived

. M

r. B

rew

sta

ted

that

the

Long

Ran

ge T

rans

porta

tion

Pla

n (L

RTP

) pr

oces

s is

in p

lace

to id

entif

y ne

eded

pro

ject

s in

the

MP

O’s

juris

dict

ion.

For

the

Gas

ton

Eas

t-Wes

t C

onne

ctor

, the

re w

ere

seve

ral p

ublic

mee

tings

hel

d in

the

1990

s so

that

the

MP

O c

ould

iden

tify

thei

r pr

efer

red

alte

rnat

ive.

The

pro

ject

has

bee

n a

top

prio

rity

sinc

e it

was

firs

t inc

lude

d in

the

loca

l tra

nspo

rtatio

n pl

ans

in th

e ea

rly 1

990s

. Th

ere

is n

o im

prov

ed e

xist

ing

I-85

proj

ect p

ropo

sed

in th

e M

PO

’s L

RTP

or i

n th

e N

CD

OT

STI

P.

NC

DW

Q h

ad a

que

stio

n pe

rtain

ing

to th

e ne

twor

k w

ide

stat

istic

s. M

s. G

urak

exp

lain

ed th

e ba

ckgr

ound

of t

he s

tatis

tics

and

why

they

see

m c

ount

erin

tuiti

ve.

Bra

ess’

s P

arad

ox is

the

term

for t

his

phen

omen

on, r

ecog

nize

d in

com

plex

net

wor

ks w

here

in

crea

sing

cap

acity

on

spec

ific

links

can

, in

certa

in in

stan

ces,

incr

ease

con

gest

ion

over

all.

Mr.

Mili

tsch

er w

as n

ot a

ble

to a

ttend

the

mee

ting

but c

omm

unic

ated

via

e-m

ail w

ith th

e te

am th

at h

e di

d no

t hav

e an

y en

viro

nmen

tal o

bjec

tions

on

the

Add

endu

m to

the

Fina

l Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

E

valu

atio

n R

epor

t. M

s. H

arris

ask

ed th

e te

am if

ther

e w

ere

any

outs

tand

ing

issu

es w

ith th

e A

dden

dum

to th

e Fi

nal A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd E

valu

atio

n R

epor

t. T

he te

am a

gree

d th

ere

wer

e no

ne.

US

AC

E in

dica

ted

the

team

cou

ld a

dopt

the

Add

endu

m to

the

Fina

l Alte

rnat

ives

D

evel

opm

ent a

nd E

valu

atio

n R

epor

t. Th

e re

st o

f the

team

agr

eed.

Indi

rect

and

Cum

ulat

ive

Effe

cts

Ass

essm

ent -

Ms.

Har

ris a

sked

if a

nyon

e ha

d an

y co

mm

ents

or

ques

tions

on

the

ICE

Ass

essm

ent.

NC

DW

Q o

bser

ved

ther

e w

ere

seve

ral r

efer

ence

s to

“lac

k of

st

orm

wat

er o

rdin

ance

s” th

at n

eed

to b

e cl

arifi

ed s

ince

the

area

’s ju

risdi

ctio

ns d

o ha

ve s

torm

wat

er

ordi

nanc

es.

Ms.

Gur

ak s

tate

d th

e in

tent

of t

hat p

hras

e w

as to

not

e th

at th

e ef

fect

s be

ing

desc

ribed

w

ould

occ

ur if

ther

e w

ere

no s

torm

wat

er o

rdin

ance

s in

pla

ce.

How

ever

, it w

as a

ckno

wle

dged

that

cl

arifi

catio

n w

as n

eede

d. N

CD

WQ

men

tione

d th

at th

e S

tate

of S

outh

Car

olin

a w

as s

uing

the

Sta

te

of N

orth

Car

olin

a fo

r wat

er q

ualit

y is

sues

in th

e C

ataw

ba R

iver

bas

in.

This

is a

n im

porta

nt is

sue

for

NC

DW

Q. T

he a

ttend

ees

need

ed a

dditi

onal

tim

e to

revi

ew th

e re

port

and

will

prov

ide

writ

ten

com

men

ts to

NC

TA.

It w

as d

eter

min

ed th

at it

may

be

bene

ficia

l to

prov

ide

the

Indi

rect

and

C

umul

ativ

e E

ffect

s ch

apte

r of t

he D

EIS

to th

e ag

enci

es fo

r rev

iew

.

Sect

ion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n Pl

an -

NC

TA’s

inte

nt fo

r the

env

ironm

enta

l rev

iew

s is

to fo

llow

a

mer

ger-l

ike

proc

ess

for t

he G

asto

n E

ast-W

est C

onne

ctor

pro

ject

. S

ince

NC

TA is

not

a s

igna

tory

to

the

NE

PA

/404

Mer

ger A

gree

men

t, th

e pr

oces

s us

ed c

an’t

offic

ially

be

Mer

ger 0

1. T

he p

roce

ss a

lso

need

s to

be

com

plia

nt w

ith S

ectio

n 60

02 o

f SA

FETE

A-L

U.

A S

ectio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n w

as

dist

ribut

ed o

n S

epte

mbe

r 23,

200

8, a

nd h

as s

ince

bee

n re

vise

d to

incl

ude

com

men

ts fr

om th

at

mee

ting.

The

dis

pute

reso

lutio

n pr

oces

s is

pro

pose

d to

be

the

sam

e as

for t

he M

onro

e C

onne

ctor

/Byp

ass

proj

ect.

The

team

dis

cuss

ed in

clud

ing

a se

ctio

n re

gard

ing

abst

entio

ns in

the

plan

. M

s. H

arris

cla

rifie

d th

at in

clus

ion

of a

n ab

sten

tion

proc

ess

is n

ot n

eces

sary

sin

ce th

e pl

an

incl

udes

the

Mer

ger 0

1 pr

oces

s by

refe

renc

e an

d su

ch a

pro

visi

on is

incl

uded

in th

at p

roce

ss.

As

such

, the

Mer

ger 0

1 ab

sten

tion

proc

ess

is in

clud

ed in

the

plan

. Th

e at

tend

ees

agre

ed w

ith th

e S

ectio

n 60

02 C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n as

cur

rent

ly d

rafte

d. T

he N

CTA

als

o di

scus

sed

the

need

for

invi

tatio

n le

tters

to b

e se

nt to

eac

h of

the

agen

cies

. Th

e ag

enci

es c

onfir

med

that

they

did

not

nee

d an

invi

tatio

n le

tter a

nd u

nder

stoo

d th

at b

y m

akin

g th

is d

eter

min

atio

n, th

ey a

ccep

ted

stat

us a

s pa

rtici

patin

g ag

enci

es.

The

resp

onsi

bilit

ies

asso

ciat

ed w

ith th

is s

tatu

s ca

n be

foun

d in

the

Gas

ton

Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan.

Con

curr

ence

Poi

nts

1 (P

urpo

se &

Nee

d), 2

(Ran

ge o

f Alte

rnat

ives

), an

d 2a

(Brid

ging

D

ecis

ions

) - W

ith M

r. M

ilitsc

her a

bsen

t, th

e qu

estio

n of

US

EP

A re

spon

sibi

litie

s w

as ra

ised

. M

s.

Mat

thew

s cl

arifi

ed th

at M

r. M

ilitsc

her i

s re

spon

sibl

e fo

r NE

PA

com

plia

nce

and

she

is re

spon

sibl

e fo

r pe

rmitt

ing

issu

es.

As

such

, sig

ning

Con

curre

nce

Poi

nt fo

rms

is M

r. M

ilitsc

her’s

resp

onsi

bilit

y. M

s.

Har

ris a

sked

the

team

if th

ere

wer

e an

y ou

tsta

ndin

g is

sues

with

the

Con

curre

nce

Poi

nts.

The

team

ag

reed

ther

e w

ere

none

. U

SA

CE

indi

cate

d th

e te

am c

ould

sig

n th

e C

oncu

rrenc

e Fo

rms.

The

rest

of

the

team

agr

eed.

The

proj

ect t

eam

, inc

ludi

ng M

r. M

ilitsc

her v

ia e

mai

l and

Ms.

Bun

cick

via

tele

phon

e, id

entif

ied

that

th

ey w

ere

read

y to

sig

n of

f on

Con

curre

nce

Poi

nts

1, 2

, and

2a.

The

form

for C

oncu

rrenc

e P

oint

s 1,

2,

and

2a

was

pas

sed

arou

nd fo

r eac

h m

embe

r to

sign

. Th

e ag

enci

es w

ho s

igne

d th

e fo

rm in

clud

e FH

WA

, US

AC

E, N

CD

WQ

, and

NC

WR

C. T

he s

igne

d fo

rm w

as s

cann

ed a

nd c

opie

d fo

r eac

h m

embe

r.

C-62

Pag

e 11

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting -

10/7

/08

In c

oncl

usio

n, M

s. H

arris

not

ed th

at N

CTA

is u

sing

the

docu

men

ts d

iscu

ssed

at t

oday

’s m

eetin

g to

pre

pare

th

e D

raft

EIS

. A

lthou

gh th

e te

am h

as c

oncu

rred

with

the

cont

ent o

f the

doc

umen

ts, s

houl

d an

y ad

ditio

nal

issu

es a

rise,

Ms.

Har

ris s

tress

ed th

e im

porta

nce

of N

CTA

’s ti

mel

y re

ceip

t of a

ny fu

rther

com

men

ts,

parti

cula

rly o

n th

e IC

EA

, so

that

the

proj

ect s

ched

ule

can

be m

aint

aine

d. N

o TE

AC

mee

ting

is e

xpec

ted

in

Nov

embe

r.

Q&

A: 1.

NC

WR

C a

sked

why

the

repo

rt us

es fo

reca

sts

for I

mpr

ove

Exi

stin

g R

oadw

ays

Sce

nario

4+/

4a fo

r co

mpa

rison

to th

e N

o-Bu

ild A

ltern

ativ

e an

d th

e N

ew L

ocat

ion

Alte

rnat

ive,

and

not

Sce

nario

8.

NC

DW

Q a

lso

pose

d a

ques

tion

rega

rdin

g th

e re

gion

-wid

e st

atis

tics.

S

cena

rio 4

+/4a

was

the

best

mod

el to

repr

esen

t the

full

rang

e of

Impr

ove

Exi

stin

g R

oadw

ays

Alte

rnat

ives

. If

Impr

ove

Exi

stin

g R

oadw

ays

Alte

rnat

ive

Sce

nario

8 w

ere

mod

eled

, the

con

gest

ed

VM

T to

tals

wou

ld b

e ex

pect

ed to

impr

ove

over

Sce

nario

s 4+

/4a,

but

like

ly n

ot e

noug

h to

sho

w th

e sa

me

impr

ovem

ents

in c

onge

sted

VM

T ac

hiev

ed b

y th

e N

ew L

ocat

ion

Alte

rnat

ives

(Non

-Tol

l or T

oll

Sce

nario

s).

Wid

enin

g no

rth-s

outh

feed

er ro

ads

unde

r Sce

nario

8 w

ould

just

allo

w m

ore

traffi

c to

be

deliv

ered

to th

e sa

me

bottl

enec

ks fa

ster

. D

ue to

the

volu

mes

of t

raffi

c, th

ese

bottl

enec

ks w

ould

stil

l oc

cur e

ven

with

wid

ened

road

way

s. T

rave

lers

wou

ld h

ave

wid

er c

ross

road

s/fe

eder

road

s to

sit

on

whi

le w

aitin

g to

get

ont

o I-8

5. T

he e

ffect

s w

ould

be

to h

ave

shor

ter q

ueue

s an

d hi

gher

leve

ls o

f se

rvic

es fo

r oth

er tr

ips

on th

e cr

ossr

oads

/feed

er ro

ads,

but

this

wou

ld n

ot b

e en

ough

impr

ovem

ents

to

con

gest

ion

to c

ompe

te w

ith a

ny o

f the

New

Loc

atio

n A

ltern

ativ

es.

2.

Are

ther

e an

y pl

ans

to w

iden

I-85

?

Ms.

Har

ris s

tate

d th

ere

are

no p

roje

cts

in th

e Lo

ng R

ange

Tra

nspo

rtatio

n P

lan

or T

horo

ughf

are

Pla

n to

wid

en I-

85 in

the

proj

ect a

rea.

I-8

5 al

read

y is

wid

ened

to e

ight

lane

s ov

er th

e C

ataw

ba R

iver

. W

iden

ing

I-85

wou

ld re

quire

a lo

ng p

erio

d of

con

stru

ctio

n, a

s do

cum

ente

d in

the

Alte

rnat

ives

A

dden

dum

, and

cur

rent

ly th

ere

is n

o ot

her c

ontro

lled-

acce

ss a

ltern

ate

rout

e.

3.

Is N

CTA

pla

nnin

g on

sub

mitt

ed a

mer

ger a

pplic

atio

n fo

r the

Sec

tion

404

perm

it?

The

NC

TA is

inte

ndin

g to

sub

mit

a m

erge

r app

licat

ion.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s w

ill p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

the

Upd

ated

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t, D

raft

Add

endu

m to

th

e Fi

nal A

ltern

ativ

es D

evel

opm

ent a

nd E

valu

atio

n R

epor

t, an

d th

e In

dire

ct a

nd C

umul

ativ

e E

ffect

s A

sses

smen

t by

Oct

ober

7, 2

008.

[T

he a

genc

ies

prov

ided

com

men

ts o

n th

e U

pdat

ed P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent a

nd th

e A

ltern

ativ

es A

dden

dum

and

dis

cuss

ions

of t

hese

repo

rts a

re c

lose

d. T

he a

genc

ies

requ

este

d ad

ditio

nal t

ime

to re

view

the

ICE

Ass

essm

ent.]

A

genc

ies

to p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

the

Sect

ion

6002

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan.

NC

TA w

ill p

rovi

de a

revi

sed

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n ba

sed

on c

omm

ents

from

the

Sep

tem

ber 2

3, 2

008

mee

ting.

[T

he a

ttend

ees

agre

ed a

t the

Oct

ober

7, 2

008

mee

ting

that

the

Dra

ft C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n pr

esen

ted

was

acc

epta

ble.

]

O

btai

n ag

ency

com

men

ts a

nd s

igna

ture

s on

Con

curre

nce

Poi

nts

1, 2

, and

2a

at th

e O

ctob

er 7

, 20

08 T

EA

C m

eetin

g.

[All

agen

cies

agr

eed

to s

ign

Con

curr

ence

Poi

nts

1, 2

, and

2a

at th

e O

ctob

er 7

mee

ting.

]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

The

reso

urce

age

ncie

s ag

reed

that

Con

curr

ence

Poi

nts

1, 2

, and

2a

are

final

. N

CTA

will

obt

ain

all

conc

urre

nce

sign

atur

es fo

r Con

curre

nce

Poi

nts

1, 2

, and

2a

and

will

dist

ribut

e a

copy

of t

he

com

plet

ed s

igne

d fo

rm.

Res

olut

ions

:

The

agen

cies

sig

ned

Con

curre

nce

Poi

nts

1, 2

, and

2a.

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) Mee

ting

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Ju

ne 1

0, 2

009

10:3

0 A

M to

12:

00 P

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Chr

isto

pher

Milit

sche

r, U

SE

PA

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arle

y, N

CD

CR

-HP

O

(via

pho

ne)

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Jerry

McC

rain

, PB

S&

J/E

coS

cien

ce

Lonn

ie B

rook

s, N

CD

OT–

SDU

A

my

Sim

es, N

CD

EN

R

Mis

sy P

air,

NC

DO

T-PD

EA

Roy

Bru

ce, C

DG

–Loc

hner

MM

M L

LP

John

Wad

swor

th, N

CD

OT

–TP

M U

nit

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T–P

DE

A

Bria

n E

ason

, CD

G–L

ochn

er

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Jo

hn P

age,

PB

D

on B

row

n, P

B

Jeff

Day

ton,

HN

TB

Jose

Luq

ue, C

DG

–AC

SID

B

enje

tta J

ohns

on, N

CD

OT–

TMS

K

ristin

Mas

eman

, CD

G–L

ochn

er

Dew

ayne

Syk

es, N

CD

OT–

RD

U

Eliz

abet

h Lu

sk, N

CD

OT–

NE

U

Sha

nnon

Sw

eitz

er, N

CTA

S

penc

er F

rank

lin, H

NTB

S

teve

Bro

wde

, CD

G–L

ochn

er

Pers

ons

Who

Wer

e Pr

ovid

ed M

ater

ials

but

Wer

e U

nabl

e to

Atte

nd:

Ron

Sec

hler

, NM

F S

ara

Win

slow

, NC

DEN

R-D

MF

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls p

oste

d on

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te)

M

eetin

g A

gend

a

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

figu

re

D

EIS

Out

line,

Tec

hnic

al R

epor

ts, a

nd S

ched

ule

(Han

dout

17)

MC

B2

& M

CB

4 M

ainl

and

Cor

ridor

Des

ign

Opt

ions

(Han

dout

18)

Gra

phic

– O

ptio

n B

with

T3

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

pro

vide

an

upda

te o

n D

raft

Env

ironm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent (

DE

IS)

prep

arat

ion;

and

to d

iscu

ss th

e po

tent

ial f

or in

clus

ion

of a

n ad

ditio

nal M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge d

esig

n op

tion

in

the

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es b

eing

eva

luat

ed in

the

upco

min

g D

EIS

.

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

6/1

0/0

9

C-63

Pag

e 2

of 5

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

6/1

0/0

9

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Sele

ctio

n of

Priv

ate

Part

ner –

Sin

ce th

e la

st T

EA

C m

eetin

g in

Oct

ober

200

8, N

CTA

has

sel

ecte

d th

e C

urrit

uck

Dev

elop

men

t Gro

up (C

DG

) as

the

priv

ate

partn

er fo

r the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

pro

ject

. H

W L

ochn

er is

the

partn

er’s

eng

inee

r. H

owev

er, t

hese

firm

s ar

e no

t res

pons

ible

for t

he N

EPA

pr

oces

s. N

CTA

and

PB

will

cont

inue

to g

uide

the

proj

ect t

hrou

gh th

e N

EP

A p

roce

ss.

(The

NC

TA

will

follo

w th

e pr

oces

ses

outli

ned

in 2

3 C

FR 6

36.1

09.)

DEI

S an

d Te

chni

cal R

epor

ts D

iscu

ssio

n –

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) sta

ted

that

NC

TA a

nd P

B a

re

wor

king

on

the

DE

IS a

nd th

e te

chni

cal r

epor

ts.

Han

dout

17

was

pre

sent

ed a

nd th

e w

ay th

e D

EIS

is

bein

g st

ruct

ured

was

des

crib

ed.

Bas

ed o

n co

ordi

natio

n w

ith F

HW

A, t

he D

EIS

is b

eing

pre

pare

d di

ffere

ntly

than

trad

ition

al D

EIS

doc

umen

ts.

It w

ill be

a s

mal

ler d

ocum

ent t

hat i

s m

ore

read

er

frien

dly

to th

e pu

blic

. D

etai

l will

be p

rese

nted

in te

chni

cal r

epor

ts.

In a

dditi

on to

the

usua

l tec

hnic

al

repo

rts (s

uch

as A

ir, N

oise

, and

Nat

ural

Res

ourc

es),

othe

r tec

hnic

al re

ports

will

be

prod

uced

as

wel

l, in

clud

ing

a te

chni

cal r

epor

t for

Oth

er P

hysi

cal F

eatu

res

that

wou

ld in

clud

e to

pics

suc

h as

en

ergy

, sea

l lev

el ri

se, v

isua

l qua

lity,

haz

ardo

us m

ater

ials

, and

floo

dpla

ins.

A h

ard

copy

of t

he D

EIS

w

ill be

pro

vide

d to

TE

AC

mem

bers

, alo

ng w

ith a

CD

con

tain

ing

the

tech

nica

l rep

orts

. H

ard

copi

es

of te

chni

cal r

epor

ts a

lso

will

be p

rovi

ded

upon

requ

est.

Q&

A:

1.U

SE

PA

sta

ted

that

ther

e ar

e C

EQ

regu

latio

ns fo

r the

pre

para

tion

of N

EP

A d

ocum

ents

an

d if

we

devi

ate

from

this

, we

wou

ld h

ave

to p

rovi

de c

ompe

lling

reas

ons.

CE

Q li

kes

to

see

a cl

ear d

istin

ctio

n be

twee

n A

ffect

ed E

nviro

nmen

t and

Env

ironm

enta

l C

onse

quen

ces.

Cro

ss-c

uttin

g is

sues

nee

d to

be

note

d, e

.g. n

oise

is a

lso

a co

mm

unity

is

sue.

NC

TA n

oted

that

the

stan

dard

mat

eria

l will

be p

rovi

ded

usin

g th

e cu

stom

ary

head

ings

. Th

e ke

y di

ffere

nce

is th

e fo

cus

on k

ey fi

ndin

gs in

the

mai

n bo

dy o

f the

DE

IS a

nd th

e de

tails

will

be

in te

chni

cal r

epor

ts.

2.U

SE

PA

sta

ted

that

they

wou

ld re

quire

five

har

d co

pies

of a

ll th

e te

chni

cal r

epor

ts in

ad

ditio

n to

five

cop

ies

of th

e D

EIS

.

3.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

ask

ed h

ow m

uch

revi

ew ti

me

wou

ld b

e al

lotte

d fo

r the

DE

IS re

view

by

the

agen

cies

.

The

tradi

tiona

l 45

days

wou

ld b

e pr

ovid

ed, s

tarti

ng fr

om th

e da

te th

e N

otic

e of

A

vaila

bilit

y is

pub

lishe

d in

the

Fede

ral R

egis

ter,

but t

he a

ctua

l tim

e ag

enci

es w

ill h

ave

the

docu

men

t wou

ld li

kely

be

clos

er to

60

days

bef

ore

com

men

ts a

re d

ue.

4.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

ask

ed if

the

DE

IS d

istri

butio

n fo

r sta

te a

genc

ies

wou

ld b

e th

roug

h th

e st

ate

clea

ringh

ouse

.

Yes

.

MC

B2

& M

CB

4 M

ainl

and

Cor

ridor

Des

ign

Opt

ions

–N

CTA

(Jen

nife

r Har

ris) r

evie

wed

the

thre

e de

taile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

(ER

2, M

CB

2, M

CB

4) a

nd th

e tw

o br

idge

cor

ridor

s (C

1 an

d C

2) th

at h

ave

been

pre

viou

sly

agre

ed to

be

stud

ied

in th

e D

EIS

. B

oth

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

incl

ude

a br

idge

on

the

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y m

ainl

and

thro

ugh

Map

le S

wam

p be

twee

n U

S 1

58 a

nd C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd.

Han

dout

18

was

pre

sent

ed, w

hich

des

crib

ed a

new

, sec

ond

optio

n fo

r the

C1

and

C2

corr

idor

s on

the

mai

nlan

d be

twee

n U

S 1

58 a

nd C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd.

For t

he p

urpo

ses

of th

e m

eetin

g, th

e or

igin

al

desi

gn o

ptio

n (b

ridgi

ng th

roug

h M

aple

Sw

amp)

was

cal

led

Opt

ion

A, w

hile

the

new

des

ign

optio

n (fi

lling

thro

ugh

Map

le S

wam

p) w

as c

alle

d O

ptio

n B

. Th

is n

ew o

ptio

n (O

ptio

n B

) wou

ld in

volv

e re

mov

ing

Ayd

lett

Roa

d, re

stor

ing

Map

le S

wam

p in

the

Ayd

lett

Roa

d rig

ht-o

f-way

, pla

cing

Ayd

lett

Roa

d tra

ffic

on th

e ac

cess

road

for t

he M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge, p

assi

ng th

roug

h M

aple

Sw

amp

on fi

ll (w

ith p

rovi

sion

s fo

r mai

ntai

ning

the

swam

p’s

hydr

olog

y an

d w

ildlif

e pa

ssag

e), a

nd p

rovi

ding

acc

ess

to A

ydle

tt fro

m th

e br

idge

acc

ess

road

. W

ith O

ptio

n B

, the

re w

ould

be

appr

oxim

atel

y 60

0 ac

res

with

in M

aple

Sw

amp

that

wou

ld b

e “la

ndlo

cked

” (w

ould

not

hav

e ac

cess

). N

CTA

wou

ld s

eek

to b

uy,

Pag

e 3

of 5

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

6/1

0/0

9

pres

erve

and

rest

ore

timbe

red

land

with

in th

is 6

00 a

cres

.

An

addi

tiona

l tol

l pla

za lo

catio

n op

tion

was

pre

sent

ed fo

r con

side

ratio

n. T

he c

urre

nt lo

catio

n be

ing

stud

ied

is a

toll

plaz

a w

est o

f Map

le S

wam

p. T

his

optio

n w

orks

with

alig

nmen

t Opt

ion

A (b

ridgi

ng

Map

le S

wam

p).

An

addi

tiona

l tol

l pla

za lo

catio

n op

tion

is e

ast o

f Map

le S

wam

p an

d us

es th

e up

land

s ea

st o

f Map

le S

wam

p an

d w

est o

f Cur

rituc

k So

und

near

Ayd

lett.

Thi

s op

tion

coul

d be

co

nsid

ered

with

eith

er o

f the

des

ign

optio

ns (O

ptio

ns A

and

B) d

escr

ibed

abo

ve.

It w

as n

oted

that

the

tolls

wou

ld b

e co

llect

ed e

lect

roni

cally

, but

ther

e w

ould

stil

l be

prov

isio

n of

cas

h la

nes

for a

ppro

xim

atel

y 10

yea

rs b

ecau

se o

f the

larg

e nu

mbe

r of o

ut o

f sta

te tr

avel

ers.

NC

TA a

ntic

ipat

es th

ere

to b

e co

mm

ents

and

con

cern

s w

ith th

is n

ew o

ptio

n fro

m th

e re

side

nts

of

Ayd

lett.

NC

TA h

as in

form

ed a

Cou

nty

Com

mis

sion

er a

nd th

e C

ount

y M

anag

er th

at N

CTA

is

cons

ider

ing

this

des

ign

optio

n.

The

reas

on fo

r add

ing

this

des

ign

optio

n is

rela

ted

to c

ost.

Opt

ion

B w

ould

sav

e th

e pr

ojec

t $60

m

illion

, eve

n af

ter a

ccou

ntin

g fo

r pur

chas

ing

and

pres

ervi

ng th

e ap

prox

imat

ely

600

acre

s in

Map

le

Sw

amp.

Q&

A:

1.U

SE

PA

ask

ed if

the

600

acre

s of

pro

perty

wou

ld b

e tu

rned

ove

r to

a th

ird p

arty

.

Yes

.

2.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

ask

ed h

ow m

uch

of th

e pr

oper

ty h

as b

een

timbe

red.

Tim

bere

d pr

oper

ty

wou

ld n

ot b

e of

as

high

a q

ualit

y.

NC

TA n

oted

that

muc

h of

the

land

nor

th o

f Ayd

lett

Roa

d ha

s be

en ti

mbe

red.

US

FWS

not

ed th

at if

the

deci

sion

is m

ade

to im

plem

ent O

ptio

n B

, the

rest

of t

he la

nd

wou

ld li

kely

be

timbe

red.

NC

WR

C n

oted

that

this

situ

atio

n oc

curre

d w

ith a

noth

er b

ridge

pr

ojec

t (S

econ

d B

ridge

to O

ak Is

land

). B

ased

on

the

Sec

ond

Brid

ge e

xper

ienc

e m

ost

land

owne

rs w

ill w

ant a

cces

s to

the

brid

ge a

cces

s ro

ad.

The

land

will

be

high

ly s

ough

t fo

r dev

elop

men

t. N

CW

RC

sta

ted

that

pur

chas

ing

land

for p

rese

rvat

ion

was

a g

ood

idea

, but

this

con

cept

cou

ld e

volv

e ov

er ti

me

into

som

ethi

ng th

at w

as n

ot o

rigin

ally

in

tend

ed w

ith th

e la

nd p

rese

rved

bei

ng in

frag

men

ted

smal

l are

as.

NC

TA n

oted

that

with

the

purc

hase

of t

he a

ppro

xim

atel

y 60

0 ac

res,

they

wou

ld

purc

hase

the

right

-of-a

cces

s fo

r all

prop

ertie

s al

ong

its fa

cilit

y fro

m U

S 1

58 to

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

.

3.N

CTA

ask

ed if

ther

e w

ere

reco

mm

enda

tions

from

any

TE

AC

mem

bers

as

to h

ow to

pr

even

t the

situ

atio

n de

scrib

ed in

Que

stio

n 2

abov

e.

US

FWS

not

ed th

at e

ven

timbe

red,

the

land

has

bio

logi

cal v

alue

. Th

e w

etla

nds

wou

ld

rem

ain

and

the

fore

st w

ould

gro

w b

ack

over

tim

e. U

SFW

S s

ugge

sted

that

NC

TA ta

lk

with

non

-pro

fit a

genc

ies

in la

nd c

onse

rvat

ion.

The

y ca

n m

ove

muc

h fa

ster

to p

rote

ct

the

qual

ity.

NC

TA in

dica

ted

that

they

hav

e ta

lked

to th

e N

orth

Car

olin

a C

oast

al L

and

Trus

t and

they

ar

e in

tere

sted

in p

rese

rvin

g la

nd in

this

are

a.

4.U

SE

PA

ask

ed h

ow m

any

lane

s w

ould

be

prov

ided

with

the

new

road

repl

acin

g A

ydle

tt R

oad;

and

how

wou

ld lo

cal t

raffi

c be

sep

arat

ed fr

om th

e to

lled

traffi

c us

ing

the

brid

ge.

The

road

wou

ld b

e tw

o la

nes.

NC

TA e

xpla

ined

that

one

of t

he re

ason

s fo

r the

toll

plaz

a lo

catio

n op

tion

east

of M

aple

Sw

amp

was

to a

llow

loca

l Ayd

lett

traffi

c to

use

the

new

fa

cilit

y w

ithou

t pay

ing

the

toll

for t

he b

ridge

sin

ce A

ydle

tt R

oad

wou

ld b

e re

mov

ed.

C-64

Pag

e 4

of 5

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

6/1

0/0

9

5.U

SE

PA

ask

ed h

ow m

uch

right

of w

ay w

ould

be

requ

ired

for t

his

two

lane

road

.

The

NC

TA p

lans

to a

cqui

re 2

00 fe

et o

f rig

ht o

f way

.

6.U

SE

PA

ask

ed fo

r mor

e in

form

atio

n on

the

func

tiona

lity

of th

e w

ildlif

e cr

ossi

ngs

give

n th

e pr

ojec

t wid

th.

NC

WR

C n

oted

that

it w

as to

o ea

rly in

the

proc

ess

for t

hat i

nfor

mat

ion.

7.N

CW

RC

ask

ed if

it w

as p

ossi

ble

to p

rovi

de a

free

pas

s fo

r res

iden

ts o

f Ayd

lett

to a

llow

fo

r pla

cing

the

toll

plaz

a ou

t of t

he e

nviro

nmen

tally

sen

sitiv

e ar

eas.

NC

TA n

oted

that

the

toll

plaz

a lo

catio

n w

ith O

ptio

n B

east

of M

aple

Sw

amp

is n

ot in

w

etla

nds.

8.

NC

TA n

oted

that

alo

ng w

ith th

e in

trodu

ctio

n of

Opt

ion

B, n

othi

ng p

revi

ousl

y ag

reed

to

be s

tudi

ed in

det

ail w

as b

eing

sug

gest

ed to

be

elim

inat

ed fr

om c

onsi

dera

tion

in th

e D

EIS

. O

ptio

n B

is b

eing

add

ed to

the

mix

of a

lread

y ex

istin

g al

tern

ativ

es a

nd d

esig

n op

tions

for t

hose

alte

rnat

ives

. Th

e im

pact

s of

Opt

ion

B a

re n

ot y

et k

now

n. I

t will

be

stud

ied

furth

er.

It w

ould

be

asse

ssed

in fu

ll in

all

tech

nica

l rep

orts

, as

wel

l as

the

DE

IS,

and

NC

TA w

ould

coo

rdin

ate

with

the

NC

-HP

O re

gard

ing

the

pote

ntia

l effe

ct o

n th

e D

anie

l Sau

nder

s H

ouse

.

9.N

CTA

ask

ed if

the

TEA

C w

ante

d to

mee

t aga

in n

ext m

onth

to d

iscu

ss th

is o

ptio

n fu

rther

or

wai

t unt

il af

ter t

he D

EIS

is re

leas

ed th

at a

sses

ses

it.

US

EP

A re

ques

ted

that

a fo

llow

up

mee

ting

occu

r prio

r to

subm

issi

on o

f the

DE

IS.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M s

ugge

sted

that

the

TEA

C m

ay w

ant t

o ha

ve s

omeo

ne fr

om th

e N

atur

al

Her

itage

Pro

gram

com

e to

the

next

mee

ting

to ta

lk a

bout

Map

le S

wam

p.

10.

US

EP

A n

oted

that

this

new

opt

ion

appe

ars

to b

e a

reas

onab

le a

ltern

ativ

e an

d it

wou

ld

be g

ood

to c

arry

it fo

rwar

d in

the

DE

IS.

US

EP

A c

autio

ned

how

Opt

ion

B is

pre

sent

ed

from

a S

ectio

n 40

4 pe

rspe

ctiv

e. T

he p

urch

ase

of th

e 60

0 ac

res

coul

d no

t be

cons

ider

ed d

urin

g se

lect

ion

of th

e LE

DP

A.

11.

NC

WR

C a

sked

why

the

rem

oval

of A

ydle

tt R

oad

wou

ld n

ot b

e pa

rt of

the

desi

gn o

ptio

n in

clud

ing

a br

idge

ove

r Map

le S

wam

p w

ere

prov

ided

.

NC

TA e

xpla

ined

that

it h

ad to

do

with

cos

t. N

CW

RC

not

ed th

at th

is g

ets

into

the

miti

gatio

n is

sue

that

was

dea

lt w

ith o

n S

econ

d B

ridge

to O

ak Is

land

. N

CTA

add

ed th

at

the

goal

is to

try

to fi

nd a

cos

t effe

ctiv

e so

lutio

n th

at c

an e

nhan

ce th

e en

viro

nmen

t.

12.

US

FWS

requ

este

d th

at th

e D

EIS

incl

ude

the

mos

t up-

to-d

ate

info

rmat

ion

on h

ow m

uch

of th

e la

nd w

ithin

Map

le S

wam

p th

at h

as b

een

timbe

red.

The

are

a so

uth

of A

ydle

tt R

oad

is th

e m

ost v

alua

ble

fore

st.

In a

dditi

on, c

onsi

dera

tion

shou

ld b

e gi

ven

to h

ow

prac

tical

it w

ould

be

to re

stor

e th

e la

nd if

it h

as b

een

timbe

red.

13.

US

AC

E n

oted

that

one

can

not b

uy d

own

wet

land

loss

by

pres

ervi

ng h

abita

t. U

SE

PA

no

ted

that

impa

cts

asso

ciat

ed w

ith o

ther

issu

es c

an a

llow

for t

he s

elec

tion

of a

pr

efer

red

alte

rnat

ive

with

hig

her w

etla

nd im

pact

s th

an o

ther

alte

rnat

ives

. N

CD

EN

R-

DC

M s

tate

d th

at th

ey d

o no

t see

the

harm

in s

tudy

ing

this

new

opt

ion.

It i

s a

surp

rise,

ho

wev

er, a

nd N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

will

hav

e to

dis

cuss

it in

tern

ally

. It

was

requ

este

d th

at

NC

TA c

oord

inat

e w

ith th

e N

atur

al H

erita

ge P

rogr

am.

14.

US

EP

A a

sked

whe

re th

e pr

opos

ed fa

cilit

y fo

r Opt

ion

B w

as in

rela

tion

to th

e po

wer

lin

es.

NC

TA s

aid

it is

dire

ctly

adj

acen

t to

the

pow

er li

nes.

Pag

e 5

of 5

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

6/1

0/0

9

15.

US

EP

A a

sked

wha

t the

adj

acen

t pro

perti

es w

ould

do

beca

use

the

faci

lity

wou

ld fe

atur

e fu

ll co

ntro

l of a

cces

s.

PB

sai

d th

at a

djac

ent p

rope

rties

wou

ld e

ither

hav

e ac

cess

to a

noth

er ro

ad a

nd th

e rig

ht-

of-a

cces

s to

the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

faci

lity

purc

hase

d fro

m a

djoi

ning

land

ow

ners

or i

f th

ere

is n

o al

tern

ate

acce

ss, t

he e

ntire

pro

perty

wou

ld b

e pu

rcha

sed.

16.

NC

WR

C a

sked

who

wou

ld o

wn

the

right

-of-w

ay a

nd h

ave

the

auth

ority

to g

rant

acc

ess

if so

meo

ne re

ques

ts a

cces

s.

NC

TA s

tate

d th

at N

CD

OT

wou

ld m

aint

ain

the

pow

er to

gra

nt, o

r not

gra

nt, a

cces

s.

NC

WR

C a

dded

that

som

e la

ngua

ge n

eeds

to b

e ad

ded

to ri

ght-o

f-way

agr

eem

ents

so

that

it is

cle

ar th

at d

evel

oper

s w

ill no

t hav

e a

right

of d

irect

acc

ess

to th

e fa

cilit

y w

est o

f th

e to

ll pl

aza

and

that

a “r

ed fl

ag” i

s ra

ised

if s

uch

acce

ss is

requ

este

d. U

SE

PA

agr

eed

that

con

trolle

d ac

cess

nee

ds to

be

stat

ed.

US

EP

A s

ugge

sted

that

NC

TA c

onsu

lt w

ith

atto

rney

s no

w to

dev

elop

suc

h la

ngua

ge.

17.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

abo

ut th

e st

atus

of t

he IC

E R

epor

t.

NC

TA s

tate

d th

at it

is b

eing

revi

ewed

, but

this

new

des

ign

optio

n w

ould

nee

d to

be

adde

d to

the

repo

rt. N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

requ

este

d th

at th

e co

nsis

tenc

y of

the

ICE

Rep

ort

with

are

a C

AMA

pla

ns b

e di

scus

sed

with

thei

r sta

ff. U

SFW

S re

min

ded

NC

TA th

at

CA

MA

pla

n m

aps

show

ed d

evel

opm

ent i

n a

US

FWS

refu

ge, w

hich

wou

ld n

ot b

e al

low

ed.

18.

US

FWS

ask

ed a

bout

the

stat

us o

f a p

ropo

sed

hote

l in

Car

ova.

PB

sta

ted

that

it w

as d

enie

d by

the

Cou

nty

Com

mis

sion

ers.

Res

olut

ions

:

It w

as re

solv

ed b

y th

e TE

AC

that

NC

TA c

ould

add

Opt

ion

B (f

ill on

new

alig

nmen

t in

the

C1/

C2

corri

dor o

n th

e m

ainl

and

with

rem

oval

of A

ydle

tt R

oad)

as

a de

sign

opt

ion

with

the

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es b

eing

ana

lyze

d in

the

DE

IS a

nd a

ssoc

iate

d te

chni

cal r

epor

ts.

Nex

t Ste

ps:

Th

e ne

ed fo

r a fo

llow

up

TEA

C m

eetin

g w

as d

iscu

ssed

. U

SE

PA

requ

este

d th

at a

follo

w u

p m

eetin

g oc

cur p

rior t

o su

bmis

sion

of t

he D

EIS

. N

CD

ENR

-DC

M s

ugge

sted

that

the

TEA

C m

ay w

ant t

o ha

ve

som

eone

from

the

Nat

ural

Her

itage

Pro

gram

com

e to

the

next

mee

ting

to ta

lk a

bout

Map

le S

wam

p.C

harla

n O

wen

s (D

istri

ct P

lann

er w

ith N

CD

ENR

-DC

M in

Eliz

abet

h C

ity) w

ould

be

good

to h

ave

at

the

mee

ting

to d

iscu

ss th

e C

AM

A la

nd u

se p

lan

as it

rela

tes

to IC

E.

C-65

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

3/9

/10

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

M

arch

9, 2

010

10:0

0 A

M to

12:

00 P

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

– B

R-S

TP-0

00S

(494

)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Chr

isto

pher

Milit

sche

r, U

SE

PA

(v

ia p

hone

) G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Mis

sy P

air,

NC

DO

T-PD

EA

Roy

Bru

ce, C

DG

–Loc

hner

MM

M L

LP

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T–P

DE

A

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

John

Pag

e, P

B

Don

Bro

wn,

PB

Jo

se L

uque

, CD

G–A

CS

Infra

stru

ctur

e D

eway

ne S

ykes

, NC

DO

T–R

DU

S

penc

er F

rank

lin, H

NTB

Tr

acy

Rob

erts

, HN

TB

Ste

ve B

row

de, C

DG

–Loc

hner

MM

M

LLP

Ric

hard

Pal

mer

, CD

G-W

eeks

Mar

ine,

In

c.

Jose

M. d

e Itu

rria

ga, C

DG

-Dra

gado

s U

SA

, Inc

. B

erna

rdo

Pal

icio

, CD

G-D

raga

dos

US

A, I

nc.

Ron

Fer

rell,

CD

G-P

BS

&J

Jim

Hoa

dley

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Ste

ve G

urga

nus,

NC

DO

T–P

DE

A,

HE

UB

enJe

tta J

ohns

on, N

CD

OT-

CM

(v

ia p

hone

) K

evin

Har

t, N

CD

ENR

-DM

F (v

ia p

hone

) S

ara

Win

slow

, NC

DEN

R-D

MF

(via

pho

ne)

Ron

Sec

hler

, NM

FS

(via

pho

ne)

Jens

Ger

atz,

CD

G-P

BS

&J

*CD

G: C

urrit

uck

Dev

elop

men

t Gro

up (C

DG

) is t

he P

DA

(Pre

-Dev

elop

men

t Agr

eem

ent)

partn

er o

f the

NC

TA fo

rmed

by

AC

SID

, Dra

gado

s USA

, Inc

. and

Loc

hner

MM

M L

LP

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls p

oste

d on

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te)

M

eetin

g A

gend

a

Slid

es fo

r pre

sent

atio

n

DE

IS C

ompa

rison

of K

ey Im

pact

s (b

ased

on

Mar

ch 5

, 201

0 pr

elim

inar

y D

EIS

) (H

ando

ut 1

9)

C

onst

ruct

ion

Met

hods

in C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd H

ando

ut

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

pro

vide

an

over

view

of D

raft

Env

ironm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent (

DE

IS)

(the

last

TE

AC m

eetin

g w

as in

Jun

e 20

09) a

nd e

xpla

in w

hat t

he D

EIS

wou

ld lo

ok li

ke (r

eade

r- fr

iend

ly

form

at);

and

to d

iscu

ss th

e po

tent

ial c

onst

ruct

ion

met

hods

in C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd s

houl

d a

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

be

sel

ecte

d as

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e. T

he p

urpo

se o

f the

mee

ting

was

als

o to

dis

cuss

con

stru

ctio

n

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) Mee

ting

Pag

e 2

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

3/9

/10

mor

ator

ium

app

licab

ility

in C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd a

nd to

dis

cuss

rece

nt a

nd fu

ture

pub

lic in

volv

emen

t act

iviti

es

and

sche

dule

.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

DEI

S an

d Te

chni

cal R

epor

ts D

iscu

ssio

n –

PB

(Joh

n P

age)

sum

mar

ized

the

agen

da a

nd th

en

disc

usse

d so

me

of th

e si

mila

ritie

s an

d di

ffere

nces

read

ers

wou

ld s

ee in

the

read

er-fr

iend

ly fo

rmat

of

this

DE

IS a

s co

mpa

red

to o

ther

DE

ISs.

The

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

DE

IS w

ould

be

appr

oxim

atel

y 0.

5 in

ch th

ick

and

wou

ld b

e fo

cuse

d on

the

key

findi

ngs

of th

e an

alys

is.

The

deta

ils o

f the

ana

lysi

s w

ould

be

in th

e ap

prox

imat

ely

7 in

ches

of s

uppo

rting

tech

nica

l rep

orts

. Th

e D

EIS

wou

ld in

clud

e a

CD

with

all

of th

e te

chni

cal r

epor

ts a

nd p

ublic

hea

ring

map

s. T

here

wou

ld b

e ei

ght p

ublic

revi

ew

loca

tions

for t

he D

EIS

– th

ree

on th

e m

ainl

and

and

five

on th

e O

uter

Ban

ks.

All

mat

eria

l wou

ld b

e po

sted

on

the

NC

TA’s

pro

ject

web

site

als

o.

PB

(Joh

n P

age)

sum

mar

ized

the

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es b

eing

ana

lyze

d in

the

DE

IS a

nd

desc

ribed

Han

dout

19.

Miti

gatio

n fo

r Des

ign

Opt

ions

A a

nd B

was

als

o di

scus

sed.

MC

B4

will

be

pres

ente

d in

the

DE

IS a

s th

e R

ecom

men

ded

Alte

rnat

ive

beca

use

of it

s ca

pabi

lity

of b

eing

fina

nced

, th

e m

inim

izat

ion

of c

omm

unity

impa

cts,

the

over

whe

lmin

g pr

efer

ence

for i

t by

the

publ

ic, a

mon

g ot

her r

easo

ns.

No

reco

mm

enda

tion

will

be m

ade

in th

e D

EIS

rela

ted

to b

ridge

cor

ridor

C1

vers

us

C2,

Opt

ion

A v

ersu

s O

ptio

n B

, and

the

two

hurr

ican

e ev

acua

tion

alte

rnat

ives

.

Q&

A:

1.U

SFW

S (G

ary

Jord

an) s

tate

d th

at th

e tim

ber o

n hu

ndre

ds o

f acr

es o

n th

e so

uth

side

of

Ayd

lett

Roa

d in

Map

le S

wam

p ha

d be

en c

ut d

own.

NC

WR

C (T

ravi

s W

ilson

) des

crib

ed

wha

t had

bee

n do

ne a

nd h

ow th

e la

nd n

ow lo

oks.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) and

oth

ers

note

d th

at th

is w

as n

ew s

ince

the

last

tim

e th

e st

udy

team

had

bee

n to

the

proj

ect s

ite.

2.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

(Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

) ask

ed h

ow m

any

publ

ic h

earin

gs w

ould

take

pla

ce,

whe

n th

ey w

ould

occ

ur, a

nd h

ow lo

ng th

e co

mm

ent p

erio

d w

ould

be.

PB

(Joh

n P

age)

resp

onde

d th

at th

ere

wou

ld b

e th

ree

(3) p

ublic

hea

rings

that

wou

ld

occu

r pro

babl

y in

late

Apr

il or

ear

ly M

ay.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) add

ed th

at th

e co

mm

ent p

erio

d w

ould

last

a m

inim

um o

f 45

days

from

the

publ

icat

ion

of D

EIS

av

aila

bilit

y in

the

Fede

ral R

egis

ter.

Upd

ate

post

mee

ting:

The

pub

lic h

earin

g da

tes

will

be

May

18,

19

and

20. T

he D

EIS

com

men

t per

iod

will

ext

end

thro

ugh

June

7.

3.

US

EP

A (C

hris

Mili

tsch

er) r

eque

sted

har

d co

pies

of t

he te

chni

cal r

epor

ts in

add

ition

to

the

CD

that

will

be

prov

ided

with

the

DEI

S.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) res

pond

ed th

at c

oord

inat

ion

with

EP

A w

ould

be

done

afte

r thi

s m

eetin

g to

ver

ify w

hat w

as n

eede

d by

EP

A.

Upd

ate

post

mee

ting:

NC

TA w

ill p

rovi

de

five

prin

ted

copi

es o

f the

DE

IS a

nd te

chni

cal r

epor

ts to

EP

A h

eadq

uarte

rs in

W

ashi

ngto

n D

C, o

ne p

rinte

d co

py o

f the

DE

IS a

nd te

chni

cal r

epor

ts to

the

EP

A R

egio

n IV

offi

ce in

Atla

nta

and

one

prin

ted

copy

of t

he D

EIS

with

the

tech

nica

l rep

orts

on

a C

D

to th

e E

PA

offi

ce in

Ral

eigh

.

Con

stru

ctio

n M

etho

ds in

Cur

rituc

k So

und

–C

DG

-Loc

hner

(Roy

Bru

ce) p

rese

nted

the

idea

that

th

e ob

ject

ive

of th

e N

CTA

is to

find

the

best

sol

utio

n th

at c

ould

mak

e th

e pr

ojec

t rea

l and

fin

ance

able

with

tolls

. H

e pr

esen

ted

the

cons

truct

ion

met

hods

, bas

ed o

n co

nditi

ons

as th

ey a

re

curr

ently

und

erst

ood,

that

cou

ld b

e ut

ilize

d in

con

stru

ctio

n of

one

of t

he tw

o br

idge

cor

ridor

s (C

1 an

d C

2).

It w

as s

tress

ed th

at th

ere

are

no p

re-c

once

ived

ass

umpt

ions

that

a b

ridge

wou

ld b

e bu

ilt.

The

goal

of p

rese

ntin

g th

is m

ater

ial e

arly

in th

e de

cisi

on m

akin

g pr

oces

s is

not

to g

et a

dec

isio

n, b

ut to

be

gin

a di

alog

ue w

ith th

e pa

rtici

patin

g an

d co

oper

atin

g ag

enci

es (a

genc

ies)

.

Thre

e co

nstru

ctio

n m

etho

ds w

ere

pres

ente

d –

conv

entio

nal,

top

dow

n, a

nd te

mpo

rary

tres

tle.

If a

brid

ge is

par

t of t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive,

som

e co

mbi

natio

n of

thes

e th

ree

met

hods

of c

onst

ruct

ion

C-66

Pag

e 3

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

3/9

/10

wou

ld li

kely

nee

d to

be

mad

e. A

dvan

tage

s an

d di

sadv

anta

ges

of e

ach

type

wer

e ex

plai

ned.

Som

e of

the

chal

leng

es th

at a

re p

rese

nt in

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

, suc

h as

err

atic

and

sha

llow

wat

er d

epth

s,

wer

e di

scus

sed.

Tim

e sa

ving

s an

d co

st s

avin

gs w

ith th

e di

ffere

nt c

onst

ruct

ion

met

hods

wer

e pr

esen

ted.

CD

G-P

BS

&J

(Ron

Fer

rell)

pre

sent

ed in

form

atio

n ab

out t

he p

oten

tial f

or a

con

stru

ctio

n m

orat

oriu

m

in C

urrit

uck

Soun

d. T

he p

urpo

se o

f a c

onst

ruct

ion

mor

ator

ium

is to

dec

reas

e th

e po

tent

ial n

egat

ive

effe

cts

of c

onst

ruct

ion

on a

quat

ic re

sour

ces.

Avo

idan

ce a

nd m

inim

izat

ion

optio

ns w

ere

also

di

scus

sed.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) not

ed th

at th

e te

am h

ad re

sear

ched

wha

t had

bee

n do

ne o

n ot

her r

ecen

t coa

stal

brid

ge c

onst

ruct

ion

proj

ects

as

wel

l. C

DG

-PB

S&

J (R

on F

erre

ll) n

oted

that

co

nstru

ctio

n of

the

Virg

inia

Dar

e Br

idge

did

not

hav

e a

mor

ator

ium

for i

n-w

ater

wor

k. C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy B

ruce

) add

ed th

at th

e us

e of

jetti

ng w

ould

pro

babl

y no

t be

nece

ssar

y w

ith c

onst

ruct

ion

of a

br

idge

in C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) als

o no

ted

that

this

is e

arly

in th

e pr

oces

s fo

r th

ese

deta

ils to

be

disc

usse

d, b

ut it

is n

eces

sary

on

this

pro

ject

to m

ake

sure

that

any

alte

rnat

ive

that

may

be

sele

cted

is fi

nanc

ially

feas

ible

and

can

be

perm

itted

by

the

agen

cies

.

Q&

A:

1.U

SA

CE

(Bill

Bid

dlec

ome)

ask

ed w

hat t

he lo

nges

t spa

n le

ngth

s w

ould

like

ly b

e.

Spa

n le

ngth

is a

wor

k in

pro

gres

s th

at w

ill b

e re

fined

as

mor

e in

form

atio

n be

com

es

avai

labl

e. P

rese

ntly

, it i

s es

timat

ed th

at th

ere

wou

ld b

e ap

prox

imat

ely

100

feet

spa

ns

with

con

vent

iona

l con

stru

ctio

n an

d 50

feet

spa

ns w

ith to

p do

wn

or tr

estle

con

stru

ctio

n.

This

is b

ased

on

curre

nt k

now

ledg

e an

d is

not

fina

l.

2.

US

AC

E (B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e) a

sked

abo

ut th

e tim

efra

me

of c

onst

ruct

ion.

It w

as n

oted

that

with

this

pro

ject

bei

ng p

artly

fina

nced

priv

atel

y, th

e ba

nks

wou

ld b

e an

xiou

s to

sta

rt re

paym

ent o

n th

eir i

nves

tmen

t qui

ckly

, so

ther

e is

mot

ivat

ion

to

com

plet

e co

nstru

ctio

n as

qui

ck a

s po

ssib

le.

Ther

e w

as d

iscu

ssio

n of

wha

t the

gen

eral

tim

efra

me

mig

ht b

e. N

CTA

(Jen

nife

r Har

ris) n

oted

that

onc

e al

l the

pie

ces

of th

e an

alys

is a

re c

ompl

eted

, NC

TA w

ill be

abl

e to

bet

ter a

nsw

er th

is q

uest

ion.

3.U

SE

PA

(Chr

is M

ilits

cher

) ask

ed U

SA

CE

(Bill

Bid

dlec

ome)

if th

ey th

ough

t dre

dgin

g w

as

a pr

actic

al a

ltern

ativ

e. I

f the

pro

ject

can

not b

e fu

nded

with

out d

redg

ing,

the

agen

cies

w

ould

nee

d to

kno

w th

is.

US

AC

E(B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e) s

tate

d th

at it

was

unk

now

n at

this

tim

e. N

CTA

(Jen

nife

r H

arris

) add

ed th

at th

e ag

enci

es a

re m

eetin

g to

day

in p

art s

o th

e in

form

atio

n co

uld

be

prov

ided

, and

a d

iscu

ssio

n ca

n en

sue.

4.U

SE

PA

(Chr

is M

ilits

cher

) ask

ed h

ow a

LE

DP

A c

ould

be

chos

en if

the

cost

s ar

e no

t kn

own.

FHW

A (G

eorg

e H

oops

) add

ed th

at c

ost i

nfor

mat

ion

wou

ld b

e av

aila

ble

whe

n th

e se

lect

ion

of th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

is m

ade.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) sta

ted

that

the

info

rmat

ion

on c

onst

ruct

ion

optio

ns a

nd th

eir t

imin

g is

bei

ng d

iscu

ssed

for t

his

proj

ect a

t an

ear

ly s

tage

to g

ener

ate

disc

ussi

on th

at is

nee

ded

whe

n co

nsid

erin

g th

e fin

anci

ng o

f th

is p

roje

ct.

5.U

SE

PA

(Chr

is M

ilits

cher

) ask

ed h

ow th

ere

coul

d be

a re

com

men

ded

alte

rnat

ive.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) sta

ted

that

a b

ridge

cor

ridor

has

not

bee

n se

lect

ed.

CD

G-

Loch

ner (

Roy

Bru

ce) a

dded

that

thes

e co

nstru

ctio

n m

etho

ds a

pply

to a

ll br

idge

al

tern

ativ

es.

Pag

e 4

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

3/9

/10

6.N

CW

RC

(Tra

vis

Wils

on) a

sked

if th

e br

idge

cou

ld b

e co

nstru

cted

from

bot

h si

des.

CD

G-L

ochn

er (R

oy B

ruce

) sta

ted

that

ther

e w

ere

mor

e co

nstra

ints

on

the

east

sid

e of

C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd, b

ut th

at it

was

phy

sica

lly p

ossi

ble

to d

o. B

ased

on

curr

ent i

nfor

mat

ion,

it

also

is p

ossi

ble

to s

tart

from

the

wes

t sid

e of

the

SAV

are

a ne

ar th

e O

uter

Ban

ks a

nd

build

eas

t fro

m th

ere.

The

re a

re o

ppor

tuni

ties

to c

onst

ruct

from

bot

h si

des,

but

the

issu

e w

ould

nee

d to

be

furth

er e

xam

ined

. H

ow c

onst

ruct

ion

wou

ld o

ccur

if a

brid

ge w

as

sele

cted

has

not

yet

bee

n de

cide

d.

7.N

CW

RC

(Tra

vis

Wils

on) a

sked

if s

ix fe

et w

ould

be

wha

t was

nee

ded

for d

redg

ing.

Yes

, to

a w

ater

dep

th o

f six

feet

. Th

e di

scus

sion

of d

epth

fluc

tuat

ion

has

just

beg

un.

NC

TA a

dded

that

this

type

of i

nfor

mat

ion

is w

hat w

ould

be

need

ed fr

om th

e ag

enci

es.

8.N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

(Dav

id W

ainw

right

) ask

ed h

ow w

ide

the

dred

ged

area

wou

ld h

ave

to

be.

The

dred

ged

area

wou

ld n

eed

to b

e ap

prox

imat

ely

150

feet

wid

e. T

he b

ridge

wou

ld b

e ap

prox

imat

ely

50 fe

et w

ide,

whi

ch w

ould

pro

vide

room

for b

arge

man

euve

rabi

lity

arou

nd

the

brid

ge d

urin

g co

nstru

ctio

n.

9.N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

(Dav

id W

ainw

right

) ask

ed a

bout

the

pres

ence

of S

AV

with

in th

e pr

opos

ed d

redg

ing

area

.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) and

CD

G-L

ochn

er (R

oy B

ruce

) sta

ted

that

ano

ther

SA

V s

tudy

w

ould

be

done

bef

ore

cons

truct

ion.

NC

DE

NR

-DM

F (S

ara

Win

slow

) not

ed th

at th

ere

is

mor

e S

AV

pre

senc

e no

w th

an th

ere

was

whe

n th

e la

st s

tudy

was

con

duct

ed b

y th

e U

SA

CE

in 2

007.

10.

NC

DE

NR

-DM

F (S

ara

Win

slow

) rai

sed

conc

ern

over

the

mig

ratio

n co

rrid

or fo

r fis

h sp

awni

ng.

The

com

men

t was

in re

spon

se to

the

stat

emen

t in

the

pres

enta

tion

that

th

ere

wer

e no

ana

drom

ous

fish

spaw

ning

and

mig

ratio

n ar

eas

with

in th

e tw

o br

idge

co

rrid

ors.

NC

DEN

R-D

MF

(Sar

a W

insl

ow) n

oted

that

ana

drom

ous

fish

did

mig

rate

th

roug

h th

is a

rea

to re

ach

Tull’s

Cre

ek to

the

north

. Th

e co

mm

ent c

once

rnin

g th

e B

ig

Nar

row

s w

as in

resp

onse

to N

CD

EN

R-D

MF’

s (S

ara

Win

slow

’s) q

uest

ion

on h

ow

cons

truct

ion

mat

eria

ls w

ould

be

deliv

ered

to th

e si

te.

CD

G-L

ochn

er (R

oy B

ruce

) sta

ted

that

Big

Nar

row

s ar

ea o

f Cur

rituc

k S

ound

was

far t

oo

shal

low

to b

e ab

le to

use

for c

onst

ruct

ion

purp

oses

. C

onst

ruct

ion

mat

eria

ls w

ould

be

deliv

ered

by

road

bec

ause

of t

he s

hallo

w w

ater

in th

e B

ig N

arro

ws.

Dis

cuss

ion

ensu

ed

abou

t the

way

SA

V a

reas

are

det

erm

ined

. It

was

not

ed th

at S

AV

wou

ld b

e id

entif

ied

at

the

time

of c

onst

ruct

ion.

11.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (C

athy

Brit

tingh

am) s

tate

d th

at th

ere

is a

n N

CSU

rese

arch

pro

ject

on

SA

V in

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

bei

ng fu

nded

by

NC

DO

T th

at is

und

erw

ay in

this

are

a at

the

pres

ent t

ime.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) and

CD

G-L

ochn

er (R

oy B

ruce

) sta

ted

that

the

team

wou

ld lo

ok

into

this

as

it w

as n

ot k

now

n by

mos

t of t

he a

genc

ies.

Upd

ate

post

mee

ting:

NC

DE

NR

-D

CM

(Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

) pro

vide

d ad

ditio

nal d

etai

ls o

n th

e S

AV

stu

dy to

the

agen

cies

vi

a em

ail o

n M

arch

9. T

he N

CD

OT-

fund

ed s

tudy

is b

eing

con

duct

ed b

y N

CSU

rega

rdin

g S

AV

's in

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

. The

title

of t

he s

tudy

is "S

atel

lite

Rem

ote

Sen

sing

of

Sub

mer

ged

Aqua

tic V

eget

atio

n D

istri

butio

n an

d S

tatu

s in

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

." T

he

Prin

cipa

l Inv

estig

ator

is S

tacy

Nel

son,

Ph.

D.,

Ass

ocia

te P

rofe

ssor

at t

he N

CS

U C

ente

r fo

r Ear

th O

bser

vatio

n D

epar

tmen

t of F

ores

try a

nd E

nviro

nmen

tal R

esou

rces

. Th

e C

hairp

erso

n of

the

Ste

erin

g an

d Im

plem

enta

tion

Com

mitt

ee is

Bru

ce E

llis

of N

CD

OT.

Th

ere

may

be

field

sam

plin

g in

the

Cur

rituc

k ar

ea p

lann

ed fo

r sum

mer

201

0.

C-67

Pag

e 5

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

3/9

/10

12.

NC

WR

C (T

ravi

s W

ilson

) not

ed th

at w

ith jo

int w

ater

s in

Cur

rituc

k So

und,

the

NC

WR

C

need

ed to

be

incl

uded

on

corr

espo

nden

ce.

Ther

e ha

ve b

een

occa

sion

s w

here

NC

WR

C

has

been

left

off t

he c

onta

ct li

st.

Not

ed.

13.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (C

athy

Brit

tingh

am) a

sked

wha

t wou

ld h

appe

n to

the

dred

ged

area

s af

ter t

he p

roje

ct.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) not

ed th

at p

age

9 of

the

“Con

stru

ctio

n M

etho

ds in

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

” han

dout

des

crib

ed fi

ve o

ptio

ns.

NC

TA is

look

ing

for f

eedb

ack

from

the

agen

cies

on

wha

t the

y w

ould

con

side

r the

bes

t opt

ion.

CD

G-L

ochn

er (R

oy B

ruce

) ad

ded

that

NC

TA is

not

pre

sent

ing

a pl

an a

t thi

s tim

e, b

ut in

stea

d is

requ

estin

g fe

edba

ck fr

om th

e ag

enci

es.

14.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (C

athy

Brit

tingh

am) n

oted

that

to b

e ab

le to

det

erm

ine

if th

e pr

ojec

t w

ould

be

able

to re

ceiv

e a

perm

it, th

e ag

enci

es w

ould

nee

d to

kno

w if

the

dred

ged

area

s w

ould

be

rest

ored

.

CD

G-L

ochn

er (R

oy B

ruce

) not

ed th

at a

ny o

ptio

n be

ing

pres

ente

d th

at c

ould

not

rece

ive

a pe

rmit

wou

ld n

ot b

e a

feas

ible

opt

ion.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) wou

ld n

eed

to k

now

th

at s

o th

ey c

ould

car

ry fo

rwar

d on

ly fe

asib

le o

ptio

ns.

15.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (C

athy

Brit

tingh

am) n

oted

that

ther

e w

ere

addi

tiona

l iss

ues

that

wou

ld

need

to b

e in

vest

igat

ed b

y N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

. M

ore

ques

tions

may

be

pres

ente

d by

N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

in th

e fu

ture

.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) not

ed th

at th

ese

issu

es a

re im

porta

nt to

hav

e on

the

tabl

e be

caus

e so

me

of th

ese

coul

d m

ake

or b

reak

the

proj

ect.

It w

as n

oted

that

cos

t re

duct

ions

ass

ocia

ted

with

con

stru

ctio

n w

ould

not

be

a be

nefit

to th

e P

DA

par

tner

(C

DG

). T

he c

ost s

avin

gs c

ould

mak

e th

e pr

ojec

t fea

sibl

e or

not

. N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

(C

athy

Brit

tingh

am) a

dded

that

the

envi

ronm

enta

l im

pact

of d

redg

ing

has

to b

e ba

lanc

ed a

gain

st p

ublic

ben

efit.

16.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (C

athy

Brit

tingh

am) a

sked

abo

ut s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t.

PB

(Joh

n P

age)

exp

lain

ed th

e st

orm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t opt

ions

that

are

pre

sent

ed in

th

e D

EIS

.

Publ

ic In

volv

emen

t Dis

cuss

ion

– N

CTA

(Jen

nife

r Har

ris) d

iscu

ssed

the

mat

eria

l on

publ

ic

invo

lvem

ent t

hat w

as p

rese

nted

on

slid

e 35

in th

e pr

esen

tatio

n.

Q&

A:

1.U

SFW

S (G

ary

Jord

an) a

nd N

CW

RC

(Tra

vis

Wils

on) d

iscu

ssed

the

timbe

ring

of M

aple

S

wam

p. T

he q

uest

ion

was

ask

ed w

heth

er th

e tim

berin

g of

Map

le S

wam

p w

ould

ch

ange

the

DE

IS a

t all.

PB

(Joh

n P

age)

sta

ted

that

the

oppo

rtuni

ty to

pre

serv

e M

aple

Sw

amp

still

rem

ains

in

asso

ciat

ion

with

the

purc

hase

of l

and

lock

ed p

arce

ls, d

espi

te th

at it

has

rece

ntly

bee

n tim

bere

d. I

t had

bee

n tim

bere

d be

fore

and

it c

ould

hap

pen

agai

n. P

rese

rvin

g it

wou

ld

prev

ent a

ny fu

ture

tim

berin

g an

d al

low

tim

bere

d ar

eas

to re

cove

r.

US

FWS

(Gar

y Jo

rdan

)and

NC

WR

C (T

ravi

s W

ilson

) not

ed th

at th

e M

aple

Sw

amp

hydr

olog

y ha

d be

en a

ltere

d by

tim

berin

g. T

here

is n

ow s

trong

flow

com

ing

thro

ugh

the

culv

erts

on

Aydl

ett R

oad.

Sche

dule

– N

CTA

(Jen

nife

r Har

ris) p

rese

nted

the

sche

dule

for t

he D

EIS

, LE

DP

A, F

EIS

, RO

D,

Con

cess

ion

Agr

eem

ent,

and

whe

n th

e pr

ojec

t wou

ld b

e op

en to

traf

fic a

s sh

own

on s

lide

35 o

f the

pr

esen

tatio

n.

Pag

e 6

of 6

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

3/9

/10

Q&

A:

1.N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

(Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

) ask

ed w

hen

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t wou

ld

fit in

to th

is s

ched

ule.

NC

TA (J

enni

fer H

arris

) not

ed th

at it

wou

ld b

e af

ter t

he re

leas

e of

the

DE

IS a

nd e

nd o

f th

e co

mm

ent p

erio

d.

Nex

t Ste

ps:

N

CTA

(Jen

nife

r Har

ris) a

dded

that

May

201

0 w

ould

be

too

early

for t

he T

EA

C to

mee

t, so

the

next

TE

AC

mee

ting

wou

ld li

kely

be

held

in J

une.

C-68

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Aug

ust 1

0, 2

010

10:0

0 a.

m. t

o 11

:30

a.m

.

N

CTA

Boa

rd R

oom

Proj

ect:

S

TIP

R-2

721,

R-2

828,

and

R-2

929

– Tr

iang

le E

xpre

ssw

ay S

outh

east

Ext

ensi

on

Tria

ngle

Exp

ress

way

Ext

ensi

on S

potli

ght:

Atte

ndee

s:R

ob A

yers

, FH

WA

C

hris

toph

er M

ilitsc

her,

US

EP

A

Eric

Als

mey

er, U

SA

CE

S

cott

McL

endo

n, U

SA

CE

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Bria

n W

renn

, NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Am

y S

imes

, NC

DE

NR

(via

tele

phon

e)

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arle

y, N

CD

CR

-HP

O (v

ia te

leph

one)

M

issy

Pai

r, N

CD

OT-

PDEA

H

erm

an H

uang

, NC

DO

T-P

DE

A, H

EU

D

oug

Tayl

or, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Uni

t S

am S

t. C

lair,

NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n U

nit

Tony

Hou

ser,

NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n U

nit

Jaso

n M

oore

, NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n U

nit

Ben

Jetta

Joh

nson

, NC

DO

T-TM

SD

Chr

is L

ukas

ina,

CA

MP

O

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, N

CTA

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

Spe

ncer

Fra

nklin

, HN

TB

Gai

l Tyn

er, E

SI

Joan

na R

occo

, UR

S

Roy

Bru

ce, L

ochn

er

Bria

n E

ason

, Loc

hner

K

ristin

Mas

eman

, Loc

hner

K

arin

Ertl

, Loc

hner

S

teve

Bro

wde

, Loc

hner

W

ende

e S

mith

, Mul

key

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls (P

oste

d on

TEA

C w

ebsi

te):

A

gend

a

Fina

l Mee

ting

Min

utes

– 2

/16/

10 T

EA

C M

eetin

g

Rev

ised

Sec

tion

6002

Dra

ft P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Stat

emen

t

Han

dout

1 –

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng M

etho

dolo

gy S

umm

ary

H

ando

ut 2

– Q

ualit

ativ

e Fi

rst T

ier S

cree

ning

of A

ltern

ativ

e C

once

pts

H

ando

ut 3

– Q

uant

itativ

e S

econ

d Ti

er S

cree

ning

of A

ltern

ativ

e C

once

pts

Purp

ose:

Dis

cuss

pur

pose

and

nee

d st

atem

ent a

nd a

ltern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

pro

cess

.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Proj

ect C

oord

inat

ion

Plan

: NC

TA s

tate

d th

at a

revi

sed

vers

ion

of th

e D

raft

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

has

been

pos

ted

to C

onst

ruct

war

e. T

he re

visi

ons

wer

e ba

sed

on s

imila

r edi

ts th

at w

ere

Turn

pike

Env

ironm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EAC

) M

eetin

g

Pag

e 2

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

mad

e to

the

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

for t

he C

ape

Fear

Sky

way

pro

ject

. N

CTA

dis

tribu

ted

invi

tatio

n le

tters

to re

pres

enta

tives

of S

tate

age

ncie

s, a

skin

g fo

r the

age

ncie

s to

bec

ome

parti

cipa

ting

agen

cies

und

er th

e P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n. F

HW

A w

ill d

istri

bute

a s

imila

r let

ter t

o re

pres

enta

tives

of f

eder

al a

genc

ies.

Age

ncie

s ar

e re

ques

ted

to s

ubm

it to

NC

TA a

ny fi

nal

com

men

ts o

n th

e P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n be

fore

the

next

TE

AC

mee

ting

on S

epte

mbe

r 8,

2010

.

Purp

ose

and

Nee

d: L

ochn

er s

umm

ariz

ed th

e th

ree

key

elem

ents

of t

he p

roje

ct n

eed:

the

need

fo

r im

prov

ed m

obilit

y in

the

proj

ect,

unde

rsco

red

in th

e C

apita

l Are

a M

etro

polit

an P

lann

ing

Org

aniz

atio

n (C

AM

PO

) Lon

g R

ange

Tra

nspo

rtatio

n P

lan

(LR

TP);

the

limite

d tra

nspo

rtatio

n op

tions

for e

ffici

ent l

ocal

and

thro

ugh

trave

l in

the

regi

on d

ue to

incr

easi

ng c

onge

stio

n on

exi

stin

g fre

eway

s an

d a

lack

of a

ltern

ativ

e ro

utes

and

trav

el m

odes

; and

exi

stin

g an

d pr

ojec

ted

poor

leve

ls

of s

ervi

ce (L

OS

) on

maj

or ro

adw

ays

in th

e pr

ojec

t are

a. L

ochn

er s

umm

ariz

ed th

e pr

ojec

t pu

rpos

e as

impr

ovin

g tra

nspo

rtatio

n m

obilit

y to

enh

ance

con

nect

ivity

in th

e ar

ea a

nd to

pro

vide

ad

ditio

nal h

igh-

spee

d, e

ffici

ent r

egio

nal t

rans

porta

tion

infra

stru

ctur

e fo

r loc

al a

nd re

gion

al tr

affic

. O

ther

des

irabl

e ou

tcom

es in

clud

e sy

stem

link

age

and

supp

ort f

or fe

dera

l sus

tain

abili

ty a

nd

livab

ility

goal

s.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q a

sked

how

a re

duct

ion

in c

onge

sted

veh

icle

mile

s tra

vele

d (o

ne o

f the

mea

sure

s of

effe

ctiv

enes

s lis

ted

in th

e D

raft

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d R

epor

t for

mee

ting

proj

ect p

urpo

se) w

ould

di

ffer f

rom

impr

ovem

ent i

n LO

S.

HN

TB e

xpla

ined

that

mea

surin

g ch

ange

s in

con

gest

ed v

ehic

le

mile

s tra

vele

d pr

ovid

es in

form

atio

n on

con

gest

ion

leve

ls th

roug

hout

the

loca

l tra

nspo

rtatio

n ne

twor

k. L

OS

onl

y pr

ovid

es in

form

atio

n on

con

gest

ion

leve

ls fo

r a s

peci

fic li

nk in

that

net

wor

k.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q a

sked

whe

ther

the

stud

y ar

ea fo

r tra

ffic

anal

ysis

is d

iffer

ent f

rom

the

stud

y ar

ea

for a

ltern

ativ

es d

evel

opm

ent.

NC

TA e

xpla

ined

that

the

limits

of t

he s

tudy

are

a fo

r tra

ffic

anal

ysis

ar

e br

oade

r tha

n th

ose

for a

ltern

ativ

es d

evel

opm

ent b

ecau

se th

e fo

rmer

mus

t con

side

r mor

e of

th

e re

gion

al tr

ansp

orta

tion

netw

ork

outs

ide

the

imm

edia

te p

roje

ct a

rea.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q s

tate

d th

at th

is d

iscr

epan

cy b

etw

een

the

two

stud

y ar

eas

is c

onfu

sing

in th

e D

raft

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d R

epor

t and

sug

gest

ed th

at th

is is

sue

be c

larif

ied

in th

e re

port.

FHW

A s

ugge

sted

that

mor

e in

form

atio

n be

pro

vide

d ab

out p

oten

tial t

hres

hold

s fo

r mee

ting

the

proj

ect p

urpo

se u

nder

eac

h of

the

mea

sure

s of

effe

ctiv

enes

s lis

ted

in th

e D

raft

Pur

pose

and

N

eed

Rep

ort.

NC

TA e

xpla

ined

that

it c

ould

be

diffi

cult

to s

et th

resh

olds

that

do

not a

rbitr

arily

el

imin

ate

othe

rwis

e re

ason

able

alte

rnat

ives

. C

AM

PO

indi

cate

d th

at th

eir L

RTP

incl

udes

m

easu

res

of e

ffect

iven

ess

but d

oes

not i

dent

ify m

inim

um re

quire

men

ts fo

r mee

ting

them

.

US

EP

A a

sked

why

info

rmat

ion

abou

t US

401

is n

ot in

clud

ed in

the

traffi

c fig

ures

in th

e D

raft

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t. H

NTB

exp

lain

ed th

at tr

affic

dat

a fo

r exi

stin

g co

nditi

ons

and

no-

build

sce

nario

s ar

e av

aila

ble

for U

S 4

01.

HN

TB w

ill in

clud

e th

is in

form

atio

n in

the

figur

es.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q q

uest

ione

d th

e ap

prop

riate

ness

of i

nclu

ding

the

NC

Stra

tegi

c H

ighw

ay C

orrid

or

visi

on a

s pa

rt of

the

need

for t

he p

roje

ct.

NC

TA e

xpla

ined

that

this

was

incl

uded

as

supp

ortin

g in

form

atio

n to

exp

lain

that

cur

rent

and

pro

ject

ed L

OS

do

not s

uppo

rt th

at v

isio

n. N

CTA

will

mor

e cl

osel

y ex

amin

e th

is is

sue

and

cons

ider

revi

sing

the

repo

rt te

xt to

cla

rify.

FHW

A a

sked

how

pub

lic in

volv

emen

t will

be in

corp

orat

ed in

to p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

deve

lopm

ent.

Lo

chne

r exp

lain

ed th

at p

ublic

wor

ksho

ps to

pre

sent

this

info

rmat

ion,

alo

ng w

ith in

form

atio

n ab

out

alte

rnat

ives

dev

elop

men

t will

be h

eld

in la

te S

epte

mbe

r. P

roje

ct p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

will

be

final

ized

afte

r con

side

ring

all p

ublic

and

age

ncy

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed.

NC

TA e

xpla

ined

that

ag

ency

com

men

ts re

ceiv

ed w

ill al

so b

e co

nsid

ered

in fi

naliz

ing

the

proj

ect p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed.

Th

e D

raft

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t will

be p

oste

d to

the

proj

ect w

ebsi

te.

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng: N

CTA

sum

mar

ized

the

met

hodo

logy

use

d fo

r scr

eeni

ng a

ltern

ativ

e co

ncep

ts a

nd p

relim

inar

y al

tern

ativ

e co

rrid

ors

and

then

pro

vide

d an

ove

rvie

w o

f the

resu

lts o

f sc

reen

ing

alte

rnat

ive

conc

epts

(Qua

litat

ive

Firs

t Tie

r Scr

eeni

ng).

NC

TA s

tress

ed th

at im

prov

e

C-69

Pag

e 3

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

exis

ting

and

hybr

id n

ew lo

catio

n/im

prov

e ex

istin

g co

ncep

ts m

ay p

rove

to b

e w

orth

y of

mor

e co

nsid

erat

ion

for t

his

proj

ect t

han

for p

ast N

CTA

pro

ject

s.

NC

TA e

xpla

ined

that

for t

he fi

rst s

cree

ning

, alte

rnat

ive

conc

epts

wer

e qu

alita

tivel

y co

mpa

red

to

the

no-b

uild

alte

rnat

ive.

US

EP

A a

sked

whe

ther

com

bina

tions

of c

once

pts

coul

d be

con

side

red

as s

uch

com

bina

tions

may

be

bette

r abl

e to

mee

t ele

men

ts o

f pro

ject

pur

pose

and

nee

d th

an

each

con

cept

alo

ne.

US

EP

A a

lso

stat

ed th

at “m

aybe

” cou

ld b

e a

mor

e ac

cura

te a

nsw

er th

an

“yes

” or “

no” i

n qu

alita

tivel

y as

sess

ing

whe

ther

eac

h al

tern

ativ

e co

ncep

t mee

ts e

ach

elem

ent o

f pu

rpos

e an

d ne

ed.

NC

DO

T-P

DEA

ask

ed if

CA

MP

O h

as d

one

any

mod

elin

g to

see

how

muc

h tra

nsit

rider

ship

is

need

ed to

ach

ieve

qua

ntita

tive

impr

ovem

ents

in, f

or e

xam

ple,

are

a co

mm

ute

times

. C

AM

PO

indi

cate

d th

at in

its

traffi

c m

odel

the

Sou

thea

st E

xten

sion

is a

ssum

ed to

be

a m

ultim

odal

faci

lity,

w

ith m

ass

trans

it us

ing

the

road

way

alo

ng w

ith c

ars

and

truck

s. C

AM

PO

exp

ects

that

the

Sou

thea

st E

xten

sion

will

be d

evel

oped

so

that

it is

con

sist

ent w

ith th

e LR

TP.

FHW

A a

sked

why

the

mea

sure

s of

effe

ctiv

enes

s fo

r mee

ting

the

proj

ect p

urpo

se w

ere

not u

sed

to s

cree

n al

tern

ativ

e co

ncep

ts.

NC

TA re

spon

ded

that

it w

ould

be

diffi

cult

to q

uant

ify th

e ab

ility

of

each

alte

rnat

ive

conc

ept t

o m

eet t

he m

easu

res

of e

ffect

iven

ess

for t

he p

roje

ct p

urpo

se.

Loch

ner

adde

d th

at th

e fir

st ti

er s

cree

ning

of a

ltern

ativ

e co

ncep

ts is

mea

nt to

det

erm

ine

whe

ther

eac

h co

ncep

t wou

ld b

e ab

le to

fulfi

ll th

e m

ain

poin

ts o

f the

pro

ject

and

pur

pose

and

nee

d; th

ose

that

m

eet t

hose

poi

nts

will

then

be

subj

ect t

o th

e qu

antif

iabl

e m

easu

res

of e

ffect

iven

ess.

Sev

eral

ag

enci

es s

ugge

sted

that

NC

TA c

onsi

der q

ualit

ativ

ely

scre

enin

g th

e al

tern

ativ

e co

ncep

ts

acco

rdin

g to

the

mea

sure

s of

effe

ctiv

enes

s. N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q a

nd N

CW

RC

als

o su

gges

ted

the

NC

TA c

onsi

der e

limin

atin

g th

e fo

llow

ing

two

elem

ents

of t

he fi

rst t

ier s

cree

ning

: con

sist

ency

with

th

e N

C S

trate

gic

Hig

hway

Cor

ridor

pro

gram

and

abi

lity

to im

prov

e sy

stem

link

age.

Sev

eral

ag

enci

es a

lso

sugg

este

d th

at N

CTA

mor

e cl

early

exp

lain

the

first

tier

scr

eeni

ng p

roce

ss.

FHW

A a

sked

whe

ther

CAM

PO

has

any

doc

umen

tatio

n of

how

mod

e ch

oice

s fo

r spe

cific

are

as

are

mad

e fo

r the

LR

TP.

CA

MP

O s

tate

d th

at re

gard

less

of m

ode,

ther

e is

no

east

-wes

t cor

ridor

in

sout

hern

and

eas

tern

Wak

e C

ount

y th

at c

an h

andl

e pr

ojec

ted

traffi

c vo

lum

es.

CA

MP

O v

iew

s th

e 54

0 O

uter

Loo

p as

the

back

bone

of t

he tr

ansp

orta

tion

netw

ork

in th

is a

rea.

Loch

ner p

rese

nted

pre

limin

ary

alte

rnat

ive

corr

idor

s cu

rren

tly u

nder

con

side

ratio

n. T

hese

incl

ude

seve

ral n

ew lo

catio

n al

tern

ativ

es, a

s w

ell a

s im

prov

ing

exis

ting

faci

litie

s al

tern

ativ

es a

nd h

ybrid

ne

w lo

catio

n/im

prov

e ex

istin

g fa

cilit

ies

alte

rnat

ives

. Lo

chne

r des

crib

ed p

relim

inar

y im

pact

es

timat

es fo

r the

se a

ltern

ativ

es.

NC

TA re

com

men

ded

seve

ral a

ltern

ativ

es fo

r elim

inat

ion

base

d on

mag

nitu

de o

f im

pact

s on

relo

catio

ns a

nd ju

risdi

ctio

nal r

esou

rces

. U

SFW

S a

sked

that

NC

TA

not e

limin

ate

Alte

rnat

ive

O fr

om fu

rther

con

side

ratio

n at

this

poi

nt b

ecau

se, w

hile

it w

ould

requ

ire

a la

rge

num

ber o

f rel

ocat

ions

and

wou

ld d

irect

ly im

pact

the

Sw

ift C

reek

Wat

ersh

ed C

ritic

al A

rea,

it

is th

e on

ly n

ew lo

catio

n al

tern

ativ

e th

at w

ould

avo

id d

war

f wed

gem

usse

l hab

itat.

The

age

ncie

s ag

reed

to e

limin

ate

Alte

rnat

ives

B, D

, F, H

, K, a

nd M

from

furth

er c

onsi

dera

tion.

The

se

alte

rnat

ives

eac

h us

e S

egm

ent 3

8, ra

ther

than

Seg

men

t 9, a

t the

eas

tern

pro

ject

term

inus

. In

all

case

s, a

ltern

ativ

es u

sing

Seg

men

t 38

wou

ld h

ave

grea

ter i

mpa

cts

to ju

risdi

ctio

nal r

esou

rces

and

w

ould

requ

ire m

ore

relo

catio

ns th

at s

imila

r alte

rnat

ives

usi

ng S

egm

ent 9

. Th

e ag

enci

es a

lso

agre

ed to

elim

inat

e Im

prov

e E

xist

ing

Alte

rnat

ive

#2 a

nd H

ybrid

Alte

rnat

ive

#2 (e

ach

incl

udes

up

grad

ing

and

wid

enin

g N

C 5

5 an

d N

C 4

2) d

ue to

the

larg

e nu

mbe

r of r

eloc

atio

ns e

ach

wou

ld

requ

ire.

NC

TA a

nd L

ochn

er w

ill co

mpl

ete

the

third

tier

qua

litat

ive

scre

enin

g on

the

rem

aini

ng

alte

rnat

ives

.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s to

revi

ew s

copi

ng h

ando

ut a

nd c

onst

rain

ts m

appi

ng a

nd p

rovi

de to

NC

TA in

form

atio

n ab

out a

dditi

onal

env

ironm

enta

l iss

ues

and

cons

train

ts.

[Sco

ping

resp

onse

s w

ere

rece

ived

from

US

EP

A, U

SFW

S, N

CD

CR

-HP

O, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q,

NC

WR

C, N

CD

EN

R-N

HP

, NC

DE

NR

-DEH

, NC

Flo

odpl

ain

Map

ping

Pro

gram

, and

NC

DA

CS

(NC

D

epar

tmen

t of A

gric

ultu

re a

nd C

onsu

mer

Ser

vice

s), a

s w

ell a

s C

AM

PO

, Car

y, a

nd H

olly

Spr

ings

.]

Pag

e 4

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

N

CTA

/FH

WA

to re

view

pro

cess

for a

genc

y co

ordi

natio

n.

[Afte

r add

ition

al d

iscu

ssio

n, th

e N

CTA

and

FH

WA

hav

e de

term

ined

that

the

Sec

tion

6002

Pro

ject

C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n pr

oces

s w

ill b

e fo

llow

ed fo

r thi

s pr

ojec

t.]

Lo

chne

r will

add

STI

P p

roje

ct R

-260

9 (U

S 4

01) t

o th

e lis

t of o

ther

pro

ject

s in

the

stud

y ar

ea.

[Com

plet

ed]

Lo

chne

r will

cont

act N

CD

OT

Offi

ce o

f Civ

il R

ight

s to

coo

rdin

ate

on L

EP

and

EJ

cons

ider

atio

ns

and

anal

ysis

for t

he p

roje

ct.

[Com

plet

ed]

N

CTA

/Loc

hner

will

coor

dina

te w

ith C

ount

y S

oil a

nd W

ater

Con

serv

atio

n D

istri

cts.

[C

ompl

eted

]

NC

TA w

ill pl

ace

com

plet

ed tr

affic

fore

cast

and

ana

lysi

s re

ports

to C

onst

ruct

war

e.

[Pos

ted

unde

r 201

0-02

-16

fold

er.]

Lo

chne

r will

colle

ct in

form

atio

n on

stu

dy a

rea

was

tew

ater

trea

tmen

t pla

nts.

[T

his

info

rmat

ion

has

been

add

ed to

stu

dy a

rea

envi

ronm

enta

l con

stra

ints

map

ping

.]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

FHW

A to

dis

tribu

te le

tters

invi

ting

fede

ral a

genc

ies

to b

ecom

e co

oper

atin

g/pa

rtici

patin

g ag

enci

es

unde

r the

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan.

[D

istri

bute

d on

Aug

ust 1

7, 2

010.

]

Age

ncie

s to

pro

vide

fina

l com

men

ts to

NC

TA o

n P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n by

Sep

tem

ber 8

, 20

10.

N

CTA

/Loc

hner

to c

larif

y di

stin

ctio

n be

twee

n tra

ffic

stud

y ar

ea a

nd p

roje

ct s

tudy

are

a fo

r al

tern

ativ

es d

evel

opm

ent i

n Pu

rpos

e an

d N

eed

Rep

ort.

H

NTB

to re

view

exi

stin

g an

d pr

ojec

ted

traffi

c fo

r US

401

and

add

this

info

rmat

ion

to tr

affic

figu

res

in th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort.

A

genc

ies

to p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent b

y S

epte

mbe

r 8, 2

010.

NC

TA/L

ochn

er to

con

side

r rev

isin

g fir

st ti

er q

ualit

ativ

e sc

reen

ing

of a

ltern

ativ

e co

ncep

ts to

cla

rify

the

link

betw

een

this

scr

eeni

ng a

nd th

e m

easu

res

of e

ffect

iven

ess

for p

roje

ct p

urpo

se.

NC

TA/L

ochn

er to

com

plet

e th

ird ti

er q

ualit

ativ

e sc

reen

ing

of a

ltern

ativ

es a

nd p

rese

nt re

sults

at

Sep

tem

ber T

EA

C m

eetin

g.

A

genc

ies

to p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng m

etho

dolo

gy a

nd d

raft

alte

rnat

ive

conc

epts

by

Sep

tem

ber 8

, 201

0.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e

Nex

t Ste

ps:

TE

AC

mee

ting

– S

epte

mbe

r 8, 2

010.

Pub

lic w

orks

hops

sch

edul

ed fo

r Sep

tem

ber 2

1, 2

2, a

nd 2

3, 2

010.

Rev

ise

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t fol

low

ing

revi

ew o

f age

ncy

and

publ

ic c

omm

ents

.

Com

plet

e th

ird ti

er q

uant

itativ

e sc

reen

ing

for p

relim

inar

y al

tern

ativ

e co

rrido

rs.

C-70

Pag

e 5

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

A

ugus

t 10,

201

0

1:

00 P

M to

3:0

0 P

M

NC

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

Offi

ce B

oard

Roo

m (S

uite

400

)

Proj

ect:

STI

P R

-257

6 M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

- B

RS

-OO

OS

(35)

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Spo

tligh

t:

Atte

ndee

s:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Sco

tt M

cLen

don,

US

AC

E

Chr

is M

ilitsc

her,

US

EP

A

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

R

on S

echl

er, N

MFS

(by

phon

e)

Am

y S

imes

, NC

DE

NR

(by

phon

e)

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DEN

R-D

CM

S

teph

en L

ane,

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (b

y ph

one)

K

evin

Har

t, N

CD

ENR

-DM

F (b

y ph

one)

B

rian

Wre

nn, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

ENR

-DW

Q

Trav

is W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arle

y, N

CD

CR

-HP

O (b

y ph

one)

S

teve

Lam

bert,

Alb

emar

le C

omm

issi

on

(by

phon

e)

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Rei

d S

imon

s, N

CTA

(by

phon

e)

Jenn

ifer H

arris

, NC

TA

Lonn

ie B

rook

s, N

CD

OT-

SDU

Mis

sy P

air,

NC

DO

T-PD

EA

Bria

n Y

amam

oto,

NC

DO

T-P

DE

A

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T-P

DEA

A

nne

Gam

ber,

NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s U

nit

Ben

Jetta

Joh

nson

, NC

DO

T-TM

S

Dou

g Ta

ylor

, NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n S

am S

t. C

lair,

NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n H

erm

an H

uang

, NC

DO

T-H

EU

S

cott

Slu

sser

, NC

DO

J D

avid

Mille

r, P

FM

Jose

Luq

ue, C

DG

-AC

SID

S

teve

Bro

wde

, CD

G-L

ochn

er

Roy

Bru

ce, C

DG

-Loc

hner

K

ristin

Mas

eman

, CD

G-L

ochn

er

Spe

ncer

Fra

nklin

, HN

TB

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NTB

Je

rry M

cCra

in, P

BS

&J

Roy

Fer

rell,

PB

S&

J Jo

hn P

age,

PB

B

obby

Nor

burn

, PB

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls: (

All

mat

eria

ls p

oste

d on

the

TEA

C w

ebsi

te)

M

eetin

g A

gend

a

Han

dout

20

- Sum

mar

y of

Age

ncy

Com

men

ts o

n th

e D

raft

Env

ironm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent

H

ando

ut 2

1 - S

umm

ary

of P

ublic

Par

ticip

atio

n an

d C

omm

ent

H

ando

ut 2

2 - S

umm

ary

of P

ositi

ons

and

Add

ition

al N

eeds

Der

ived

from

DE

IS C

omm

ents

Han

dout

23

- Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e Id

entif

icat

ion

Info

rmat

ion

Pac

kage

Han

dout

24

- Fin

anci

al F

easi

bilit

y A

sses

smen

t of t

he M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge P

roje

ct

Fi

nanc

ial F

easi

bilit

y A

sses

smen

t Pre

sent

atio

n P

ower

Poi

nt S

lides

Fina

l Mee

ting

Min

utes

for M

arch

9, 2

010,

TE

AC

Mee

ting

Purp

ose:

The

purp

ose

of th

e m

eetin

g w

as to

dis

cuss

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e Id

entif

icat

ion

Info

rmat

ion

Pac

kage

an

d di

scus

s “p

ract

icab

le” a

s it

rela

tes

to p

roje

ct fu

ndin

g an

d se

lect

ion

of th

e LE

DP

A/P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

N

CTA

(Jen

nife

r Har

ris) s

tate

d th

at N

CTA

hop

ed th

at th

e ag

enci

es c

ould

agr

ee w

ith a

LE

DP

A/P

refe

rred

A

ltern

ativ

e by

the

conc

lusi

on o

f the

mee

ting.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Han

dout

23

– Jo

hn P

age

(PB

) gav

e a

brie

f des

crip

tion

of th

e ot

her h

ando

uts

and

thei

r pur

pose

, an

d th

en s

tarte

d go

ing

thro

ugh

Han

dout

23

in d

etai

l. H

e in

dica

ted

that

the

Impa

cts

Com

paris

on

Mat

rix in

Han

dout

23

is d

irect

ly fr

om th

e D

EIS

, with

onl

y m

inor

edi

ts a

s di

scus

sed

in th

e ha

ndou

t.

Pag

e 6

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

The

mat

rix w

ill be

upd

ated

for t

he F

EIS

, as

need

ed, a

s pu

blic

and

age

ncy

com

men

ts a

re

addr

esse

d. J

ohn

aske

d if

ther

e w

ere

any

com

men

ts o

n th

e m

atrix

. N

CTA

als

o as

ked

if fu

rther

re

view

of H

ando

uts

20 to

22

was

nee

ded.

The

re w

ere

no fu

rther

com

men

ts a

t thi

s po

int.

John

dis

cuss

ed th

e “R

espo

nses

to S

ubst

antiv

e C

omm

ents

on

the

DE

IS th

at R

elat

e to

the

Sel

ectio

n of

the

Pre

ferre

d A

ltern

ativ

e” s

ectio

n of

Han

dout

23

(sta

rting

on

page

9).

He

poin

ted

out

that

ther

e w

ere

two

deci

sion

s th

at n

eed

to b

e m

ade,

as

show

n at

the

top

of p

age

9: 1

) Sel

ectio

n of

the

Leas

t Env

ironm

enta

lly D

amag

ing

Pra

ctic

able

Alte

rnat

ive;

and

2) S

elec

tion

of p

ract

icab

le

desi

gn a

nd c

onst

ruct

ion

avoi

danc

e, m

inim

izat

ion,

and

miti

gatio

n st

rate

gies

for t

he L

ED

PA

. H

e sa

id th

at th

e de

cisi

on o

n th

e LE

DP

A w

ould

be

betw

een

the

alte

rnat

ives

list

ed a

t the

bot

tom

of

page

9 (i

.e.,

ER

2, M

CB

2, a

nd M

CB4

), bu

t als

o no

ted

that

the

No-

Bui

ld A

ltern

ativ

e sh

ould

als

o ha

ve b

een

liste

d. H

e sa

id th

at, a

s in

dica

ted

in th

e D

EIS

, NC

TA’s

reco

mm

enda

tion

for t

he

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e is

MC

B4,

but

NC

TA h

as n

ot m

ade

a re

com

men

datio

n on

the

othe

r co

mpo

nent

s of

the

proj

ect (

i.e.,

brid

ge c

orrid

or, M

aple

Sw

amp

corr

idor

, or h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

n op

tion)

.

John

sai

d th

at, a

s in

dica

ted

in H

ando

ut 2

3, th

e su

bsta

ntiv

e pu

blic

and

age

ncy

com

men

ts re

late

d to

the

prac

ticab

ility

of E

R2,

MC

B2,

and

MC

B4

rela

te to

ava

ilabi

lity

of fu

ndin

g an

d al

tern

ativ

e pr

efer

ence

s.

Han

dout

24

– D

avid

Mille

r with

PFM

dis

cuss

ed th

e fin

anci

al fe

asib

ility

of th

e pr

opos

ed p

roje

ct

(Han

dout

24)

, usi

ng a

Pow

erP

oint

pre

sent

atio

n (a

vaila

ble

on th

e TE

AC

web

site

). W

ith re

spec

t to

the

pote

ntia

l sou

rces

of f

undi

ng fo

r the

pro

pose

d pr

ojec

t (sl

ides

5 to

8),

Dav

id s

aid

that

TIF

IA

fund

s ar

e no

t lik

ely

avai

labl

e fo

r the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

(TIF

IA fu

nds

wer

e av

aila

ble

for t

he

Tria

ngle

Exp

ress

way

). P

rivat

e eq

uity

is b

eing

con

side

red

for t

his

proj

ect.

He

adde

d th

at th

e so

urce

of t

he p

rivat

e eq

uity

is a

t a “r

isk”

pos

ition

(i.e

., th

ey re

ceiv

e pr

ofit

only

afte

r all

othe

r cos

ts

have

bee

n co

vere

d).

ER

2 is

not

incl

uded

in th

is a

naly

sis

beca

use

ther

e is

no

fund

ing

for

impr

ovem

ents

ass

ocia

ted

with

ER

2 in

the

curr

ent S

TIP

and

it c

anno

t be

paid

for w

ith to

ll re

venu

es.

US

AC

E a

sked

abo

ut th

e av

aila

bilit

y of

futu

re S

TIP

fund

s fo

r im

prov

emen

ts a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith E

R2.

N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

ask

ed if

ther

e w

as th

e po

ssib

ility

of s

peci

al L

egis

lativ

e A

ppro

pria

tions

for

impr

ovem

ents

suc

h as

with

ER

2 si

nce

the

Legi

slat

ure

ofte

n m

akes

thes

e ty

pes

of a

ppro

pria

tions

. N

CTA

not

ed th

at it

is d

oubt

ful N

CD

OT

wou

ld p

rogr

am m

oney

for t

hese

impr

ovem

ents

in th

e fu

ture

bec

ause

ther

e is

no

loca

l pol

itica

l or p

ublic

will

for i

mpr

ovem

ents

ass

ocia

ted

with

ER

2 to

be

impl

emen

ted

with

or w

ithou

t a b

ridge

.

US

AC

E a

sked

abo

ut th

e po

ssib

le s

hortf

all i

n fu

ndin

g in

dica

ted

on s

lide

10.

NC

TA re

spon

ded

that

th

e di

ffere

nt c

ompo

nent

s th

at c

ould

be

sele

cted

for e

ach

alte

rnat

ive

lead

to th

e ra

nge

in c

osts

as

show

n. W

ith M

CB

4, if

the

mos

t exp

ensi

ve c

ombi

natio

n of

com

pone

nts

are

chos

en, w

e co

uld

end

up w

ith a

pro

ject

that

is n

ot fu

ndab

le.

As

show

n on

the

slid

e, a

ppro

xim

atel

y $6

00 to

$70

0 m

illion

is

the

rang

e of

fund

ing

avai

labl

e to

fina

nce

the

proj

ect.

How

ever

, int

eres

t rat

es a

re a

n un

know

n va

riabl

e th

at c

ould

impa

ct th

e fu

ndin

g of

the

proj

ect i

f the

y w

ere

to ri

se s

ubst

antia

lly in

the

near

fu

ture

.

NC

TA s

aid

that

hop

eful

ly D

avid

’s p

rese

ntat

ion

help

s to

add

ress

pas

t age

ncy

ques

tions

on

proj

ect

fund

ing.

Ste

ve a

sked

if N

CTA

had

ade

quat

ely

expl

aine

d th

e fu

ndin

g of

the

prop

osed

pro

ject

. U

SA

CE

ask

ed a

bout

the

use

of to

ll re

venu

es c

hart

on s

lide

9. D

avid

exp

lain

ed in

mor

e de

tail

the

mea

ning

of t

he b

lue,

gre

en, a

nd re

d gr

aphs

sho

wn

on th

e ch

art.

In re

spon

se to

a q

uest

ion

from

N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

, it w

as e

xpla

ined

that

the

larg

e re

d “s

pike

” in

oper

atio

ns a

nd m

aint

enan

ce c

osts

in

abo

ut 2

050

was

bec

ause

the

brid

ge is

exp

ecte

d to

nee

d a

maj

or d

eck

reha

bilit

atio

n ar

ound

that

tim

e. T

he s

horte

r red

incr

emen

ts re

pres

ent r

outin

e m

aint

enan

ce o

n th

e br

idge

, whe

reas

the

high

er re

d in

crem

ents

repr

esen

t “m

ajor

” reh

abilit

atio

n pr

ojec

ts.

US

AC

E a

sked

abo

ut th

e in

crea

se in

the

blue

in re

latio

nshi

p to

the

red

by th

e la

ter y

ears

in th

e ch

art.

It is

the

resu

lt of

the

expe

cted

incr

ease

in th

e to

ll ra

te, a

s w

ell a

s th

e ex

pect

ed in

crea

se in

A

DT

usin

g th

e br

idge

. It

was

ask

ed w

hy th

is d

iffer

ence

doe

s no

t “le

vel o

ut” a

roun

d 20

35 w

hen

the

Out

er B

anks

is e

xpec

ted

to b

e bu

ilt-o

ut.

It is

bec

ause

of t

he c

ontin

ued

toll

incr

ease

that

is

C-71

Pag

e 7

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

built

into

the

fore

cast

ing

mod

el.

US

AC

E a

sked

abo

ut th

e cu

rrent

est

imat

ed fo

r the

toll

rate

. N

CTA

resp

onde

d th

at th

e cu

rrent

est

imat

ed to

ll ra

te v

arie

s by

tim

e of

day

and

tim

e of

yea

r, an

d th

at th

ese

assu

mpt

ions

are

all

incl

uded

in th

e m

odel

.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

whe

re th

e st

ate

appr

opria

tion

for t

he p

roje

ct o

f $28

milli

on c

omes

from

. N

CTA

dis

cuss

ed th

e va

rious

fund

ing

sour

ces

(i.e.

, the

mob

ility,

gap

, and

gen

eral

fund

s).

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

sked

whe

n bo

nds

get i

ssue

d fo

r the

pro

ject

. D

avid

resp

onde

d th

at b

onds

are

is

sued

onc

e th

e pr

ojec

t is

know

n to

be

feas

ible

. N

CTA

add

ed th

at ri

sk is

sues

, suc

h as

obt

aini

ng

perm

its, m

ust b

e re

solv

ed b

efor

e bo

nds

are

issu

ed.

Han

dout

23

(con

tinue

d) –

PB

dis

cuss

ed th

e al

tern

ativ

e pr

efer

ence

s se

ctio

n of

the

hand

out

star

ting

on p

age

10, i

nclu

ding

NC

TA’s

reco

mm

enda

tion

for M

CB

4 as

par

t of t

he L

ED

PA

(pag

e 11

). U

SA

CE

ask

ed w

hat t

he s

umm

ary

of p

ublic

com

men

ts in

Han

dout

21

reve

aled

with

resp

ect

to th

is d

ecis

ion.

PB

wen

t thr

ough

the

stat

istic

s in

Han

dout

21

rela

ted

to p

ublic

pre

fere

nces

for t

he

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es.

He

note

d th

at M

CB

4 ha

d th

e hi

ghes

t sta

ted

publ

ic p

refe

renc

e of

the

deta

iled

stud

y al

tern

ativ

es.

He

also

sai

d th

at th

e su

mm

ary

of p

ublic

pre

fere

nces

sho

wn

in

Han

dout

21

is b

ased

on

the

ques

tions

ask

ed o

n th

e ha

ndou

t tha

t was

dis

tribu

ted

at th

e pu

blic

he

arin

gs.

Brid

ge C

orrid

or –

C1

vs. C

2: P

B re

view

ed th

e se

ctio

n st

artin

g on

pag

e 11

rela

ted

to th

e de

cisi

on

betw

een

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

C1

and

C2,

not

ing

that

in re

spon

se to

pub

lic c

once

rn e

xpre

ssed

at t

he

hear

ings

rela

ted

to th

e bu

sine

ss d

ispl

acem

ents

iden

tifie

d in

the

DE

IS a

t Tim

Buc

k II

with

C2,

the

C2

corr

idor

had

bee

n re

-des

igne

d to

avo

id th

ese

busi

ness

es.

Ther

efor

e, th

ese

busi

ness

di

spla

cem

ents

are

no

long

er a

fact

or in

the

deci

sion

bet

wee

n th

e tw

o br

idge

cor

ridor

s. B

ased

on

the

fact

ors

disc

usse

d in

the

hand

out r

elat

ed to

the

two

brid

ge c

orrid

ors,

NC

TA re

com

men

ds th

at

C1

be c

hose

n as

par

t of t

he L

ED

PA

(see

bot

tom

of p

age

11).

Thi

s re

com

men

datio

n m

eans

that

M

CB

4/C

1 is

NC

TA’s

reco

mm

enda

tion

for t

he L

ED

PA.

Hur

rican

e E

vacu

atio

n O

ptio

ns: P

B d

iscu

ssed

the

hurri

cane

eva

cuat

ion

stra

tegy

sec

tion

of

Han

dout

23

star

ting

on p

age

12.

A m

eetin

g w

as s

ched

uled

for A

ugus

t 19,

201

0, w

ith D

are

and

Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y em

erge

ncy

man

agem

ent o

ffici

als

to g

et in

put o

n th

e st

rate

gies

dis

cuss

ed in

the

DE

IS b

ecau

se th

e lo

cal o

ffici

als

did

not p

rovi

de a

ny c

omm

ents

dur

ing

the

publ

ic c

omm

ent p

erio

d.

John

sai

d th

at h

is im

pres

sion

from

pre

viou

s m

eetin

gs w

ith th

ese

offic

ials

was

that

they

pre

ferr

ed

the

oper

atio

nal s

olut

ion,

as

oppo

sed

to b

uild

ing

new

lane

s fo

r hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion.

In

addi

tion,

th

ere

wer

e co

mm

ents

from

the

publ

ic e

xpre

ssin

g co

ncer

n ab

out t

he c

ost o

f bui

ldin

g ne

w la

nes

for

hurr

ican

e ev

acua

tion.

Bas

ed o

n th

ese

fact

ors,

NC

TA is

lean

ing

tow

ards

reco

mm

endi

ng a

n op

erat

iona

l sol

utio

n, b

ut w

ill w

ithho

ld g

ivin

g an

offi

cial

reco

mm

enda

tion

at le

ast u

ntil

afte

r the

m

eetin

g w

ith lo

cal o

ffici

als.

NC

TA w

ill su

pply

info

rmat

ion

on th

e re

sults

of t

he m

eetin

g w

ith lo

cal

offic

ials

to th

e ag

enci

es.

Des

ign

Con

side

ratio

ns –

Opt

ion

A v

s. O

ptio

n B

: PB

revi

ewed

the

sele

ctio

n of

pra

ctic

able

des

ign

and

cons

truct

ion

avoi

danc

e, m

inim

izat

ion,

and

miti

gatio

n st

rate

gies

sec

tion

at th

e bo

ttom

of p

age

12 o

f the

han

dout

and

the

cros

sing

Map

le S

wam

p on

brid

ge o

r fill

sec

tion

on p

age

13.

US

FWS

as

ked

abou

t pub

lic p

refe

renc

e re

late

d to

acc

ess

with

Opt

ions

A a

nd B

. P

B re

spon

ded

that

the

publ

ic w

as v

ery

oppo

sed

to th

e ac

cess

pro

vide

d to

Ayd

lett

with

Opt

ion

B.

NC

TA s

aid

that

the

botto

m li

ne is

that

the

publ

ic d

oes

not w

ant a

ny a

dditi

onal

acc

ess

to b

e pr

ovid

ed to

Ayd

lett

with

th

e pr

opos

ed p

roje

ct –

they

wan

t to

stay

as

isol

ated

as

poss

ible

. Th

e pu

blic

wan

ts to

kee

p th

eir

curre

nt a

cces

s vi

a A

ydle

tt R

oad,

as

wel

l as

to s

ave

mon

ey b

y bu

ildin

g th

e pr

ojec

t acr

oss

the

swam

p on

fill.

Pub

lic p

erce

ptio

n is

that

bec

ause

Ayd

lett

Roa

d w

as re

pave

d th

is s

umm

er, i

t wou

ld

be w

aste

ful t

o re

mov

e it.

PB

not

ed th

at g

iven

the

limite

d fu

ndin

g so

urce

s di

scus

sed

earli

er th

at

are

avai

labl

e to

bui

ld th

e pr

ojec

t, an

d th

at a

ppro

xim

atel

y $8

0 m

illion

wou

ld b

e sa

ved

by b

uild

ing

the

proj

ect o

n fil

l acr

oss

the

swam

p, w

e ha

ve to

car

eful

ly w

eigh

the

desi

gn c

ompo

nent

s of

Opt

ion

A a

nd/o

r Opt

ion

B th

at w

ill b

e in

clud

ed.

We

also

hav

e to

wei

gh p

ublic

con

cern

s ve

rsus

age

ncy

conc

erns

, whi

ch a

re o

ppos

ite w

ith re

spec

t to

the

desi

gn c

ompo

nent

s of

Opt

ions

A a

nd B

. P

B

aske

d if

ther

e w

ere

poss

ibly

oth

er b

ette

r opt

ions

to m

itiga

te im

pact

s to

Map

le S

wam

p th

an

build

ing

a br

idge

acr

oss

the

swam

p. F

or e

xam

ple,

wou

ld p

rese

rvin

g ot

her a

reas

of t

he s

wam

p be

a

bette

r sol

utio

n? H

e al

so m

entio

ned

that

the

poss

ibilit

y of

redu

cing

the

leng

th o

f NC

12

that

Pag

e 8

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

wou

ld b

e im

prov

ed w

ith M

CB

4, w

hile

stil

l ade

quat

ely

serv

ing

fore

cast

traf

fic d

eman

d, w

as b

eing

co

nsid

ered

as

a po

tent

ial w

ay to

dec

reas

e th

e co

st o

f the

pro

ject

. N

CTA

will

prov

ide

addi

tiona

l in

form

atio

n ab

out t

he im

pact

s of

thes

e tw

o op

tions

, as

wel

l as

inve

stig

ate

othe

r pos

sibl

e op

tions

.

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e D

iscu

ssio

n: N

CTA

not

ed th

at b

efor

e co

ntin

uing

with

dis

cuss

ion

of s

peci

fic

cons

truct

ion

tech

niqu

es, i

t wou

ld b

e be

nefic

ial t

o co

nsid

er e

limin

atin

g so

me

of th

e al

tern

ativ

es

from

con

side

ratio

n. N

CTA

wou

ld li

ke to

be

able

to d

ocum

ent a

genc

y ag

reem

ent o

n th

e P

refe

rred

A

ltern

ativ

e, b

ut th

e ag

enci

es w

ill no

t be

aske

d to

sig

n a

form

al a

gree

men

t. A

genc

ies

did

not f

eel

com

forta

ble

sele

ctin

g a

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e or

LE

DP

A w

ithou

t add

ition

al in

form

atio

n on

co

nstru

ctio

n te

chni

ques

and

impa

cts

of th

e br

idge

alte

rnat

ives

, par

ticul

arly

as

they

com

pare

to

ER

2. N

CD

ENR

-DC

M a

nd U

SA

CE

not

ed th

at w

ithou

t inf

orm

atio

n ab

out p

oten

tial i

mpa

cts

from

co

nstru

ctio

n, in

clud

ing

dred

ging

, the

y ca

n no

t be

sure

that

a b

ridge

alte

rnat

ive

is th

e LE

DP

A o

r is

perm

ittab

le.

All

agen

cies

agr

eed

to e

limin

ate

MC

B2

from

furth

er c

onsi

dera

tion.

MC

B2

has

the

mos

t im

pact

s,

does

not

hav

e an

y pu

blic

sup

port,

and

can

not

be

fund

ed a

t thi

s tim

e. N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

and

N

CW

RC

als

o in

dica

ted

a pr

efer

ence

for t

he C

1 br

idge

cor

ridor

. A

ll ag

enci

es p

rese

nt a

nd o

n th

e ph

one

agre

ed w

ith th

is re

com

men

datio

n, a

nd C

2 w

as e

limin

ated

from

furth

er c

onsi

dera

tion.

A

genc

ies

requ

este

d th

at E

R2

be re

tain

ed fo

r add

ition

al c

ompa

rison

with

MC

B4.

Age

ncie

s re

ques

ted

addi

tiona

l inf

orm

atio

n on

con

stru

ctio

n te

chni

ques

, inc

ludi

ng fi

lling

vers

us b

ridgi

ng in

M

aple

Sw

amp,

dre

dgin

g in

the

Sou

nd, a

nd s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t; av

oida

nce

and

min

imiz

atio

n; a

nd fu

ndin

g fo

r MC

B4.

Age

ncie

s ag

reed

that

no

addi

tiona

l inf

orm

atio

n is

nee

ded

for E

R2

at th

is ti

me.

NC

TA re

ques

ted

that

if a

genc

ies

requ

ire a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion

on E

R2,

to

let N

CTA

kno

w a

s so

on a

s po

ssib

le. N

CTA

will

plan

to p

rese

nt d

etai

led

impa

cts

on M

CB

4/C

1 at

th

e S

epte

mbe

r 201

0 TE

AC

mee

ting.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M p

oint

ed o

ut th

at p

age

5 of

the

impa

cts

mat

rix h

as a

pos

sibl

e m

ista

ke.

It ap

pear

s th

at s

ome

of th

e im

pact

acr

eage

s ar

e ei

ther

sw

itche

d or

shi

fted

to th

e rig

ht b

y on

e co

lum

n.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M a

lso

said

that

she

wan

ts to

furth

er d

iscu

ss C

AM

A A

EC

impa

cts

at s

ome

time.

US

EP

A a

sked

abo

ut s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t iss

ues

with

a b

ridge

alte

rnat

ive,

not

ing

that

tryi

ng

to re

solv

e th

is is

sue

has

caus

ed d

elay

s fo

r oth

er re

cent

coa

stal

pro

ject

s. U

SE

PA

indi

cate

d th

at

they

wou

ld li

ke m

ore

than

just

a s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t pla

n be

caus

e lo

ng-te

rm s

torm

wat

er

impa

ct to

the

soun

d is

a m

ajor

US

EP

A c

once

rn.

US

EPA

bel

ieve

s th

at th

e cu

mul

ativ

e st

orm

wat

er

impa

ct to

the

soun

d ov

er a

n ex

tend

ed p

erio

d is

a s

igni

fican

t iss

ue, a

s th

e so

und

has

alre

ady

expe

rienc

ed d

egra

datio

n in

wat

er q

ualit

y fro

m th

e cu

mul

ativ

e im

pact

of p

ollu

tant

s in

sto

rmw

ater

ru

noff

over

tim

e. N

CTA

sai

d th

at M

att L

auffe

r, N

CD

OT

Sto

rmw

ater

Pro

gram

, wou

ld b

e at

the

Sep

tem

ber T

EA

C m

eetin

g to

dis

cuss

the

resu

lts o

f the

NC

DO

T-sp

onso

red

stor

mw

ater

stu

dy,

whi

ch s

how

that

it d

oes

not a

ppea

r tha

t col

lect

ing

stor

mw

ater

runo

ff ov

er th

e en

tire

leng

th o

f the

br

idge

is p

ract

icab

le (i

.e.,

the

bene

fit fo

r the

cos

t is

not g

ood

acco

rdin

g to

the

stud

y).

US

AC

E a

sked

for c

larif

icat

ion

as to

the

outc

ome

of to

day’

s m

eetin

g. N

CTA

sum

mar

ized

that

the

team

had

agr

eed

to e

limin

ate

MC

B2

and

C2

as c

ompo

nent

s of

the

LED

PA

/Pre

ferre

d A

ltern

ativ

e,

and

to re

tain

MC

B4/

C1

and

ER

2 be

caus

e th

e ag

enci

es w

ant m

ore

info

rmat

ion

on c

ompo

nent

s of

M

CB

4 so

that

we

can

bette

r com

pare

the

impa

cts

of th

ese

alte

rnat

ives

.

US

AC

E c

autio

ned

abou

t dis

cuss

ing

miti

gatio

n (in

term

s of

pre

serv

atio

n of

Map

le S

wam

p) a

s pa

rt of

the

LED

PA

sel

ectio

n. N

CTA

reco

gniz

es th

at it

is n

ot p

rope

r to

disc

uss

the

cost

and

ben

efits

of

the

mon

ey s

pent

to b

uild

the

brid

ge v

ersu

s m

itiga

tion.

Avo

idan

ce, f

ollo

wed

by

min

imiz

atio

n, a

nd

final

ly m

itiga

tion

is th

e pr

oper

seq

uenc

e fo

r the

se d

iscu

ssio

ns.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Non

e.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

NC

TA w

ill pr

ovid

e ad

ditio

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

on M

CB

4/C

1 co

nstru

ctio

n op

tions

and

impa

cts

and

disc

uss

at th

e S

epte

mbe

r 201

0 TE

AC

mee

ting.

C-72

Pag

e 9

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

N

CTA

will

supp

ly in

form

atio

n on

the

resu

lts o

f the

mee

ting

with

loca

l gov

ernm

ents

rega

rdin

g hu

rrica

ne e

vacu

atio

n op

tions

to th

e ag

enci

es.

A

genc

ies

prov

ide

com

men

ts o

n H

ando

ut 2

3, a

nd o

ther

han

dout

s, in

acc

orda

nce

with

the

Pro

ject

C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n.

A

genc

ies

will

let N

CTA

kno

w if

they

requ

ire a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion

on E

R2

as s

oon

as p

ossi

ble.

Res

olut

ions

:

MC

B2

was

elim

inat

ed fr

om fu

rther

con

side

ratio

n as

par

t of t

he L

ED

PA

/Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e.

The

C2

brid

ge c

orrid

or w

as e

limin

ated

from

furth

er c

onsi

dera

tion

as p

art o

f the

LE

DP

A/P

refe

rred

A

ltern

ativ

e.

Nex

t Ste

ps:

TE

AC

mee

ting

– S

epte

mbe

r 8, 2

010

Pag

e 10

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

MEE

TIN

G M

INU

TES

Dat

e:

Aug

ust 1

0, 2

010

3:30

PM

to 5

:00

PM

N

CTA

Boa

rd R

oom

Proj

ect:

S

TIP

R-3

329/

R-2

559

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or/B

ypas

s –

STP

-NH

F-74

(90)

Mon

roe

Con

nect

or/B

ypas

s Sp

otlig

ht:

Atte

ndee

s:C

hris

Milit

sche

r, U

SE

PA

S

cott

McL

endo

n, U

SA

CE

M

arel

la B

unci

ck, U

SFW

S (v

ia p

hone

) B

rian

Wre

nn, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

M

arla

Cha

mbe

rs, N

CW

RC

(via

pho

ne)

Pol

ly L

espi

nass

e, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

Je

nnife

r Har

ris,

NC

TA

Mis

sy P

air,

NC

DO

T P

DE

A C

olin

Mel

lor,

NC

DO

T N

EU

(via

pho

ne)

Her

man

Hua

ng, N

CD

OT

HE

U

Ann

e G

ambe

r, N

CD

OT-

Hyd

raul

ics

Uni

t D

oug

Tayl

or, N

CD

OT-

Roa

dway

Des

ign

Uni

t C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

Jam

es B

yrd,

HN

TB

Kie

rste

n G

iugn

o, P

BS

&J

Ron

Fer

rell,

PB

S&

J Je

rry M

cCra

in, P

BS

&J

Ste

ve B

row

de, L

ochn

er

Pres

enta

tion

Mat

eria

ls (p

oste

d to

TEA

C w

ebsi

te):

A

gend

a

H

ando

ut in

clud

ing

Bio

logi

cal A

sses

smen

t Upd

ate,

Per

mitt

ing

His

tory

and

Stra

tegy

, and

Miti

gatio

n

Purp

ose:

Dis

cuss

per

mitt

ing

and

miti

gatio

n.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

Bio

logi

cal A

sses

smen

t Upd

ate:

The

follo

win

g bi

olog

ical

con

clus

ions

wer

e ou

tline

d in

the

Bio

logi

cal A

sses

smen

t sub

mitt

ed to

US

FWS

in M

arch

201

0:

C

arol

ina

heel

split

ter a

nd it

s de

sign

ated

Crit

ical

Hab

itat –

May

Affe

ct, N

ot L

ikel

y to

A

dver

sely

Affe

ct

S

chw

eini

tz’s

sun

flow

er –

May

Affe

ct, N

ot L

ikel

y to

Adv

erse

ly A

ffect

Mic

haux

’s s

umac

– N

o E

ffect

Sm

ooth

con

eflo

wer

– N

o Ef

fect

It w

as n

oted

that

the

US

FWS

requ

este

d ad

ditio

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

rega

rdin

g th

e 20

35 N

o-B

uild

and

B

uild

gro

wth

ass

umpt

ions

in th

e Q

uant

itativ

e IC

E (B

aker

Eng

inee

ring,

Apr

il 20

10).

Sup

plem

enta

l in

form

atio

n w

as p

repa

red

and

sum

mar

ized

in m

emos

dat

ed J

une

28 a

nd J

uly

26, 2

010

whi

ch a

re

both

ava

ilabl

e on

the

TEA

C C

onst

ruct

war

e w

ebsi

te.

Bas

ed u

pon

a re

view

of t

he s

uppl

emen

tal

info

rmat

ion,

US

FWS

issu

ed a

lette

r of c

oncu

rrenc

e w

ith th

e bi

olog

ical

con

clus

ions

dat

ed J

uly

29,

2010

.

Perm

ittin

g H

isto

ry a

nd S

trat

egy:

A

401

wat

er q

ualit

y ce

rtific

atio

n is

sued

by

NC

DEN

R-D

WQ

fo

r the

Mon

roe

Byp

ass

(R-2

559C

and

R-2

559B

) on

Oct

ober

2, 2

002

expi

red

in N

ovem

ber 2

008.

N

CTA

pre

pare

d fu

nctio

nal l

evel

des

ign

plan

s fo

r DS

As

eval

uate

d in

the

Dra

ft E

IS, M

arch

200

9.

The

desi

gns

for t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

wer

e re

fined

bas

ed o

n ag

ency

and

pub

lic c

omm

ents

on

the

Dra

ft E

IS a

nd p

rese

nted

in th

e Fi

nal E

IS in

May

201

0. B

ecau

se th

e pr

ojec

t will

use

a de

sign

-bu

ild p

rocu

rem

ent,

the

leve

l of d

esig

ns w

ere

not f

urth

er a

dvan

ced

for t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

The

sche

dule

for o

btai

ning

a p

erm

it is

crit

ical

. It

is e

ssen

tial t

hat N

CTA

obt

ain

a pe

rmit

this

fall

in

orde

r to

assu

re fi

nanc

ing

entit

ies

that

we

are

seek

ing

finan

cial

clo

se o

n a

proj

ect t

hat h

as c

lear

ed

mos

t or a

ll ap

prov

als

to c

onst

ruct

the

proj

ect i

n a

timel

y m

anne

r.

C-73

Pag

e 11

of 1

1

Turn

pik

e Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting –

08/1

0/1

0

NC

TA in

tend

s to

sub

mit

a pe

rmit

appl

icat

ion

pack

age

tow

ard

the

end

of A

ugus

t 201

0 to

N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

and

US

ACE

, dep

endi

ng u

pon

issu

ance

of t

he R

OD

. Th

e pe

rmit

appl

icat

ion

will

incl

ude

final

des

ign

and

hydr

aulic

pla

ns a

nd im

pact

s ba

sed

on th

e pr

evio

us M

onro

e B

ypas

s pr

ojec

t’s fi

nal a

ppro

ved

desi

gn p

lans

for R

-255

9C (A

ustin

Cha

ney

Roa

d to

US

74

at th

e ea

ster

n en

d of

the

proj

ect)

and

func

tiona

l des

igns

for t

he re

mai

nder

of t

he p

roje

ct. N

CTA

ant

icip

ates

two

perm

it m

odifi

catio

ns b

y th

e de

sign

-bui

ld te

am (o

ne fo

r R-3

329

and

one

for R

-255

9).

Miti

gatio

n: N

CTA

rece

ived

and

dis

tribu

ted

an a

ccep

tanc

e le

tter f

rom

NC

EE

P, d

ated

Jun

e 24

, 20

10.

Impa

cts

wer

e in

clud

ed fo

r bot

h pe

renn

ial a

nd in

term

itten

t stre

ams

and

wer

e ba

sed

on

func

tiona

l des

ign

of th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

(in th

e Fi

nal E

IS) p

lus

a 40

-foot

buf

fer.

Impa

cts

will

decr

ease

as

desi

gn p

rogr

esse

s an

d ad

ditio

nal r

efin

emen

ts s

uch

as re

duce

d m

edia

n w

idth

s ar

e in

corp

orat

ed.

NC

EE

P h

as s

uffic

ient

miti

gatio

n si

tes

that

are

com

plet

ed a

nd h

ave

been

mon

itore

d fo

r tw

o ye

ars

whi

ch m

eet t

he p

roje

ct’s

miti

gatio

n re

quire

men

ts.

US

EP

A a

nd N

CW

RC

not

ed th

at m

itiga

tion

with

in th

e im

pact

ed w

ater

shed

is p

refe

rred.

Col

in M

ello

r, N

CD

OT

HE

U, c

omm

ente

d th

at fo

ur

onsi

te o

ppor

tuni

ties

wer

e fo

und

and

each

repr

esen

t app

roxi

mat

ely

1,00

0 lin

ear f

eet a

nd

pote

ntia

lly lo

nger

. H

e no

ted

that

thes

e si

tes

may

be

good

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r enh

ance

men

t.

Pro

perty

ow

ners

hav

e no

t bee

n co

ntac

ted

to d

eter

min

e w

heth

er o

r not

they

hav

e an

y in

tere

st in

se

lling

thei

r lan

d.

NC

TA w

ill p

ursu

e th

ese

site

s fu

rther

to d

eter

min

e if

they

are

via

ble.

The

late

st s

tatu

s of

this

effo

rt w

ill be

incl

uded

in th

e pe

rmit

appl

icat

ion.

Q&

A: Q.

Whe

n w

ill yo

u be

add

ress

ing

com

men

ts m

ade

on th

e Fi

nal E

IS?

A

. R

espo

nses

to c

omm

ents

mad

e on

the

Fina

l EIS

will

be in

clud

ed in

the

RO

D, w

hich

is c

urre

ntly

un

der i

nter

nal r

evie

w b

y FH

WA

.

Prev

ious

Act

ion

Item

s:

Non

e.

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

Age

ncie

s pr

ovid

e in

put o

n pe

rmitt

ing

and

miti

gatio

n.

N

CTA

pro

ceed

with

inve

stig

atin

g fo

ur o

nsite

stre

am e

nhan

cem

ent o

ppor

tuni

ties

furth

er.

Res

olut

ions

:

Non

e.

Nex

t Ste

ps:

TE

AC

mee

ting

– S

epte

mbe

r 8, 2

010

to in

clud

e di

scus

sion

s w

ith th

e th

ree

shor

tlist

ed d

esig

n-bu

ild

team

s

NC

TA s

ubm

it pe

rmit

appl

icat

ion.

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

ME

ET

ING

MIN

UT

ES

Dat

e:

Sep

tem

ber

8, 2

010

8:30

a.m

. To

9:00

a.m

.

N

CT

A B

oard

Roo

m

Pro

ject

:

ST

IP R

-272

1, R

-282

8, a

nd R

-292

9 –

Tria

ngle

Exp

ress

way

Ext

ensi

on (

Ral

eigh

Out

er L

oop)

Tri

ang

le E

xpre

ssw

ay E

xten

sion

Spo

tligh

t:

Att

end

ees:

G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

E

ric A

lsm

eyer

, US

AC

E

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

T

ravi

s W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Del

oris

Hal

l, N

CD

CR

(vi

a te

leph

one)

D

oug

Tay

lor,

NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n U

nit

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris,

NC

TA

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

John

Bur

ris, H

NT

B

Joan

na R

occo

, UR

S

Dav

id G

riffin

, UR

S

Roy

Bru

ce, L

ochn

er

Bria

n E

ason

, Loc

hner

K

ristin

Mas

eman

, Loc

hner

W

ende

e S

mith

, Mul

key

Pre

sen

tati

on M

ater

ials

(P

ost

ed o

n T

EA

C w

ebsi

te):

•

Age

nda

• D

raft

Mee

ting

Min

utes

– 8

/10/

10 T

EA

C M

eetin

g •

Han

dout

4 –

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng, Q

uant

itativ

e T

hird

Tie

r S

cree

ning

of

Alte

rnat

ive

Con

cept

s •

New

slet

ter

#2

Pu

rpo

se:

Con

tinue

dis

cuss

ion

on p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed

stat

emen

t and

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion

:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

•P

urp

ose

and

Nee

d an

d A

lter

nat

ives

Scr

een

ing

Met

hodo

log

y: N

CT

A h

as r

ecei

ved

com

men

ts

on th

e dr

aft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort f

rom

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q.

Com

men

ts o

n bo

th p

urpo

se a

nd

need

and

the

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng m

etho

dolo

gy w

ill b

e ac

cept

ed u

ntil

afte

r th

e S

epte

mbe

r pu

blic

wor

ksho

ps.

A r

evis

ed P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort a

nd a

dra

ft A

ltern

ativ

es R

epor

t will

then

be

com

plet

ed a

nd m

ade

avai

labl

e to

age

ncie

s, lo

cal g

over

nmen

ts a

nd th

e pu

blic

for

com

men

ts.

Oth

er a

genc

ies

indi

cate

d th

ey d

o no

t pla

n to

sub

mit

writ

ten

com

men

ts a

nd w

ill d

efer

to N

CD

EN

R-

DW

Q’s

com

men

ts.

•A

lter

nat

ives

Scr

een

ing

: Lo

chne

r su

mm

ariz

ed th

e re

sults

of t

he q

uant

itativ

e th

ird ti

er s

cree

ning

of

alte

rnat

ives

car

ried

forw

ard

from

the

seco

nd ti

er s

cree

ning

, whi

ch in

clud

ed n

ine

new

loca

tion

alte

rnat

ives

, tw

o im

prov

e ex

istin

g fa

cilit

ies

alte

rnat

ives

, and

two

hybr

id n

ew lo

catio

n/im

prov

e

Tur

npik

e E

nvir

onm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EA

C)

Mee

ting

C-74

Pag

e 2

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

exis

ting

faci

litie

s al

tern

ativ

es.

Thi

s ro

und

of s

cree

ning

incl

uded

mor

e ev

alua

tion

crite

ria a

nd a

m

ore

deta

iled

exam

inat

ion

of im

pact

s th

an th

e se

cond

rou

nd o

f scr

eeni

ng.

US

FW

S a

nd N

CW

RC

sta

ted

that

Nat

iona

l Her

itage

Pro

gram

(N

HP

) oc

curr

ence

s sh

ould

not

be

used

in th

e im

pact

s su

mm

ary

tabl

e in

Han

dout

4 b

ecau

se th

e N

HP

GIS

dat

abas

e is

too

gene

ral

to p

rovi

de u

sefu

l com

para

tive

info

rmat

ion.

Ins

tead

, the

y su

gges

ted

that

fede

ral a

nd s

tate

list

ed

spec

ies

occu

rren

ces

wou

ld p

rovi

de m

ore

usef

ul c

ompa

rativ

e in

form

atio

n.

The

age

ncie

s ag

reed

to e

limin

ate

Impr

ove

Exi

stin

g A

ltern

ativ

e #3

and

Hyb

rid A

ltern

ativ

e #3

(ea

ch

incl

udes

upg

radi

ng a

nd w

iden

ing

Ten

-Ten

Roa

d) b

ecau

se e

ach

of th

ese

wou

ld r

equi

re m

uch

larg

er n

umbe

rs o

f re

loca

tions

than

all

othe

r al

tern

ativ

es w

ithou

t pro

vidi

ng c

lear

adv

anta

ges.

In

addi

tion,

bec

ause

Impr

ove

Exi

stin

g A

ltern

ativ

e #1

and

Hyb

rid A

ltern

ativ

e #1

rem

ain

unde

r co

nsid

erat

ion,

via

ble

alte

rnat

ives

are

not

lim

ited

to n

ew lo

catio

n op

tions

at t

his

poin

t.

NC

TA

will

dis

cuss

with

NC

DO

T R

oadw

ay D

esig

n st

aff t

he n

ine

new

loca

tion

alte

rnat

ives

, Im

prov

e E

xist

ing

Alte

rnat

ive

#1, a

nd H

ybrid

Alte

rnat

ive

#1 to

iden

tify

geom

etric

con

stra

ints

and

oth

er

desi

gn c

onsi

dera

tions

influ

enci

ng th

e fu

rthe

r de

velo

pmen

t of t

hese

alte

rnat

ives

. A

fter

pres

entin

g th

ese

alte

rnat

ives

to th

e pu

blic

at t

he S

epte

mbe

r w

orks

hops

, NC

TA

exp

ects

to s

elec

t Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

(D

SA

s) b

y N

ovem

ber

of th

is y

ear.

•S

ecti

on

600

2 C

oop

erat

ing

Ag

ency

Invi

tatio

n:

US

AC

E h

as r

ecei

ved

the

FH

WA

lette

r in

vitin

g it

to b

e a

coop

erat

ing

agen

cy u

nder

the

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan

and

will

sig

n an

d re

turn

it to

F

HW

A s

oon.

Pre

vio

us

Act

ion

Item

s:•

FH

WA

to d

istr

ibut

e le

tters

invi

ting

fede

ral a

genc

ies

to b

ecom

e co

oper

atin

g/pa

rtic

ipat

ing

agen

cies

un

der

the

Pro

ject

Coo

rdin

atio

n P

lan.

[L

ette

rs w

ere

dist

ribut

ed o

n A

ugus

t 17,

201

0.]

• A

genc

ies

to p

rovi

de fi

nal c

omm

ents

to N

CT

A o

n P

roje

ct C

oord

inat

ion

Pla

n.

[No

addi

tiona

l com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

.] •

NC

TA

/Loc

hner

to c

larif

y di

stin

ctio

n be

twee

n tr

affic

stu

dy a

rea

and

proj

ect s

tudy

are

a fo

r al

tern

ativ

es d

evel

opm

ent i

n P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort.

[C

larif

icat

ion

will

be

incl

uded

in r

evis

ed P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort,

avai

labl

e by

mid

-Oct

ober

, afte

r th

e pu

blic

wor

ksho

ps.}

• H

NT

B to

rev

iew

exi

stin

g an

d pr

ojec

ted

traf

fic fo

r U

S 4

01 a

nd c

onsi

der

addi

ng th

is in

form

atio

n to

tr

affic

figu

res

in th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort.

[T

his

info

rmat

ion

was

not

incl

uded

on

the

initi

al tr

affic

figu

res

beca

use

only

seg

men

ts th

at

expe

rienc

ed m

ore

than

10

perc

ent c

hang

e in

traf

fic b

etw

een

the

No-

Bui

ld a

nd B

uild

sce

nario

s w

ere

mod

eled

; how

ever

, thi

s tr

affic

info

rmat

ion

for

US

401

will

be

adde

d fo

r in

form

atio

n.]

• A

genc

ies

to p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Rep

ort.

[W

ritte

n co

mm

ents

wer

e re

ceiv

ed fr

om N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

. Oth

er a

genc

ies

indi

cate

d th

at th

ey w

ill

not p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

writ

ten

com

men

ts.]

• N

CT

A/L

ochn

er to

con

side

r re

visi

ng fi

rst t

ier

qual

itativ

e sc

reen

ing

of a

ltern

ativ

e co

ncep

ts to

cla

rify

the

link

betw

een

this

scr

eeni

ng a

nd th

e m

easu

res

of e

ffect

iven

ess

for

proj

ect p

urpo

se.

[Cla

rific

atio

n w

ill b

e in

clud

ed in

dra

ft A

ltern

ativ

es R

epor

t, av

aila

ble

by m

id-O

ctob

er, a

fter

the

publ

ic w

orks

hops

.]•

NC

TA

/Loc

hner

to c

ompl

ete

third

tier

qua

litat

ive

scre

enin

g of

alte

rnat

ives

and

pre

sent

res

ults

at

Sep

tem

ber

TE

AC

mee

ting.

[H

ando

ut 4

pre

sent

ed a

t the

Sep

tem

ber

TE

AC

mee

ting

incl

udes

the

resu

lts o

f the

third

tier

qu

alita

tive

scre

enin

g.]

• A

genc

ies

to p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng m

etho

dolo

gy a

nd d

raft

alte

rnat

ive

conc

epts

. [A

dra

ft A

ltern

ativ

es R

epor

t will

be

prep

ared

follo

win

g pu

blic

wor

ksho

ps in

late

Sep

tem

ber

and

mad

e av

aila

ble

for

agen

cy a

nd p

ublic

rev

iew

and

com

men

t.]

Pag

e 3

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

• Lo

chne

r to

rev

ise

alte

rnat

ives

impa

ct ta

ble

to r

epla

ce N

atur

al H

erita

ge P

rogr

am O

ccur

renc

es a

s an

eva

luat

ion

crite

rion

with

sep

arat

e br

eako

uts

of fe

dera

l and

sta

te p

rote

cted

spe

cies

.

Res

olu

tion

s:•

Non

e

Nex

t S

tep

s:•

Pub

lic w

orks

hops

on

Sep

tem

ber

21, 2

2, a

nd 2

3, 2

010.

•

Rev

ise

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d R

epor

t acc

ordi

ng to

age

ncy

and

publ

ic c

omm

ents

. •

Pre

pare

dra

ft A

ltern

ativ

es R

epor

t and

circ

ulat

e fo

r ag

ency

and

pub

lic r

evie

w a

nd c

omm

ent.

C-75

Pag

e 4

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

ME

ET

ING

MIN

UT

ES

Dat

e:

Sep

tem

ber

8, 2

010

9:45

A.M

. To

11:1

5 A

.M.

NC

TA

Boa

rd R

oom

P

roje

ct:

ST

IP U

-473

8 –

Cap

e F

ear

Sky

way

Cap

e F

ear

Sky

way

Spo

tligh

t:

Att

end

ees:

G

eorg

e H

oops

, F

HW

A

Sco

tt M

cLen

don,

US

AC

E

Bra

d S

have

r, U

SA

CE

F

ritz

Roh

de, N

MF

S (

via

tele

phon

e)

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

B

rian

Wre

nn, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

T

ravi

s W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Ste

ve S

ollo

d, N

CD

CM

Mik

e K

ozlo

sky,

WM

PO

S

teph

anie

Aye

rs, N

CS

PA

D

oug

Tay

lor,

NC

DO

T

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris,

NC

TA

C

hris

ty S

hum

ate,

HN

TB

Jo

hn B

urris

, HN

TB

D

avid

Grif

fin, U

RS

P

eter

Tre

ncan

sky,

UR

S

Joan

na R

occo

, UR

S

Pre

sen

tati

on

Mat

eria

ls (

Po

sted

on

TE

AC

web

site

):

• A

gend

a •

Pro

ject

Pow

erP

oint

Pre

sent

atio

n •

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent

• D

raft

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng S

umm

arie

s

• A

genc

y co

mm

ents

and

res

pons

es to

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t and

Alte

rnat

ives

Scr

eeni

ng

Sum

mar

ies

Pu

rpo

se:

The

pur

pose

of t

he m

eetin

g w

as to

dis

cuss

com

men

ts r

ecei

ved

from

the

agen

cies

on

the

draf

t P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent a

nd th

e fir

st a

nd s

econ

d tie

r al

tern

ativ

e sc

reen

ing

sum

mar

ies,

and

to

solic

it co

mm

ents

and

/or

Issu

es o

f Con

cern

from

Par

ticip

atin

g A

genc

ies

in th

is r

egar

d.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion

:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g.

• U

RS

rev

iew

ed th

e co

mm

ents

rec

eive

d th

us fa

r on

the

draf

t Pur

pose

and

Nee

d S

tate

men

t. P

rinte

d co

pies

of t

he r

espo

nses

to th

ese

com

men

ts b

y N

CT

A w

ere

prov

ided

to m

eetin

g at

tend

ees.

H

ighl

ight

s of

the

disc

ussi

on a

re a

s fo

llow

s:

o

NC

WR

C in

quire

d ab

out t

he tr

uck

traf

fic a

nd if

it is

now

und

eres

timat

ed s

ince

the

Nor

th

Car

olin

a In

tern

atio

nal T

erm

inal

(N

CIT

) in

Sou

thpo

rt, N

C is

not

bei

ng b

uilt.

Ste

phan

ie A

yers

ex

plai

ned

that

traf

fic w

ill p

roba

bly

only

incr

ease

now

that

ther

e ar

e no

pla

ns fo

r th

e N

CIT

. T

he P

ort o

f Wilm

ingt

on w

ill c

ontin

ue to

exp

and

at it

s ex

istin

g lo

catio

n, a

nd p

relim

inar

y st

udie

s ar

e cu

rren

tly ta

king

pla

ce b

y th

e N

CS

PA

reg

ardi

ng tr

affic

pro

ject

ions

.

o

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M in

quire

d ab

out h

is p

revi

ous

com

men

t reg

ardi

ng th

e C

ape

Fea

r M

emor

ial

Brid

ge a

nd h

ow it

s re

plac

emen

t cou

ld a

ffec

t tra

ffic

mov

emen

ts in

the

area

. U

RS

exp

lain

ed

that

ther

e w

ill b

e a

num

ber

of a

ltern

ativ

es fo

r th

e pr

ojec

t, in

clud

ing

upgr

ade

exis

ting

alte

rnat

ives

that

eith

er r

epla

ce th

e ex

istin

g C

ape

Fea

r Mem

oria

l Brid

ge, o

r su

pple

men

t the

ex

istin

g br

idge

by

prov

idin

g a

new

loca

tion

brid

ge w

ithin

clo

se p

roxi

mity

to th

e ex

istin

g br

idge

. If

the

sele

cted

alte

rnat

ive

does

not

invo

lve

the

repl

acem

ent o

f the

exi

stin

g C

ape

Fea

r M

emor

ial B

ridge

(fo

r ex

ampl

e th

e N

o B

uild

or

new

loca

tion

alte

rnat

ive)

, the

NC

DO

T

wou

ld n

eed

to d

eter

min

e if

a re

plac

emen

t brid

ge w

ould

be

nece

ssar

y at

som

e po

int i

n th

e fu

ture

.

Pag

e 5

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

o

A d

iscu

ssio

n w

as h

eld

rega

rdin

g w

heth

er o

r no

t con

sist

ency

with

the

Str

ateg

ic H

ighw

ay

Cor

ridor

Initi

ativ

e (a

nd o

ther

tran

spor

tatio

n pl

ans)

sho

uld

be in

clud

ed a

s pa

rt o

f the

pur

pose

st

atem

ent o

f the

pro

ject

. It

was

agr

eed

that

this

sho

uld

be a

sec

onda

ry b

enef

it of

the

proj

ect,

and

will

be

revi

sed

in th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent.

Mik

e K

ozlo

sky

stre

ssed

th

at th

e W

ilmin

gton

Urb

an A

rea

Met

ropo

litan

Pla

nnin

g O

rgan

izat

ion’

s (W

MP

O)

Long

Ran

ge

Tra

nspo

rtat

ion

Pla

n (L

RT

P)

is s

uppo

rted

by

the

com

mun

ity, a

nd a

ny a

ltern

ativ

e ch

osen

for

de

taile

d st

udy

shou

ld b

e co

nsis

tent

with

this

pla

n. U

RS

not

ed th

at if

the

para

met

er to

mee

t th

e go

als

of th

e S

HC

, Int

rast

ate

Sys

tem

and

LR

TP

are

mov

ed to

sec

onda

ry n

eeds

it w

ill b

e im

port

ant t

o de

velo

p pe

rfor

man

ce m

easu

res

that

cap

ture

the

inte

nt o

f the

se p

lans

, bec

ause

im

prov

ing

traf

fic fl

ow a

nd p

rovi

ding

for

bette

r fre

ight

mov

emen

ts w

ould

nee

d to

be

expl

aine

d fu

rthe

r su

ch th

at th

e al

tern

ativ

es m

eet t

he lo

cal v

isio

n an

d go

als

for

this

cor

ridor

.

o

It w

as a

gree

d th

at th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent w

as r

eady

to b

e pr

esen

ted

to th

e pu

blic

.

• U

RS

rev

iew

ed th

e co

mm

ents

rec

eive

d th

us fa

r on

the

draf

t alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng.

Prin

ted

copi

es o

f th

e re

spon

ses

to th

ese

com

men

ts b

y N

CT

A w

ere

prov

ided

to m

eetin

g at

tend

ees.

Hig

hlig

hts

of th

e di

scus

sion

are

as

follo

ws:

o

NC

SP

A in

quire

d w

heth

er im

prov

emen

ts o

n th

e ea

ster

n si

de o

f the

pro

ject

wou

ld b

e in

clud

ed in

des

igns

. D

avid

Grif

fin e

xpla

ined

that

stu

dies

wou

ld in

clud

e an

eva

luat

ion

of th

e tr

ansp

orta

tion

netw

ork

on th

e ea

ster

n si

de o

f th

e pr

ojec

t and

ass

ocia

ted

impa

cts.

If

appr

opria

te, i

dent

ified

impr

ovem

ents

will

be

inco

rpor

ated

into

func

tiona

l des

igns

for

the

Det

aile

d S

tudy

Alte

rnat

ives

.

o

US

AC

E s

ugge

sted

that

LID

AR

dat

a be

use

d as

a m

eans

to id

entif

y w

etla

nds

with

in th

e co

rrid

ors

stud

ied

in th

e al

tern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

. U

RS

will

look

into

usi

ng th

is in

form

atio

n to

pr

ovid

e m

ore

accu

rate

res

ults

reg

ardi

ng w

etla

nd im

pact

s du

ring

alte

rnat

ive

scre

enin

g.

Pre

vio

us

Act

ion

Item

s:•

Age

ncie

s to

sen

d co

mm

ents

on

the

Dra

ft P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent a

nd a

ltern

ativ

e sc

reen

ing

met

hodo

logy

and

con

cept

s by

05/

04/1

0.

[Com

men

ts r

ecei

ved

from

US

EP

A, U

SA

CE

, NC

SP

A, N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

, and

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q]

New

Act

ion

Item

s:

• A

genc

y m

embe

rs to

sen

d re

mai

ning

com

men

ts o

n al

tern

ativ

e sc

reen

ing

met

hodo

logy

and

con

cept

s to

NC

TA

.

Res

olu

tion

s:•

Agr

eem

ent w

as r

each

ed o

n th

e P

urpo

se a

nd N

eed

Sta

tem

ent f

or th

e pr

ojec

t.

Nex

t S

tep

s:•

Rev

ise

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d R

epor

t acc

ordi

ng to

age

ncy

com

men

ts.

• C

ontin

ue a

ltern

ativ

es s

cree

ning

pro

cess

.

C-76

Pag

e 6

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

ME

ET

ING

MIN

UT

ES

Dat

e:

S

epte

mbe

r 8,

201

0

12

:30

PM

to 1

:50

PM

N

CT

A B

oard

Roo

m

Pro

ject

: S

TIP

R-2

576

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Stu

dy

Mid

-Cu

rrit

uck

Bri

dge

Sp

otlig

ht:

Att

end

ees:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Sco

tt M

cLen

don,

US

AC

E

Bra

d S

have

r, U

SA

CE

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Ron

Sec

hler

, NM

FS

(by

pho

ne)

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps, F

HW

A

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Kev

in H

art,

NC

DE

NR

-DM

F (

by p

hone

) B

rian

Wre

nn, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

T

ravi

s W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris, N

CT

A

Lonn

ie B

rook

s, N

CD

OT

-Str

uctu

re D

esig

n A

nne

Gam

ber,

NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s U

nit

Dou

g T

aylo

r, N

CD

OT

-Roa

dway

Des

ign

Sco

tt S

luss

er, N

CD

OJ

Eliz

abet

h Lu

sk, N

CD

OT

-NE

U

Bru

ce E

llis,

NC

DO

T-N

EU

K

athy

Her

ring,

NC

DO

T-N

EU

Lo

gan

Will

iam

s, N

CD

OT

-NE

U

Mat

t Lau

ffer,

NC

DO

T-H

ydra

ulic

s U

nit

Jose

Luq

ue, C

DG

-AC

SID

B

erna

rdo

Pal

icio

, CD

G-D

raga

dos

US

A

Jose

M D

e Itu

rria

ga, C

DG

-Dra

gado

s U

SA

R

oy B

ruce

, CD

G-L

ochn

er

Bria

n E

ason

, CD

G-L

ochn

er

Ron

Fer

rell,

CD

G-P

BS

&J

John

Pag

e, P

B

Don

Bro

wn,

PB

T

racy

Rob

erts

, HN

TB

M

ax P

rice,

CD

G-W

ethe

rill E

ngin

eerin

g N

eal W

illia

ms,

CD

G-W

eeks

Mar

ine

Mar

k R

edde

rodd

, CD

G-W

eeks

Mar

ine

Per

son

s W

ho W

ere

Pro

vid

ed M

ater

ials

bu

t W

ere

Un

able

to

Att

end

:

Chr

isto

pher

Mili

tsch

er, U

SE

PA

S

ara

Win

slow

, NC

DE

NR

-DM

F

Pre

sen

tati

on M

ater

ials

: (A

ll m

ater

ials

pos

ted

on th

e T

EA

C w

ebsi

te)

• M

eetin

g A

gend

a •

Rea

sons

for

a D

eter

min

atio

n th

at E

R2

is N

ot a

Pra

ctic

able

Alte

rnat

ive

to a

Brid

ge A

cros

s C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd (

Han

dout

25)

•

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Sto

rmw

ater

Man

agem

ent (

Han

dout

26)

•

Con

stru

ctio

n M

etho

dolo

gies

for

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

(H

ando

ut 2

7)

• P

ower

Poi

nt s

lides

•

Elg

in S

wee

per

Gui

de

Pu

rpo

se:

Dis

cuss

age

ncy

com

men

ts o

n m

ater

ials

dis

trib

uted

at t

he A

ugus

t 10

mee

ting,

as

wel

l as

brid

ge

stor

mw

ater

man

agem

ent,

brid

ge c

onst

ruct

ion,

and

the

prac

ticab

ility

of E

R2.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion

:T

he fo

llow

ing

info

rmat

ion

was

dis

cuss

ed a

t the

mee

ting:

•B

ig P

ictu

re –

PB

(Jo

hn P

age)

gav

e a

brie

f des

crip

tion

of th

e st

eps

NC

TA

is fo

llow

ing

to p

rovi

de

info

rmat

ion

need

ed fo

r se

lect

ion

of a

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e. H

e in

dica

ted

that

in A

ugus

t, fu

ndin

g w

as d

iscu

ssed

, the

focu

s on

brid

ge c

orrid

ors

was

nar

row

ed to

C1

only

, and

it w

as d

ecid

ed M

CB

2 co

uld

not b

e th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

or L

east

Env

ironm

enta

lly D

amag

ing

Pra

ctic

able

Alte

rnat

ive

(LE

DP

A)

beca

use

its im

pact

s ar

e gr

eate

r th

an M

CB

4, it

lack

s pu

blic

sup

port

and

it c

ould

not

be

fund

ed a

t thi

s tim

e.

NC

TA

met

with

the

emer

genc

y m

anag

emen

t offi

cial

s on

Aug

ust 1

9th.

At t

his

mee

ting,

it w

as

Pag

e 7

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

deci

ded

to id

entif

y re

vers

ing

a ce

nter

turn

lane

as

the

pref

erre

d hu

rric

ane

clea

ranc

e st

rate

gy,

whi

ch is

con

sist

ent w

ith th

e co

mm

ents

rec

eive

d du

ring

the

DE

IS c

omm

ent p

erio

d on

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

from

the

publ

ic a

nd U

SE

PA

. T

oday

’s m

eetin

g ad

dres

sed

stor

mw

ater

man

agem

ent

and

cons

truc

tion

tech

niqu

es f

or a

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

. N

ext m

onth

’s m

eetin

g w

ill a

ddre

ss

issu

es r

elat

ed to

Map

le S

wam

p. W

ith r

egar

d to

avo

idin

g an

d m

inim

izin

g N

C 1

2 im

pact

s, N

CT

A is

pu

rsui

ng a

n al

tern

ativ

e de

sign

, whi

ch w

ould

red

uce

the

amou

nt o

f fou

r la

nes

by tw

o-th

irds,

whi

ch

has

been

agr

eed

to b

y N

CD

OT

Con

gest

ion

Man

agem

ent,

NC

DO

T D

ivis

ion

1, N

CD

OT

Roa

dway

D

esig

n, a

nd e

mer

genc

y m

anag

emen

t rep

rese

ntat

ives

. T

he c

hang

e w

ould

red

uce

com

mun

ity

impa

cts

and

proj

ect c

ost.

Gro

undw

ater

and

sur

face

wat

er s

tudi

es fo

r M

aple

Sw

amp

are

unde

rway

. M

aple

Sw

amp

cros

sing

opt

ions

will

be

cons

ider

ed a

nd d

iscu

ssed

at t

he O

ctob

er

TE

AC

mee

ting.

By

the

Oct

ober

mee

ting,

all

the

info

rmat

ion

need

ed to

mak

e a

pref

erre

d al

tern

ativ

e de

cisi

on s

houl

d be

ava

ilabl

e.

•A

ug

ust

Mee

ting

Co

mm

ents

– P

B (

John

Pag

e) n

oted

no

writ

ten

com

men

ts o

n th

e A

ugus

t 10th

mee

ting

have

bee

n re

ceiv

ed.

The

floo

r w

as o

pene

d to

any

one

who

had

com

men

ts th

ey w

ante

d to

mak

e re

gard

ing

that

mee

ting.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

) co

mm

ente

d on

Han

dout

22,

pa

ge 3

, ask

ing

abou

t the

sta

tus

of C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty’

s re

ques

t for

a w

ater

pip

e un

der

the

brid

ge.

NC

TA

(Je

nnife

r H

arris

) re

spon

ded

that

the

coun

ty h

ad in

quire

d ab

out t

he p

ossi

bilit

y of

put

ting

a w

ater

pip

e on

the

brid

ge, b

ut th

is is

sue

has

not p

rogr

esse

d be

yond

the

initi

al in

quiry

. N

CT

A

cann

ot fu

nd th

is a

nd h

ave

not a

gree

d to

pla

ce a

wat

er p

ipe

on th

e br

idge

. P

B (

John

Pag

e) a

dded

th

at th

e co

st o

f the

brid

ge w

ould

incr

ease

just

for

the

adde

d su

ppor

t str

uctu

re n

eces

sary

for

the

wat

er p

ipe.

He

also

not

ed th

at th

e co

unty

indi

cate

d th

at a

pip

e on

the

brid

ge w

ould

giv

e th

em

mor

e fle

xibi

lity

in w

ater

dis

trib

utio

n to

res

pond

to d

roug

ht s

ituat

ions

or

othe

r em

erge

ncie

s. W

ater

su

pplie

s ar

e ad

equa

te o

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks.

NC

TA

(Je

nnife

r H

arris

) sa

id th

at th

e T

EA

C m

embe

rs

wou

ld b

e ke

pt a

ppris

ed if

any

thin

g ch

ange

s w

ith th

is.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

) as

ked

if th

is w

ould

be

disc

usse

d in

the

FE

IS.

NC

TA

(Je

nnife

r Har

ris)

stat

ed th

at C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

only

in

dica

ted

that

it w

ould

be

usef

ul to

hav

e th

e w

ater

pip

e on

the

brid

ge, b

ut th

ey h

ave

not a

sked

ag

ain

nor

give

n an

y m

ore

info

rmat

ion

than

thei

r in

itial

inqu

iry.

Oth

er c

omm

ents

wer

e so

licite

d bu

t non

e w

ere

prov

ided

. N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

(C

athy

Brit

tingh

am)

said

th

at th

ey h

ad s

ome

tech

nica

l com

men

ts o

n H

ando

ut 2

3 bu

t tha

t she

wou

ld d

iscu

ss o

utsi

de o

f th

e m

eetin

g.

•S

torm

wat

er o

n B

ridg

es –

NC

DO

T (

Mat

t Lau

ffer

) de

scrib

ed th

e S

torm

wat

er R

unof

f fro

m B

ridge

sre

port

com

plet

ed b

y N

CD

OT

, US

Geo

logi

c S

urve

y, N

C D

ivis

ion

of W

ater

Qua

lity,

NC

Sta

te

Uni

vers

ity a

nd o

ther

s on

sto

rmw

ater

run

off c

onsi

dera

tions

on

brid

ges

thro

ugho

ut N

orth

Car

olin

a.

NC

DO

T (

Mat

t Lau

ffer

) re

ques

ted

the

agen

cies

pro

vide

to h

im a

ny p

refe

rred

focu

s ar

eas

for

the

stud

y te

am’s

pla

nned

pre

sent

atio

n at

the

Sep

tem

ber

23 In

tera

genc

y m

eetin

g. T

he r

epor

t is

avai

labl

e on

the

NC

DO

T w

ebsi

te (

http

://nc

dot.o

rg/d

oh/p

reco

nstr

uct/h

ighw

ay/h

ydro

/B

MP

/def

ault.

htm

l). N

CD

OT

(M

att L

auffe

r) in

dica

ted

that

he

coul

d se

nd a

cop

y of

the

repo

rt v

ia

e-m

ail i

f any

one

need

ed it

. C

onta

ct h

im a

t msl

auffe

r@nc

dot.g

ov.

•H

and

out

26 –

CD

G-L

ochn

er (

Roy

Bru

ce)

pres

ente

d a

stra

tegy

for

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

st

orm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t. R

esea

rch

into

bes

t pra

ctic

es r

esul

ted

in fi

ndin

g th

at fr

eque

nt b

ridge

de

ck c

lean

ing

with

sta

te-o

f-th

e-ar

t tec

hnol

ogy

rem

oves

mos

t of t

he p

ollu

tant

s. I

n th

e pa

st 1

0-15

ye

ars,

vac

uum

sw

eepe

rs h

ave

impr

oved

and

do

a m

uch

bette

r jo

b th

an th

ey o

nce

did.

A v

ideo

w

as s

how

n of

one

par

ticul

ar m

anuf

actu

rer

of a

vac

uum

sw

eepe

r (t

houg

h no

man

ufac

turin

g co

mpa

ny is

pre

ferr

ed).

The

man

ufac

ture

r sa

ys th

at 9

0 to

97

perc

ent o

f pol

luta

nts

are

pick

ed u

p.

The

vac

uum

sw

eepe

r m

eets

bot

h P

M10

and

PM

2.5

stan

dard

s. B

ased

upo

n th

e re

sear

ch d

one,

C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy B

ruce

) be

lieve

s th

is v

acuu

m s

wee

per

coul

d be

an

effe

ctiv

e to

ol, w

ith fr

eque

nt

swee

ping

(w

eekl

y du

ring

the

13-w

eek

peak

sea

son)

, for

the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

. C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy B

ruce

) ad

ded

that

whe

re th

e br

idge

cro

sses

wet

land

s on

the

Out

er B

anks

sho

relin

e, th

e ru

noff

wou

ld b

e ca

ptur

ed a

nd tr

eate

d. S

cupp

ers

allo

win

g di

rect

dis

char

ge w

ould

be

used

alo

ng

the

rem

aind

er o

f the

brid

ge. T

he V

irgin

ia D

are

Brid

ge o

ver

the

Cro

atan

Sou

nd u

ses

the

sam

e ap

proa

ch.

C-77

Pag

e 8

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

The

cap

ital c

ost o

f thi

s tw

o-fo

ld s

trat

egy

wou

ld b

e ap

prox

imat

ely

$1 m

illio

n. T

he e

quip

men

t w

ould

be

repl

aced

eve

ry 1

0 ye

ars.

The

ope

ratin

g co

st o

f thi

s va

cuum

sw

eepe

r is

sub

stan

tially

lo

wer

than

oth

er o

ptio

ns.

In a

dditi

on to

bei

ng c

ost-

effe

ctiv

e, th

e va

cuum

sw

eepe

r m

eets

the

need

s an

d is

con

sist

ent w

ith th

e st

orm

wat

er o

n br

idge

s re

port

(de

scrib

ed e

arlie

r by

NC

DO

T [M

att

Lauf

fer]

).

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Dav

id W

ainw

right

) as

ked

if th

e va

cuum

sw

eepe

rs lo

se e

ffici

ency

ove

r tim

e. T

he

man

ufac

ture

r cl

aim

s th

at a

s lo

ng a

s th

e eq

uipm

ent i

s m

aint

aine

d, th

ey d

o no

t los

e ef

ficie

ncy.

N

CT

A th

roug

h a

cont

ract

with

CD

G w

ould

ens

ure

the

equi

pmen

t is

prop

erly

mai

ntai

ned

and

that

sw

eepi

ng o

ccur

s on

sch

edul

e. N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

(D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht)

aske

d if

any

debr

is w

ould

be

push

ed in

to th

e sc

uppe

rs b

y th

e va

cuum

sw

eepe

r. C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy B

ruce

) st

ated

that

the

man

ufac

ture

r cl

aim

s th

at th

ey d

o no

t; th

e br

ushe

s w

hen

prop

erly

alig

ned

wou

ld s

wee

p th

e de

bris

un

der

the

vehi

cle

whi

ch w

ould

then

vac

uum

up

the

debr

is a

nd fi

lter

the

air

so th

at p

ollu

tant

s ar

e no

t rel

ease

d in

to th

e ai

r. N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

(D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht)

aske

d if

ther

e w

as a

ny r

esea

rch

that

was

not

fro

m th

e m

anuf

actu

rer.

CD

G-L

ochn

er (

Roy

Bru

ce)

indi

cate

d he

had

stu

dies

from

S

eattl

e, M

nDO

T, a

nd o

ther

s. A

ll of

the

rese

arch

, how

ever

, has

bee

n do

ne o

n ci

ty s

tree

ts w

here

, un

like

a br

idge

, muc

h of

the

runo

ff co

mes

from

adj

oini

ng la

nd u

se r

athe

r th

an v

ehic

les.

N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

(D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht)

rais

ed th

e co

ncer

n th

at w

hate

ver

is n

ot p

icke

d up

by

the

vacu

um s

wee

per

goes

into

the

soun

d. T

here

are

oth

er th

ings

that

aff

ect t

urbi

dity

and

oth

er

sens

itive

nat

ural

sys

tem

s. C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy B

ruce

) sa

id th

at r

esea

rch

on th

e w

ater

qua

lity

effe

cts

wou

ld b

e ne

eded

. N

CT

A w

ould

be

amen

able

to r

esea

rch

oppo

rtun

ities

with

uni

vers

ities

an

d th

e ag

enci

es.

NC

DE

NR

-DM

F (

Kev

in H

art)

ask

ed a

bout

the

natu

re o

f the

thre

e pe

rcen

t of

pollu

tant

s th

at w

ould

not

be

pick

ed u

p by

the

vacu

um s

wee

per.

CD

G-L

ochn

er (

Roy

Bru

ce)

resp

onde

d th

at h

e w

asn’

t sur

e w

hat t

hose

pol

luta

nts

wer

e bu

t tha

t the

freq

uenc

y of

sw

eepi

ng

coul

d be

adj

uste

d m

ore

or le

ss d

epen

ding

on

its e

ffec

tiven

ess

to m

axim

ize

wha

t is

pick

ed u

p. H

e ad

ded

that

the

vacu

um s

wee

per

wou

ld b

e st

ored

on

site

at a

n N

CT

A fa

cilit

y, s

o it

wou

ld b

e av

aila

ble

24 h

ours

per

day

to b

e us

ed b

y tr

aine

d pr

ofes

sion

als

so th

at it

cou

ld b

e us

ed a

t tim

es

such

as

traf

fic c

rash

es, i

n ad

vanc

e of

sto

rms,

etc

.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Dav

id W

ainw

right

) st

ated

that

sto

rmw

ater

rul

es a

re m

ore

strin

gent

now

than

th

ey w

ere

whe

n th

e ot

her

coas

tal b

ridge

s w

ere

built

. T

he C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd is

a v

ery

sens

itive

ar

ea a

nd is

ver

y su

scep

tible

to tu

rbid

ity.

The

firs

t 1.5

inch

es o

f ra

in w

ater

on

new

bui

lt up

on a

rea

mus

t be

reta

ined

and

trea

ted.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Bria

n W

renn

) ad

ded

that

he

was

fam

iliar

with

the

NC

DO

T s

tudy

and

that

ther

e st

ill w

ould

be

pollu

tant

s le

ft af

ter

swee

ping

that

nee

d to

be

trea

ted.

R

eadi

ng th

e le

tter

of th

e la

w, a

ll of

the

pollu

tant

s sh

ould

be

trea

ted,

not

just

the

sens

itive

wet

land

area

s on

the

east

end

of t

he b

ridge

. H

e ad

ded

that

the

swee

ping

is a

gre

at to

ol, b

ut th

ere

wou

ld

still

be

pollu

tant

s th

at w

ould

nee

d to

be

trea

ted.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Dav

id W

ainw

right

) al

so s

tate

d th

at w

ater

wou

ld n

eed

to b

e pi

ped

off t

he b

ridge

on

the

east

and

wes

t end

s ex

cept

ove

r op

en w

ater

. T

here

was

dis

cuss

ion

rega

rdin

g w

hat w

as

mea

nt b

y “o

pen

wat

er.”

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Bria

n W

renn

) no

ted

that

map

s w

ould

nee

d to

be

stud

ied

to d

eter

min

e w

here

the

SA

Vs

are

loca

ted.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Dav

id W

ainw

right

) st

ated

th

at b

ridge

pip

ing

wou

ld n

eed

to b

e ex

tend

ed b

eyon

d th

e co

asta

l mar

sh a

nd in

clud

e th

e S

AV

s.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Bria

n W

renn

) sa

id th

at w

hile

he

was

in a

gree

men

t with

the

conc

ept o

f par

tial

capt

ure

and

trea

tmen

t, th

e de

tails

of

wha

t add

ition

al p

ipin

g m

ight

be

need

ed s

till n

eed

to b

e w

orke

d ou

t. N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts.

US

AC

E (

Sco

tt M

cCle

ndon

) as

ked

if it

was

req

uire

d fo

r th

e po

lluta

nts

to b

e co

llect

ed a

nd tr

eate

d.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Dav

id W

ainw

right

and

Bria

n W

renn

) an

swer

ed th

at it

was

. N

CT

A r

espo

nded

th

at th

ey w

ould

be

capt

urin

g an

d tr

eatin

g th

e ru

noff

on th

e ea

st e

nd o

f the

brid

ge.

NC

DE

NR

-D

WQ

(D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht)

aske

d fo

r cl

arifi

catio

n on

the

envi

ronm

enta

l req

uire

men

ts m

entio

ned

on

page

6, f

ourt

h pa

ragr

aph

of H

ando

ut 2

6. C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy B

ruce

) ex

plai

ned

that

with

sw

eepi

ng, i

t wou

ld n

ot b

e ne

cess

ary

to tr

eat t

hose

pol

luta

nts

sinc

e th

ey w

ould

be

capt

ured

prio

r to

bei

ng s

uspe

nded

in r

ainw

ater

and

rel

ease

d in

to th

e so

und.

NM

FS

(R

on S

echl

er)

adde

d th

at

the

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q c

omm

ents

ref

lect

thei

r co

ncer

ns a

s w

ell.

Pag

e 9

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

•H

and

out

27 –

CD

G-L

ochn

er (

Roy

Bru

ce)

pres

ente

d th

e co

nstr

uctio

n te

chni

ques

dis

cuss

ed in

H

ando

ut 2

7. T

he th

ree

type

s of

pot

entia

l con

stru

ctio

n te

chni

ques

are

bar

ge b

ased

, tem

pora

ry

cons

truc

tion

tres

tle, a

nd to

p do

wn

cons

truc

tion.

Bar

ge b

ased

can

onl

y be

don

e in

wat

er d

epth

s 6

feet

or

grea

ter.

Whe

re th

ere

is le

ss th

an 6

feet

of w

ater

dep

th, e

ither

tem

pora

ry c

onst

ruct

ion

tres

tle o

r to

p do

wn

cons

truc

tion

wou

ld n

eed

to b

e ut

ilize

d, o

r th

e ar

ea w

ould

nee

d to

be

dred

ged

to 6

feet

. P

ile s

etup

con

side

ratio

ns w

ere

disc

usse

d, a

nd e

ach

of th

e se

ven

optio

ns/c

ombi

natio

ns

of c

onst

ruct

ion

tech

niqu

es w

ere

pres

ente

d. P

ile s

etup

tim

e he

avily

influ

ence

s co

nstr

uctio

n tim

e if

top-

dow

n co

nstr

uctio

n is

use

d. A

s ea

ch s

et o

f pile

s is

pla

ced

one

mus

t wai

t 2 to

30

days

bef

ore

the

wei

ght o

f ca

ps a

nd s

uper

stru

ctur

e ca

n be

add

ed.

With

bar

ge a

nd tr

estle

con

stru

ctio

n,

mul

tiple

set

s of

pile

s ca

n be

pla

ced

befo

re th

e ca

p an

d su

pers

truc

ture

is a

dded

. W

ith to

p do

wn,

th

e fo

unda

tions

mus

t be

built

in s

eque

nce

so c

onst

ruct

ion

esse

ntia

lly s

tops

dur

ing

the

set-

up

time,

leng

then

ing

the

cons

truc

tion

perio

d.

NM

FS

(R

on S

echl

er)

aske

d w

here

the

disp

osal

site

s w

ould

be

for

dred

ging

spo

il. C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy B

ruce

) st

ated

that

ther

e w

ere

five

optio

ns c

urre

ntly

bei

ng e

xam

ined

for

pote

ntia

l dis

posa

l si

tes,

but

not

hing

has

bee

n de

cide

d. S

ome

of th

e op

tions

incl

ude

usin

g th

e dr

edge

d m

ater

ial t

o ra

ise

the

elev

atio

n of

the

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

bot

tom

nea

r S

AV

s to

enc

oura

ge m

ore

SA

V g

row

th,

refil

ling

the

dred

ged

area

s, u

sing

spo

il as

top

dres

sing

, or

plac

ing

it in

an

old

borr

ow s

ite o

n U

S

158.

How

ever

, mor

e st

udy

wou

ld n

eed

to b

e do

ne to

det

erm

ine

wha

t wou

ld b

e th

e be

st o

ptio

n.

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

) st

ated

she

had

man

y qu

estio

ns, b

ut b

ecau

se th

e m

eetin

g w

as n

earin

g its

end

, she

wou

ld s

ubm

it th

ese

at a

late

r da

te s

o th

at w

e co

uld

mov

e to

the

disc

ussi

on o

f the

pra

ctic

abili

ty o

f ER

2. S

he d

id a

sk if

the

SA

V lo

catio

ns m

appe

d w

ere

from

the

2007

US

AC

E s

urve

y. C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy B

ruce

) st

ated

that

they

wer

e. N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

(C

athy

B

rittin

gham

) w

ante

d th

e m

ore

rece

nt 2

010

NC

DO

T S

AV

sur

vey

to b

e us

ed; C

DG

-Loc

hner

(R

oy

Bru

ce)

note

d th

at th

e da

ta fr

om th

e 20

10 s

urve

y w

ould

be

fold

ed in

onc

e av

aila

ble.

NC

DO

T N

EU

(B

ruce

Elli

s) in

dica

ted

that

the

SA

V fi

eld

wor

k ha

s be

en c

ompl

eted

. H

e no

ted

that

th

e S

AV

stu

dy w

as n

ot b

eing

don

e sp

ecifi

cally

for

the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

pro

ject

and

its

corr

idor

.

NC

DO

T (

Lonn

ie B

rook

s) a

sked

if th

ere

wer

e an

y pi

le a

ltern

ativ

es w

ere

cons

ider

ed b

esid

es s

teel

pi

les.

CD

G-L

ochn

er (

Roy

Bru

ce)

answ

ered

that

con

cret

e w

as e

xam

ined

, but

NC

TA

was

lean

ing

tow

ard

usin

g th

e st

eel p

iles;

no

final

dec

isio

n on

pile

type

will

be

mad

e un

til c

ompl

etio

n of

ong

oing

ge

otec

hnic

al s

tudi

es.

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q (

Dav

id W

ainw

right

) as

ked

wha

t the

cos

t diff

eren

ce w

as

betw

een

the

two.

CD

G-W

eeks

Mar

ine

(Nea

l Will

iam

s) a

nsw

ered

that

ste

el is

che

aper

and

the

equi

pmen

t to

inst

all i

t is

smal

ler.

CD

G-L

ochn

er (

Roy

Bru

ce)

adde

d th

at it

was

eas

ier

to tr

ansf

er

stee

l to

the

site

.

•H

and

out

25 –

PB

(Jo

hn P

age)

pre

sent

ed in

form

atio

n on

why

NC

TA

bel

ieve

s E

R2

is n

ot a

pr

actic

able

alte

rnat

ive.

In

NC

TA

’s o

pini

on E

R2

is lo

gist

ical

ly u

nava

ilabl

e an

d in

capa

ble

of b

eing

im

plem

ente

d fo

r fou

r re

ason

s (s

ee d

etai

ls in

Pow

erP

oint

slid

e).

Mor

e de

tail

is p

rese

nted

in th

e ha

ndou

t. P

B (

John

Pag

e) a

sked

the

TE

AC

mem

bers

to p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

with

in th

e ne

xt 3

0 da

ys.

•W

rap

up/

Nex

t S

tep

s –

NC

TA

(T

racy

Rob

erts

) pr

esen

ted

the

next

ste

ps in

the

proc

ess.

US

AC

E

(Sco

tt M

cCle

ndon

) st

ated

that

US

AC

E w

as s

trug

glin

g w

ith th

e is

sue

of fu

ndin

g an

d th

e st

ate

legi

slat

ure

defin

ing

proj

ect l

ocat

ions

. P

B (

John

Pag

e) n

oted

that

the

proj

ect h

as a

long

his

tory

of

bein

g pl

anne

d as

a to

ll pr

ojec

t. It

was

list

ed a

s be

ing

fund

ed b

y ot

her

sour

ces

in th

e S

tate

T

rans

port

atio

n Im

prov

emen

t Pro

gram

in e

ffec

t with

the

1998

Dra

ft E

nviro

nmen

tal I

mpa

ct

Sta

tem

ent w

as r

elea

sed.

The

Gen

eral

Ass

embl

y au

thor

ized

NC

DO

T to

cha

rge

tolls

on

the

brid

ge

in th

at s

ame

perio

d. T

here

are

sys

tem

wid

e ef

fect

s th

at n

eed

to b

e ta

ken

into

acc

ount

. N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

(C

athy

Brit

tingh

am)

note

d th

at e

arly

in th

e cu

rren

t stu

dy, N

CD

OT

was

taki

ng a

sy

stem

wid

e ap

proa

ch to

pro

ject

pla

nnin

g. P

B (

John

Pag

e) s

tate

d th

at th

is is

wha

t was

don

e in

de

velo

ping

and

ass

essi

ng a

ltern

ativ

es in

the

DE

IS.

The

onl

y ro

ad im

prov

emen

t for

the

proj

ect

area

in th

e S

tate

Tra

nspo

rtat

ion

Impr

ovem

ent P

rogr

am is

a N

C 1

2/U

S 1

58 in

terc

hang

e. I

t is

fund

ed fo

r pl

anni

ng o

nly.

C-78

Pag

e 10

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

NC

TA

(T

racy

Rob

erts

) th

anke

d th

e at

tend

ees

for

thei

r pa

rtic

ipat

ion

and

adjo

urne

d th

e m

eetin

g at

1:

50 P

M.

Pag

e 11

of 1

1

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

– 0

9/0

8/1

0

ME

ET

ING

MIN

UT

ES

Dat

e:

Sep

tem

ber

8, 2

010

2:00

PM

to 5

:00

PM

N

CT

A B

oard

Roo

m

Pro

ject

:

ST

IP R

-332

9/R

-255

9 M

onro

e C

onne

ctor

/Byp

ass

– S

TP

-NH

F-7

4(90

)

Mo

nro

e C

onn

ecto

r/B

ypas

s S

potli

ght:

Sho

rt-li

sted

des

ign-

build

team

s w

ere

each

allo

wed

45

min

utes

to p

rese

nt in

form

atio

n, a

sk

ques

tions

, and

get

fee

dbac

k fr

om a

genc

y re

pres

enta

tives

. To

prot

ect t

he c

onfid

entia

lity

of th

e de

sign

-bui

ld p

roce

ss, m

inut

es w

ill n

ot b

e pr

ovid

ed fo

r th

ese

sess

ions

.

C-79

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

ME

ET

ING

MIN

UT

ES

Dat

e:

Nov

embe

r 2,

201

0

9:

30 a

.m. T

o 11

:30

a.m

.

N

CT

A B

oard

Roo

m

Pro

ject

:

ST

IP R

-272

1, R

-282

8, a

nd R

-292

9 –

Tria

ngle

Exp

ress

way

Sou

thea

st E

xten

sion

(R

alei

gh O

uter

Loo

p)

Tri

ang

le E

xpre

ssw

ay E

xten

sion

Spo

tligh

t:

Att

end

ees:

G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

C

hris

toph

er M

ilits

cher

, US

EP

A

Eric

Als

mey

er, U

SA

CE

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Dav

id W

ainw

right

, NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Tra

vis

Wils

on, N

CW

RC

A

my

Sim

es, N

CD

EN

R

Del

ores

Hal

l, O

SA

(via

tele

phon

e)

Reg

ina

Pag

e, N

CD

OT

Con

gest

ion

Man

agem

ent

(via

tele

phon

e)

Dea

nna

Riff

ey, N

CD

OT

-Nat

ural

Env

ironm

ent

U

nit

Ste

ve G

urga

nus,

NC

DO

T-H

uman

Env

ironm

ent

U

nit

Der

rick

Wea

ver,

NC

DO

T-P

DE

A

Dou

g T

aylo

r, N

CD

OT

-Roa

dway

Des

ign

Uni

t T

ony

Hou

ser,

NC

DO

T-R

oadw

ay D

esig

n U

nit

Chr

is L

ukas

ina,

CA

MP

O

Ger

ald

Dan

iel,

CA

MP

O

Ste

ve D

eWitt

, NC

TA

Je

nnife

r H

arris

, N

CT

A

Chr

isty

Shu

mat

e, H

NT

B

John

Bur

ris, H

NT

B

Kev

in M

arkh

am, E

SI

Joan

na R

occo

, UR

S

Roy

Bru

ce, L

ochn

er

Kris

tin M

asem

an, L

ochn

er

Dou

g W

heat

ley,

Loc

hner

S

teve

Bro

wde

, Loc

hner

W

ende

e S

mith

, Mul

key

Tim

Sav

idge

, Cat

ena

Gro

up

Mik

e W

ood,

Cat

ena

Gro

up

Pre

sen

tati

on

Mat

eria

ls (

Po

sted

on

TE

AC

web

site

):

• A

gend

a •

Dra

ft M

eetin

g M

inut

es –

9/8

/10

TE

AC

Mee

ting

• H

ando

ut 5

– P

ublic

Info

rmat

iona

l Mee

tings

(S

ept.

2010

), S

umm

ary

and

Com

men

t Ana

lysi

s •

Han

dout

6 –

Pre

limin

ary

Alte

rnat

ive

Cor

ridor

s, M

ajor

Con

stra

ints

/Issu

es

• Im

pact

Tab

le –

Sou

thea

ster

n E

xten

sion

Pre

limin

ary

Alte

rnat

ive

Cor

ridor

s by

Pha

se, S

umm

ary

of

Pot

entia

l Im

pact

s

Pu

rpo

se:

Dis

cuss

rev

isio

ns to

pur

pose

and

nee

d st

atem

ent,

sum

mar

y of

pub

lic c

omm

ents

and

alte

rnat

ives

scr

eeni

ng

disc

ussi

on.

Tur

npik

e E

nvir

onm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n

(TE

AC

) M

eetin

g

Pag

e 2

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion

:

The

follo

win

g in

form

atio

n w

as d

iscu

ssed

at t

he m

eetin

g:

•P

urp

ose

and

Nee

d U

pdat

e: N

CT

A s

tate

d th

at th

e re

vise

d ve

rsio

n of

Pur

pose

and

Nee

d is

on

Con

stru

ctw

are.

The

rev

isio

ns a

ddre

ss c

omm

ents

from

ear

lier

TE

AC

mee

tings

and

writ

ten

com

men

ts fr

om N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

. A

lso,

writ

ten

resp

onse

s to

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q c

omm

ents

are

pos

ted

to C

onst

ruct

war

e.

•A

lter

nat

ives

Scr

een

ing

: The

Alte

rnat

ives

Dev

elop

men

t and

Ana

lysi

s R

epor

t is

bein

g pr

epar

ed a

nd

shou

ld b

e di

strib

uted

prio

r to

nex

t mon

th’s

TE

AC

mee

ting.

•S

um

mar

y o

f P

ublic

Co

mm

ents

(H

ando

ut

5):

Loc

hner

pre

sent

ed th

e su

mm

ary

of p

ublic

re

spon

ses

to d

ate,

indi

catin

g th

at o

ver

1,00

0 pe

ople

atte

nded

the

Sep

tem

ber

Pub

lic In

form

atio

nal

Mee

tings

. T

o da

te o

ver

2,00

0 co

mm

ents

hav

e be

en r

ecei

ved.

Sev

eral

nei

ghbo

rhoo

d pe

titio

ns h

ave

also

bee

n re

ceiv

ed w

ith n

early

1,0

00 s

igna

ture

s. M

ost c

omm

ents

exp

ress

sup

port

for

the

proj

ect

loca

ted

in th

e pr

otec

ted

corr

idor

and

dis

may

ove

r ot

her

new

loca

tion

alte

rnat

ives

. S

ome

com

men

ts

rela

ted

to th

e pe

rcei

ved

“fai

rnes

s is

sue”

of t

ollin

g on

ly a

por

tion

of th

is lo

op fa

cilit

y.

Loch

ner

stat

ed th

at th

e pu

blic

com

men

ts a

re h

elpf

ul in

eva

luat

ing

alte

rnat

ive

corr

idor

s as

they

ty

pica

lly in

clud

e de

tails

rel

ativ

e to

hum

an a

nd n

atur

al e

nviro

nmen

t im

pact

s.

Sev

eral

loca

l gov

ernm

ents

hav

e pa

ssed

res

olut

ions

reg

ardi

ng th

e pr

ojec

t. M

ost i

ndic

ate

supp

ort f

or

the

proj

ect l

ocat

ed in

the

proj

ect c

orrid

or.

The

Wak

e C

ount

y B

oard

of

Com

mis

sion

ers

reso

lutio

n st

ates

opp

ositi

on to

the

blue

, pur

ple,

red

, and

pin

k co

rrid

ors.

The

City

of G

arne

r re

solu

tion

stat

es

oppo

sitio

n to

the

red

corr

idor

.

NC

TA

exp

lain

ed th

at p

ublic

invo

lvem

ent a

ctiv

ities

hav

e in

clud

ed s

igni

fican

t eff

ort t

o ed

ucat

e th

e pu

blic

on

the

proj

ect d

evel

opm

ent p

roce

ss.

Tha

t inc

lude

d ex

plai

ning

to c

itize

ns th

e ro

le o

f the

pr

otec

ted

corr

idor

in th

e st

udy

proc

ess.

•A

lter

nat

ives

Scr

een

ing

Dis

cuss

ion

(H

ando

ut

6):

Loc

hner

sum

mar

ized

the

maj

or c

onst

rain

ts a

nd

rela

tive

adva

ntag

e of

eac

h co

rrid

or in

the

Pha

se I

and

Pha

se II

are

as, m

entio

ning

a fe

w n

ew

cons

trai

nts

that

hav

e em

erge

d si

nce

the

Pub

lic In

form

atio

nal M

eetin

gs.

The

re is

a p

ropo

sed

mix

ed-

use

deve

lopm

ent (

Ran

dlei

gh F

arm

pro

pert

y) p

lann

ed jo

intly

by

Wak

e C

ount

y an

d C

ity o

f R

alei

gh

and

purc

hase

d us

ing

open

spa

ce f

unds

. T

he g

reen

cor

ridor

in P

hase

II w

ould

bis

ect t

his

prop

erty

. A

djac

ent t

o R

andl

eigh

Far

m is

a p

oten

tial h

isto

ric s

ite k

now

n to

incl

ude

rem

nant

s of

a n

inet

eent

h ce

ntur

y m

ill a

nd w

ith a

necd

otal

evi

denc

e of

Civ

il W

ar s

igni

fican

ce.

OS

A s

ugge

sted

mee

ting

with

N

CT

A s

taff

to r

evie

w th

e kn

own

fact

s re

late

d to

the

hist

oric

sig

nific

ance

of t

his

prop

erty

. T

o av

oid

or

min

imiz

e im

pact

s to

the

Ran

dlei

gh F

arm

and

the

adja

cent

pot

entia

l his

toric

site

s, tw

o ot

her

corr

idor

al

tern

ativ

es in

the

Pha

se II

are

a w

ere

rein

trod

uced

. T

he ta

n co

rrid

or w

ould

impa

ct R

andl

eigh

Far

m

alon

g its

eas

tern

edg

e, r

educ

ing

the

amou

nt o

f di

rect

impa

cts

to th

e si

te r

elat

ive

to th

e gr

een

corr

idor

. T

he g

rey

corr

idor

wou

ld c

ompl

etel

y av

oid

the

Ran

dlei

gh F

arm

are

a, in

clud

ing

an e

aste

rn

swin

g in

to J

ohns

ton

Cou

nty.

US

AC

E a

sked

whe

ther

ther

e ha

ve b

een

traf

fic p

roje

ctio

ns f

or th

e va

rious

alte

rnat

ive

corr

idor

s.

HN

TB

sta

ted

that

pre

limin

ary

traf

fic p

roje

ctio

ns a

re s

imila

r fo

r th

e pr

otec

ted

corr

idor

(or

ange

) an

d th

e bl

ue a

nd p

urpl

e co

rrid

ors

to th

e so

uth.

The

red

cor

ridor

to th

e no

rth

is p

roje

cted

to s

erve

sm

alle

rtr

affic

vol

umes

than

the

othe

rs.

US

EP

A r

eque

sted

that

traf

fic d

ata

be m

ade

avai

labl

e to

TE

AC

m

embe

rs a

nd N

CT

A a

gree

d.

NC

TA

ask

ed fo

r ag

ency

feed

back

on

elim

inat

ing

som

e of

the

prel

imin

ary

alte

rnat

ive

corr

idor

s fr

om

furt

her

cons

ider

atio

n. I

n co

nsid

erin

g th

e re

d co

rrid

or, d

iscu

ssio

n tu

rned

to d

war

f wed

gem

usse

l ha

bita

t in

the

Sw

ift C

reek

wat

ersh

ed.

US

FWS

indi

cate

d th

at th

e re

d co

rrid

or m

ay b

e th

e on

ly

alte

rnat

ive

with

a c

hanc

e fo

r a

“no

adve

rse

effe

ct”

dete

rmin

atio

n fo

r th

e sp

ecie

s. T

he C

aten

a G

roup

ha

s fo

und

fairl

y yo

ung

dwar

f w

edge

mus

sel i

ndiv

idua

ls in

Sw

ift C

reek

in th

e vi

cini

ty o

f the

Wak

e-Jo

hnst

on C

ount

y lin

e, n

ear

the

prot

ecte

d co

rrid

or.

The

y ha

ve n

ot y

et s

urve

yed

the

area

bet

wee

n La

ke W

heel

er a

nd L

ake

Ben

son,

and

ther

e ha

ve b

een

limite

d pa

st s

urve

ys in

this

are

a. S

tate

list

ed

C-80

Pag

e 3

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

mus

sel s

peci

es h

ave

been

foun

d in

this

are

a, a

nd it

is p

ossi

ble

that

dw

arf

wed

gem

usse

l cou

ld b

e fo

und

ther

e. H

owev

er, s

ince

ther

e w

ould

be

no g

enet

ic c

onne

ctio

n be

twee

n a

pote

ntia

l pop

ulat

ion

abov

e th

e La

ke B

enso

n da

m a

nd th

e kn

own

popu

latio

n be

low

the

dam

, im

pact

s ab

ove

the

dam

co

uld

min

imiz

e di

rect

effe

cts

on th

e do

wns

trea

m p

opul

atio

n an

d its

hab

itat.

Any

pop

ulat

ion

betw

een

Lake

Ben

son

and

Lake

Whe

eler

wou

ld b

e is

olat

ed fr

om o

ther

are

a po

pula

tions

. T

he p

opul

atio

n ne

ar th

e C

ount

y lin

e is

a p

riorit

y fo

r co

nser

vatio

n ef

fort

s an

d th

e ha

bita

t in

this

are

a is

sev

erel

y im

pact

ed b

y se

dim

enta

tion

from

are

a de

velo

pmen

t act

ivity

.

Acc

ordi

ng to

the

US

FWS

, und

er th

e E

ndan

gere

d S

peci

es A

ct th

e ag

ency

can

not

man

date

that

N

CT

A s

tudy

the

red

corr

idor

as

a D

etai

led

Stu

dy A

ltern

ativ

e (D

SA

). B

ut, t

heir

best

pro

fess

iona

l ju

dgm

ent i

s th

at th

e re

d al

tern

ativ

e is

the

only

bui

ld a

void

ance

/min

imiz

atio

n op

tion

and

likel

y th

e on

ly o

ptio

n th

at h

as th

e po

tent

ial f

or a

“no

adv

erse

effe

ct”

call.

Any

oth

er b

uild

or

upgr

ade

optio

ns

will

alm

ost c

erta

inly

rec

eive

an

“adv

erse

effe

ct”

call,

but

not

nec

essa

rily

a “je

opar

dy c

all”.

Str

essi

ng th

e co

mpl

exity

of t

he S

ectio

n 7

cons

ulta

tion

proc

ess

as it

has

bee

n ap

plie

d to

dw

arf

wed

gem

usse

l im

pact

s in

Sw

ift C

reek

, US

FWS

exp

lain

ed th

at th

e co

nsul

tatio

n fo

r th

e re

cent

Cla

yton

B

ypas

s pr

ojec

t inc

lude

d m

ore

than

40

mee

tings

. N

umer

ous

loca

l ord

inan

ces

wer

e de

velo

ped

or

chan

ged

to d

eal w

ith th

e im

pact

s.

Per

NC

TA

, Cat

ena

will

sur

vey

Sw

ift C

reek

abo

ve L

ake

Ben

son

for

mus

sels

. C

aten

a w

ill a

lso

surv

ey

Mah

ler’s

Cre

ek, a

trib

utar

y to

the

dow

nstr

eam

por

tion

of S

wift

Cre

ek, a

s th

e re

d co

rrid

or c

ross

es th

is

area

. C

aten

a w

ill a

lso

surv

ey W

hite

Oak

Cre

ek a

nd L

ittle

Cre

ek a

s th

ese

area

s co

uld

cont

ain

dwar

f w

edge

mus

sels

and

are

like

ly to

con

tain

rar

e m

usse

l spe

cies

whi

ch m

ay b

e fe

dera

lly li

sted

bef

ore

this

pro

ject

is c

ompl

ete.

Rel

ativ

e to

Pha

se I

(sou

th s

ide)

; The

gro

up a

gree

d w

ith N

CT

A r

ecom

men

datio

ns to

elim

inat

e th

e ye

llow

, blu

e, p

urpl

e, a

nd w

hite

(w

est o

f NC

55

Byp

ass)

alte

rnat

ive

corr

idor

s. A

ll ot

her

corr

idor

s re

mai

n un

der

cons

ider

atio

n. U

SE

PA

sta

ted

that

by

repo

rtin

g im

pact

s pe

r m

ile, N

CT

A c

ould

mor

e ef

fect

ivel

y co

mpa

re th

e im

prov

e ex

istin

g ro

adw

ays

optio

n to

the

new

loca

tion

alte

rnat

ives

. In

ge

nera

l, th

e gr

oup

will

acc

ept e

limin

atio

n of

the

impr

ove

exis

ting

road

way

s op

tion

as lo

ng a

s N

CT

A

prov

ides

a m

ore

robu

st e

xpla

natio

n fo

r its

elim

inat

ion

in th

e A

ltern

ativ

es R

epor

t.

Rel

ativ

e to

Pha

se II

(ea

st s

ide)

: Onl

y th

e gr

een

alte

rnat

ive

was

pre

sent

ed a

t the

Pub

lic In

form

atio

nal

Mee

tings

. T

he ta

n an

d gr

ey a

ltern

ativ

es w

ere

late

r ad

ded

base

d on

coo

rdin

atio

n w

ith W

ake

Cou

nty

and

the

City

of R

alei

gh r

egar

ding

the

Ran

dlei

gh F

arm

pro

pert

y. T

he ta

n al

tern

ativ

e m

inim

izes

im

pact

to th

e R

andl

eigh

Far

m p

rope

rty

by fo

llow

ing

an a

lignm

ent a

long

the

prop

erty

’s e

aste

rn

boun

dary

and

is a

ccep

tabl

e to

the

City

of

Ral

eigh

and

Wak

e C

ount

y. T

he g

rey

alte

rnat

ive

avoi

ds

the

Ran

dlei

gh F

arm

and

pot

entia

l his

toric

site

com

plet

ely,

but

bas

ed o

n a

num

ber

of c

onsi

dera

tions

, th

e gr

oup

agre

ed to

dro

p th

is c

orrid

or.

The

gre

y co

rrid

or is

abo

ut fo

ur m

iles

long

er th

an th

e ot

her

optio

ns a

nd a

t abo

ut $

50 m

illio

n pe

r m

ile, i

ts c

ost w

ould

be

sign

ifica

ntly

hig

her.

It w

ould

als

o ha

ve

muc

h m

ore

stre

am a

nd w

etla

nd im

pact

s an

d co

uld

resu

lt in

gre

ater

indi

rect

and

cum

ulat

ive

effe

cts.

The

gro

up c

oncu

rred

to fu

rthe

r co

nsid

er th

e fo

llow

ing

corr

idor

s on

ly:

O

rang

e to

red

to g

reen

Ora

nge

to g

reen

Ora

nge

to ta

n to

gre

en

O

rang

e to

pin

k to

red

to g

reen

Ora

nge

to r

ed (

alon

g I-

40)

to g

reen

– is

a n

ew c

orrid

or to

pos

sibl

y co

nsid

er

Pre

vio

us

Act

ion

Item

s:•

Loch

ner

to r

evis

e al

tern

ativ

es im

pact

tabl

e to

rep

lace

Nat

ural

Her

itage

Pro

gram

Occ

urre

nces

as

an

eval

uatio

n cr

iterio

n w

ith s

epar

ate

brea

kout

s of

fede

ral a

nd s

tate

pro

tect

ed s

peci

es. (

Com

plet

ed)

Pag

e 4

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

New

Act

ion

Item

s:•

NC

TA

will

follo

w u

p w

ith D

elor

es H

all r

egar

ding

Ran

dlei

gh F

arm

pro

pert

y an

d ad

jace

nt p

oten

tial

hist

oric

site

•

NC

TA

will

sur

vey

Sw

ift C

reek

abo

ve L

ake

Ben

son

Dam

and

Mah

ler’s

Cre

ek a

nd r

evie

w e

xist

ing

surv

ey d

ata

for W

hite

Oak

Cre

ek a

nd L

ittle

Cre

ek.

•

NC

TA

will

elim

inat

e th

e fo

llow

ing

corr

idor

s: b

lue,

pur

ple,

yel

low

, gre

y, a

nd o

ptio

ns w

est o

f N

C 5

5 B

ypas

s (w

hite

).

• N

CT

A w

ill m

ake

traf

fic a

naly

sis

for

impr

ove

exis

ting

and

hybr

id o

ptio

ns a

vaila

ble

to T

EA

C m

embe

rs.

•N

CT

A w

ill p

rovi

de d

raft

alte

rnat

ives

rep

ort f

or a

genc

y re

view

and

com

men

t.

Res

olu

tion

s:•

Elim

inat

e pu

rple

, blu

e, a

nd y

ello

w c

orrid

ors

from

furt

her

cons

ider

atio

n.

• E

limin

ate

prop

osed

gre

y co

rrid

or fr

om fu

rthe

r co

nsid

erat

ion.

•

Elim

inat

e im

prov

e ex

istin

g ro

adw

ays

alte

rnat

ive

from

furt

her

cons

ider

atio

n.

• E

limin

ate

hybr

id a

ltern

ativ

e fr

om fu

rthe

r co

nsid

erat

ion.

Nex

t S

tep

s:•

Com

plet

e dr

aft A

ltern

ativ

es R

epor

t and

circ

ulat

e fo

r ag

ency

rev

iew

and

com

men

t.

C-81

Pag

e 5

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

ME

ET

ING

MIN

UT

ES

Dat

e:

N

ovem

ber

2, 2

010

1:00

PM

to 3

:00

PM

N

C T

urnp

ike

Aut

horit

y B

oard

Roo

m (

Sui

te 4

00)

Pro

ject

: S

TIP

R-2

576

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Stu

dy

Mid

-Cu

rrit

uck

Bri

dge

Sp

otlig

ht:

Att

end

ees:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Sco

tt M

cLen

don,

US

AC

E

Gar

y Jo

rdan

, US

FWS

C

hris

Mili

tsch

er, U

SE

PA

R

on S

echl

er, N

MF

S (

by p

hone

) G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

A

my

Sim

es, N

CD

EN

R

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Kev

in H

art,

NC

DE

NR

-DM

F (

by p

hone

) D

avid

Wai

nwrig

ht, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

T

ravi

s W

ilson

, NC

WR

C

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris, N

CT

A

Ted

Dev

ens,

NC

DO

T-P

DE

A

Bria

n Y

amam

oto,

NC

DO

T-P

DE

A

Dou

g T

aylo

r, N

CD

OT

-Roa

dway

Des

ign

Ton

y H

ouse

r, N

CD

OT

-Roa

dway

Des

ign

Jose

Luq

ue, C

DG

-AC

SID

B

erna

rdo

Pal

icio

, CD

G-D

raga

dos

US

A

Jam

es H

inda

, CD

G-D

raga

dos

US

A

Roy

Bru

ce, C

DG

-Loc

hner

S

teve

Bro

wde

, CD

G-L

ochn

er

Ron

Fer

rell,

CD

G-P

BS

&J

Tra

cy R

ober

ts, H

NT

B

John

Bur

ris, H

NT

B

Spe

ncer

Fra

nklin

, HN

TB

N

eal W

illia

ms,

CD

G-W

eeks

Mar

ine

John

Pag

e, P

B

Bob

by N

orbu

rn, P

B

Per

son

s W

ho W

ere

Pro

vid

ed M

ater

ials

bu

t W

ere

Un

able

to

Att

end

:

Ste

ve L

ambe

rt, A

lbem

arle

Com

mis

sion

B

ill B

razi

er, U

SC

G

Ted

Bis

terf

ield

, US

EP

A

Jim

Hoa

dley

, NC

DE

NR

-DC

M

Sar

a W

insl

ow, N

CD

EN

R-D

MF

B

rian

Wre

nn, N

CD

EN

R-D

WQ

P

eter

San

dbec

k, N

CD

CR

-HP

O

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arly

, NC

DC

R-H

PO

Pre

sen

tati

on M

ater

ials

: (A

ll m

ater

ials

pos

ted

on th

e T

EA

C w

ebsi

te)

• M

eetin

g A

gend

a •

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t (in

clud

ing

prev

ious

and

new

han

dout

s)

• A

sses

smen

t of M

aple

Sw

amp

Gro

undw

ater

Sys

tem

(H

ando

ut 2

8)

• S

uppl

emen

tal A

sses

smen

t of M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge Im

pact

s to

Flo

od E

leva

tions

in M

aple

Sw

amp

(Han

dout

29)

•

Pow

erP

oint

slid

es

Pu

rpo

se:

Dis

cuss

new

stu

dies

of

grou

ndw

ater

and

sur

face

wat

er h

ydro

logy

in M

aple

Sw

amp

and

FH

WA

/NC

TA

’s

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e.

Pag

e 6

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion

:T

he fo

llow

ing

info

rmat

ion

was

dis

cuss

ed a

t the

mee

ting:

•In

trod

uct

ion

and

Pre

viou

s M

eeti

ng C

om

men

ts –

Tra

cy R

ober

ts o

pene

d th

e m

eetin

g by

not

ing

mee

ting

hand

outs

and

ask

ing

the

atte

ndee

s to

intr

oduc

e th

emse

lves

. H

e al

so r

evie

wed

the

mee

ting

agen

da.

John

Pag

e st

arte

d th

e sl

ide

pres

enta

tion

and

aske

d if

ther

e w

ere

any

com

men

ts o

n th

e S

epte

mbe

r 8

mee

ting

hand

outs

. K

evin

Har

t and

Ron

Sec

hler

sai

d th

ey a

re g

oing

to s

end

writ

ten

com

men

ts o

n th

e S

epte

mbe

r 8

and

Nov

embe

r 2

mee

ting

hand

outs

. B

ill B

iddl

ecom

e al

so s

aid

that

he

alre

ady

sent

NC

TA

his

com

men

ts o

n th

e S

epte

mbe

r 8

hand

outs

, but

NC

TA

has

not

re

ceiv

ed th

em y

et.

(Bill

had

a c

opy

of h

is c

omm

ents

and

cop

ies

wer

e m

ade

and

dist

ribut

ed to

the

mee

ting

atte

ndee

s.)

Tra

vis

Wils

on a

nd C

athy

Brit

tingh

am a

lso

will

be

prov

idin

g co

mm

ents

on

the

Sep

tem

ber

8 m

eetin

g ha

ndou

ts.

The

Oct

ober

1, 2

010

mee

ting

betw

een

NC

TA

and

NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q to

dis

cuss

sto

rmw

ater

m

anag

emen

t str

ateg

y w

as b

riefly

dis

cuss

ed.

Dav

id W

ainw

right

ask

ed a

bout

sto

rm w

ater

co

llect

ion

over

Map

le S

wam

p an

d N

CT

A’s

pro

posa

l for

dire

ct d

isch

arge

. H

e w

ants

mor

e in

form

atio

n on

why

the

first

1.5

inch

es o

f sto

rm w

ater

ove

r M

aple

Sw

amp

cann

ot b

e tr

eate

d (i.

e.,

why

trea

tmen

t wou

ld b

e im

prac

tical

or

a ha

rdsh

ip)

befo

re h

e su

pplie

s co

mm

ents

.

Chr

is M

ilits

cher

sai

d th

at U

SE

PA

wou

ld p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

onc

e hi

s ag

ency

rec

eive

s th

e F

EIS

.

•H

and

out

28 –

Joh

n w

ent t

hrou

gh th

e sl

ide

for

Han

dout

28.

He

said

that

he

wou

ld b

e br

ief u

nles

s th

ere

wer

e sp

ecifi

c qu

estio

ns.

He

said

that

exi

stin

g gr

ound

wat

er le

vels

like

ly s

how

onl

y m

inim

al

elev

atio

n ch

ange

s. I

n ad

ditio

n, g

roun

dwat

er fl

ows

are

quite

sm

all.

The

bot

tom

line

is th

at w

ith a

M

aple

Sw

amp

cros

sing

des

ign

that

mai

ntai

ns s

urfa

ce w

ater

hyd

rolo

gy, g

roun

dwat

er fl

ows

and

leve

ls w

ould

not

be

affe

cted

by

fill.

In r

espo

nse

to a

que

stio

n, h

e no

ted

the

amou

nt o

f soi

l tha

t w

ould

be

muc

ked

out f

or fi

ll se

ctio

ns in

the

swam

p w

ould

ran

ge fr

om 2

to 5

feet

. Jo

hn a

sked

if

ther

e w

ere

any

ques

tions

on

Han

dout

28

– th

ere

wer

e no

ne.

•H

and

out

29 –

Joh

n w

ent t

hrou

gh th

e sl

ide

for

Han

dout

29.

He

said

that

in r

espo

nse

to a

genc

y co

mm

ents

, NC

TA

con

duct

ed r

evis

ed M

aple

Sw

amp

flood

plai

n st

udie

s ba

sed

on a

mor

e de

taile

d lo

catio

n su

rvey

, rec

ent l

oggi

ng in

the

swam

p, a

nd a

ran

ge o

f brid

ge a

nd fi

ll le

ngth

alte

rnat

ives

. T

he r

esul

ts o

f th

e re

vise

d st

udie

s in

dica

ted

that

a m

inim

um 2

,500

-foo

t brid

ge in

the

cent

ral t

o ea

ster

n pa

rt o

f Map

le S

wam

p w

ould

res

ult i

n no

impa

ct o

n flo

odw

ater

ele

vatio

n. J

ohn

aske

d if

ther

e w

ere

any

ques

tions

on

Han

dout

29

– th

ere

wer

e no

ne.

•P

refe

rred

Alt

ern

ativ

e R

epo

rt –

Joh

n ad

dres

sed

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t. H

e in

dica

ted

that

NC

TA

’s r

ecom

men

ded

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e is

MC

B4/

C1

with

ref

inem

ents

to r

espo

nd to

ag

ency

and

pub

lic c

omm

ents

on

the

DE

IS a

ltern

ativ

es, a

s w

ell a

s to

avo

id a

nd m

inim

ize

impa

cts.

H

e re

view

ed th

e co

mpo

nent

s of

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive,

incl

udin

g: r

ever

sing

ce

nter

turn

lane

alo

ng U

S 1

58 fo

r hu

rric

ane

evac

uatio

n be

twee

n th

e br

idge

inte

rcha

nge

and

NC

16

8; th

e ad

ditio

n of

app

roxi

mat

ely

1,60

0 fe

et o

f thi

rd o

utbo

und

lane

for

hurr

ican

e ev

acua

tion

on

US

158

on

the

Out

er B

anks

to th

e w

est o

f NC

12;

the

use

of O

ptio

n B

’s m

ore

com

pact

US

15

8/M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge in

terc

hang

e; a

med

ian

acce

lera

tion

lane

for

left

turn

s at

the

US

158/

Wat

erlil

y R

oad

inte

rsec

tion;

a 2

,640

-foo

t-lo

ng b

ridge

in M

aple

Sw

amp

(the

Opt

ion

A

brid

ge w

as 7

,913

fee

t and

Opt

ion

B w

as 3

60 f

eet)

; a li

near

toll

plaz

a on

fill

in M

aple

Sw

amp

to th

e w

est o

f the

Map

le S

wam

p br

idge

; a 2

-lane

roa

d on

fill

betw

een

the

Map

le S

wam

p br

idge

and

the

soun

d br

idge

; the

ret

entio

n of

Ayd

lett

Roa

d in

its

curr

ent l

ocat

ion;

a s

trai

ght M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge

that

avo

ids

coas

tal m

arsh

and

red

uces

SA

V im

pact

at i

ts e

aste

rn te

rmin

us a

t NC

12;

pro

visi

ons

for

bicy

cles

and

ped

estr

ians

on

the

brid

ge; r

ound

abou

ts o

n N

C 1

2 at

the

inte

rsec

tions

with

the

brid

ge a

nd C

urrit

uck

Clu

bhou

se D

rive;

less

4-la

ne w

iden

ing

on N

C 1

2; a

nd m

arke

d pe

dest

rian

cros

sing

s on

NC

12.

In

resp

onse

to a

que

stio

n ab

out w

ildlif

e un

derp

asse

s in

Map

le S

wam

p,

John

sai

d th

at a

dditi

onal

wild

life

unde

rpas

ses

are

bein

g co

nsid

ered

. Jo

hn s

how

ed a

slid

e th

at

C-82

Pag

e 7

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

com

pare

d th

e re

fined

C1

term

inus

on

the

Out

er B

anks

to th

e D

EIS

C1

term

inus

. H

e di

scus

sed

that

the

real

igne

d te

rmin

us u

sing

the

roun

dabo

ut a

void

s w

etla

nds

in th

e br

idge

term

inus

are

a,

whi

ch r

educ

ed w

etla

nd im

pact

s on

the

Out

er B

anks

by

4 ac

res

to a

bout

1 a

cre.

The

ref

ined

al

ignm

ent a

lso

avoi

ds th

e al

read

y de

velo

ped

port

ion

of th

e C

orol

la B

ay s

ubdi

visi

on.

Roy

Bru

ce d

iscu

ssed

the

thre

e sl

ides

rel

ated

to M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge c

onst

ruct

ion

proc

edur

es

with

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

He

disc

usse

d th

at, a

s sh

own

on th

e sl

ides

, dr

edge

d ar

eas

have

bee

n re

duce

d on

the

east

with

the

refin

ed a

lignm

ent f

or th

e re

com

men

ded

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e. H

e di

scus

sed

the

slid

e sh

owin

g th

e qu

antit

ies

of d

redg

ing

need

ed w

ith th

e D

EIS

and

ref

ined

C1

alig

nmen

ts, a

s w

ell a

s th

e pr

opos

ed s

uppl

y do

ck.

As

show

n on

the

slid

e,

the

refin

ed C

1 al

ignm

ent h

as s

ubst

antia

lly le

ss d

redg

ing

impa

cts

than

the

DE

IS C

1 al

ignm

ent.

H

owev

er, a

lthou

gh th

e de

sign

of t

he s

uppl

y do

ck h

as n

ot b

een

revi

sed

yet,

the

antic

ipat

ed

dred

ging

impa

cts

for

the

supp

ly d

ock

are

up b

ased

on

a ne

w b

athy

met

ric s

urve

y th

at N

CT

A

rece

ntly

com

plet

ed.

Roy

sai

d th

at N

CT

A is

look

ing

at o

ptio

ns to

ref

ine

the

desi

gn o

f th

e su

pply

op

erat

ion

base

d on

the

new

sur

vey

data

to r

educ

e dr

edgi

ng im

pact

s, s

o th

is is

sue

will

be

furt

her

disc

usse

d w

ith th

e ag

enci

es a

t a fu

ture

mee

ting.

Sev

eral

age

ncie

s co

mm

ente

d on

the

exte

nt o

f th

e su

pply

doc

k dr

edgi

ng im

pact

s, s

o R

oy r

eite

rate

d th

at N

CT

A w

ill a

ttem

pt to

ref

ine

the

plan

and

re

duce

thes

e im

pact

s.

John

not

ed th

e be

nefit

s of

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

(MC

B4/

C1

with

ref

inem

ents

),

as f

ollo

ws:

sub

stan

tial c

onge

stio

n re

duct

ion

and

trav

el ti

me

bene

fits;

com

pone

nts

avoi

d an

d m

inim

ize

natu

ral r

esou

rce

and

com

mun

ity im

pact

s; b

ridge

con

form

s to

are

a la

nd u

se p

lans

; and

ca

n be

fina

nced

. H

e th

en d

iscu

ssed

the

natu

ral r

esou

rces

ben

efits

and

impa

cts

of th

e re

com

men

ded

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e as

sho

wn

on 4

slid

es (

see

atta

ched

). J

enni

fer

Har

ris a

sked

Jo

hn to

exp

lain

in m

ore

deta

il th

e pi

ctur

es o

n tw

o of

the

slid

es s

how

ing

logg

ed a

reas

in M

aple

S

wam

p. J

ohn

said

thes

e ar

e A

ugus

t 201

0 pi

ctur

es s

how

ing

the

exte

nsiv

e lo

ggin

g th

at h

as

rece

ntly

occ

urre

d in

the

swam

p.

John

dis

cuss

ed th

e sl

ide

sum

mar

izin

g co

mm

unity

impa

cts

with

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

A

ltern

ativ

e (s

ee a

ttach

ed),

as

wel

l as

the

slid

e di

scus

sing

his

toric

res

ourc

es im

pact

s (s

ee

atta

ched

) an

d na

viga

tion

span

leng

th in

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

(i.e

., a

sing

le 3

5-fo

ot-lo

ng n

avig

atio

n sp

an in

the

deep

est p

art o

f C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd).

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome

aske

d ab

out t

he n

avig

atio

n sp

an

leng

th a

nd w

heth

er N

CT

A h

as ta

lked

to th

e U

SA

CE

nav

igat

ion

sect

ion.

It w

as d

iscu

ssed

that

N

CT

A h

as c

oord

inat

ed w

ith th

e U

S C

oast

Gua

rd a

bout

nav

igat

ion

span

issu

es, b

ut n

ot U

SA

CE

. It

was

not

ed th

at th

ere

is n

o m

aint

aine

d ch

anne

l in

the

soun

d to

the

nort

h of

the

prop

osed

brid

ge.

Bill

will

pro

vide

NC

TA

with

a c

onta

ct a

t US

AC

E to

coo

rdin

ate

with

on

navi

gatio

n is

sues

– it

will

be

the

sam

e co

ntac

t at U

SA

CE

that

NC

DO

T c

oord

inat

ed w

ith d

urin

g th

e B

onne

r B

ridge

rep

lace

men

t pr

ojec

t dev

elop

men

t.

•G

ener

al D

iscu

ssio

n –

Chr

is M

ilits

cher

not

ed a

diff

eren

ce in

the

dred

ging

vol

umes

sho

wn

in th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort (

page

7)

vers

us w

hat i

s sh

own

on th

e sl

ides

. R

oy r

espo

nded

that

th

e sl

ides

are

cor

rect

and

that

they

ref

lect

new

num

bers

bas

ed o

n ne

w s

urve

y da

ta r

ecei

ved

afte

r pr

epar

atio

n of

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t.

Chr

is M

ilits

cher

ask

ed f

or m

ore

deta

ils o

n th

e su

pply

doc

k. R

oy e

xpla

ined

that

the

supp

ly d

ock

loca

tion

is in

depe

nden

t of t

he d

esig

n an

d lo

catio

n of

the

C1

alig

nmen

t and

that

NC

TA

is lo

okin

g at

diff

eren

t opt

ions

for

its lo

catio

n. T

he im

pact

s sh

own

on th

e sl

ide

are

likel

y th

e w

orst

-cas

e im

pact

s of

the

supp

ly d

ock.

He

said

that

NC

TA

rea

lizes

that

the

curr

ently

cal

cula

ted

impa

cts

for

the

supp

ly d

ock

are

subs

tant

ial,

so d

iffer

ent a

ltern

ativ

es a

re b

eing

con

side

red

to m

inim

ize

or

avoi

d th

ese

impa

cts.

Chr

is s

umm

ariz

ed th

e w

orst

-cas

e im

pact

s w

ith th

e su

pply

doc

k as

pr

esen

ted

durin

g th

e sl

ides

how

. Je

nnife

r H

arris

not

ed th

at th

e re

fined

C1

alig

nmen

t red

uces

im

pact

s, in

clud

ing

dred

ging

. R

on S

echl

er a

sked

to s

ee th

e sl

ide

agai

n sh

owin

g th

e lo

catio

n of

th

e su

pply

doc

k. A

s sh

own

on th

e sl

ide,

it w

as d

iscu

ssed

that

it is

onl

y on

the

mai

nlan

d (i.

e., a

su

pply

doc

k is

not

nee

ded

on th

e O

uter

Ban

ks s

ide)

in a

n ar

ea o

f vac

ant l

and,

but

Roy

rei

tera

ted

that

NC

TA

is lo

okin

g at

oth

er lo

catio

n op

tions

and

des

igns

to r

educ

e im

pact

s fu

rthe

r.

Pag

e 8

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

Chr

is M

ilits

cher

ask

ed if

NC

TA

had

talk

ed to

the

NC

DO

T N

atur

al E

nviro

nmen

t Uni

t abo

ut th

e dr

edgi

ng s

poil

disp

osal

site

men

tione

d on

pag

e 20

of t

he r

epor

t (i.e

., th

e ex

istin

g bo

rrow

pit

east

of

US

158

and

nor

th o

f A

ydle

tt R

oad

in C

oinj

ock)

. Je

nnife

r H

arris

res

pond

ed n

ot y

et.

Chr

is

aske

d w

here

the

borr

ow f

or th

e fil

l in

the

swam

p is

com

ing

from

. R

oy B

ruce

res

pond

ed th

at th

ere

are

som

e po

ssib

le u

plan

d si

tes

that

NC

TA

is c

onsi

derin

g, b

ut n

othi

ng d

efin

itive

yet

.

Kev

in H

art a

sked

abo

ut th

e ty

pe o

f co

nstr

uctio

n ba

rge

that

wou

ld b

e us

ed.

Roy

des

crib

ed th

e cu

rren

tly a

ntic

ipat

ed b

arge

type

. K

evin

ask

ed a

bout

the

amou

nt o

f di

spla

cem

ent f

or th

ese

barg

es.

Nea

l Will

iam

s re

spon

ded

that

the

barg

es n

eed

appr

oxim

atel

y 1.

5 fe

et o

f dra

ft w

hen

empt

y an

d 3

to 4

feet

whe

n lo

aded

.

Kev

in H

art a

sked

abo

ut S

AV

impa

cts

with

the

refin

ed C

1 al

ignm

ent.

Roy

res

pond

ed th

at th

e br

idge

is s

hort

er o

ver

SA

V w

ith th

e re

fined

alig

nmen

t, bu

t NC

TA

nee

ds to

rev

iew

the

rece

ntly

up

date

d S

AV

sur

vey

prep

ared

by

Eas

t Car

olin

a U

nive

rsity

to d

eter

min

e th

e ex

act i

mpa

cts.

It w

as

disc

usse

d th

at th

ere

coul

d po

tent

ially

be

new

SA

V o

n th

e w

est s

ide

of th

e so

und

at th

e pr

opos

ed

supp

ly d

ock

loca

tion.

In

addi

tion,

SA

V o

n th

e ea

st s

ide

of th

e so

und

coul

d po

ssib

ly h

ave

tem

pora

rily

rece

ded

at th

e br

idge

term

inus

. K

evin

sai

d th

at a

ny a

reas

of t

he s

ound

with

te

mpo

raril

y re

cede

d S

AV

wou

ld s

till b

e co

nsid

ered

hab

itat,

even

if S

AV

is n

ot c

urre

ntly

pre

sent

. Jo

hn P

age

disc

usse

d th

e lo

catio

n of

the

refin

ed a

lignm

ent i

n re

latio

nshi

p to

kno

wn

SA

V h

abita

t an

d th

e de

pth

of th

e so

und.

He

said

that

ther

e is

less

sha

llow

wat

er a

long

the

refin

ed C

1 al

ignm

ent a

nd le

ss k

now

n S

AV

. In

add

ition

, we

are

brid

ging

the

know

n ar

eas

of S

AV

on

the

east

si

de o

f the

sou

nd.

The

refo

re, N

CT

A th

inks

ther

e is

now

less

SA

V im

pact

than

with

the

DE

IS C

1 al

ignm

ent.

Tra

vis

Wils

on a

sked

abo

ut th

e su

rvey

dat

es fo

r th

e S

AV

and

bat

hym

etric

dat

a sh

own

on th

e sl

ides

. R

oy s

aid

the

bath

ymet

ric s

urve

y da

ta s

how

n on

the

slid

es is

the

curr

ent d

ata

from

Fal

l 20

10, b

ut th

e S

AV

dat

a is

bas

ed o

n th

e 20

07 U

SA

CE

SA

V s

urve

ys.

It w

as d

iscu

ssed

that

dr

edgi

ng is

bei

ng p

ropo

sed

only

whe

re it

is n

eede

d to

pro

vide

6 fe

et o

f dep

th a

nd w

here

ther

e is

no

SA

V p

rese

nt.

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris s

aid

one

way

to p

ictu

re th

e re

lativ

ely

limite

d ex

tent

of t

he

prop

osed

dre

dgin

g is

that

it is

inte

nded

to s

moo

th o

ut s

ome

bum

ps o

n th

e so

und

botto

m, b

ut w

ill

not b

e w

ides

prea

d.

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

rea

d to

the

grou

p fr

om th

e N

C M

arin

e F

ishe

ries

Com

mis

sion

(M

FC

) ru

les

on

dred

ging

. S

he a

sked

Kev

in H

art f

or c

larif

icat

ion

of th

e D

MF

rul

es r

elat

ed to

dre

dgin

g in

or

near

S

AV

bed

s. K

evin

sai

d he

will

find

thes

e ru

les

and

prov

ide

them

to

the

grou

p. I

t was

dis

cuss

ed

that

bot

h th

e M

FC

and

DM

F r

ules

app

ly to

the

prop

osed

pro

ject

.

Gar

y Jo

rdan

ref

eren

ced

the

text

on

page

31

of th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort t

hat d

iscu

sses

av

oidi

ng a

nd m

inim

izin

g w

etla

nd fi

ll im

pact

s as

an

impo

rtan

t con

side

ratio

n to

take

into

acc

ount

w

hen

mak

ing

desi

gn r

evis

ions

. H

e as

ked

spec

ifica

lly w

hat i

s th

e am

ount

of w

etla

nd im

pact

s sa

ving

s be

twee

n th

e D

EIS

alte

rnat

ives

and

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

He

note

d th

at th

e w

etla

nd im

pact

s sa

ving

s be

twee

n O

ptio

n B

and

Opt

ion

C (

i.e.,

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive)

did

not

see

m to

add

up

base

d on

the

Opt

ion

C M

aple

Sw

amp

brid

ge le

ngth

of

2,6

40 fe

et.

It w

as d

iscu

ssed

that

the

net r

educ

tion

in im

pact

ed w

etla

nd in

Map

le S

wam

p w

ith

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

is s

mal

ler

than

exp

ecte

d be

caus

e of

the

pres

ence

of t

he

linea

r to

ll pl

aza

in th

e sw

amp.

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome

aske

d ho

w th

e w

etla

nd im

pact

acr

eage

s on

pag

e 18

of t

he P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort w

ere

calc

ulat

ed.

John

Pag

e sa

id th

e im

pact

s w

ere

dete

rmin

ed b

ased

on

the

slop

e-st

ake

line

plus

an

addi

tiona

l 25-

foot

buf

fer.

Joh

n sa

id th

at T

able

3-9

of t

he D

EIS

(pa

ge 3

-44)

con

firm

s th

e w

etla

nd im

pact

acr

eage

s sh

own

on p

age

18 o

f th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort.

The

bot

tom

ro

w o

f Tab

le 3

-9 s

how

s “W

etla

nd w

ithin

Slo

pe-S

take

Lin

e, p

lus

Add

ition

al 2

5-fo

ot b

uffe

r.”

The

de

finiti

on o

f an

d re

ason

for

usin

g “s

lope

-sta

kes

plus

25”

was

dis

cuss

ed.

Gar

y Jo

rdan

sai

d he

C-83

Pag

e 9

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

wou

ld li

ke to

see

an

expl

anat

ion

of th

e re

ason

for

usin

g “s

lope

-sta

kes

plus

25”

to c

alcu

late

w

etla

nd im

pact

s in

clud

ed in

DE

IS T

able

3-9

, as

wel

l as

in th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort.

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome

aske

d ho

w m

uch

wou

ld u

sing

MC

B4/

A/C

1 w

ith th

e de

sign

ref

inem

ents

mad

e fo

r th

e re

com

men

ded

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e re

duce

the

wet

land

impa

cts.

It w

as n

oted

that

the

redu

ctio

n on

the

Out

er B

anks

with

the

NC

12

refin

emen

ts w

as 4

acr

es, b

ut th

e W

ater

lily

Roa

d sa

fety

feat

ure

wou

ld a

dd a

bout

0.5

acr

e. T

hus,

with

thes

e ch

ange

s, th

e M

CB

4/A

/C1

impa

cts

wou

ld b

e ab

out 3

.5 a

cres

less

than

the

10.6

acr

es in

the

DE

IS o

r 7.

1 ac

res.

The

issu

e of

pro

vidi

ng c

ost s

avin

gs b

y m

akin

g fu

rthe

r re

finem

ents

to th

e al

tern

ativ

es w

as

disc

usse

d. I

t was

not

ed th

at th

e co

sts

in th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort a

re n

ot fo

r th

e re

vise

d al

tern

ativ

es.

Roy

Bru

ce s

aid

he th

inks

the

cost

diff

eren

ce b

etw

een

revi

sed

MC

B4/

A/C

1 an

d th

e re

com

men

ded

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e is

abo

ut $

50 m

illio

n. T

he r

ecom

men

ded

Pre

ferr

ed

Alte

rnat

ive

save

s ab

out $

50 m

illio

n, b

ut im

pact

s ap

prox

imat

ely

20 a

cres

mor

e of

wet

land

, all

in

Map

le S

wam

p. R

oy s

aid

that

usi

ng d

redg

ing

prov

ides

ano

ther

rou

ghly

$30

mill

ion

in s

avin

gs.

Jenn

ifer

and

Roy

furt

her

disc

usse

d th

e co

st s

avin

gs p

rovi

ded

by d

redg

ing,

but

als

o no

ted

that

N

CT

A is

inte

rest

ed in

pur

suin

g ot

her

poss

ible

con

stru

ctio

n m

etho

ds th

at w

ould

sav

e m

oney

whi

le

also

red

ucin

g dr

edgi

ng.

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

ask

ed if

it w

ould

be

poss

ible

to u

se s

unke

n ba

rges

. It

was

dis

cuss

ed th

at th

is is

not

pos

sibl

e be

caus

e th

e ty

pe o

f ba

rge

that

cou

ld b

e su

nk w

ould

hav

e to

be

brou

ght i

nto

plac

e fr

om th

e In

trac

oast

al W

ater

way

, whi

ch w

ould

add

dre

dgin

g im

pact

s.

Chr

is M

ilits

cher

ask

ed a

bout

the

typi

cal s

ectio

n of

the

prop

osed

roa

d on

fill

thro

ugh

Map

le

Sw

amp.

It w

as d

iscu

ssed

that

the

typi

cal s

ectio

n fo

r th

e O

ptio

n B

roa

d on

fill

(not

incl

udin

g th

e to

ll pl

aza)

thro

ugh

Map

le S

wam

p w

ould

incl

ude

two

12-f

oot l

anes

with

10-

foot

out

side

sho

ulde

rs

and

no m

edia

n. H

owev

er, s

ubse

quen

t to

the

mee

ting,

furt

her

revi

ew o

f the

typi

cal s

ectio

n fo

r th

e ro

ad o

n fil

l thr

ough

the

swam

p as

sho

wn

on th

e P

ublic

Hea

ring

Map

s in

dica

ted

that

the

outs

ide

shou

lder

wid

th to

the

star

t of t

he fi

ll sl

ope

is 1

1 fe

et, w

ith 8

feet

bet

wee

n th

e ed

ge o

f the

trav

el

lane

and

the

face

of t

he g

uard

rail

(incl

udin

g a

6-fo

ot p

aved

sho

ulde

r), s

o th

e to

tal s

ectio

n w

idth

is

46 fe

et p

lus

the

fill s

lope

.

Gar

y Jo

rdan

ask

ed a

bout

the

vert

ical

cle

aran

ce o

f th

e O

ptio

n C

brid

ge th

roug

h M

aple

Sw

amp.

R

oy B

ruce

res

pond

ed th

at th

e ve

rtic

al c

lear

ance

is a

bout

10

feet

from

the

grou

nd to

the

botto

m o

f th

e st

ruct

ure.

Kev

in H

art a

sked

if th

ere

will

be

othe

r op

enin

gs u

nder

the

prop

osed

pro

ject

in th

e sw

amp.

It w

as

disc

usse

d th

at th

ere

will

be

hydr

aulic

equ

aliz

er p

ipes

thro

ugh

fill s

ectio

ns to

mai

ntai

n su

rfac

e w

ater

flow

, but

they

hav

e no

t bee

n de

sign

ed y

et.

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris a

sked

if th

e di

scus

sion

s to

day

help

ed to

add

ress

som

e of

the

com

men

ts in

the

US

AC

E le

tter.

It w

as in

dica

ted

that

toda

y’s

disc

ussi

ons

help

ed to

add

ress

som

e of

the

US

AC

E

com

men

ts, b

ut a

dditi

onal

info

rmat

ion

is s

till n

eede

d to

ans

wer

som

e co

mm

ents

. It

was

aga

in

note

d th

at u

nfor

tuna

tely

NC

TA

did

not

rec

eive

the

mai

led

copy

of t

he le

tter

prio

r to

toda

y’s

mee

ting.

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome

said

that

the

lette

r is

bas

ed in

par

t on

thei

r in

itial

rev

iew

of t

he P

refe

rred

A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t.

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

ask

ed w

hat t

he v

ertic

al c

lear

ance

of t

he n

ew s

ound

brid

ge w

ould

be

outs

ide

of

the

navi

gatio

n sp

an.

Roy

Bru

ce r

espo

nded

that

ther

e w

ould

be

abou

t 16

feet

of c

lear

ance

from

th

e w

ater

leve

l to

the

botto

m o

f the

gird

ers.

It w

as d

iscu

ssed

that

DC

M r

equi

res

the

mai

nten

ance

of

exi

stin

g na

viga

tion

uses

of t

he s

ound

. R

oy s

aid

the

prop

osed

brid

ge w

ould

be

high

er th

an th

e ty

pica

l cle

aran

ce h

eigh

t for

the

Wrig

ht M

emor

ial B

ridge

. It

was

als

o no

ted

that

it is

diff

icul

t to

navi

gate

nor

th-s

outh

in C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd b

ecau

se it

is s

o sh

allo

w in

som

e ar

eas

in th

e m

iddl

e of

th

e so

und

(onl

y 1

to 2

feet

dee

p).

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome

aske

d if

NC

TA

was

goi

ng to

rev

ise

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t. J

enni

fer

Har

ris r

espo

nded

yes

bas

ed o

n co

mm

ents

mad

e by

the

agen

cies

and

the

need

to u

pdat

e th

e

Pag

e 10

of 1

0

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

11/0

2/1

0

dred

ging

impa

ct in

form

atio

n. J

enni

fer

stat

ed th

at N

CT

A w

ill c

ontin

ue a

void

ance

and

m

inim

izat

ions

effo

rts

to m

ake

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

mor

e co

mpe

titiv

e w

ith E

R2

from

a w

etla

nd im

pact

s pe

rspe

ctiv

e to

add

ress

age

ncy

conc

erns

, and

not

ed th

at r

esol

ving

this

is

sue

also

cou

ld le

ad to

furt

her

revi

sion

s to

the

repo

rt.

Sco

tt M

cLen

don

said

to n

ot k

eep

revi

sing

th

e re

port

if th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

is s

till a

mov

ing

targ

et.

Jenn

ifer

agre

ed th

at r

evis

ions

wou

ldno

t be

mad

e to

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

until

com

men

ts w

ere

rece

ived

on

the

curr

ent r

epor

t and

dis

cuss

ed.

Tra

vis

Wils

on a

nd C

athy

Brit

tingh

am w

ould

like

to h

ave

the

repo

rt u

pdat

ed to

ref

lect

the

upda

ted

dred

ging

info

rmat

ion

for

the

revi

sed

C1

alig

nmen

t pre

sent

ed in

the

slid

e sh

ow a

nd to

be

prov

ided

w

ith a

t lea

st th

e up

date

d pa

ges

(i.e.

, som

ethi

ng m

ore

user

frie

ndly

than

the

slid

es).

It w

as a

gree

d th

at th

e W

ord

file

wou

ld b

e up

date

d us

ing

trac

k ch

ange

s an

d po

sted

on

the

TE

AC

web

site

.

•N

ext

Ste

ps

– C

athy

Brit

tingh

am a

sked

abo

ut th

e da

te fo

r th

e ne

xt T

EA

C m

eetin

g. S

cott

McL

endo

n sa

id h

e th

ough

t we

wer

e st

ill fa

r en

ough

apa

rt o

n th

e se

lect

ion

of th

e P

refe

rred

A

ltern

ativ

e th

at a

noth

er m

eetin

g is

not

nee

ded

until

NC

TA

ans

wer

s U

SA

CE

’s f

undi

ng c

once

rns.

Je

nnife

r sa

id s

he w

ould

rat

her

answ

er a

ll ag

ency

com

men

ts a

t onc

e be

fore

the

next

mee

ting,

so

com

men

ts a

re n

eede

d fr

om th

e ot

her

agen

cies

.

Sco

tt M

cLen

don

aske

d if

ther

e w

ere

any

loom

ing

finan

cing

issu

es th

at r

equi

red

a qu

ick

deci

sion

on

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e (s

imila

r to

the

Mon

roe

Byp

ass

proj

ect)

. Je

nnife

r re

spon

ded

that

th

ere

wer

e no

ne b

ut th

at a

dec

isio

n sh

ould

be

mad

e as

qui

ckly

as

poss

ible

. S

he a

dded

that

N

CT

A w

ould

con

tinue

to r

efin

e th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

to tr

y to

min

imiz

e im

pact

s, a

s w

ell a

s co

ntin

ue to

atte

mpt

to e

xpla

in E

R2

fund

ing

prob

lem

s to

ans

wer

the

US

AC

E c

once

rns.

It w

as d

iscu

ssed

that

the

agen

cies

will

pro

vide

com

men

ts w

ithin

30

days

, so

ther

e w

ill p

roba

bly

not b

e a

Dec

embe

r T

EA

C m

eetin

g (i.

e., n

ot e

noug

h tim

e fo

r N

CT

A to

dig

est a

nd r

espo

nd to

co

mm

ents

bef

ore

the

mee

ting)

. T

he a

genc

ies

agre

ed to

pro

vide

com

men

ts b

y D

ecem

ber

3.

Sco

tt sa

id h

e th

inks

we

are

getti

ng c

lose

to e

ither

agr

eein

g on

a P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive,

or

not

bein

g ab

le to

agr

ee.

The

mee

ting

conc

lude

d at

2:5

5 P

M.

C-84

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

1/2

0/1

1

ME

ET

ING

MIN

UT

ES

Dat

e:

Ja

nuar

y 20

, 201

1

10

:00

AM

to 1

2:00

PM

N

C T

urnp

ike

Aut

horit

y B

oard

Roo

m

Pro

ject

: S

TIP

R-2

576

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Stu

dy

Mid

-Cu

rrit

uck

Bri

dge

Sp

otlig

ht:

Att

end

ees:

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome,

US

AC

E

Sco

tt M

cLen

don,

US

AC

E

Bra

d S

have

r, U

SA

CE

G

ary

Jord

an, U

SFW

S

Chr

is M

ilits

cher

, US

EP

A

Ron

Sec

hler

, NM

FS

G

eorg

e H

oops

, FH

WA

(by

pho

ne)

Am

y S

imes

, NC

DE

NR

C

athy

Brit

tingh

am, N

CD

EN

R-D

CM

K

evin

Har

t, N

CD

EN

R-D

MF

(by

pho

ne)

Dav

id W

ainw

right

, NC

DE

NR

-DW

Q

Tra

vis

Wils

on, N

CD

EN

R-N

CW

RC

Je

nnife

r H

arris

, NC

TA

B

rian

Yam

amot

o, N

CD

OT

-PD

EA

H

erm

an H

uang

, NC

DO

T-H

EU

D

oug

Tay

lor,

NC

DO

T-R

DU

Jo

se L

uque

, CD

G-A

CS

ID

Ber

nard

o P

alic

io, C

DG

-Dra

gado

s U

SA

Ja

mes

Hin

da, C

DG

-Dra

gado

s U

SA

R

oy B

ruce

, CD

G-L

ochn

er

Ste

ve B

row

de, C

DG

-Loc

hner

R

on F

erre

ll, C

DG

-PB

S&

J N

eal W

illia

ms,

CD

G-W

eeks

Mar

ine

Tra

cy R

ober

ts, H

NT

B

John

Bur

ris, H

NT

B

Kie

rste

n G

iugn

o, H

NT

B

Spe

ncer

Fra

nklin

, HN

TB

Jo

hn P

age,

PB

D

on B

row

n, P

B

Mic

hael

Brig

ht, N

CD

OT

-Util

ities

Lo

nnie

Bro

oks,

NC

DO

T-S

DU

S

teve

Mitc

hell,

NC

DO

T-P

DE

A

Chr

is U

nder

woo

d, N

CD

OT

-PD

EA

B

rian

Wre

nn, N

CD

EN

R-N

CD

WQ

M

ehdi

Zan

gane

h, C

DG

-Loc

hner

(by

ph

one)

S

teph

en L

ane,

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (

by p

hone

) B

ruce

Elli

s, N

CD

OT

-NE

U (

by p

hone

) B

enje

tta J

ohns

on, N

CD

OT

-CM

(by

pho

ne)

Jerr

y M

cCra

in, C

DG

-PB

S&

J A

ndre

w H

ochb

urn,

CD

G-L

ochn

er (

by

phon

e)

Cha

rlan

Ow

ens,

NC

DE

NR

-DC

M (

by

phon

e)

Gre

g H

ebel

er, C

DG

-Gol

der

(by

phon

e)

Dav

id J

oyne

r, N

CT

A

Per

son

s W

ho W

ere

Pro

vid

ed M

ater

ials

(E

lect

roni

cally

) bu

t W

ere

Un

able

to

Att

end

:

Ste

ve L

ambe

rt, A

lbem

arle

Com

mis

sion

B

ill B

razi

er, U

SC

G

Ted

Bis

terf

ield

, US

EP

A

Sar

a W

insl

ow, N

CD

EN

R-D

MF

P

eter

San

dbec

k, N

CD

CR

-HP

O

Ren

ee G

ledh

ill-E

arly

, NC

DC

R-H

PO

S

cott

Slu

sser

, NC

DO

J

Tur

npik

e E

nvir

onm

enta

l Age

ncy

Coo

rdin

atio

n (T

EA

C)

Mee

ting

Pag

e 2

of 5

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

1/2

0/1

1

Pre

sen

tati

on M

ater

ials

: (A

ll m

ater

ials

pos

ted

on th

e T

EA

C w

ebsi

te)

• M

eetin

g A

gend

a •

Janu

ary

2011

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t (in

clud

ing

Han

dout

23

thro

ugh

Han

dout

30)

•

Res

pons

e to

Writ

ten

Com

men

ts o

n th

e O

ctob

er 2

010

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t (H

ando

ut 3

0 in

clud

ed in

the

App

endi

x of

the

Janu

ary

2011

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t)

• P

ower

Poi

nt s

lides

Pu

rpo

se:

Affi

rm th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

and

esta

blis

h it

as th

e LE

DP

A (

Leas

t Env

ironm

enta

lly D

amag

ing

Pra

ctic

able

A

ltern

ativ

e). D

iscu

ss r

espo

nses

to c

omm

ents

on

the

Oct

ober

201

0 P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort (

as

pres

ente

d in

Han

dout

30

and

refle

cted

in th

e ch

ange

s to

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e pr

esen

ted

in th

e Ja

nuar

y20

11 P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort)

.

Gen

eral

Dis

cuss

ion

:T

he fo

llow

ing

info

rmat

ion

was

dis

cuss

ed a

t the

mee

ting:

•In

trod

uct

ion

– T

racy

Rob

erts

ope

ned

the

mee

ting

by n

otin

g m

eetin

g ha

ndou

ts a

nd a

skin

g th

e at

tend

ees

to in

trod

uce

them

selv

es.

He

also

rev

iew

ed th

e m

eetin

g ag

enda

.

•P

refe

rred

Alt

ern

ativ

e R

epo

rt –

Joh

n P

age

rem

inde

d th

e m

eetin

g at

tend

ees

that

the

Pre

ferr

ed

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort w

as p

rovi

ded

to th

e ag

enci

es tw

o w

eeks

ago

. H

e em

phas

ized

that

the

purp

ose

of th

is m

eetin

g w

as to

see

k af

firm

atio

n on

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e an

d to

est

ablis

h it

as th

e LE

DP

A.

John

sum

mar

ized

that

FH

WA

and

NC

TA

’s r

ecom

men

ded

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e is

M

CB

4/A

/C1

with

ref

inem

ents

to r

espo

nd to

age

ncy

and

publ

ic c

omm

ents

on

the

Dra

ft E

nviro

nmen

tal

Impa

ct S

tate

men

t (D

EIS

) al

tern

ativ

es, a

s w

ell a

s to

avo

id a

nd m

inim

ize

impa

cts.

He

revi

ewed

the

com

pone

nts

of th

e re

com

men

ded

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e an

d th

e re

finem

ents

, inc

ludi

ng th

e O

ptio

n A

br

idgi

ng o

f Map

le S

wam

p, th

e ad

ditio

n of

a m

edia

n ac

cele

ratio

n la

ne a

t Wat

erlil

y R

oad,

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

mea

sure

s (o

pera

tiona

l and

phy

sica

l), a

str

aigh

ter

brid

ge a

cros

s C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd,

roun

dabo

uts

and

less

fou

r-la

ning

on

NC

12,

str

iped

ped

estr

ian

cros

sing

s on

NC

12,

and

a r

evis

ed

brid

ge te

rmin

us o

n N

C 1

2 (r

esul

ting

from

the

stra

ight

er b

ridge

) w

hich

red

uced

the

wet

land

impa

ct.

John

als

o w

ent o

ver

som

e of

the

impa

cts

that

wer

e re

duce

d as

a r

esul

t of

the

refin

emen

ts to

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e, in

clud

ing

natu

ral r

esou

rce

impa

cts,

com

mun

ity im

pact

s, a

nd o

ther

impa

cts

such

as

hist

oric

(w

hich

wer

e re

duce

d by

not

add

ing

the

third

out

boun

d la

ne fo

r hu

rric

ane

evac

uatio

n on

US

158

). J

ohn

then

ope

ned

the

mee

ting

to q

uest

ions

and

com

men

ts.

•G

ener

al D

iscu

ssio

n –

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome

had

a qu

estio

n ab

out d

redg

ing.

He

indi

cate

d he

was

co

nfus

ed b

y w

hat w

as p

rese

nted

on

page

22

of th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort,

whe

re th

e le

ngth

an

d ac

reag

e of

dre

dgin

g ha

s be

en s

ubst

antia

lly r

educ

ed, y

et th

e cu

bic

yard

age

was

onl

y sl

ight

ly

low

er.

Roy

Bru

ce e

xpla

ined

that

alth

ough

the

leng

th o

f pro

pose

d dr

edgi

ng is

now

sho

rter

and

the

acre

age

is le

ss, t

he w

ater

dep

th o

f the

are

a pr

opos

ed fo

r dr

edgi

ng is

sha

llow

er, s

o th

e dr

edgi

ng

requ

ired

in th

is a

rea

(wes

tsid

e of

Cur

rituc

k S

ound

) w

ould

hav

e to

be

dred

ged

deep

er th

an th

e ar

eas

on th

e ea

stsi

de o

f Cur

rituc

k S

ound

whe

re d

redg

ing

has

been

elim

inat

ed.

Thu

s a

smal

ler

amou

nt o

f bo

ttom

are

a dr

edge

d w

ould

req

uire

mor

e cu

bic

yard

age

of d

redg

ed m

ater

ials

. P

age

B-7

6 in

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e R

epor

t sho

ws

the

only

rem

aini

ng a

rea

prop

osed

for

dre

dgin

g.

Dav

id W

ainw

right

ask

ed w

hat k

ind

of c

onst

ruct

ion

wou

ld b

e us

ed, w

here

dre

dgin

g w

as n

ow

prop

osed

, and

how

long

the

tem

pora

ry b

ridge

wou

ld b

e. R

oy B

ruce

sta

ted

that

con

stru

ctio

n w

ould

be

from

bar

ges

for

muc

h of

the

soun

d, a

nd th

at d

redg

ing

is n

ow p

ropo

sed

to b

e do

ne o

n th

e w

est

side

of t

he s

ound

onl

y. T

he te

mpo

rary

brid

ge w

ould

be

abou

t 4,0

00 fe

et lo

ng o

n th

e ea

st s

ide

of th

e so

und.

Kev

in H

art a

dded

that

DM

F w

ould

pre

fer

top

dow

n co

nstr

uctio

n in

SA

V a

reas

(ha

bita

t and

ex

istin

g) to

red

uce

thos

e im

pact

s. J

enni

fer

Har

ris s

tate

d th

at a

dditi

onal

con

stru

ctio

n de

tails

wou

ld

be d

iscu

ssed

with

the

agen

cies

as

they

are

kno

wn.

Dav

id W

ainw

right

ask

ed w

hat t

he c

ost w

ould

be

for

the

reco

mm

ende

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

Roy

B

ruce

indi

cate

d th

at th

e co

st w

ould

be

appr

oxim

atel

y $6

60 m

illio

n. J

enni

fer

Har

ris a

dded

that

w

hate

ver

the

final

cos

t was

(in

clud

ing

cons

truc

tion

tech

niqu

es),

NC

TA

wou

ld n

eed

to a

sses

s if

the

proj

ect w

as fi

nanc

ially

feas

ible

. Je

nnife

r re

min

ded

the

agen

cies

that

the

addi

tion

of O

ptio

n A

(b

ridgi

ng M

aple

Sw

amp)

add

ed $

90M

to th

e co

st o

f the

pro

ject

and

that

this

was

a m

ajor

con

cess

ion

C-85

Pag

e 3

of 5

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

1/2

0/1

1

to a

ddre

ss a

genc

y co

ncer

ns r

egar

ding

wet

land

impa

cts.

Jen

nife

r al

so n

oted

that

NC

TA

has

di

scus

sed

and

addr

esse

d m

any

cons

truc

tion-

rela

ted

conc

erns

ear

lier

in th

e en

viro

nmen

tal p

roce

ss

than

is u

sual

. Je

nnife

r re

ques

ted

that

the

agen

cies

sep

arat

e th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive/

LED

PA

de

cisi

on fr

om p

erm

it re

late

d is

sues

like

sto

rmw

ater

man

agem

ent a

nd c

onst

ruct

ion

tech

niqu

es.

Thi

s le

vel o

f inf

orm

atio

n is

not

typi

cally

kno

wn

at th

is p

oint

in th

e N

EP

A p

roce

ss (

even

dur

ing

Con

curr

ence

Poi

nt [C

P] 3

[LE

DP

A] o

f the

Mer

ger

Pro

cess

).

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

not

ed th

at th

is is

the

first

pro

ject

that

she

has

wor

ked

on w

ith N

CT

A.

Typ

ical

ly,

whe

n th

e LE

DP

A is

sig

ned

(CP

3 in

Mer

ger)

, the

age

ncie

s ar

e re

ason

ably

sur

e th

at it

is a

pe

rmitt

able

pro

ject

. C

athy

ask

ed N

CT

A w

hat w

as n

eede

d at

this

poi

nt fr

om th

e ag

enci

es.

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris s

tate

d th

at N

CT

A w

ants

to k

now

if th

ere

are

any

red

flags

, sig

nific

ant o

bjec

tions

or

issu

es o

f co

ncer

n th

at th

e ag

enci

es s

ee th

at m

ight

pre

vent

or

subs

tant

ially

del

ay N

CT

A fr

om o

btai

ning

the

nece

ssar

y pe

rmits

. N

CT

A u

nder

stan

ds th

at th

ere

are

unkn

owns

(su

ch a

s co

nstr

uctio

n te

chni

ques

, S

AV

miti

gatio

n, a

nd s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t), b

ut w

ants

to k

now

if th

ere

are

any

issu

es th

at w

ould

pr

even

t NC

TA

from

dev

elop

ing

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e fu

rthe

r an

d ob

tain

ing

perm

its in

the

futu

re.

Geo

rge

Hoo

ps s

tate

d th

at b

ased

on

the

feed

back

he

has

hear

d fr

om th

e ag

enci

es, t

hey

belie

ve th

at

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e co

uld

be p

erm

ittab

le if

the

issu

es o

f co

nstr

uctio

n te

chni

ques

, sto

rmw

ater

m

anag

emen

t, an

d S

AV

miti

gatio

n co

uld

be r

esol

ved.

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome

stat

ed th

at N

CT

A is

mov

ing

in

the

right

dire

ctio

n w

ith th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

bein

g M

CB

4/A

/C1

in te

rms

of r

educ

ing

wet

land

im

pact

s, b

ut th

ere

are

still

con

cern

s re

gard

ing

dred

ging

and

sto

rmw

ater

impa

cts

on th

e aq

uatic

ec

osys

tem

.

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris a

sked

the

agen

cies

if th

ey h

ave

know

n th

ese

deta

ils (

such

as

SA

V m

itiga

tion,

co

nstr

uctio

n te

chni

ques

, and

sto

rmw

ater

man

agem

ent)

at t

his

stag

e on

oth

er p

roje

cts.

Sco

tt M

cLen

don

stat

ed th

at h

e th

ough

t the

Was

hing

ton

Byp

ass

proj

ect w

as p

ropo

sed

to b

e co

nstr

ucte

d us

ing

a to

p-do

wn

cons

truc

tion

met

hodo

logy

and

that

this

was

kno

wn

at C

P 3

(LE

DP

A).

Lon

nie

Bro

oks

stat

ed th

at th

e pr

ojec

t was

des

ign-

build

(so

a s

peci

fic c

onst

ruct

ion

met

hodo

logy

wou

ldn’

t ha

ve b

een

know

n at

CP

3)

and

that

the

perm

it dr

awin

gs f

or th

e W

ashi

ngto

n B

ypas

s pr

opos

ed a

w

ork

brid

ge. T

ravi

s W

ilson

sta

ted

that

he

coul

d no

t thi

nk o

f a

com

para

ble

proj

ect t

o th

e M

id-

Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

and

that

is w

hy th

e ag

enci

es w

ant m

ore

info

rmat

ion

than

is ty

pica

lly r

eque

sted

at

this

poi

nt.

Tra

vis

stat

ed th

at h

e di

d no

t thi

nk it

was

pos

sibl

e fo

r N

CT

A to

get

a r

espo

nse

from

the

agen

cies

at t

his

mee

ting

that

the

proj

ect a

s pr

esen

ted

and

with

wha

t is

know

n w

ould

def

inite

ly b

e pe

rmitt

able

.

Ron

Sec

hler

not

ed th

at im

pact

s to

sea

gras

s (S

AV

) ar

e im

port

ant o

n th

is p

roje

ct.

He

stat

ed th

at it

is

diffi

cult

to d

eal w

ith, b

ut th

e te

chno

logy

is th

ere

to m

itiga

te im

pact

s.

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris n

oted

that

it s

ound

ed a

s if

a LE

DP

A w

ould

not

be

able

to b

e ag

reed

upo

n at

this

m

eetin

g, b

ut s

he a

sked

if th

ere

was

som

ethi

ng o

n w

hich

agr

eem

ent c

ould

be

reac

hed.

Jen

nife

r w

ante

d to

kno

w if

NC

TA

cou

ld g

et a

gree

men

t on

the

curr

ent c

ompo

nent

s of

the

Pre

ferr

ed

Alte

rnat

ive,

and

then

NC

TA

cou

ld a

ddre

ss th

e re

mai

ning

issu

es in

futu

re a

genc

y co

ordi

natio

n on

av

oida

nce,

min

imiz

atio

n, a

nd m

itiga

tion,

as

wel

l as

durin

g th

e pe

rmitt

ing

proc

ess.

Jen

nife

r as

ked

if an

yone

had

a b

ette

r id

ea a

nd a

sked

for

inpu

t on

how

the

proj

ect c

ould

be

adva

nced

at t

his

poin

t.

Sco

tt M

cLen

don

adde

d th

at th

ere

is a

gree

men

t tha

t NC

TA

is o

n th

e rig

ht tr

ack,

but

that

a L

ED

PA

ca

nnot

be

agre

ed to

at t

his

mee

ting

beca

use

of u

nres

olve

d re

sour

ce c

once

rns

rega

rdin

g st

orm

wat

er

man

agem

ent,

in-w

ater

con

stru

ctio

n im

pact

s, a

nd S

AV

impa

cts/

miti

gatio

n. I

t is

not k

now

n if

the

proj

ect c

an o

btai

n pe

rmits

and

con

stru

ctab

ility

stil

l nee

ds to

be

exam

ined

. T

he a

genc

ies

are

satis

fied

that

NC

TA

will

be

brid

ging

Map

le S

wam

p, b

ut th

ey c

anno

t say

at t

his

poin

t tha

t Alte

rnat

ive

ER

2 is

off

the

tabl

e. T

he a

genc

ies

agre

ed th

at it

was

NC

TA

’s c

hoic

e to

con

tinue

to a

dvan

ce it

s P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

How

ever

, the

age

ncie

s ar

e no

t ask

ing

NC

TA

to d

o an

y m

ore

anal

ysis

or

prov

ide

addi

tiona

l inf

orm

atio

n on

ER

2. C

athy

Brit

tingh

am r

eite

rate

d th

at n

obod

y is

ask

ing

for m

ore

wor

k on

ER

2.

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

not

ed th

e fo

llow

ing

pote

ntia

l iss

ues

of c

once

rn: 1

) s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t; 2)

dr

edgi

ng; 3

) sh

adin

g an

d pi

le im

pact

s on

SA

V r

esul

ting

from

the

perm

anen

t and

tem

pora

ry b

ridge

s;

and

4) in

-wat

er w

ork

rest

rictio

ns (

incl

udin

g dr

edgi

ng a

nd p

ile in

stal

latio

n) d

urin

g th

e fis

herie

s m

orat

oriu

m. C

athy

sta

ted

that

uns

atis

fact

ory

reso

lutio

n of

any

of t

hese

issu

es c

ould

lead

to a

per

mit

bein

g de

nied

. Cat

hy la

ter

clar

ified

that

one

of t

he c

once

rns

with

pile

driv

ing

was

the

nois

e an

d

Pag

e 4

of 5

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

1/2

0/1

1

vibr

atio

n im

pact

on

mig

rato

ry fi

sh. T

ravi

s W

ilson

add

ed th

at p

ile in

stal

latio

n ev

en w

ith a

vib

rato

ry

ham

mer

was

stil

l an

aqua

tic im

pact

.

Kev

in H

art a

dded

that

the

fishe

ries

mor

ator

ium

app

lies

only

to S

AV

(ex

istin

g an

d ha

bita

t).

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris b

riefly

sum

mar

ized

wha

t was

hea

rd s

o fa

r. N

o ag

ency

wan

ts m

ore

info

rmat

ion

on

ER

2; th

ere

is n

o ob

ject

ion

on th

e co

mpo

nent

s of

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e; a

nd s

he r

e-ite

rate

d C

athy

’s li

st o

f pot

entia

l iss

ues

of c

once

rn.

NC

TA

and

FH

WA

inte

nd to

mov

e fo

rwar

d w

ith

MC

B4/

A/C

1 as

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e. J

enni

fer

adde

d th

at N

CT

A w

ill a

nnou

nce

to th

e pu

blic

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e (v

ia a

new

slet

ter

and

pres

s re

leas

e), w

hile

ack

now

ledg

ing

ther

e ar

e is

sues

that

ne

ed to

be

reso

lved

to th

e ag

enci

es’ s

atis

fact

ion

prio

r to

per

mitt

ing.

Gar

y Jo

rdan

rai

sed

a co

ncer

n w

ith th

e po

tent

ial f

or m

igra

tory

bird

s an

d ve

hicl

e co

llisi

ons

on lo

ng

coas

tal b

ridge

s. H

e no

ted

Exe

cutiv

e O

rder

(E

O)

1318

6 “R

espo

nsib

ilitie

s of

Fed

eral

Age

ncie

s to

P

rote

ct M

igra

tory

Bird

s” s

igne

d by

Pre

side

nt C

linto

n on

Jan

uary

10,

200

1 to

pro

tect

mig

rato

ry b

irds.

G

ary

note

d th

at th

is E

O is

not

men

tione

d of

ten,

but

it is

impo

rtan

t on

this

pro

ject

bec

ause

of t

he

brid

ge’s

leng

th a

nd c

oast

al lo

catio

n. H

e sh

owed

a p

ictu

re o

f bird

fenc

ing

(atta

ched

) th

at is

use

d on

a

brid

ge in

Cal

iforn

ia to

red

uce

bird

kill

s an

d w

ants

NC

TA

to lo

ok in

to u

sing

a s

imila

r de

vice

. T

his

issu

e w

as a

US

Fis

h an

d W

ildlif

e S

ervi

ce c

omm

ent o

n th

e D

EIS

.

Roy

Bru

ce a

sked

if d

redg

ing

was

the

mos

t im

port

ant o

f Cat

hy’s

fou

r po

tent

ial i

ssue

s of

con

cern

. C

athy

sai

d it

was

not

nec

essa

rily

the

mos

t im

port

ant.

Impa

cts

to S

AV

may

be

mor

e of

a c

once

rn,

but t

he is

sues

are

not

in a

ny p

artic

ular

ord

er o

f pr

iorit

y.

Chr

is M

ilits

cher

gav

e hi

s ra

nkin

g of

the

mos

t im

port

ant i

ssue

s in

ord

er o

f im

port

ance

: brid

ging

Map

le

Sw

amp,

dre

dgin

g, s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t, an

d im

pact

s to

SA

Vs.

•C

on

stru

ctio

n T

echn

iqu

es, S

torm

wat

er M

anag

emen

t, a

nd O

ther

Issu

es –

Roy

Bru

ce b

riefly

pr

esen

ted

the

curr

ently

pro

pose

d co

nstr

uctio

n te

chni

ques

. C

hris

Mili

tsch

er a

sked

if v

iabl

e di

spos

al

site

s fo

r dr

edge

d m

ater

ial h

ad b

een

loca

ted

yet.

Roy

Bru

ce s

tate

d th

at p

oten

tial s

ites

have

bee

n id

entif

ied,

but

ther

e ar

e no

spe

cific

pro

posa

ls a

t thi

s tim

e. R

oy B

ruce

pre

sent

ed th

e st

orm

wat

er

man

agem

ent a

ppro

ach,

whi

ch w

ould

incl

ude

freq

uent

brid

ge d

eck

clea

ning

, wat

er q

ualit

y m

onito

ring,

ene

rgy

diss

ipat

ion

mea

sure

s fr

om s

cupp

er d

isch

arge

(as

nee

ded)

, cap

ture

and

tr

eatm

ent o

f sto

rm w

ater

at t

he b

ridge

end

s, a

nd o

ther

feat

ures

. Jo

hn P

age

aske

d if

ther

e w

ere

othe

r re

spon

ses

to th

e ag

ency

com

men

ts o

n th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

Rep

ort a

nd r

elat

ed h

ando

uts

that

any

one

wou

ld li

ke to

dis

cuss

. Non

e w

ere

rais

ed.

•N

ext

Ste

ps

– It

was

not

ed th

at N

CT

A w

ould

ann

ounc

e its

dec

isio

n to

mov

e fo

rwar

d w

ith th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive,

con

tinue

dis

cuss

ion

with

the

agen

cies

on

the

rem

aini

ng p

roje

ct d

etai

ls

(par

ticul

arly

the

four

pot

entia

l iss

ues

of c

once

rn),

and

FH

WA

and

NC

TA

wou

ld c

ontin

ue p

repa

ring

the

FE

IS.

It is

und

erst

ood

that

ther

e is

no

agre

emen

t at t

his

time

on th

e LE

DP

A; h

owev

er, t

he

agen

cies

agr

ee th

at N

CT

A is

hea

ding

in th

e rig

ht d

irect

ion

with

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f MC

B4/

A/C

1 as

th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

Upd

ate:

NC

TA

ann

ounc

ed it

s P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

on F

ebru

ary

7, 2

011.

T

he p

ress

rel

ease

mak

ing

the

anno

unce

men

t is

atta

ched

.

•S

AV

– E

ast C

arol

ina

Uni

vers

ity c

ompl

eted

a s

urve

y of

SA

V in

Oct

ober

201

0, fo

cusi

ng o

n th

e re

vise

d C

1 br

idge

cor

ridor

. Jo

hn P

age

pres

ente

d a

desc

riptio

n of

the

surv

ey a

nd it

s fin

ding

s. J

ohn

also

sho

wed

a m

ap w

ith lo

catio

ns id

entif

ied

as in

clud

ing

SA

Vs

from

sur

veys

in th

e la

st 1

0 ye

ars

and

othe

r cr

iteria

rel

ated

to th

e N

C M

arin

e F

ishe

ries

Com

mis

sion

crit

eria

for

SA

V h

abita

t. D

avid

W

ainw

right

ask

ed if

he

coul

d ge

t a la

rge

map

so

that

he

coul

d se

e th

e da

ta b

ette

r. N

CT

A s

aid

it w

ould

pro

vide

the

map

to a

genc

y re

pres

enta

tives

(at

tach

ed).

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris w

ante

d cl

arifi

catio

n on

the

mor

ator

ium

and

if th

e m

orat

oriu

m a

pplie

d to

SA

V h

abita

t.

Tra

vis

Wils

on s

tate

d th

at th

e m

orat

oriu

m c

ould

be

appl

ied

to b

otto

m d

istu

rbin

g ac

tivity

in S

AV

ha

bita

t, fo

r ex

ampl

e dr

ivin

g pi

les,

for

the

NC

WR

C a

nd N

CD

MF

rec

omm

ende

d da

tes

of F

ebru

ary

15th

thro

ugh

Sep

tem

ber

30th.

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris r

eite

rate

d he

r un

ders

tand

ing

of th

e m

orat

oriu

m, n

oted

it

was

prim

arily

on

the

east

side

of C

urrit

uck

Sou

nd (

sinc

e th

at is

whe

re S

AV

bed

s an

d S

AV

hab

itat a

re

loca

ted)

, and

indi

cate

d th

at th

is is

sue

wou

ld b

e co

nsid

ered

in fu

ture

con

stru

ctio

n pl

anni

ng.

C-86

Pag

e 5

of 5

Turn

pike

Envi

ronm

enta

l Agen

cy C

oord

inat

ion M

eeting

1/2

0/1

1

Tra

vis

also

not

ed th

at th

e w

ater

tem

pera

ture

(a

fact

or in

det

erm

inin

g m

orat

oriu

m d

ates

) m

ay v

ary

from

sea

son

to s

easo

n an

d, th

eref

ore,

the

time-

fram

e fo

r th

e m

orat

oriu

m c

ould

be

flexi

ble

on a

rea

l tim

e, s

easo

n by

sea

son

basi

s. I

f the

tem

pera

ture

con

ditio

ns a

fter

Feb

ruar

y 15

th a

re n

ot y

et

cond

uciv

e to

fish

act

ivity

, the

n it

is c

once

ivab

le th

at N

CT

A w

ould

be

allo

wed

to c

ontin

ue c

onst

ruct

ing

in th

e ar

ea b

eyon

d F

ebru

ary

15th.

Thi

s w

ould

hav

e to

be

dete

rmin

ed a

t tha

t tim

e. T

ravi

s co

nfirm

ed

that

abo

ve w

ater

wor

k, a

s w

ell a

s in

-wat

er w

ork

that

doe

s no

t dis

turb

the

botto

m, c

ould

be

done

at

any

time.

Tra

vis

also

cla

rifie

d th

at p

ush

barg

es w

ith s

puds

(th

e ty

pe a

ntic

ipat

ed to

be

used

to b

uild

th

e br

idge

) ar

e al

low

ed d

urin

g th

e m

orat

oriu

m.

•S

um

mar

y–

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris s

umm

ariz

ed w

hat w

as s

tate

d at

the

mee

ting:

o

T

here

are

no

addi

tiona

l stu

dies

or

info

rmat

ion

nece

ssar

y or

bei

ng r

eque

sted

by

the

agen

cies

for

Alte

rnat

ive

ER

2.

o

NC

TA

will

focu

s ad

ditio

nal d

esig

n ef

fort

s, im

pact

ass

essm

ents

, and

FE

IS

prep

arat

ion

base

d on

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e (M

CB

4/A

/C1)

, as

disc

usse

d.

o

NC

TA

will

con

tinue

to d

iscu

ss w

ith th

e ag

enci

es s

uita

ble

mea

sure

s fo

r ad

dres

sing

dr

edgi

ng, c

onst

ruct

ion

tech

niqu

es, s

torm

wat

er m

anag

emen

t, an

d th

e fis

herie

s m

orat

oriu

m (

for

botto

m d

istu

rbin

g ac

tiviti

es in

SA

V b

eds

and

SA

V h

abita

t).

o

NC

TA

will

ann

ounc

e to

the

publ

ic th

at M

CB

4/A

/C1

is th

e P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive

and

that

add

ition

al c

oord

inat

ion

is o

n-go

ing

with

the

agen

cies

rel

ated

to th

e ite

ms

men

tione

d in

the

prev

ious

bul

let.

Cat

hy B

rittin

gham

ask

ed w

hen

the

next

TE

AC

mee

ting

wou

ld ta

ke p

lace

. Je

nnife

r H

arris

sai

d th

at it

w

ould

dep

end

upon

how

soo

n N

CT

A c

ould

pre

pare

add

ition

al in

form

atio

n to

add

ress

the

pote

ntia

l is

sues

of

conc

ern

as d

iscu

ssed

dur

ing

the

mee

ting.

Bill

Bid

dlec

ome

aske

d if

the

agen

cies

nee

ded

to fo

llow

up

with

lette

rs w

ith a

ny c

omm

ents

they

may

ha

ve o

n th

e re

vise

d P

refe

rred

Alte

rnat

ive.

Jen

nife

r re

spon

ded

that

they

did

not

nee

d to

unl

ess

they

ha

d ad

ditio

nal c

omm

ents

that

wer

en’t

disc

usse

d du

ring

the

mee

ting.

Jen

nife

r as

ked

that

the

mee

ting

atte

ndee

s pa

y pa

rtic

ular

ly c

lose

atte

ntio

n to

thes

e m

eetin

g m

inut

es to

be

sure

NC

TA

do

cum

ente

d th

eir

posi

tions

cor

rect

ly.

The

mee

ting

was

adj

ourn

ed a

t 11:

40 A

M.

Alth

ough

not

dis

cuss

ed d

urin

g th

e m

eetin

g, T

ravi

s W

ilson

req

uest

ed th

at th

e m

inut

es r

efle

ct th

at th

e m

orat

oriu

m d

iscu

ssio

n w

as b

ased

on

com

men

ts fr

om th

e ag

enci

es r

eque

stin

g an

in-w

ater

wor

k m

orat

oriu

m

that

wou

ld b

e in

add

ition

to N

CT

A’s

com

mitm

ent t

o a

dred

ging

mor

ator

ium

.

C-87

ST

AT

E O

F N

OR

TH

CA

RO

LIN

A

TU

RN

PIK

E A

UT

HO

RIT

Y

B

EV

ER

LY

EA

VE

S P

ER

DU

E

1578

MA

IL S

ER

VIC

E C

EN

TE

R, R

AL

EIG

H, N

.C.

276

99

-157

8

D

AV

ID W

. JO

YN

ER

G

OV

ER

NO

R

EX

EC

UT

IVE

DIR

EC

TO

R

FO

R I

MM

ED

IAT

E R

EL

EA

SE

C

onta

ct:

Jenn

ifer

Har

ris,

PE

(91

9) 5

71-3

000

Feb

ruar

y 7,

201

1

TU

RN

PIK

E A

UT

HO

RIT

Y C

ON

FIR

MS

PR

EF

ER

RE

D A

LT

ER

NA

TIV

E F

OR

M

ID-C

UR

RIT

UC

K B

RID

GE

PR

OJE

CT

RA

LE

IGH

––

The

Nor

th C

arol

ina

Tur

npik

e A

utho

rity

, in

conj

unct

ion

with

the

Fed

eral

Hig

hway

Adm

inis

trat

ion,

ha

s co

nfir

med

the

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e fo

r th

e pr

opos

ed M

id-C

urri

tuck

Bri

dge

in C

urri

tuck

Cou

nty.

The

Pre

ferr

ed

Alte

rnat

ive,

MC

B4/

C1

with

Des

ign

Opt

ion

A, w

as s

elec

ted

base

d on

num

erou

s fa

ctor

s in

clud

ing:

cos

t and

des

ign

cons

ider

atio

ns, t

rave

l ben

efits

, min

imiz

atio

n of

impa

cts

to n

atur

al r

esou

rces

and

the

surr

ound

ing

com

mun

ity,

com

men

ts a

nd s

ugge

stio

ns f

rom

env

iron

men

tal r

egul

ator

y an

d re

sour

ce a

genc

ies,

and

inpu

t fro

m th

e pu

blic

.

The

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e w

ill b

e do

cum

ente

d in

the

proj

ect’

s F

inal

Env

iron

men

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (E

IS),

whi

ch

is a

ntic

ipat

ed f

or r

elea

se b

y su

mm

er 2

011.

FH

WA

is e

xpec

ted

to s

ign

its R

ecor

d of

Dec

isio

n by

fal

l 201

1,

sign

ifyi

ng f

inal

fed

eral

app

rova

l of

the

proj

ect.

MC

B4

was

iden

tifie

d as

the

Rec

omm

ende

d A

ltern

ativ

e in

the

proj

ect’

s D

raft

EIS

, whi

ch w

as r

elea

sed

in M

arch

20

10. B

ased

on

publ

ic c

omm

ents

rec

eive

d on

the

Dra

ft E

IS a

nd in

coo

rdin

atio

n w

ith e

nvir

onm

enta

l reg

ulat

ory

and

reso

urce

age

ncie

s, A

ltern

ativ

e M

CB

4 w

as r

evis

ed to

fur

ther

avo

id a

nd r

educ

e en

viro

nmen

tal a

nd c

omm

unity

im

pact

s. N

CT

A is

now

wor

king

to a

ddre

ss s

ever

al a

dditi

onal

env

iron

men

tal i

ssue

s th

at m

ust b

e re

solv

ed b

efor

e it

can

be is

sued

the

perm

its n

eede

d to

con

stru

ct th

e pr

ojec

t.

The

pro

pose

d M

id-C

urri

tuck

Bri

dge

is a

sev

en-m

ile, t

wo-

lane

, tol

l pro

ject

that

wou

ld c

ross

Cur

ritu

ck S

ound

and

co

nnec

t the

mai

nlan

d at

U.S

. 158

nea

r A

ydle

tt w

ith N

.C. 1

2 on

the

Out

er B

anks

sou

th o

f C

orol

la. T

he b

ridg

e is

ex

pect

ed to

red

uce

trav

el ti

me

and

traf

fic

cong

estio

n as

wel

l as

prov

ide

an a

ltern

ate

hurr

ican

e ev

acua

tion

rout

e fo

r th

e no

rthe

rn O

uter

Ban

ks.

The

Pre

ferr

ed A

ltern

ativ

e ca

lls f

or a

str

aigh

t bri

dge

over

Cur

ritu

ck S

ound

that

wou

ld in

ters

ect N

.C. 1

2 be

twee

n th

e fi

rst p

hase

of

the

Cor

olla

Bay

sub

divi

sion

and

the

nort

hern

end

of

the

Mon

tera

y S

hore

s su

bdiv

isio

n. T

he b

ridg

e ap

proa

ch r

oad

wou

ld b

e at

leas

t 300

fee

t aw

ay f

rom

the

hom

es a

nd lo

ts lo

cate

d w

est o

f N

.C. 1

2. I

t als

o in

clud

es a

to

ll pl

aza

at th

e U

.S. 1

58 in

terc

hang

e an

d a

two-

lane

bri

dge

over

Map

le S

wam

p be

twee

n th

e in

terc

hang

e an

d th

e co

mm

unity

of

Ayd

lett

. In

Ayd

lett

, an

appr

oach

roa

d to

the

Cur

ritu

ck S

ound

bri

dge

cros

sing

wou

ld c

ontin

ue o

n fi

ll.

Ayd

lett

Roa

d w

ill r

emai

n op

en to

loca

l tra

ffic

. Cur

rent

left

turn

mov

emen

ts w

ill b

e m

aint

aine

d at

Wat

erlil

y R

oad

and

U.S

. 158

; a m

edia

n ac

cele

ratio

n la

ne w

ould

be

prov

ided

for

saf

ety

at th

is lo

catio

n.

Und

er th

e cu

rren

t pla

n, o

nly

cert

ain

port

ions

of

N.C

. 12

wou

ld b

e w

iden

ed to

fou

r la

nes,

incl

udin

g st

retc

hes

runn

ing

alon

g th

e br

idge

land

ing,

the

Foo

d L

ion

and

Tim

Buc

k II

Sho

ppin

g C

ente

r ar

ea a

nd C

urri

tuck

Clu

bhou

se D

rive

. L

eft t

urn

lane

s w

ould

als

o be

add

ed a

t tw

o-la

ne in

ters

ectio

ns b

etw

een

the

brid

ge la

ndin

g an

d C

urri

tuck

Clu

bhou

seD

rive

, and

rou

ndab

outs

wou

ld b

e co

nstr

ucte

d at

the

brid

ge la

ndin

g an

d C

urri

tuck

Clu

bhou

se D

rive

.

Pla

ns a

lso

incl

ude

seve

ral i

mpr

ovem

ents

to a

id in

hur

rica

ne e

vacu

atio

ns. O

n th

e m

ainl

and,

the

cent

er tu

rn la

ne o

n U

.S. 1

58 b

etw

een

the

Mid

-Cur

ritu

ck B

ridg

e an

d N

.C. 1

68 c

ould

be

reve

rsed

to a

ccom

mod

ate

mor

e tr

affi

c. O

n th

e

Out

er B

anks

, thr

ee w

estb

ound

lane

s w

ould

be

prov

ided

on

U.S

. 158

fro

m N

.C. 1

2 to

just

wes

t of

Duc

k W

oods

D

rive

.

Pre

limin

ary

proj

ect c

osts

are

est

imat

ed a

t $66

0 m

illio

n, w

ith f

inal

cos

ts t

o be

det

erm

ined

dur

ing

desi

gn. I

t is

antic

ipat

ed th

at p

roje

ct c

osts

wou

ld b

e fi

nanc

ed th

roug

h a

com

bina

tion

of s

tate

app

ropr

iatio

n bo

nds,

tol

l rev

enue

bo

nds

and

priv

ate

equi

ty o

btai

ned

thro

ugh

a pu

blic

-pri

vate

par

tner

ship

. The

pro

ject

is s

ched

uled

to o

pen

to tr

affi

c in

201

6.

For

mor

e in

form

atio

n, v

isit https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/m

id-currituck-bridge/,

emai

l m

idcu

rritu

ck@

nctu

rnpi

ke.o

rg o

r ca

ll 1

-800

-961

-546

5 to

ll f

ree.

A g

raph

ic d

epic

ting

the

Pref

erre

d A

lter

nati

ve is

av

aila

ble

onli

ne a

t w

ww

.nct

urnp

ike.

org/

proj

ects

/Mid

_Cur

ritu

ck.

###

C-88

Lege

nd SAV

Pres

ent-

2006

SAV

Pres

ence

Abs

ence

Poi

ntD

ata

-200

6

SAV

Abs

ent-

2006

SAV

Pres

ence

Abs

ence

Poi

ntD

ata

-4-1

2-05

2010

SAV

2007

SAV

2003

SAV

DEI

SC

1B

ridge

Dec

k

DEI

SC

2B

ridge

Dec

k

Pref

erre

dA

ltern

ativ

e

USA

Prim

eIm

ager

y

SAV

Dat

afro

m20

03,2

006,

2007

,and

2010

00.

40.

81.

21.

60.

2M

iles

p

(Sen

t via

ele

ctro

nic

mai

l)

Ms.

Jenn

ifer H

. Har

ris, P

.E.

Nor

th C

arol

ina

Turn

pike

Aut

horit

y 15

78 M

ail S

ervi

ce C

ente

r R

alei

gh, N

orth

Car

olin

a 27

699-

1578

Dea

r Ms.

Har

ris:

NO

AA

’s N

atio

nal M

arin

e Fi

sher

ies S

ervi

ce (N

MFS

) rev

iew

ed th

e D

raft

Envi

ronm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent

(DEI

S) d

ated

Mar

ch 2

010

and

title

d “M

id-C

urrit

uck

Brid

ge S

tudy

” th

at e

xam

ines

pot

entia

l tra

nspo

rtatio

n im

prov

emen

ts in

the

Cur

rituc

k So

und

area

with

a fo

cus o

n co

nsid

erat

ion

of a

new

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

ov

er C

urrit

uck

Soun

d, C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty.

The

Nor

th C

arol

ina

Turn

pike

Aut

horit

y (N

CTA

) and

Fed

eral

H

ighw

ay A

dmin

istra

tion

(FH

WA

) pre

pare

d th

e D

EIS,

whi

ch in

clud

es a

n as

sess

men

t of i

mpa

cts t

o es

sent

ial f

ish

habi

tat (

EFH

). T

he in

itial

det

erm

inat

ion

by N

CTA

and

FH

WA

in th

e D

EIS

is th

at th

e tra

nspo

rtatio

n op

tions

und

er c

onsi

dera

tion

wou

ld n

ot h

ave

a su

bsta

ntia

l adv

erse

impa

ct o

n EF

H o

r fe

dera

lly m

anag

ed fi

sher

y sp

ecie

s. In

con

trast

, the

U.S

. Arm

y C

orps

of E

ngin

eers

Wilm

ingt

on D

istri

ct,

whi

ch is

a c

oope

ratin

g ag

ency

in d

evel

opm

ent o

f the

DEI

S an

d ha

s rel

ease

d th

eir o

wn

publ

ic n

otic

e fo

r th

e pr

ojec

t (A

ctio

n ID

SA

W-1

995-

0224

2 da

ted

Apr

il 21

, 201

0), h

as m

ade

an in

itial

det

erm

inat

ion

in th

e pu

blic

not

ice

that

the

proj

ect m

ay a

dver

sely

impa

ct E

FH o

r ass

ocia

ted

fishe

ries.

As t

he n

atio

n’s f

eder

al

trust

ee fo

r the

con

serv

atio

n an

d m

anag

emen

t of m

arin

e, e

stua

rine,

and

ana

drom

ous f

ishe

ry re

sour

ces,

the

follo

win

g co

mm

ents

and

reco

mm

enda

tions

are

pro

vide

d pu

rsua

nt to

aut

horit

ies o

f the

Nat

iona

l En

viro

nmen

tal P

olic

y A

ct, F

ish

and

Wild

life

Coo

rdin

atio

n A

ct, a

nd M

agnu

son-

Stev

ens F

ishe

ry

Con

serv

atio

n an

d M

anag

emen

t Act

(Mag

nuso

n-St

even

s Act

).

Proj

ect D

escr

iptio

n Th

e pr

ojec

t are

a en

com

pass

es U

S 15

8 be

twee

n its

inte

rsec

tion

with

NC

168

and

its i

nter

sect

ion

with

NC

12

, and

NC

12

from

its i

nter

sect

ion

with

US

158

north

to w

here

it te

rmin

ates

in th

e co

mm

unity

of

Cor

olla

. Th

e pu

rpos

e of

the

proj

ects

wou

ld b

e to

: im

prov

e tra

ffic

flow

on

NC

12

and

US

158,

redu

ce

trave

l tim

e fo

r per

sons

trav

elin

g be

twee

n th

e C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

mai

nlan

d an

d th

e C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

Out

er

Ban

ks, a

nd re

duce

hur

rican

e cl

eara

nce

time

for r

esid

ents

and

vis

itors

who

use

US

158

and

NC

168

dur

ing

a co

asta

l eva

cuat

ion.

The

DEI

S de

scrib

es “

five”

alte

rnat

ives

eac

h w

ith se

vera

l var

iatio

ns, s

o th

e nu

mbe

r of p

oten

tial p

lans

un

der c

onsi

dera

tion

is m

uch

high

er th

an fi

ve.

Rat

her t

han

exam

inin

g ea

ch p

oten

tial p

roje

ct c

ombi

natio

n,

the

DEI

S fo

cuse

s on

four

dec

isio

ns th

at re

sult

in th

e va

rious

com

bina

tions

: Is

a n

ew b

ridg

e ac

ross

Cur

ritu

ck S

ound

requ

ired

? T

he D

EIS

exam

ines

a se

t of a

ltern

ativ

es (r

efer

red

to a

s “ER

2,”

whi

ch st

ands

for “

exis

ting

road

s 2”)

that

do

not r

equi

re a

new

brid

ge a

nd se

vera

l set

s of

alte

rnat

ives

(ref

erre

d to

as “

MC

B2”

and

“M

CB

4,”

whi

ch re

spec

tivel

y st

and

for “

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

2”

and

“Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

4”)

that

do

requ

ire a

new

brid

ge.

MC

B2

and

MC

B4

diff

er in

th

e am

ount

of i

mpr

ovem

ent t

o U

S 15

8 an

d N

C 1

2, n

ot to

diff

eren

ces i

n br

idge

loca

tion

or d

esig

n.

UN

ITE

D S

TA

TES

DEP

AR

TM

EN

T O

F C

OM

MER

CE

N

ati

on

al O

cean

ic a

nd

Atm

osp

heri

c A

dm

inis

trati

on

NA

TIO

NA

L M

AR

INE

FIS

HE

RIE

S S

ER

VIC

E

Sout

heas

t Reg

iona

l Off

ice

263

13th A

venu

e So

uth

St. P

eter

sbur

g, F

lorid

a 3

3701

-550

5 (7

27) 8

24-5

317;

FA

X (7

27) 8

24-5

300

http

://se

ro.n

mfs

.noa

a.go

v/

June

4, 2

010

F/SE

R4:

RS/

pw

C-89

- 2

-

For a

ltern

ativ

es th

at in

clud

e a

new

bri

dge,

whe

re w

ould

the

brid

ge b

e lo

cate

d? O

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks,

both

MC

B2

and

MC

B4

cons

ider

two

loca

tions

(“C

1” a

nd “

C2”

) for

the

brid

ge te

rmin

us; C

1 w

ould

co

nnec

t with

NC

12

at a

n in

ters

ectio

n ap

prox

imat

ely

2 m

iles n

orth

of t

he A

lbac

ore

Stre

et re

tail

area

, an

d C

2 w

ould

con

nect

with

NC

12

appr

oxim

atel

y 0.

5 m

iles s

outh

of t

his a

rea.

The

se a

ltern

ativ

e te

rmin

i res

ult i

n di

ffer

ent b

ridge

cor

ridor

s for

the

east

ern

porti

on o

f the

cro

ssin

g of

Cur

rituc

k So

und.

O

n th

e m

ainl

and

for b

oth

MC

B2

and

MC

B4,

two

desi

gn o

ptio

ns a

lso

are

unde

r con

side

ratio

n fo

r the

ap

proa

ch to

the

new

brid

ge (b

etw

een

US

158

and

Cur

rituc

k So

und)

, ref

erre

d to

as “

Opt

ion

A”

and

“Opt

ion

B”

in th

e D

EIS.

The

des

ign

optio

ns d

iffer

in re

gard

s to

the

loca

tion

of th

e to

ll pl

aza,

whe

ther

dr

iver

s tra

velin

g be

twee

n U

S 15

8 an

d th

e co

mm

unity

of A

ydle

tt w

ould

use

the

exis

ting

Ayd

lett

Roa

d or

the

brid

ge a

ppro

ach

road

, but

mos

t sig

nific

antly

, Opt

ion

A a

nd O

ptio

n B

diff

er in

whe

ther

Map

le

Swam

p is

cro

ssed

by

a br

idge

(Opt

ion

A) o

r fill

(Opt

ion

B).

Whi

le th

e D

EIS

does

not

con

side

r the

di

ffer

ence

s bet

wee

n O

ptio

n A

and

Opt

ion

B to

war

rant

cla

ssifi

catio

n as

diff

eren

t alte

rnat

ives

, the

y no

neth

eles

s res

ult i

n ei

ght c

ombi

natio

ns fo

r con

side

ratio

n.

How

will

exi

stin

g ro

ads b

e im

prov

ed to

subs

tant

ially

redu

ce h

urri

cane

cle

aran

ce ti

me?

Tw

o hu

rric

ane

evac

uatio

n op

tions

are

und

er c

onsi

dera

tion

for a

ll of

the

ER2,

MC

B2,

and

MC

B4

varia

tions

. Th

e fir

st h

urric

ane

evac

uatio

n op

tion

is to

add

a th

ird o

utbo

und

lane

to U

S 15

8 fo

r ev

acua

tion

use

only

. Th

e se

cond

hur

rican

e ev

acua

tion

optio

n is

to re

vers

e th

e ex

istin

g ce

nter

turn

la

ne o

n U

S 15

8 to

cre

ate

a th

ird o

utbo

und

lane

dur

ing

an e

vacu

atio

n. W

hen

a th

ird o

utbo

und

lane

is

need

ed o

n th

e W

right

Mem

oria

l Brid

ge o

r Kna

pp (I

ntra

coas

tal W

ater

way

) Brid

ge, o

ne e

xist

ing

inbo

und

lane

wou

ld b

e re

vers

ed.

Wha

t met

hods

will

be

used

to c

onst

ruct

the

proj

ect?

Con

stru

ctio

n st

rate

gies

nee

d to

be

cons

ider

ed

whe

n ev

alua

ting

over

all i

mpa

cts f

rom

the

prop

osed

pro

ject

. Fo

r exa

mpl

e, st

rate

gies

that

requ

ire

dred

ging

acc

ess c

hann

els o

r bar

ges t

hat w

ould

freq

uent

ly c

onta

ct th

e se

a bo

ttom

may

resu

lt in

mor

e im

pact

s to

EFH

than

wou

ld o

ccur

from

the

brid

ge st

ruct

ure

itsel

f and

ass

ocia

ted

acce

ss w

ays.

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A re

com

men

d in

the

DEI

S th

at a

new

brid

ge b

e co

nstru

cted

acr

oss C

urrit

uck

Soun

d (i.

e.,

whi

le N

CTA

and

FH

WA

do

not s

uppo

rt A

ltern

ativ

e ER

2, th

ey a

lso

have

not

cho

sen

betw

een

MC

B2

and

MC

B4)

. Fu

rther

, NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A n

eith

er re

com

men

d in

DEI

S an

y te

rmin

i for

the

new

brid

ge, a

n op

tion

for r

educ

ing

hurr

ican

e cl

eara

nce

times

, nor

pre

ferr

ed c

onst

ruct

ion

met

hods

. N

CTA

and

FH

WA

in

tend

to m

ake

thes

e se

lect

ions

whe

n a

pref

erre

d al

tern

ativ

e is

cho

sen

late

r in

the

NEP

A p

roce

ss.

The

bene

fit to

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A fr

om d

elay

ing

key

deci

sion

s unt

il la

ter i

n th

e N

EPA

pro

cess

is th

ose

deci

sion

s can

be

mad

e ba

sed

on fo

rmal

inpu

t fro

m re

sour

ce a

genc

ies a

nd th

e pu

blic

, rat

her t

han

rely

ing

on

inpu

t rec

eive

d du

ring

the

exte

nsiv

e sc

opin

g pr

oces

s and

seve

ral r

ound

s of i

nter

agen

cy m

eetin

gs.

The

dow

nsid

e to

del

ayin

g ke

y de

cisi

ons u

ntil

late

r dur

ing

the

NEP

A p

roce

ss is

NC

TA, F

HW

A, a

nd re

sour

ce

agen

cies

wou

ld h

ave

less

tim

e to

add

ress

issu

es a

nd u

nres

olve

d is

sues

may

lead

to re

ferr

als o

f the

pro

ject

to

hig

her a

utho

ritie

s.

Com

men

ts o

n th

e D

EIS

A li

st o

f spe

cific

com

men

ts ti

ed to

par

ticul

ar se

ctio

ns o

f the

DEI

S is

atta

ched

to th

is le

tter.

Bel

ow, o

ur

appr

oach

to e

xam

inin

g th

e im

pact

s to

coas

tal h

abita

ts fo

llow

s the

sam

e ap

proa

ch u

sed

by N

CTA

and

FH

WA

in la

ying

out

the

vario

us fo

rms t

he p

roje

ct c

ould

take

.

Reg

ardi

ng th

e ne

ed fo

r a n

ew b

ridge

acr

oss C

urrit

uck

Soun

d, p

ursu

it of

Alte

rnat

ive

ER2

wou

ld d

amag

e le

ss c

osta

l hab

itat t

han

any

of th

e al

tern

ativ

es th

at re

quire

con

stru

ctio

n of

a n

ew b

ridge

. A

ltern

ativ

e ER

2 us

es im

prov

emen

ts to

exi

stin

g ro

ads t

o ad

dres

s the

pur

pose

and

nee

d fo

r the

pro

ject

rath

er th

an re

lyin

g up

on a

new

brid

ge o

ver t

he S

ound

. A

ltern

ativ

e ER

2 w

ould

hav

e th

e le

ast a

dver

se im

pact

to E

FH a

nd

othe

r NO

AA

trus

t res

ourc

es.

A n

ew b

ridge

shou

ld b

e co

nsid

ered

onl

y if

it is

det

erm

ined

that

im

prov

emen

ts to

exi

stin

g hi

ghw

ays w

ould

not

mee

t the

pur

pose

and

nee

d fo

r the

pro

ject

.

If a

new

brid

ge is

requ

ired

and

with

out t

akin

g co

nstru

ctio

n m

etho

ds in

to c

onsi

dera

tion,

MC

B4/

A/C

1 w

ould

dam

age

less

cos

tal h

abita

t tha

n ot

her a

ltern

ativ

es re

quiri

ng a

brid

ge.

Alte

rnat

ive

MC

B4/

A/C

1

- 3

-

wou

ld re

quire

con

stru

ctio

n of

a n

ew se

ctio

n of

US

158

on th

e m

ainl

and

and

use

of a

new

brid

ge a

cros

s M

aple

Sw

amp

rath

er th

an fi

lling

wet

land

s. M

aple

Sw

amp

is a

n im

porta

nt w

etla

nd h

ydro

logi

cally

co

nnec

ted

to C

urrit

uck

Soun

d an

d co

ntrib

utes

to m

aint

enan

ce o

f wat

er q

ualit

y an

d th

e es

tuar

ine

food

web

. B

ridgi

ng M

aple

Sw

amp

shou

ld b

e a

com

pone

nt o

f any

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

e ch

osen

. A

lso,

in v

iew

of t

he

valu

e of

Map

le S

wam

p, N

MFS

reco

mm

ends

that

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A d

evel

op a

pla

n fo

r pre

serv

ing

the

rem

aini

ng u

n-im

pact

ed a

reas

of M

aple

Sw

amp,

and

NM

FS w

ould

supp

ort a

ppro

pria

te in

clus

ion

of su

ch

pres

erva

tion

in th

e pr

ojec

t’s c

ompe

nsat

ory

miti

gatio

n pl

an.

Taki

ng c

onst

ruct

ion

met

hods

into

con

side

ratio

n, it

is n

ot c

lear

if M

CB

4/A

/C1

or M

CB

4/A

/C2

wou

ld h

ave

the

less

er im

pact

on

EFH

. Th

e D

EIS

desc

ribes

four

diff

eren

t tec

hniq

ues f

or c

onst

ruct

ing

a ne

w b

ridge

ac

ross

Cur

rituc

k So

und.

Of t

hese

, thr

ee w

ould

requ

ire te

mpo

rary

stru

ctur

es to

faci

litat

e co

nstru

ctio

n bu

t w

ould

onl

y re

quire

lim

ited

dred

ging

. H

owev

er, t

he fo

urth

tech

niqu

e in

volv

es u

sing

shal

low

-dra

ft ba

rges

du

ring

cons

truct

ion.

Min

imiz

ing

dist

urba

nces

to th

e se

a bo

ttom

shou

ld b

e a

prio

rity;

this

can

not b

e ac

com

plis

hed

if ba

rges

are

use

d fo

r con

stru

ctio

n in

the

man

ner d

escr

ibed

in th

e D

EIS

or if

larg

e am

ount

s of

dre

dgin

g w

ould

be

requ

ired.

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A e

stim

ate

that

the

C1

alig

nmen

t wou

ld re

quire

dr

edgi

ng 2

5 ac

res o

f unv

eget

ated

est

uarin

e bo

ttom

; the

C2

alig

nmen

t wou

ld re

quire

dre

dgin

g 17

acr

es o

f un

vege

tate

d es

tuar

ine

botto

m.

Whi

le th

e C

2 al

ignm

ent h

as 8

acr

es le

ss im

pact

to th

e es

tuar

ine

botto

m

from

con

stru

ctio

n ac

tiviti

es, t

he tr

adeo

ff o

f thi

s dam

age

vers

us th

e da

mag

e th

at m

ight

resu

lt fr

om th

e la

rger

foot

prin

t of t

he C

2 al

ignm

ent o

ver S

AV

hab

itat i

s not

cle

ar a

nd n

ot d

iscu

ssed

in th

e D

EIS.

A

dver

se im

pact

s to

EFH

, eve

n if

tem

pora

ry, r

equi

re c

ompe

nsat

ory

miti

gatio

n be

caus

e of

the

dim

inut

ion

of e

colo

gica

l ser

vice

s to

fishe

ry re

sour

ces.

Impa

cts t

o EF

H

The

area

l ext

ent o

f im

pact

s to

EFH

will

var

y ba

sed

on v

ario

us d

ecis

ions

rela

ted

to b

ridge

des

ign

and

cons

truct

ion

tech

niqu

es.

From

sect

ion

2.4

and

tabl

es 3

-5, 3

-6, 3

-7, 3

-8, a

nd 3

-12,

the

amou

nt o

f EFH

that

co

uld

be im

pact

ed (p

erm

anen

tly o

r tem

pora

rily)

is o

n th

e or

der o

f 55

acre

s (ad

ding

the

perm

anen

t im

pact

s lis

ted

in T

able

3-1

2 an

d to

the

cons

truct

ion

impa

cts l

iste

d in

sect

ion

2.4)

. Th

e D

EIS

ackn

owle

dges

the

amou

nt o

f SA

V w

ithin

thes

e ac

res i

s not

cle

ar, b

ut a

ppea

rs to

a m

inim

um o

f 4.3

(C1

alte

rnat

ives

) to

5.5

(C2

alte

rnat

ives

) acr

es.

Add

ition

al st

udy

is n

eede

d of

the

area

s the

DEI

S de

scrib

es a

s pro

babl

e SA

V,

pote

ntia

l SA

V, a

nd u

nlik

ely

SAV

to d

eter

min

e ex

act a

crea

ges b

ased

on

a cu

rren

t sur

vey

suite

d to

the

area

of

the

prop

osed

brid

ge.

Det

aile

d su

rvey

s for

SA

V a

lso

shou

ld in

clud

e th

e ar

eas w

here

dre

dgin

g m

ay

occu

r and

bar

ges m

ay im

pact

the

sea

botto

m.

Reg

ardl

ess o

f whe

ther

the

impa

cts t

o EF

H a

re p

erm

anen

t or t

empo

rary

, inc

ludi

ng th

e im

pact

s fro

m

shad

ing,

com

pens

ator

y m

itiga

tion

is re

quire

d. W

e re

com

men

d th

e am

ount

of t

he m

itiga

tion

be b

ased

on

a fu

nctio

nal a

sses

smen

t. A

s not

ed e

lsew

here

in th

is le

tter,

NM

FS w

ould

acc

ept i

mpr

ovem

ents

to w

ater

qu

ality

as a

por

tion

of th

e m

igra

tion

stra

tegy

for o

ffse

tting

impa

cts t

o es

tuar

ine

habi

tats

.

The

DEI

S sh

ould

mor

e th

orou

ghly

dis

cuss

the

indi

rect

and

cum

ulat

ive

effe

cts o

f the

pro

pose

d hi

ghw

ay

impr

ovem

ents

so th

ey m

ay b

e ad

equa

tely

add

ress

ed d

urin

g th

e pe

rmitt

ing

proc

ess.

The

DEI

S ac

know

ledg

es th

at a

new

brid

ge is

like

ly to

incr

ease

the

rate

of d

evel

opm

ent o

n bo

th th

e m

ainl

and

and

barr

ier i

slan

d. N

MFS

is c

once

rned

that

this

resu

lt w

ould

furth

er d

egra

de w

ater

qua

lity,

incl

udin

g w

ater

cl

arity

in C

urrit

uck

Soun

d. C

hang

es in

the

Soun

d ov

er th

e pa

st 2

0 ye

ars h

ave

incr

ease

d sa

linity

resu

lting

in

exp

ande

d us

e of

the

soun

d as

hab

itat f

or e

stua

rine

depe

nden

t fis

h an

d in

verte

brat

es.

How

ever

, dur

ing

this

tim

e pe

riod,

ove

rall

wat

er q

ualit

y in

Cur

rituc

k So

und

has d

egra

ded

due

to a

ltera

tions

in h

isto

rical

w

ater

flow

pat

tern

s, in

crea

sed

deve

lopm

ent a

nd a

ssoc

iate

d st

orm

wat

er ru

noff

from

hea

vily

pop

ulat

ed

area

s in

sout

heas

tern

Virg

inia

, and

rapi

d de

velo

pmen

t of C

urrit

uck

Cou

nty

beac

hes.

Fur

ther

deg

rada

tion

of w

ater

qua

lity

and

its a

ssoc

iate

d im

pact

s to

SAV

shou

ld n

ot b

e ac

cept

ed.

C-90

- 4

-

Info

rmat

ion

Nee

ded

for N

MFS

to C

ompl

ete

the

EFH

Con

sulta

tion

The

EFH

Ass

essm

ent p

rovi

ded

by N

CTA

and

FH

WA

, whi

ch is

dat

ed N

ovem

ber 2

009

and

sum

mar

ized

in

the

DEI

S, p

rovi

des a

n ad

equa

te id

entif

icat

ion

of th

e EF

H w

ithin

the

proj

ect a

rea

and

fishe

ry sp

ecie

s tha

t ut

ilize

thos

e ha

bita

ts.

The

EFH

Ass

essm

ent,

how

ever

, doe

s not

pro

vide

a su

ffic

ient

dis

cuss

ion

of th

e im

pact

s to

EFH

from

the

vario

us a

ltern

ativ

es c

onsi

dere

d.

NM

FS is

una

ble

to c

ompl

ete

the

EFH

con

sulta

tion

base

d on

the

info

rmat

ion

prov

ided

in th

e D

EIS.

To

com

plet

e ou

r eva

luat

ion

of th

e pr

ojec

t, pl

ease

pro

vide

an

asse

ssm

ent o

f the

deg

ree

to w

hich

the

func

tion

of S

AV

and

shal

low

-wat

er h

abita

t with

in th

e sh

adow

of t

he p

ropo

sed

brid

ge w

ould

be

impa

ired.

NM

FS

reco

mm

ends

this

ass

essm

ent b

egin

by

estim

atin

g an

y ch

ange

s in

the

area

of S

AV

and

the

abov

egro

und

biom

ass o

f SA

V w

ithin

the

shad

ow.

This

ass

essm

ent s

houl

d be

don

e fo

r bot

h th

e C

1 an

d C

2 al

tern

ativ

es.

NM

FS a

lso

requ

ires a

n ev

alua

tion

of th

e ra

te th

at b

enth

ic c

omm

uniti

es a

re e

xpec

ted

to re

cove

r fro

m th

e dr

edgi

ng a

nd o

ther

impa

cts t

o th

e se

a bo

ttom

from

the

cons

truct

ion

proc

ess.

Thi

s ass

essm

ent a

lso

shou

ld

be d

one

for b

oth

the

C1

and

C2

alte

rnat

ives

taki

ng in

to a

ccou

nt se

dim

ent t

extu

res,

land

scap

e po

sitio

n, a

nd

othe

r fac

tors

that

mig

ht d

iffer

ently

aff

ect r

ecov

ery

rate

s bet

wee

n th

e C

1 an

d C

2 al

ignm

ents

. Th

is

info

rmat

ion

is n

eede

d so

that

NM

FS c

an a

sses

s the

impa

cts e

xpec

ted

from

bot

h so

urce

s and

form

ulat

e a

reco

mm

ende

d te

rmin

us fo

r the

brid

ge o

n th

e O

uter

Ban

ks.

Con

serv

atio

n Re

com

men

datio

n W

hile

add

ition

al in

form

atio

n is

nee

ded

for N

MFS

to c

ompl

ete

the

EFH

con

sulta

tion,

bas

ed o

n th

e in

form

atio

n pr

ovid

ed th

us fa

r, N

MFS

con

clud

es th

at th

e pr

ojec

t wou

ld re

sult

in su

bsta

ntia

l adv

erse

im

pact

s to

EFH

. Se

ctio

n 30

5(b)

(4)(

A) o

f the

Mag

nuso

n-St

even

s Act

requ

ires N

MFS

to p

rovi

de E

FH

cons

erva

tion

reco

mm

enda

tions

whe

n an

act

ivity

is e

xpec

ted

to a

dver

sely

impa

ct E

FH.

Bas

ed o

n th

is

requ

irem

ent,

NM

FS p

rovi

des t

he fo

llow

ing:

EFH

Con

serv

atio

n R

ecom

men

datio

ns

1.Th

e Fi

nal E

IS sh

all p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

just

ifica

tion

as to

why

alte

rnat

ives

bas

ed o

n th

e ER

2 st

rate

gy

are

not s

uffic

ient

for m

eetin

g th

e pr

ojec

t’s p

urpo

se a

nd n

eed.

The

DEI

S fo

cuse

s on

econ

omic

ar

gum

ents

to d

ism

iss E

R2,

and

giv

en th

e lo

w c

ost o

f thi

s alte

rnat

ive

the

econ

omic

arg

umen

ts se

em

addr

essa

ble

via

chan

ges i

n N

CTA

pol

icy

or p

riorit

ies.

2.Th

e pl

an se

lect

ed in

the

Fina

l EIS

shal

l use

brid

ges,

rath

er th

an fi

ll, to

cro

ss M

aple

Sw

amp.

3.A

pla

n fo

r com

pens

ator

y m

itiga

tion

shal

l be

prov

ided

that

off

sets

all

perm

anen

t and

tem

pora

ry

impa

cts t

o EF

H, i

nclu

ding

impa

cts f

rom

shad

ing

and

from

bot

tom

dis

turb

ance

s fro

m th

e co

nstru

ctio

n pr

oces

s. T

he p

lan

for t

he c

ompe

nsat

ory

miti

gatio

n sh

all i

nclu

de a

func

tiona

l ass

essm

ent t

hat

dem

onst

rate

s the

am

ount

s of m

itiga

tion

prop

osed

wou

ld fu

lly o

ffse

t the

impa

cts e

xpec

ted.

Giv

en th

e di

ffic

ulty

of f

orec

astin

g sh

adin

g im

pact

s to

SAV

and

reco

very

rate

s of b

enth

ic c

omm

uniti

es, t

he p

lan

also

shal

l inc

lude

a m

onito

ring

prog

ram

that

will

ass

ess w

heth

er fo

reca

sted

impa

cts a

re in

line

with

ac

tual

impa

cts a

nd w

heth

er a

dditi

onal

com

pens

ator

y m

itiga

tion

is n

eces

sary

if im

pact

s pro

ve la

rger

th

an e

xpec

ted

or m

itiga

tion

prov

es le

ss e

ffec

tive

than

exp

ecte

d. N

MFS

is li

kely

to lo

ok fa

vora

bly

upon

miti

gatio

n pl

ans t

hat i

nclu

de p

rese

rvat

ion

of M

aple

Sw

amp

for i

mpa

cts t

o fo

rest

ed w

etla

nds a

nd

treat

men

t of e

xist

ing

stor

mw

ater

runo

ff in

to C

urrit

uck

Soun

d fo

r im

pact

s to

estu

arin

e ha

bita

ts.

The

miti

gatio

n pl

ans s

hall

be p

rovi

ded

to N

MFS

for r

evie

w a

nd a

ppro

val b

efor

e th

e pr

ojec

t is a

utho

rized

.

4.A

utho

rizat

ion

of th

e pr

ojec

t sha

ll be

hel

d in

abe

yanc

e un

til th

e ad

ditio

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

requ

ired

by

NM

FS to

com

plet

e th

e EF

H c

onsu

ltatio

n is

pro

vide

d an

d re

view

ed.

Plea

se n

ote

that

bas

ed o

n re

view

of

the

requ

este

d in

form

atio

n, N

MFS

may

be

oblig

ated

to p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

EFH

con

serv

atio

n re

com

men

datio

ns, w

hich

may

incl

ude

reco

mm

enda

tion

for a

seas

onal

mor

ator

ium

for i

n-w

ater

wor

k.

- 5

-

Sect

ion

305(

b)(4

)(B

) of t

he M

agnu

son-

Stev

ens A

ct a

nd it

s im

plem

entin

g re

gula

tions

at 5

0 C

FR

600.

920(

k), r

equi

res y

our o

ffic

e to

pro

vide

a w

ritte

n re

spon

se to

our

EFH

reco

mm

enda

tions

with

in 3

0 da

ys o

f rec

eipt

. If

it is

not

pos

sibl

e to

pro

vide

a su

bsta

ntiv

e re

spon

se w

ithin

30

days

, an

inte

rim re

spon

se

shou

ld b

e pr

ovid

ed to

NM

FS.

A d

etai

l res

pons

e m

ust t

hen

be p

rovi

ded

prio

r to

final

app

rova

l of t

he

actio

n. Y

our d

etai

led

resp

onse

mus

t inc

lude

a d

escr

iptio

n of

mea

sure

s pro

pose

d by

you

r age

ncy

to a

void

, m

itiga

te, o

r off

set t

he a

dver

se im

pact

s of t

he a

ctiv

ity.

If y

our r

espo

nse

is in

cons

iste

nt w

ith o

ur E

FH

cons

erva

tion

reco

mm

enda

tions

, you

r mus

t pro

vide

a su

bsta

ntiv

e di

scus

sion

just

ifyin

g th

e re

ason

s for

not

fo

llow

ing

the

reco

mm

enda

tion.

The

det

aile

d re

spon

se sh

ould

be

rece

ived

by

the

NM

FS a

t lea

st te

n da

ys

prio

r to

final

app

rova

l of t

he a

ctio

n.

Thes

e co

mm

ents

do

not s

atis

fy y

our c

onsu

ltatio

n re

spon

sibi

litie

s und

er se

ctio

n 7

of th

e En

dang

ered

Sp

ecie

s Act

of 1

973,

as a

men

ded.

If a

ny a

ctiv

ity "

may

eff

ect"

list

ed se

a tu

rtles

and

mar

ine

mam

mal

s and

th

eir h

abita

ts u

nder

NM

FS p

urvi

ew, c

onsu

ltatio

n sh

ould

be

initi

ated

with

our

Pro

tect

ed S

peci

es D

ivis

ion

at th

e le

tterh

ead

addr

ess.

Than

k yo

u fo

r the

opp

ortu

nity

to p

rovi

de th

ese

com

men

ts. R

elat

ed q

uest

ions

or c

omm

ents

shou

ld b

e di

rect

ed to

the

atte

ntio

n of

Mr.

Ron

ald

Sech

ler a

t our

Bea

ufor

t Fie

ld O

ffic

e, 1

01 P

iver

s Isl

and

Roa

d,

Bea

ufor

t, N

orth

Car

olin

a 28

516-

9722

, or a

t (25

2) 7

28-5

090.

Sinc

erel

y,

/ f

or

Mile

s M. C

room

A

ssis

tant

Reg

iona

l Adm

inis

trato

r

H

abita

t Con

serv

atio

n D

ivis

ion

Atta

chm

ent:

Com

men

ts b

y D

EIS

sect

ion

cc:

NC

TA, J

enni

fer.H

arris

@nc

turn

pike

.org

FW

HA

, Joh

n.Su

lliva

n@fh

wa.

dot.g

ov

CO

E, W

illia

m.J.

Bid

dlec

ome@

usac

e.ar

my.

mil

USF

WS,

How

ard_

Hal

l@fw

s.gov

N

CD

CM

, Dou

g.H

ugge

tt@nc

mai

l.net

EP

A, F

ox.R

ebec

ca@

epa.

gov

SAFM

C, R

oger

.Pug

liese

@sa

fmc.

net

NO

AA

PPI

, PPI

.Nep

a@no

aa.g

ov

F, n

mfs

.hq.

nepa

@no

aa.g

ov

F/SE

R, n

mfs

.ser.e

is@

noaa

.gov

F/

SER

47, R

on.S

echl

er@

noaa

.gov

C-91

- 6

-

Spec

ific

Com

men

ts fr

om N

MFS

on

Mid

-Cur

ritu

ck B

ridg

e St

udy,

Adm

inis

trat

ive

Actio

n D

raft

Envi

ronm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent

Sect

ion

2.1.

7, P

ages

2-2

4 to

2-2

7, W

hat r

oad

and

brid

ge d

rain

age

prov

isio

ns w

ould

be

incl

uded

in th

e de

taile

d st

udy

alte

rnat

ives

?Th

is se

ctio

n ad

dres

s man

agem

ent o

f sto

rmw

ater

runo

ff a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith im

prov

emen

ts p

ropo

sed

for N

C

12 o

r the

pro

pose

d br

idge

alte

rnat

ives

. D

isch

arge

of a

dditi

onal

stor

mw

ater

into

Cur

rituc

k So

und

wou

ld

furth

er d

egra

ded

wat

er q

ualit

y. R

egar

dles

s of w

hich

alte

rnat

ive

is se

lect

ed, N

MFS

reco

mm

ends

that

a

stor

mw

ater

man

agem

ent p

lan

be a

hig

h pr

iorit

y in

the

proj

ect d

esig

n. F

urth

er, a

com

preh

ensi

ve

stor

mw

ater

man

agem

ent p

lan

may

aff

ord

addi

tiona

l ave

nues

for c

ompe

nsat

ory

miti

gatio

n th

at N

MFS

m

ight

supp

ort.

A c

ompr

ehen

sive

stor

mw

ater

man

agem

ent p

lan

wou

ld h

ave

to p

rovi

de a

dditi

onal

tre

atm

ent t

o a

porti

on o

f the

exi

stin

g ru

noff

into

the

Soun

d as

wel

l as f

ull t

reat

men

t of a

ll ne

w ru

noff

from

th

e pr

opos

ed h

ighw

ay im

prov

emen

ts.

Sect

ion

2.4,

Pag

es 2

-38

and

2-39

, Exp

lain

how

eac

h al

tern

ativ

e w

ill b

e bu

iltTh

is se

ctio

n ad

dres

ses f

our a

ltern

ativ

e te

chni

ques

for c

onst

ruct

ing

a ne

w b

ridge

acr

oss C

urrit

uck

Soun

d.

NM

FS re

com

men

ds th

at N

CTA

and

FH

WA

use

a c

onst

ruct

ion

appr

oach

that

doe

s not

requ

ire d

redg

ing

in

Cur

rituc

k So

und.

If N

CTA

and

FH

WA

det

erm

ine

this

is n

ot fe

asib

le a

nd d

redg

ing

is d

one

to

acco

mm

odat

e sh

allo

w-d

raft

barg

es, t

his d

redg

ing

may

hav

e su

bsta

ntia

l adv

erse

impa

cst t

o N

OA

A tr

ust

reso

urce

s. T

he C

1 al

ignm

ent w

ould

requ

ire d

redg

ing

25 a

cres

of u

nveg

etat

ed e

stua

rine

botto

m; t

he C

2 al

ignm

ent w

ould

requ

ire d

redg

ing

17 a

cres

of u

nveg

etat

ed e

stua

rine

botto

m.

The

assu

mpt

ion

in th

e D

EIS

is th

at u

nveg

etat

ed a

reas

of e

stua

rine

botto

m a

re o

f les

s im

porta

nce

to fi

sher

y re

sour

ces t

han

area

s ve

geta

ted

with

SA

V is

inco

rrec

t. E

stua

rine

bent

hic

habi

tats

, inc

ludi

ng sa

ndy

and

mud

dy b

otto

ms a

re

desi

gnat

ed a

s EFH

. R

ecov

ery

rate

s of t

he b

enth

ic c

omm

uniti

es th

at w

ould

be

impa

cted

requ

ire e

valu

atio

n an

d co

mpe

nsat

ory

miti

gatio

n fo

r the

tem

pora

l los

s of e

colo

gica

l ser

vice

s.

Sect

ion

3.3.

1.2,

Pag

e 3-

28, C

lass

ifica

tion

of W

ater

Res

ourc

esIm

porta

nt n

urse

ry h

abita

ts, s

uch

as S

AV

, sha

llow

est

uarin

e bo

ttom

, and

em

erge

nt m

arsh

, occ

ur in

the

Soun

d an

d, m

ore

spec

ifica

lly, t

he p

roje

ct a

rea.

Acc

ordi

ngly

, the

Sou

th A

tlant

ic F

ishe

ry M

anag

emen

t C

ounc

il de

sign

ates

SA

V, s

hallo

w e

stua

rine

botto

m, a

nd e

mer

gent

mar

sh a

s EFH

for p

enae

id sh

rimp

and

estu

arin

e sp

ecie

s with

in th

e sn

appe

r/gro

uper

com

plex

. Th

e pr

ojec

t are

a al

so fu

nctio

ns a

s an

impo

rtant

se

cond

ary

nurs

ery

area

for d

iadr

omou

s spe

cies

that

util

ize

thes

e w

ater

s, an

d th

is fa

ct sh

ould

be

note

d in

th

e Fi

nal E

IS.

A se

ason

al re

stric

tion

on in

-wat

er w

ork

may

be

requ

ired

if ex

tens

ive

dred

ging

is p

lann

ed

with

in C

urrit

uck

Soun

d.

Sect

ion

3.3.

1.3,

Pag

e 3-

28, Q

ualit

y of

Wat

er R

esou

rce

This

sect

ion

addr

esse

s the

subs

tant

ial d

egra

datio

n of

wat

er q

ualit

y th

at h

as o

ccur

red

in C

urrit

uck

Soun

d ov

er th

e la

st 1

0 to

20

year

s and

pro

vide

s stro

ng ju

stifi

catio

n fo

r ful

ly in

corp

orat

ing

mea

sure

s to

avoi

d,

min

imiz

e, a

nd m

itiga

te th

e pr

ojec

t’s im

pact

s to

wat

er q

ualit

y. L

ikew

ise

wat

er q

ualit

y en

hanc

emen

t m

easu

res s

houl

d be

con

side

red

at e

very

opp

ortu

nity

in th

e pr

ojec

t des

ign.

Sect

ion

3.3.

1.4,

Pag

es 3

-29

to 3

-30,

Impa

cts t

o W

ater

Qua

lity

This

sect

ion

addr

esse

s the

pre

dict

able

deg

rada

tion

of w

ater

qua

lity

that

wou

ld o

ccur

if d

redg

ing

is a

maj

or

com

pone

nt o

f pro

ject

con

stru

ctio

n. I

t als

o no

tes t

hat m

anag

emen

t of r

unof

f fro

m a

new

brid

ge o

r oth

er

upla

nd im

prov

emen

t is a

n im

porta

nt p

roje

ct c

ompo

nent

. Th

e D

EIS

shou

ld in

itiat

e a

conc

erte

d ef

fort

to

addr

ess t

his i

ssue

. W

e re

com

men

d co

nsul

tatio

n w

ith th

e U

.S. A

rmy

Cor

ps o

f Eng

inee

rs W

ilmin

gton

D

istri

ct re

gard

ing

thei

r on-

goin

g st

udy

of C

urrit

uck

Soun

d, w

hich

was

aut

horiz

ed in

199

8 an

d is

ex

amin

ing

the

sign

ifica

nt lo

ss o

f SA

V a

nd d

eclin

es in

wat

er q

ualit

y th

at im

pact

fres

hwat

er fi

sher

ies a

nd

wat

erfo

wl p

opul

atio

ns.

This

stud

y m

ay su

gges

t mea

sure

s tha

t cou

ld b

e in

corp

orat

ed b

y N

CTA

and

FH

WA

to re

duce

the

impa

ct to

the

Soun

d of

a n

ew b

ridge

and

oth

er h

ighw

ay im

prov

emen

ts.

- 7

-

Sect

ion

3.3.

2.4,

Pag

e 3-

32 to

3-3

8, Im

pact

s to

Bio

tic C

omm

uniti

esM

easu

res t

o av

oid,

min

imiz

e an

d m

itiga

te th

e le

ss c

onsp

icuo

us im

pact

ver

sus M

aple

Sw

amp

are

lack

ing.

Sect

ion

3.3.

4.3,

Pag

e 3-

41, W

ater

Hab

itat I

mpa

cts

This

sect

ion

note

s tha

t sha

ding

from

brid

ge fo

unda

tions

wou

ld h

ave

the

adve

rse

impa

cts t

o SA

V.

Impa

cts

to S

AV

from

shad

ing

mus

t be

miti

gate

d.

Sect

ion

3.3.

4.4,

Pag

e 3-

42, I

mpa

cts f

orm

Noi

se, T

urbi

dity

, and

Silt

atio

nN

MFS

will

wor

k co

oper

ativ

ely

with

the

NC

TA, F

HW

A, a

nd N

C D

ivis

ion

of w

ater

Qua

lity

to d

evel

op

spec

ific

reco

mm

enda

tions

on

how

to m

itiga

te th

ese

chro

nic

impa

cts.

For

exa

mpl

e, u

pon

com

plet

ion

of

the

proj

ect,

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A sh

ould

con

duct

an

as-b

uilt

surv

ey o

f maj

or h

abita

ts im

pact

ed b

y th

e pr

ojec

t (e.

g., S

AV

re-m

appi

ng).

Thi

s pos

t-con

stru

ctio

n su

rvey

wou

ld b

e co

nduc

ted

annu

ally

for a

t lea

st 5

ye

ars t

o de

term

ine

if su

ffic

ient

miti

gatio

n ha

s bee

n pr

ovid

ed to

off

set p

roje

ct im

pact

s to

EFH

.

Sect

ion

3.3.

6, P

ages

3-4

3 to

3-4

8, W

hat I

mpa

cts W

ould

Occ

ur to

Wat

ers u

nder

the

Juris

dict

ion

of th

e U

S A

rmy

Cor

ps o

f Eng

inee

rs?

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A sh

ould

pur

sue

an a

ltern

ativ

e th

at in

volv

es b

ridgi

ng ra

ther

than

filli

ng M

aple

Sw

amp

(Opt

ion

A).

Als

o, a

ltern

ativ

es th

at in

volv

e co

nstru

ctio

n of

a n

ew b

ridge

acr

oss C

urrit

uck

Soun

d w

ould

ha

ve d

irect

and

indi

rect

impa

cts t

o SA

V.

Sele

ctio

n of

the

exac

t alig

nmen

t sho

uld

be d

one

in a

man

ner

that

resu

lts in

the

leas

t adv

erse

impa

cts t

o SA

V a

nd w

etla

nds.

Sect

ion

3.3.

6.4,

Pag

es 3

-46

and

3-48

, Wet

land

and

Stre

am M

itiga

tion,

Avo

idan

ce a

nd M

inim

izat

ion

If a

n al

tern

ativ

e th

at in

volv

es b

ridgi

ng o

f Map

le S

wam

p is

sele

cted

, the

DEI

S in

dica

tes t

hat o

nly

a rig

ht-

of-w

ay (2

63 a

cres

) thr

ough

the

swam

p w

ill b

e pu

rcha

sed.

How

ever

, if t

he se

lect

ed a

ltern

ativ

e al

low

s fill

in

this

sect

ion

of th

e hi

ghw

ay a

lignm

ent,

NC

TA a

nd F

WH

A w

ould

pur

chas

e th

e en

tire

612

acre

s of

Map

le S

wam

p. I

n th

is c

ase,

all

rem

aini

ng u

n-im

pact

ed a

reas

wou

ld b

e se

t asi

de a

nd p

rote

cted

in

perp

etui

ty a

s a fo

rest

ed w

etla

nds m

itiga

tive

mea

sure

. Th

e va

lue

of th

is la

rge

tract

of f

ores

ted

wet

land

s is

likel

y hi

gh.

Opt

ion

A (u

sing

a b

ridge

to c

ross

the

swam

p, ra

ther

than

fill)

shou

ld b

e re

quire

d as

an

appr

opria

te a

void

ance

and

min

imiz

atio

n m

easu

re.

Pres

ervi

ng th

e re

mai

ning

por

tion

of th

e sw

amp

shou

ld

be a

com

pone

nt o

f off

setti

ng th

e un

avoi

dabl

e im

pact

s fro

m u

sing

a b

ridge

to c

ross

the

swam

p.

This

sect

ion

also

add

ress

es p

rovi

sion

of c

ompe

nsat

ory

miti

gatio

n th

roug

h th

e Ec

osys

tem

Enh

ance

men

t Pr

ogra

m (E

EP) o

f the

NC

Dep

artm

ent o

f Env

ironm

ent a

nd N

atur

al R

esou

rces

. N

MFS

agr

ees t

hat

repl

acem

ent o

f una

void

able

loss

es o

f em

erge

nt a

nd fo

rest

ed w

etla

nds s

houl

d be

pro

vide

d th

roug

h EE

P.

How

ever

, all

brid

ge a

ltern

ativ

es w

ould

dire

ctly

or i

ndire

ctly

impa

ct S

AV

hab

itat b

y sh

adin

g. A

t thi

s tim

e th

e EE

P do

es n

ot p

rovi

de a

n SA

V m

itiga

tion

optio

n; th

eref

ore,

miti

gatio

n to

off

set u

navo

idab

le lo

sses

of

SAV

hab

itat m

ust b

e ad

dres

sed

inde

pend

ently

from

oth

er w

etla

nd lo

sses

. N

MFS

can

wor

k w

ith th

e N

CTA

, FH

WA

, and

EEP

to a

ddre

ss th

is is

sue.

Sect

ion

3.3.

7, P

age

3-48

to 3

-52,

Wou

ld C

oast

al A

rea

Man

agem

ent A

ct A

reas

of E

nviro

nmen

tal C

once

rn

or E

ssen

tial F

ish

Hab

itat b

e af

fect

ed?

This

sect

ion

note

s tha

t the

NC

Div

isio

n of

Coa

stal

Man

agem

ent h

as n

o pe

rmit

juris

dict

ion

over

shad

ing

and

ther

efor

e, n

o m

itiga

tion

for s

hadi

ng o

f SA

V is

pro

pose

d by

NC

TA a

nd F

HW

A.

Whi

le th

is a

ppro

ach

may

be

cons

iste

nt w

ith st

ate

rule

s; it

is n

ot c

onsi

sten

t with

fede

ral g

uida

nce.

The

DEI

S sh

ould

be

revi

sed

to re

flect

the

need

to m

itiga

te fo

r im

pact

s to

SAV

hab

itat f

rom

shad

ing.

NM

FS d

oes n

ot a

gree

with

NC

TA’s

and

FH

WA

’s d

eter

min

atio

n th

at a

ll op

tions

con

side

red

in th

e D

EIS

wou

ld n

ot h

ave

a su

bsta

ntia

l, lo

ng-te

rm a

dver

se im

pact

on

EFH

or m

anag

ed sp

ecie

s. T

his p

arag

raph

doe

s no

t acc

urat

ely

refle

ct th

e hi

gh v

alue

acc

orde

d SA

V a

s im

porta

nt h

abita

t for

man

aged

spec

ies.

Eva

luat

ion

of th

e im

pact

is n

ot b

ased

on

the

amou

nt o

f sim

ilar h

abita

t with

in th

e So

und

but o

n th

e se

verit

y an

d du

ratio

n of

the

impa

cts w

ithin

the

proj

ect f

ootp

rints

.

C-92

- 8

-

Sect

ion

3.6,

Tab

le 3

-17.

Not

able

Eco

syst

em F

eatu

res

NM

FS re

com

men

ds th

at u

ncon

solid

ated

est

uarin

e bo

ttom

(a c

ateg

ory

of E

FH) b

e ad

ded

to th

is ta

ble.

Sect

ion

3.6.

3, P

ages

3-9

7 to

3-9

9, W

hat a

re th

e su

bsta

ntia

l ind

irect

and

cum

ulat

ive

effe

cts a

nd c

ould

they

be

min

imiz

ed?

NM

FS is

com

mitt

ed to

dev

elop

men

t of a

pro

ject

that

wou

ld a

ddre

ss th

e tra

nspo

rtatio

n ne

ed o

f Cur

rituc

k C

ount

y w

hile

avo

idin

g an

d m

inim

izin

g sh

ort-

and

long

-term

impa

cts t

o w

ater

s and

wet

land

s tha

t sup

port

NO

AA

trus

t res

ourc

es.

4709

Col

lege

Acr

es D

rive

Su

ite 2

W

ilmin

gton

, NC

284

03

Phon

e: (

910)

392

-925

3 Fa

x: (

910)

392

-913

9 cz

rwilm

@cz

r-in

c.co

m

CO

NT

AC

T R

EPO

RT

CZR

per

sonn

el:

L

orri

e L

alib

erte

Bos

wel

l

Pers

on c

onta

cted

: G

ary

Jord

an

Titl

e/ag

ency

:

US

Fish

and

Wild

life

Serv

ice

Con

tact

info

:

(919

) 856

-452

0 ex

t. 32

Gar

y_Jo

rdan

@fw

s.gov

DA

TE

:

4 N

ovem

ber

2010

RE

:

USF

WS

Bio

logi

cal C

oncl

usio

n fo

r pi

ping

plo

ver

for

the

Mid

-Cur

ritu

ck B

ridg

eSt

udy

Sum

mar

y:

Jord

an re

plie

d to

an

emai

l ask

ing

for h

is c

oncu

rren

ce o

n th

e bi

olog

ical

con

clus

ion

for t

he p

ipin

g pl

over

. H

e re

plie

d: “

I do

not b

elie

ve fo

rmal

con

sulta

tion

is n

eede

d fo

r the

pip

ing

plov

er.

I be

lieve

that

the

"may

aff

ect,

not l

ikel

y to

adv

erse

ly a

ffec

t" b

iolo

gica

l con

clus

ion

is a

ppro

pria

te,

and

we

wou

ld c

oncu

r with

it.”

C-93

4709

Col

lege

Acr

es D

rive

Su

ite 2

W

ilmin

gton

, NC

284

03

Phon

e: (

910)

392

-925

3 Fa

x: (

910)

392

-913

9 cz

rwilm

@cz

r-in

c.co

m

CO

NT

AC

T R

EPO

RT

CZR

per

sonn

el:

L

orri

e L

alib

erte

Bos

wel

l

Pers

on c

onta

cted

: E

ric

Haw

k

Titl

e/ag

ency

:

Fish

erie

s bio

logi

st, P

rote

cted

Res

ourc

es D

ivis

ion

of N

OA

A

Fi

sher

ies S

ervi

ce, S

outh

east

Reg

iona

l Off

ice

Con

tact

info

:

eric

.haw

k@no

aa.g

ov (7

27-5

51-5

773)

DA

TE

:

5 N

ovem

ber

2010

RE

:

Bio

logi

cal A

sses

smen

t for

the

Mid

-Cur

ritu

ck B

ridg

e St

udy

Sum

mar

y:

The

proc

ess f

or c

ompl

etin

g a

biol

ogic

al a

sses

smen

t was

dis

cuss

ed.

Haw

k sa

id n

o fo

rmal

app

licat

ion

is

need

ed b

ut a

long

“le

tter”

with

per

tinen

t inf

orm

atio

n (li

sted

bel

ow),

prop

osed

bio

logi

cal c

oncl

usio

ns, a

nd

a re

ques

t for

con

curr

ence

on

the

biol

ogic

al c

oncl

usio

ns is

nee

ded.

Haw

k sa

id w

e sh

ould

go

ahea

d an

d lis

t th

e sh

ort n

ose

stur

geon

with

the

turtl

es.

He

said

man

atee

s are

und

er U

SFW

S ju

risdi

ctio

n.

If F

HW

A se

nds t

he P

rote

cted

Spe

cies

Div

isio

n th

is le

tter,

this

is a

ll th

ey se

nd u

ntil

aske

d fo

r mor

e by

a

NM

FS b

iolo

gist

. If N

CD

OT

send

s thi

s let

ter,

they

als

o ne

ed to

send

a le

tter f

rom

FH

WA

des

igna

ting

NC

DO

T as

thei

r rep

rese

ntat

ive

to h

andl

e th

is ta

sk a

nd g

ivin

g N

MFS

per

mis

sion

to c

oord

inat

e w

ith th

em.

If C

ZR se

nds t

he le

tter,

we

need

to in

clud

e FH

WA

’s le

tter t

o N

CD

OT

and

a si

mila

r let

ter f

rom

NC

DO

T au

thor

izin

g C

ZR to

act

on

thei

r beh

alf.

Onc

e th

e le

tter i

s rec

eive

d, th

e pr

ojec

t will

be

assi

gned

to a

bi

olog

ist,

whi

ch sh

ould

take

abo

ut 2

wee

ks. I

f the

lette

r con

tain

s all

the

info

rmat

ion

need

ed b

y th

e bi

olog

ist a

nd th

ere

are

no q

uest

ions

, a c

oncu

rren

ce w

ill b

e re

ache

d w

ithin

two

mon

ths.

The

y ha

ve n

o pr

oble

m w

ith th

e FE

IS b

eing

pub

lishe

d du

ring

that

tim

e bu

t a R

ecor

d of

Dec

isio

n ca

nnot

be

mad

e un

til a

co

ncur

renc

e ha

s bee

n is

sued

. Th

e le

tter(

s) c

an b

e su

bmitt

ed v

ia e

mai

l to

this

add

ress

: te

leth

a.m

ince

y@no

aa.g

ov a

nd c

c Er

ic H

awk

eric

.haw

k@no

aa.g

ov (7

27-5

51-5

773)

.

OU

TL

INE

EX

AM

PLE

FO

R A

B

IOL

OG

ICA

L A

SSE

SSM

EN

T O

R B

IOL

OG

ICA

L E

VA

LU

AT

ION

Cov

er L

ette

r - V

ER

Y IM

POR

TA

NT

- In

clud

e pu

rpos

e of

con

sulta

tion,

pro

ject

title

, and

con

sulta

tion

num

ber (

if av

aila

ble)

. A d

eter

min

atio

n ne

eds t

o be

mad

e fo

r eac

h sp

ecie

s. Y

ou h

ave

thre

e op

tions

: 1) a

“n

o ef

fect

” de

term

inat

ion;

2) r

eque

st c

oncu

rren

ce w

ith a

n “i

s not

like

ly to

adv

erse

ly a

ffec

t”

dete

rmin

atio

n; 3

) mak

e a

“may

aff

ect,

is li

kely

to a

dver

sely

aff

ect”

det

erm

inat

ion,

and

requ

est “

form

al”

5 N

ovem

ber 2

010

Pag

e 2

cons

ulta

tion.

If p

ropo

sed

spec

ies o

r crit

ical

hab

itat a

re in

clud

ed, s

tate

whe

ther

the

proj

ect i

s lik

ely

to

resu

lt in

jeop

ardy

to p

ropo

sed

spec

ies,

or th

e de

stru

ctio

n or

adv

erse

mod

ifica

tion

of p

ropo

sed

criti

cal

habi

tat.

If th

e cr

itica

l hab

itat i

s div

ided

into

uni

ts, s

peci

fy w

hich

crit

ical

hab

itat u

nit(s

) will

be

affe

cted

. A

ttach

ed to

Cov

er L

ette

r: B

iolo

gica

l Ass

essm

ent o

r Bio

logi

cal E

valu

atio

n do

cum

ent,

brok

en d

own

as

follo

ws:

Title

: E.g

., B

A (o

r BE)

for “

Proj

ect X

”; d

ate

prep

ared

, and

by

who

m.

A. P

roje

ct D

escr

iptio

n - D

escr

ibe

the

prop

osed

act

ion

and

the

actio

n ar

ea. B

e sp

ecifi

c an

d qu

antif

y w

hene

ver p

ossi

ble.

For E

ach

Spec

ies:

1. D

escr

iptio

n of

aff

ecte

d en

viro

nmen

t (qu

antif

y w

hene

ver p

ossi

ble)

2.

Des

crip

tion

of sp

ecie

s bio

logy

3.

Des

crib

e cu

rren

t con

ditio

ns fo

r eac

h sp

ecie

s a.

Ran

ge-w

ide

b. In

pro

ject

are

a c.

Cum

ulat

ive

effe

cts o

f Sta

te a

nd p

rivat

e ac

tions

in p

roje

ct a

rea

d. O

ther

con

sulta

tions

of F

eder

al a

ctio

n ag

ency

in a

rea

to d

ate

4. D

escr

ibe

criti

cal h

abita

t (if

appl

icab

le)

5. F

ully

des

crib

e ef

fect

s of p

ropo

sed

actio

n on

eac

h sp

ecie

s and

/or

criti

cal h

abita

t. a.

Dir

ect e

ffec

ts

b. In

dire

ct e

ffec

ts

c. In

terr

elat

ed a

nd in

terd

epen

dent

act

ions

d.

Pot

entia

l inc

iden

tal t

ake

resu

lting

from

pro

ject

act

iviti

es

6. C

onse

rvat

ion

Mea

sure

s (pr

otec

tive

mea

sure

s to

min

imiz

e ef

fect

s for

eac

h sp

ecie

s, in

clud

ing

mor

ator

ium

s)

7. C

oncl

usio

ns (e

ffec

ts d

eter

min

atio

n fo

r eac

h sp

ecie

s)

8. L

itera

ture

Cite

d 9.

Lis

ts o

f Con

tact

s Mad

e/Pr

epar

ers

10. M

aps/

Phot

ogra

phs

C-94

4709

Col

lege

Acr

es D

rive

Su

ite 2

W

ilmin

gton

, NC

284

03

Phon

e: (

910)

392

-925

3 Fa

x: (

910)

392

-913

9 cz

rwilm

@cz

r-in

c.co

m

CO

NT

AC

T R

EPO

RT

CZR

per

sonn

el:

L

orri

e L

alib

erte

Bos

wel

l

Pers

on c

onta

cted

: G

ary

Jord

an

Titl

e/ag

ency

:

US

Fish

and

Wild

life

Serv

ice

Con

tact

info

:

(919

) 856

-452

0 ex

t. 32

Gar

y_Jo

rdan

@fw

s.gov

DA

TE

:

8 N

ovem

ber

2010

RE

:

USF

WS

Bio

logi

cal C

oncl

usio

n fo

r m

anat

ee fo

r th

e

M

id-C

urri

tuck

Bri

dge

Stud

y

Sum

mar

y:

Jord

an re

plie

d to

an

emai

l ask

ing

for h

is c

oncu

rren

ce o

n th

e bi

olog

ical

con

clus

ion

for t

he W

est

Indi

an m

anat

ee.

He

repl

ied:

“Fo

r the

Wes

t Ind

ian

man

atee

, we

wou

ld c

oncu

r with

a "

May

A

ffec

t, N

ot L

ikel

y to

Adv

erse

ly A

ffec

t" b

iolo

gica

l con

clus

ion

so lo

ng a

s the

re is

a c

omm

itmen

t to

impl

emen

t the

Gui

delin

es re

fere

nced

bel

ow.”

The

guid

elin

es h

e w

as re

ferr

ing

to a

re th

e on

es c

ited

in th

e N

atur

al R

esou

rces

Rep

ort:

USF

WS’

s G

uide

lines

for A

void

ing

Impa

cts t

o th

e W

est I

ndia

n M

anat

ee:

Prec

autio

nary

Mea

sure

s for

C

onst

ruct

ion

Activ

ities

in N

orth

Car

olin

a W

ater

.

C-95

4709

Col

lege

Acr

es D

rive

Su

ite 2

W

ilmin

gton

, NC

284

03

Phon

e: (

910)

392

-925

3 Fa

x: (

910)

392

-913

9 cz

rwilm

@cz

r-in

c.co

m

CO

NT

AC

T R

EPO

RT

CZR

per

sonn

el: K

atha

rine

Bra

ly

Pers

on c

onta

cted

: Gar

y Jo

rdan

Titl

e/ag

ency

: Fis

h an

d W

ildlif

e B

iolo

gist

USF

WS

Con

tact

info

(off

ice/

phon

e/e-

mai

l): 9

19-8

56-4

520

DA

TE

:3/3

0/11

RE

: Con

firm

ing

ESA

spec

ies s

tatu

s for

bea

ch a

rea

in p

repa

ratio

n fo

r A

ctio

n A

rea

expa

nsio

n to

incl

ude

indi

rect

eff

ects

Sum

mar

y: G

ary

indi

cate

d be

ach

driv

ing

has b

een

a co

ncer

n bu

t the

are

a is

alr

eady

ver

y di

stur

bed

by c

urre

nt o

ff-r

oad

driv

ing.

He

was

not

aw

are

of a

ny c

urre

nt se

a tu

rtle

nes

ting

in th

e ar

ea.

I tol

d hi

m K

aren

Cla

rk w

as se

ndin

g m

e da

ta a

nd h

e as

ked

this

be

pass

ed a

long

to

him

.

Tol

d hi

m w

e w

ere

now

eva

luat

ing

the

indi

rect

eff

ects

of t

he M

id-C

urri

tuck

Bri

dge

and

that

in

clud

ed in

crea

sed

day

trip

s and

bea

ch d

rivi

ng.

He

said

he

had

not c

onsi

dere

d th

e in

crea

sed

beac

h dr

ivin

g as

pect

but

did

n’t t

hink

we

wou

ld n

eed

any

form

al c

onsu

ltatio

n.

He

did

requ

est a

n un

offic

ial d

raft

(vie

em

ail)

of th

e B

A o

r of

sect

ions

dir

ectly

per

tain

ing

to

him

.

Gar

y di

dn’t

hav

e an

y in

fo to

off

er o

n th

e st

atus

of t

he R

ed k

not,

just

that

it c

an o

ccur

in a

ll co

asta

l cou

ntie

s.

Als

o w

asn’

t sur

e ab

out t

urtle

nes

ts b

eing

mov

ed o

r m

arke

d in

the

area

we

are

conc

erne

d w

ith.

4709

Col

lege

Acr

es D

rive

Su

ite 2

W

ilmin

gton

, NC

284

03

Phon

e: (

910)

392

-925

3 Fa

x: (

910)

392

-913

9 cz

rwilm

@cz

r-in

c.co

m

CO

NT

AC

T R

EPO

RT

CZR

per

sonn

el:

Kat

hari

ne B

raly

Pers

on c

onta

cted

: G

ary

Jord

an

Titl

e/ag

ency

: Fi

sh a

nd W

ildlif

e B

iolo

gist

, USF

WS

Con

tact

info

(off

ice/

phon

e/e-

mai

l): 9

19-8

56-4

520

DA

TE

: 21

Apr

il 20

11

RE

: Con

firm

ing

a de

term

inat

ion

of M

ay A

ffec

t Not

Lik

ely

to A

dver

sely

Aff

ect f

or

logg

erhe

ad se

a tu

rtle

as i

t per

tain

s to

the

Mid

-Cur

ritu

ck B

ridg

e Pr

ojec

t.

Sum

mar

y:I s

poke

with

Gar

y Jo

rdan

on

the

phon

e 21

Apr

il 20

11, h

e in

dica

ted

that

he

wou

ld

conc

ur w

ith th

e de

term

inat

ion

of M

ay A

ffec

t Not

Lik

ely

to A

dver

sely

Aff

ect f

or th

e lo

gger

head

se

a tu

rtle

as it

per

tain

s to

the

Mid

-Cur

rituc

k B

ridge

Pro

ject

. G

ary

men

tione

d th

e va

lidity

of J

ohn

Page

’s c

omm

ents

per

tain

ing

to th

e po

ssib

ility

of i

ncre

ased

bea

ch d

rivin

g (s

ee th

ese

com

men

ts

belo

w).

Gar

y al

so st

ress

ed th

e te

xt to

supp

ort t

his d

ecis

ion

wou

ld n

eed

to b

e st

rong

and

he

requ

este

d to

see

a dr

aft v

ersi

on o

f thi

s tex

t.

John

Pag

e’s c

omm

ents

(via

e-m

ail 1

8 A

pril

2011

):

� Katherine,�

� The�interesting�thing�is�no

body�kno

ws�h

ow�m

uch�beach�driving�there�is�toda

y,�making�it�more�difficult�to�kno

w�how

�much�more�that�m

ight�occur.��An

other�factor�to�consider�is�where�beach�driv

ing�is�currently�occurrin

g�an

d�whether�

any�increase�in�beach�driv

ing�wou

ld�expan

d�that�area�of�disturba

nce�an

d�whether�th

e�expa

nded�area�is�where�

protected�species�o

ccur.��Since�one�car�ru

nning�over�a�tu

rtle�nest�d

estroys�the�egg

s,�I�wou

ld�won

der�if�a

ddition

al�

driving�is�a�concern�on

ly�if�it�expan

ds�th

e�area�disturbed.�

� John

�

4709

Col

lege

Acr

es D

rive

Su

ite 2

W

ilmin

gton

, NC

284

03

Phon

e: (

910)

392

-925

3 Fa

x: (

910)

392

-913

9 cz

rwilm

@cz

r-in

c.co

m

CO

NT

AC

T R

EPO

RT

CZR

per

sonn

el:

Kat

hari

ne B

raly

Pers

on c

onta

cted

: G

ary

Jord

an

Titl

e/ag

ency

: Fi

sh a

nd W

ildlif

e B

iolo

gist

, USF

WS

Con

tact

info

(off

ice/

phon

e/e-

mai

l): 9

19-8

56-4

520

DA

TE

: 5

May

201

1

RE

: G

ary’

s com

men

ts o

n dr

aft t

ext f

or lo

gger

head

sea

turt

le b

iolo

gica

l con

clus

ion

Sum

mar

y:G

ary

Jord

an’s

com

men

ts o

n dr

aft t

ext o

f spe

cies

con

clus

ions

in th

e M

id-C

urrit

uck

Bio

logi

cal A

sses

smen

t for

spec

ies u

nder

US

Fish

and

Wild

life

Juris

dict

ion.

His

resp

onse

via

em

ail o

n 5

May

201

1:

Kat

hari

ne,

This

look

s goo

d to

me.

I o

nly

have

one

min

or c

omm

ent.

Und

er y

our t

reat

men

t of t

he lo

gger

head

sea

turt

le, I

wou

ld

avoi

d th

e us

e of

the

wor

d "j

eopa

rdy"

. Th

at w

ord

has a

spec

ific

lega

l mea

ning

und

er th

e En

dang

ered

Spe

cies

Act

, an

d yo

u w

ere

usin

g it

in a

mor

e ge

neri

c se

nse.

I w

ould

just

repl

ace

the

word

with

ano

ther

such

as "

adve

rse

effe

ct".

T

hank

s for

the

oppo

rtuni

ty to

revi

ew th

is.

Gar

y Jo

rdan

Fi

sh a

nd W

ildlif

e Bi

olog

ist

US

Fish

and

Wild

life

Serv

ice

PO B

ox 3

3726

Ra

leig

h, N

C 2

7636

-372

6

Phon

e (9

19) 8

56-4

520

ext.

32

Fax

(919

) 856

-455

6 ga

ry_j

orda

n@fw

s.gov

C-96

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MID-CURRITUCK BRIDGE STUDY - NCDOT