The Garden Parkway (Gaston East West Connector) The Draft EIS is Complete What Does It Mean, Where Do We Go From Here? Charlotte Chamber SouthWest Chapter May 5, 2009
Agenda NC Turnpike Authority 2008 Legislative Support Garden Parkway Draft EIS Stakeholder Involvement Major Milestones The Recommended Alternative What Happens Next? 2
NC Turnpike Authority Created in 2002 to use alternative financing to pay for roads Authorized to plan, develop, construct, operate, and maintain up to 9 toll llf facilities 5 approved projects 3
NC Turnpike Authority 4
2008 Legislative Support Project Gap Funding (39 yrs annually) Triangle Expressway (2008 $25m) Monroe Connector/Bypass (2009 $24m) Mid Currituck Bridge (2009 $15m) Garden Parkway (2010 $35m) Toll Violation Legislation 5
Toll Road Operations Open Road Tolling 6
Toll Road How much will tolls cost? Tolls are based on: Cost of project Type of toll collection Travel distance Vehicle type Other factors Typically range from 10 to 20 cents per mile 7
Gaston East West Connector Draft EIS Approved April 24, 2009 Lead Agencies: NCTA NCDOT FHWA 8
Draft EIS Assessment of the Questions: Is a project really needed? Where should the project corridor go? What are reasonable alternatives? What are the concerns & can they be addressed? 9
What do we study? Study Area Detailed Studies of Impacts positive ii & negative Natural, Human, Physical, and Cultural Environments Transportation Draft EIS 10
Technical Evaluation of Wetlands and Streams Water Quality Endangered Species Floodplainsand and Floodways Historic and Archaeological Resources Noise Community Resources Relocations Air Quality Hazardous Materials Farmlands 11
Stakeholder Involvement Federal & State Agencies Transportation Lead State Agency or Agencies FHWA Environmental Resource and Regulatory US Army Corps of Engineers US Environmental Protection Agency US Fish and Wildlife Service NC Division of Water Quality NC Wildlife Resources Commission NC Historic Resources Office 12
Stakeholder Involvement Local Stakeholders Residents Property owners Traveling public Local governments MPO(s) Towns, cities Counties Elected officials 13
What are the Major Steps in Draft EIS the EIS Process? Recommended Alternative Major project milestone Final EIS Preferred Alternative Record ofdecisionor or ROD Selected Alternative Finalroute approval 14
What Does it Mean to Have a Signed Draft EIS? Consensus among Lead Agencies that NEPA process followed Agreement that appropriate studies completed Buy in on the recommendation for the project corridor 15
Our Starting Point 16
Detailed Study Alternatives 17
Citizens Summary of Draft EIS Brief summary highlighting major topics Alternatives Impacts Costs Tolling Available on website 18
Alternative 9 Recommended ddalternative 19
What is Alternative 9? 21.9 miles long West Area Located parallel to the east side of Crowders Creek Central Area South of Union Road/Union- New Hope Road East Area Crosses Belmont peninsula north of Allen Steam Station 20
Summary of Impacts 21
Why Alternative 9? Human Environment Lower in numbers of residential relocations No direct impacts to schools No relocation of cemeteries Avoids Karyae Park YMCA facility and Pisgah ARP Church One of the alternatives farthest from Crowders Mountain State Park Does not need right of way from Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden Avoids relocation of Ramoth AME Zion church and cemetery One of eight alternatives that require the least amount of right of way from Berewick District Park 22
Why Alternative 9? Physical and Cultural Resources In middle of range of receptors impacted by noise One of the alternatives with the least impacts to Voluntary Agricultural ldi Districts i t One of the alternatives with fewest power transmission line crossings Does not require right of way from Wolfe Family Dairy Farm historic property Low to moderate potential for important archaeological sites 23
Why Alternative 9? Natural Resources Crosses South Fork Catawba River and Catawba River where rivers less navigable Impacts least amount of upland df forest One of four alternatives with lowest potential for habitat fragmentation effects Lower in range of impacts to ponds, wetlands, and streams Fewest number of stream crossings One of eight alternatives with a biologicalconclusion conclusion of No Effect to Schweinitz s sunflower 24
Public Involvement Citizens Informational Workshops 2003, 2006, and 2008 Small Groups Meetingsthroughout throughout process Project website Toll free hotline 25
What Happens Next? Draft EIS distribution for agency review Draft EIS copies in project area for public review June 22 25, 25, 2009 Open Houses Public Hearings July 17, 2009 comments due 26
What Happens Next? Review all comments, questions Meet with environmental agencies Preferred Alternative Fall 2009 Prepare Final EIS Mid 2010 Prepare ROD Late 2010 Begin Construction Early 2011 Open to Traffic Late 2014 27
Mecklenburg County/Airport Area 28
Questions? Comments on the Draft EIS requested by July 17, 2009 gaston@ncturnpike.org org 29
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