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Alternatives Study Report

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Alternatives Study Report ALTERNATIVES STUDY REPORT for NC 12 – Pea Island Long-Term Improvements Bonner Bridge Replacement Project Phase IIa Federal‐Aid No. BRNHF‐0012(56) NCDOT Project Definition: 32635 TIP Project No. B‐2500A Dare County, North Carolina Federal Highway Administration North Carolina Department of Transportation February 10, 2017 Table of Contents STUDY PURPOSE AND PROCESS ................................................................................ 1 1.1 Study Purpose ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Process ........................................................................................................................ 4 ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Alternative Development ....................................................................................... 6 2.1.1 Conceptual Bridge on New Location Alternative Alignments ............. 6 2.1.2 Bridge on New Location Alternative Alignments Selected for Preliminary Design and Assessment ................................. 10 2.1.3 Bridge within Existing NC 12 Easement Alternative............................ 10 2.1.4 Connectors to Oregon Inlet ...................................................................... 10 2.2 Description of Phase IIa Study Alternatives .................................................... 13 2.2.1 Bridge within Existing NC 12 Alternative .............................................. 13 2.2.2 Bridge on New Location Alternative ...................................................... 14 COST AND FUNDING ALTERNATIVES ................................................................... 15 3.1 Cost ......................................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Project Finance Options and Analysis ............................................................... 15 3.2.1 Highway Program Funding Sources ....................................................... 15 3.2.2 Federal Funding Programs ....................................................................... 16 3.2.3 State Funding Programs ........................................................................... 18 3.2.4 State Transportation Improvement Plan – Programming .................... 19 3.2.5 Highway Appropriation and Cash Flow Management ....................... 20 3.2.6 Alternative Financing ................................................................................ 21 EXISTING CONDITIONS .............................................................................................. 21 4.1 Topography ............................................................................................................. 22 4.2 Visual Characteristics ............................................................................................ 22 4.3 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................. 22 4.3.1 Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Historic Landscape .................... 23 4.3.2 Archaeological Resources ......................................................................... 23 4.4 Park and Recreation/Wildlife Refuge ................................................................ 24 4.4.1 Cape Hatteras National Seashore ............................................................ 24 4.4.2 Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge ....................................................... 25 4.5 Floodplains .............................................................................................................. 26 Phase IIa Alternatives Study iii NCDOT STIP Project Number B‐2500A Table of Contents (continued) 4.6 Coastal Conditions ................................................................................................ 26 4.6.1 Atlantic Ocean Shoreline Erosion ............................................................ 28 4.6.2 Accelerated Sea Level Rise ....................................................................... 28 4.6.3 Potential for Island Breaches .................................................................... 31 4.6.4 NC 12 Vulnerability ................................................................................... 31 4.7 Natural Systems ..................................................................................................... 33 4.7.1 Surface Waters and Water Quality .......................................................... 34 4.7.2 Biotic Communities ................................................................................... 34 4.7.3 Wetlands and Open Water Habitat ......................................................... 36 4.7.4 Unique and Rare Habitat .......................................................................... 37 4.7.5 Essential Fish Habitat ................................................................................ 37 4.7.6 Birds ............................................................................................................. 38 4.7.7 Protected Species ........................................................................................ 43 4.8 Utilities..................................................................................................................... 44 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ..................................................................................... 44 5.1 Visual Impacts ........................................................................................................ 45 5.2 Cultural Resource Impacts ................................................................................... 46 5.2.1 Historic Resources ..................................................................................... 46 5.2.2 Archaeological Resources ......................................................................... 47 5.3 Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Impacts .................................................. 47 5.3.1 Land Use ..................................................................................................... 47 5.3.2 Access .......................................................................................................... 48 5.3.3 Recreation Use ............................................................................................ 49 5.3.4 Facilities ....................................................................................................... 49 5.4 Coastal Process Impacts ........................................................................................ 50 5.4.1 Flooding During Major Storms ................................................................ 50 5.4.2 Erosion and Natural Overwash ............................................................... 51 5.4.3 Accelerated Sea Level Rise ....................................................................... 51 5.4.4 Island Breach within the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge ........... 52 5.4.5 Bridge in Ocean and its Effect on Off‐Shore Coastal Processes .......... 52 5.5 Natural Resource Impacts .................................................................................... 55 5.5.1 Surface Waters and Water Quality .......................................................... 55 5.5.2 Biotic Communities ................................................................................... 56 5.5.3 Wetlands and Open Water ....................................................................... 59 5.5.4 Unique and Rare Habitat .......................................................................... 60 Phase IIa Alternatives Study iv NCDOT STIP Project Number B‐2500A Table of Contents (concluded) 5.5.5 Essential Fish Habitat ................................................................................ 61 5.5.6 Birds ............................................................................................................. 62 5.5.7 Protected Species ........................................................................................ 62 5.6 Utilities Considerations ........................................................................................ 66 5.7 Construction Considerations ............................................................................... 67 5.8 Section 4(f) ............................................................................................................... 68 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................ 70 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 74 APPENDIX: MERGER TEAM MEETING HANDOUT AND SUMMARY ........ A‐1 Phase IIa Alternatives Study v NCDOT STIP Project Number B‐2500A List of Tables Table 1. Phase IIa Study Alternatives Cost ....................................................................... 16 Table 2. Impacts to Biotic Communities in the Expanded Phase IIa Project Area ...... 57 Table 3. Permanent Wetlands and Open Water Impact ................................................. 60 Table 4. Section 4(f) Use ....................................................................................................... 68 Table 5. Summary of Cost and Impact Findings .............................................................. 71 List of Figures Figure 1. Expanded Phase IIa Project Area .........................................................................
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