I‐440 Widening Project Wake County, NC STIP Project No. U‐2719 Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) / Preferred Alternative Identification and Avoidance and Minimization Section 404 / NEPA Merger Concurrence Points 3 and 2a/4a Prepared for: North Carolina Department of Transportation Priority Projects Unit Prepared by: 1616 East Millbrook Road Suite 310 Raleigh, NC 27609 Meeting ‐ February 14, 2018 Section 404/NEPA Merger Concurrence Points 3 and 2a/4a I‐440 Improvements – STIP U‐2719 Meeting Agenda 1. Introductions and Sign‐In 2. Purpose of Meeting 3. Project Overview and Past Concurrence Meetings 4. Review of Major Hydraulic Structures to Reconfirm Concurrence Point 2a 5. Concurrence Point 3 o Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA)/Preferred Alternative Discussion o Review Concurrence Point 3 Signature Form 6. Concurrence Point 4a o Avoidance and Minimization Measures o Review Concurrence Point 4A Signature Form 7. Project Schedule February 14, 2018 Section 404/NEPA Merger Concurrence Points 3 and 2a/4a I‐440 Improvements – STIP U‐2719 Table of Contents Page 1. Project Description ....................................................................................................... 1 2. Completed Merger Team Concurrence Points ............................................................. 1 3. Environmental Assessment – June 2017 ...................................................................... 3 4. Public Involvement and Agency Coordination after the EA ......................................... 3 4.1. Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting .......................................................... 3 4.2. Coordination with the NC State Historic Preservation Office .............................. 4 4.3. Public Hearing and Comments Received .............................................................. 5 4.4. Other Meetings ..................................................................................................... 9 5. Reconfirm Concurrence Point 2a ................................................................................. 9 6. Concurrence Point 3 ................................................................................................... 12 6.1. I‐40 Interchange and South ................................................................................ 12 6.2. Jones Franklin Road Interchange ........................................................................ 12 6.3. Athens Drive Grade Separation .......................................................................... 14 6.4. Melbourne Road Interchange ............................................................................ 15 6.5. Western Boulevard Interchange ........................................................................ 17 6.6. Ligon Street Grade Separation ........................................................................... 19 6.7. Hillsborough Street and Wade Avenue Interchange Area ................................. 22 6.8. Summary of Jurisdictional Resource Impacts and Recommendations for Concurrence Point 3 ........................................................................................... 30 7. Concurrence Point 4A ................................................................................................. 35 8. Project Schedule ......................................................................................................... 36 TABLES Table 1. Detailed Study Alternatives ................................................................................ 2 Table 2. Summary of Agency Comments ......................................................................... 5 Table 3. U‐2719 Recommended Major Hydraulic Structures ........................................ 11 Table 4. Impact Summary – Jones Franklin Road Interchange ...................................... 13 Table 5. Jurisdictional Resource Impacts – Jones Franklin Road Interchange ............... 14 Table 6. Impact Summary – Athens Drive Grade Separation ......................................... 15 Table 7. Impact Summary – Melbourne Road Interchange ........................................... 16 Table 8. Jurisdictional Resource Impacts – Melbourne Road Interchange .................... 17 Table 9. Impact Summary – Western Boulevard Interchange ....................................... 18 Table 10. Jurisdictional Resource Impacts – Western Boulevard Interchange ................ 19 Table 11. Impact Summary – Ligon Street Grade Separation ......................................... 20 February 14, 2018 Section 404/NEPA Merger Concurrence Points 3 and 2a/4a I‐440 Improvements – STIP U‐2719 Table of Contents (Continued) Page TABLES (continued) Table 12. Jurisdictional Resource Impacts – Ligon Street Grade Separation ................... 21 Table 13. Impact Summary – Hillsborough Street and Wade Avenue Interchange Area .............................................................................................. 24 Table 14. Impact Summary – Reedy Creek Greenway Relocation Alternatives .............. 26 Table 15. Jurisdictional Resource Impacts – Hillsborough Street and Wade Avenue Interchange Area .............................................................................................. 27 Table 16. Jurisdictional Resource Impacts – Reedy Creek Greenway Faircloth Street Relocation Option .................................................................. 29 Table 17. Summary of Permanent and Temporary Wetland Impacts by Detailed Study Alternative ............................................................................... 31 Table 18. Summary of Permanent and Temporary Stream Impacts by Detailed Study Alternative ............................................................................... 32 Table 19. Summary of Riparian Buffer Impacts by Detailed Study Alternative ............... 33 EXHIBITS Exhibit 1. Recommended Major Culverts ........................................................................ 10 FIGURES (Figures follow text) Figures 1 through 11. Jurisdictional Resources and Preliminary Design of the DSAs Figure 12. Reedy Creek Greenway Faircloth Street Option Preliminary Design CONCURRENCE FORMS FOR SIGNATURE Section 404/NEPA Merger Project Team – Concurrence Point 3 Section 404/NEPA Merger Project Team – Concurrence Point 2a/4a APPENDICES A. Signed Concurrence Forms B. Draft Responses to environmental resource and regulatory agency comments C. Draft Responses to common comments received from the public and organizations February 14, 2018 Section 404/NEPA Merger Concurrence Points 3 and 2a/4a I‐440 Improvements – STIP U‐2719 1. Project Description The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), proposes to widen I‐440/US 1/64 from south of Walnut Street (SR 1313) to east of Wade Avenue (SR 1728) from four lanes to six lanes in the City of Raleigh, all in Wake County. The project also will reconstruct interchanges, replace structures, and repair pavement conditions. The project is included in NCDOT’s adopted 2018‐2027 State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) as project number U‐2719 and is scheduled for right‐of‐way (ROW) acquisition and construction to begin in fiscal year 2019 and will be let as a design‐build contract. 2. Completed Merger Team Concurrence Points Appendix A includes the signed Concurrence Point 1 form and Concurrence Point 2 form (with final meeting minutes discussing concurrence with CP 2a). Concurrence Point 1. The Merger Team concurred on the following Purpose and Need statement on August 22nd, 2012: The purpose of the project is to improve traffic flow and operational efficiency and enhance mobility on this segment of I‐440. The overall needs of the project are described below: The project section of I‐440 consists of four through lanes, forming a “bottleneck,” with six through lanes to the north and south. The four through lanes in the project section regularly experience congestion. Traffic volumes are forecasted to increase in the future. The roadway and interchanges in this section of I‐440 have substandard design elements such as poor sight lines, narrow shoulders and medians, and short acceleration/deceleration lanes. Pavement, structures, and interchanges along the project segment are in need of rehabilitation. Concurrence Point 2 and 2A. Detailed Study Alternatives were developed for each interchange and grade separation as well as the widening of the mainline of I‐440. It should be noted that the Detailed Study Alternative(s) at each location can be combined with any of the Detailed Study Alternatives at the other locations to comprise end‐to‐end alternatives for the corridor. This is explained in Section 2.1.2 of the Environmental Assessment (EA). The Concurrence Point 2 meeting was held on February 18, 2015 and the Concurrence Point 2 form was signed on March 12, 2015. Table 1 shows the Detailed Study Alternatives concurred on by the NEPA/404 Merger Team and the revisions to Detailed Study Alternatives that occurred after the meeting but prior to publication of the Environmental Assessment (EA). Changes to Detailed Study Alternatives occurred at the I‐40 interchange, the Jones Franklin Road interchange, and the Ligon Street grade separation, as summarized below. These changes are documented in Section 2.1 of the EA. 1 February 14, 2018 Section 404/NEPA Merger Concurrence Points 3 and 2a/4a I‐440 Improvements – STIP U‐2719 Table 1. Detailed Study Alternatives Detailed