PN16-18 (South Capitol Street/Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge/DC) 2012-02589 - Washington, DC

Published April 15, 2016
Expiration date: 5/15/2016

                                                        Public Notice                                        

U.S. Army Corps             In Reply to Application Number                        

of Engineers                   CENAB-OP-RMS (South Capitol Street/Frederick

Baltimore District              Douglass Memorial Bridge/DC) 2012-02589

 

PN 16-18                          Comment Period:    April 15, 2016 to May 15, 2016

                                     

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PUBLIC NOTICE IS TO SOLICIT COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE WORK DESCRIBED BELOW.  AT THIS TIME, NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT A PERMIT WILL BE ISSUED.

 

The Baltimore District has received an application for a Department of the Army (DA) permit pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344), as described below:

 

APPLICANT:           District Department of Transportation

C/o Delmar Lytle

55 M Street SE

Washington, DC 20003

         

 LOCATION:  In the Anacostia River near Nationals Stadium and south of the Navy Yard in Washington, DC.

 

WORK:  The applicant proposes to construct a new bridge and to remove the existing Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge across the Anacostia River.

 

The proposed bridge span and associated structures do not require DA authorization pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 since the United States Coast Guard (USCG) regulates the construction and repair of bridges over navigable waters and the work is therefore subject to USCG jurisdiction.

The Corps regulated activities are described below.

 

Bridge construction would include the following: to construct four 38-foot wide by 134-foot long (5,092 square feet each) bridge piers and two 34-foot wide by 34-foot long bridge piers (totaling 2,593 square feet), within an approximately 22,964 square foot area; to dredge four 8,512 square foot areas around the proposed bridge piers and one 4,050 square foot area around the two smaller bridge piers identified as Pier 1 to a depth varying from -3.5 feet to -21.59 feet, in accordance with the dredge depths identified on Plan Sheet 11 (ST-02), impacting an approximately 38,098 square foot area; and to install four 54-foot wide by 152-foot long cofferdams around proposed Piers 2-5 and two 45-foot wide by 45-foot long cofferdam around proposed Pier 1 encompassing an approximate 38,098 square foot area.

 

Bridge removal would include the following:  to demolish and remove the existing bridge piers to a depth of 5 feet below the bottom substrate; to install one 80-foot wide by 80-foot long cofferdam, two 40-foot wide by 80-foot long cofferdams, and four 30-foot wide by 80-foot long cofferdams around existing piers B through H to dewater the approximate 19,200 square foot area; to dredge one 80-foot wide by 80-foot long area, two 40-foot wide by 80-foot long areas, and four 30-foot wide by 80-foot long areas around the existing bridge piers to a depth of 5 feet for the piers located outside of the Washington Harbor Anacostia Channel and 5 feet below bottom of federal channel for piers located within the federal channel varying from -5 feet to -11.3 feet to facilitate removal of existing bridge piers B through H to the same depth at 5 feet below the bottom substrate, within an approximately 19,200 square foot area.

 

The resulting approximately 17,292 cubic yards of dredged material for bridge construction and the approximately 5,400 cubic yards of dredged material for bridge removal would be disposed off-site at an approved upland disposal site. The means of transporting the dredged material would depend upon the design build contractors means and methods, which could be through barge or loading into a truck mounted on a barge. The dredged material would be tested prior to being legally disposed. The dredged material would not be re-used to backfill the excavated area.

 

The dredged areas would be backfilled with appropriate clean material upon completion of the work and prior to removal of dewatering structures within a total approximate 57,298 square foot area.

 

All work is to be completed in accordance with the proposed plan(s).  If you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact Ms. Laura Shively of this office at (410) 962-6011 or via email at laura.shively@usace.army.mil.  The United States Coast Guard, Bridge Section can be contacted at Commander (Resident Engineer United States Coast Guard Commander (dpw), 431 Crawford Street, Federal Building, 1st Floor, Portsmouth, VA. 23704-5504, Email address: Hal.R.Pitts@uscg.mil, Fax Number:  (757) 398-6334) regarding USCG review of the proposed project.

 

 The purpose of the proposed project is to improve safety and public vehicular access.

 

The proposed new bridge and bridge removal are part of a larger phased project known as the South Capitol Street Corridor, which includes improvements to South Capitol Street between Suitland Parkway at Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE on the southeast end of the corridor and D Street on the north end. The proposed work would be Phase 1 of the 5 phase project. Efforts were made to avoid and minimize impacts to wetlands located throughout the South Capitol Street Corridor and regulated wetland impacts are not proposed in Phases 2 through 5.

 

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 (Public Law 04-267), requires all Federal agencies to consult with the NMFS on all actions, or proposed actions, permitted, funded, or undertaken by the agency that may adversely affect Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). The project site is not in or adjacent to EFH as described under the MSFCMA for the Anacostia River. The project area may be a potential Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC). The Baltimore District has made a preliminary determination that site-specific impacts would not be substantial and an abbreviated consultation will be conducted with NMFS. No mitigative measures are recommended at this time to minimize adverse effects on EFH.  This preliminary determination may be modified if additional information indicates otherwise and could change the Corps’ preliminary determination.

 

The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impacts, including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest. That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefit, which reasonable may be expected to accrue from the proposal, must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors, which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered, including the cumulative effects thereof; among those are conservation, economic, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, cultural values, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, flood plain values, land



use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral
needs, and consideration of property ownership and in general, the needs and welfare of the people.

 

The Corps of Engineers is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the Corps of Engineers to determine whether to issue, modify, condition or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors listed above.

 

Comments are used in the preparation of an Environmental Assessment and/or an Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. Comments provided will become part of the public record for this action. Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity. Written comments concerning the work described above related to the factors listed above or other pertinent factors must be received by the District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, 10 S. Howard Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201 within the comment period specified above.

 

The applicant is required to obtain a water quality certification in accordance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act from the Maryland Department of the Environment.  Any written comments concerning the work described above which relate to water quality certification must be received by the Wetlands and Waterways Program, Maryland Department of the Environment, 1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 430, Baltimore, Maryland

21230 within the comment period as specified above to receive consideration.  The 401 certifying agency has a statutory limit of one year to make its decision. 

 

The applicant has certified in this application that the proposed activity complies with and will be conducted in a manner consistent with the approved Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program.  By this public notice, we are requesting the State concurrence or

objection to the applicant’s consistency statement.  It should be noted that the CZM Program has a statutory limit of 6 months to make its consistency determination.

 

The applicant must obtain any State or local government permits which may be required.

 

 

 

 

A preliminary review of this application indicates that the proposed work will not affect Federal listed threatened or endangered species or their critical habitat, pursuant to

Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, as amended.  As the evaluation of this application continues, additional information may become available which could modify this preliminary determination.

 

Review of the latest published version of the National Register of Historic Places indicates that no registered properties listed as eligible for inclusion, therein, are located at the site



of the proposed work. Currently unknown archeological, scientific, prehistoric, or historical data may be lost or destroyed by the work to be accomplished under the request permit.

 

Any person who has an interest which may be adversely affected by the issuance of this permit may request a public hearing. The request, which must be in writing, must be received by the District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, P.O. Box 1715, 21203-1715, within the comment period as specified above to receive consideration. Also it must clearly set forth the interest which may be adversely affected by this activity and the manner in which the interest may be adversely affected.

 

It is requested that you communicate this information concerning the proposed work to any persons known by you to be interested and not being known to this office, who did not receive a copy of this notice.

 

FOR THE DISTRICT ENGINEER:

 

 

 

 

                                                            KATHY B. ANDERSON

                                                            Chief, Maryland Section Southern