AGENCY FOR STATE ROADS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA Final Construction of Corridor X, Highway E – 75, Section Demir Kapija – Smokvica ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY – Update Skopje, July 2009 UPDATES IN THE EIA FOR DEMIR KAPIJA – SMOKVICA ROAD SECTION Page Item Description 1 2 3 More detailed description of the Alternatives taken 3 Foreword into consideration with a small map of the terrain and disposition of the alignments. Conclusion and recommendation to the Employer NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY regarding the alternative which is to be chosen for 10 construction. Update of the summary with the new findings from the assessment. More detailed explanation about the alternatives 31 Introduction analyzed. 35, 36 2.1.1. Project Scope Tables update with data for alternative 2 2.1.2.1.3. Demands on Complete update of the item with explanation of 41 auxiliary structures (access the reasons for excluding the borrow pits and roads, borrow pits etc.) access roads from the study. 48, 49 3.2.1. Tourism development Update of the figures 214 Table 41 Updated table with updated evaluations General improvement of the chapter with Chapter 8 - Assessment of additional analysis of each impact to the 216 - 251 the impacts alternatives, and conclusion for each impact regarding its impact itself to the environment. Table for impacts from New table with results from the evaluation of the 235 road construction impacts during the road construction evaluation Table for impacts from New table with results from the evaluation of the 250 road operation evaluation impacts during the road operation Complete update of the mitigation measures Chapter 9 – Mitigation 252 – 276 Chapter with an estimated costs for measures implementation for both alternatives Chapter 10 – Analysis of 277- 281 Complete update of the analysis (Whole chapter) alternatives Chapter 11 – Concluding 282 - 285 remarks and Conclusion and recommendation given. recommendations Chapter 13 - Environmental Management Plan and Monitoring Plan for the Monitoring Plan contains monitoring activities implementation of which are directly connected to the proposed 292 -308 mitigation measures during MMs. It proposes responsible body, implementing the construction of the body, monitoring frequency, monitoring period section Demir Kapija- and residual impacts. Smokvica of the Highway E-75 (Corridor X EIA Study: Final Construction of Corridor X, Highway E – 75, 2 Section: Demir Kapija – Smokvica (Update) Foreword to the UPDATED study 2 (July, 2009) The original EIA study of the section Demir Kapija - Smokvica of the highway E- 75 (Corridor X) was prepared in April 2007. It was based upon comparison of two alternatives, named Alternative A and Alternative B. The final recommendation of that EIA study was inconclusive since both alternatives had negative impacts on the natural environment (in the case of Alternative B) or human environment and higher construction costs (Alternative A). Since there is a justified need for construction of this section of the E-75 Natioal road, a new alignment was proposed in the first revision of the EIA done in March 2008. This new alignment or alternative was named Alternative B2 and it was a combination of both previous Alternatives A and B (furtheron named Alternative B1). In order for better understanding of the Alternatives hereby we will give a short description of them. Alternative A is an alternative going on the left bank of the Vardar River, along the existing road E-75. The Main Design for this Alternative is already prepared in year 2000, and it consists of widening of the existing road from Demir Kapija to Smokvica till the required width for a highway, for the first lane of the highway, and construction of completely new lane of the highway. The final product are two roads with two driving lanes and one stopping lane each, with green area in the middle. For the reasons of connection with other documents regarding this project furtheron this alternative will be called ALTERNATIVE 1. Alternative B (hereon Alternative B1) is a new proposed corridor for highway construction going completely on the right bank of the Vardar River. This alignment does not have main Design prepared, and it was in a phase of Preliminary Study Design. The works consist of construction of entirely new highway with two roads consisted of two driving lanes and one stopping lane each, with green area in the middle. In the revision from March 2008, a new alternative, Alternative B2, was elaborated due to problems with the Bela Voda Cave, and necessity of its avoidance with the alignment. Therefore the new alignment proposed was a kind of combination between the previous two alternatives, i.e. the start of the alignment to be on the left bank of the Vardar River till the exit of the tunnels of the Alternative 1, and furtheron crossing the Vardar River and continue entirely along the Alternative B1. This will avoid the sensitive area around Bela Voda cave completely, which was a recommendation in the first EIA prepared in 2007. For the reasons of connection with other documents regarding this project furtheron this alternative will be called ALTERNATIVE 2. Another alternative was also assessed during the year 2007, in the early stages of the preparation of this EIA study, ALTERNATIVE 3. This alignment was going entirely on the right side of Vardar River (later abandoned as not environmentaly friendly with Bela Voda cave) and much closer to Vardar EIA Study: Final Construction of Corridor X, Highway E – 75, 3 Section: Demir Kapija – Smokvica (Update) River than alternative 2. The reason why this alternative was discarded from further evaluations is because it will have to pass through two areas under concession held by private domestic companies. These concessions are used for eruptive material exploitation (used for production of wearing coarse – asphalt), and those are the only quarries providing these companies with such kind of material. Passing through them will mean that they will be left without such material and high compensations asked by the concession holders for land aquisition. At the other hand, these two quarries have the most qualitative material in the whole country. Anyway the surrounding area is similar or equal to alternative 2, so the feasibiliy of existance of such alternative is questionable. This is the main reason why this alternative was discarded even from the start of the project. The analysis of impacts of Alternative 2 in this revised study is based only on the new alignement of Alternative 2 and already analyzed Alternative 1. Analysis of old Alternative B (hereby called B1) can be found in the EIA study prepared in April 2007, where it was totally rejected due to problems with the Bela Voda cave. Due to its rejection as completely unacceptable alternative (regarding the problem with the vicinity of Bela Voda Cave) in the following text this alternative, (Altrenative B1) will not be elaborated since it is not feasible for construction, therefore the results achieved will not be necessary. Also alternative 3 will not be elaborated as unfeasable alternative too. In the following text only Alternatives 1 and 2 will be elaborated. Consequently, there are changes in the: - Length of Alternative 2 is 27.75 km; - Number and length of tunnels, bridges and different crossing types (rivers, streams, existing roads) for Alternative 2; - Corridor area of Alternative 2 and combined corridor area of both alternatives; - Surfaces of land use types in the case of Alternative 2 and combined for both alternatives; - Sensitivity estimation for natural environment for Alternative 2; - Sensitivity estimation for settlements (Demir Kapija town) and archaeological sites for Alternative 2; Besides these changes, the text was improved in the part of the impact assessment and mitigation measures, and some of the old charts were corrected and replaced (land use, sensitivity, matrices etc.). EIA Study: Final Construction of Corridor X, Highway E – 75, 4 Section: Demir Kapija – Smokvica (Update) Picture 1 - Scetch of the alternatives elaborated in this EIA Study. EIA Study: Final Construction of Corridor X, Highway E – 75, 5 Section: Demir Kapija – Smokvica (Update) Foreword to the revised study 1 (March, 2008) The original EIA study of the section Demir Kapija - Smokvica of the highway E- 75 (Corridor X) was prepared in April 2007. It was based upon comparison of two alternatives, named Alternative A and Alternative B. The final recommendation of that EIA study was inconclusive since both alternatives had very negative impacts on the natural environment (in the case of Alternative B) or human environment and higher construction costs (Alternative A). As a result of the process of revision of the EIA study a new proposal was elaborated for Alternative B in order to overcome the most negative impacts of this alternative. The original route of Alternative B was passing through the right side of Demir Kapija canyon and over the Bela Voda cave. The new proposal contains solution that avoids the right side of the narrowest part of the Demir Kapija canyon and completely avoids Bela Voda cave. The new design of Alternative B overlaps with Alternative A from the beginning point and all the way to the exit of the tunnel in the left side of Demir Kapija canyon. After this point, routs of Alternative A and Alternative B split. The route of new Alternative B crosses Vardar River (newly proposed bridge) and joints the old route of Alternative B at point 2 km +100, The analysis of impacts of Alternative B in this revised study is based only on the new alignment of Alternative B and already analyzed Alternative A. Hence, the term Alternative B in this study refers to the new alignment of Alternative B. Analysis of old Alternative B can be found in the EIA study prepared in April 2007.