SR 1002 (AVIATION PARKWAY), IMPROVE INTERCHANGE AND CONSTRUCT AUXILIARY LANE ALONG 1-40 WESTBOUND FROM SR 1002 TO SR 3015 (AIRPORT BOULEVARD) Wake County WBS ELEMENT — 43608.1.1 FEDERAL AID PROJECT NO. NHPP-040-7(154)284 TIP PROJECT NO. 1-5506 ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION AND N. C. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTAION Submitted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act 42 USC 4332(2) (c) APPROVED: 1 /21 tanit, Date Beverly G. obinson, Western Region Project De elopment Group Supervisor Project Development and Environmental Analysis Unit ,a4e,,,t7c7C, Date John F. Sullivan Ill, P.E. Division Administrator Federal Highway Administration P R O J E C T C O M M IT M E N T S S R 1 0 0 2 ( A V IA T IO N P A R K W A Y ) , I M P R O V E I N T E R C H A N G E A N D C O N S T R U C T A U X I L IA R Y L A N E A L O N G I 3 4 0 W E S T B O U N D F R O M S R 1 0 0 2 T O S R 3 0 1 5 ( A I R P O R T B O U L E V A R D ) W a k e C o u n t y , N o r t h C a r o l i n a W B S E l e m e n t – 4 3 6 0 8 . 1 . 1 F e d e r a l A i d P r o j e c t N o . – N H P P \ 0 4 0 \ 7 ( 1 5 4 ) 2 8 4 T IP P R O J E C T N O . \ I\ 5 5 0 6 P r o j e c t D e v e l o p m e n t a n d E n v i r o n m e n t a l A n a l y s i s : P e d e s t r i a n a c c o m m o d a t i o n s i n t h e p r o j e c t a r e a w i l l b e f u r t h e r c o o r d i n a t e d w i t h t h e T o w n o f C a r y , W a k e C o u n t y a n d G o T r i a n g l e . A d d i t i o n a l c o o r d i n a t i o n i s n e e d e d f o r s i d e w a l k s e g m e n t s # 1 1 1 4 s h o w n o n F i g u r e 7 . A m u n i c i p a l a g r e e m e n t w i l l b e p r e p a r e d p r i o r t o c o n s t r u c t i o n . D i v i s i o n 5 , R o a d s i d e E n v i r o n m e n t a l , T o w n o f C a r y , a n d T o w n o f M o r r i s v i l l e : C o o r d i n a t i o n w i l l b e n e e d e d w i t h t h e T o w n s o f C a r y a n d M o r r i s v i l l e t o c o o r d i n a t e e n h a n c e d l a n d s c a p i n g a s p a r t o f t h e p r o j e c t f o r t h e l o o p s a n d / o r r a m p s o f t h i s p r o j e c t . I ¡ 5 5 0 6 C a t e g o r i c a l E x c l u s i o n A u g u s t 2 0 1 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION 1 A. General Description 1 B. Project Schedule 1 C. Cost Estimate 2 II. PURPOSE AND NEED 2 A. Purpose of Project 2 B. Need for Project 2 1. Crash Data 2 2. Traffic Data 3 3. Capacity 4 a. Current Conditions 4 b. 2040 No-Build Conditions 6 c. 2040 Build Conditions 7 III. DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING FACILITY 9 A. Route Classification 9 B. Typical Section 9 C. Structures 9 D. Right of Way 9 E. Access Control 10 F. Railroad Crossing 10 G. Greenway, Pedestrian and Bicycle Considerations 10 H. Speed Limits 10 I. Intersection and Type of Control 10 J. Geodetic Markers 11 K. Utilities 11 L. School Buses 11 M. Adjacent Projects 11 IV. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED 11 A. Project History and Study Alternatives 11 B. Preferred Alternative 13 V. PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS 14 A. Design Speed 14 B. Typical Section 15 C. Right of Way 15 D. Speed Limit 15 I-5506 Categorical Exclusion August 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Page E. Access Control 15 F. Anticipated Design Exceptions 15 G. Greenway, Pedestrian and Bicycle Considerations 15 H. Intersections 16 I. Noise Barriers 17 J. Bus Pullouts 17 VI. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF PROPOSED ACTION 18 A. Natural Environment Resources 18 1. Physical Resources 18 a. Soils 18 b. Water Resources 18 2. Biotic Resources 20 3. Terrestrial Wildlife, Aquatic Communities and Invasive Species 20 4. Jurisdictional Issues 21 a. Clean Water Act Waters of the US 21 b. Clean Water Act Permits 22 5. Coastal Area Management Act Areas of Environmental Concern 22 6. Construction Moratoria 22 7. N.C. River Basin Buffer Rules 22 8. Wetland, Stream and Buffer Impacts 22 9. Avoidance, Minimization and Mitigation 24 10. Endangered Species Act Protected Species 24 11. Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act 27 12. Endangered Species Act Candidate Species 28 13. Hazardous Materials Sites 28 14. Flood Hazard Evaluation 28 B. Section 4(f) Resources and Section 6(f) Resources 29 C. Human Environment Resources 30 1. Cultural Resources 30 a. Historic Architectural Resources 30 b. Archaeological Resources 30 2. Land Use 30 3. Environmental Justice 31 4. Local Area Plans 31 I-5506 Categorical Exclusion August 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Page 5. Known Plans for Development 32 6. Bicycle, Pedestrian and/or Greenway Facilities 32 7. Farmland Protection Policy Act [FPPA] Soils 32 8. Traffic Noise Analysis 33 9. Air Quality Analysis 34 VII. AGENCY/PUBLIC COORDINATION 39 A. Agency Coordination 39 B. Public Coordination 40 VIII. BASIS FOR CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION 40 TABLES Table 1 – Crash Data 3 Table 2 – Traffic Volumes 3 Table 3 – Existing - 2013 Level of Service on Aviation Parkway 5 Table 4 – Existing - 2013 Level of Service on I-40 6 Table 5 – Future No-Build - 2040 Level of Service on Aviation Parkway 7 Table 6 – Future No-Build - 2040 Level of Service on I-40 7 Table 7 – Future Build - 2040 Level of Service on Aviation Parkway 8 Table 8 – Future Build - 2040 Level of Service on I-40 8 Table 9 – Potential Sidewalk Locations 16 Table 10 – Water Resources in the Study Area 18 Table 11 – Physical Characteristics of Water Resources in the Study Area 19 Table 12 – Coverage of Terrestrial Communities in the Study Area 20 Table 13 – Jurisdictional Characteristics of Water Resources in the Study Area 21 Table 14 – Jurisdictional Characteristics of Wetlands in the Study Area and Wetland Impacts 22 Table 15 – Stream Impacts 23 Table 16 – Buffer Impacts 23 Table 17 – Federally Protected Species Listed for Wake County 24 Table 18 – Agency Coordination 39 FIGURES Figure 1 – Vicinity Map Figure 2 – Environmental Features map with Study Area Figure 3 – 2013 Traffic Volumes I-5506 Categorical Exclusion August 2016 Figure 4 – 2040 Projected Traffic Volumes Figure 5 – Adjacent projects Figure 6 (A&B) – Proposed Design Figure 7 – Proposed Sidewalks Figure 8 – Proposed Bus Pullouts Figure 9 – Jurisdictional Features Figure 10 – Community Context Map APPENDIX I-5506 Categorical Exclusion August 2016 SR 1002 (AVIATION PARKWAY), IMPROVE INTERCHANGE AND CONSTRUCT AUXILIARY LANE ALONG I-40 WESTBOUND FROM SR 1002 TO SR 3015 (AIRPORT BOULEVARD) WAKE COUNTY WBS Element – 43608.1.1 Federal Aid Project NHPP-040-7(154)284 STIP PROJECT NO. I-5506 I.DESCRIPTON OF PROPOSED ACTION A. General Description The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) proposes to improve the interchange of I-40 and SR 1002 (Aviation Parkway) near the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Wake County (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). The proposed project consists of adding a loop off ramp from I-40 westbound to Aviation Parkway. The off- ramp, Loop B, in the northwest quadrant of the existing interchange, will carry traffic southbound towards Morrisville.