Final Environmental Impact Report - Whittier Bridge/I-95 ...

Whittier Bridge/I-95 Improvement Project FEIR
Chapter 1.0: Changes Since the Draft Environmental Impact Report and Resolution of Additional Issues
1.4 RESOLUTION OF ADDITIONAL ISSUES
This section includes additional information as requested by the DEIR Certificate or certain comment
letters received on the EA/DEIR. Issues include those noted by MassDEP in their comment letter on
the EA/DEIR, and issues which require additional information not presented in the EA/DEIR.
1.4.1 Project Phasing
The DEIR Certificate requested that additional information on project phasing be included in the
FEIR. Detailed construction phasing figures were included in the EA/DEIR (Figures 5-17A through
5-17G (18 sheets) in section 5.18), which addressed the specific phasing for construction of the
highway improvements for the project. No change to the phasing presented in the EA/DEIR is
anticipated at this time although, in the completion of final design for the project by the design/build
contractor, a slightly different construction sequence for specific elements of the project may be
developed.
Additional information on the sequencing of the construction of the new I-95 Merrimack River bridges
is presented below. The sequencing assumes the construction of a new I-95 northbound bridge,
wide enough to accommodate all six lanes of I-95 traffic, as the first phase of bridge construction.
Once the I-95 northbound bridge is complete, all I-95 traffic will be diverted to the new bridge. The
second phase of construction of the Merrimack River crossing entails the demolition of the existing
Whittier Bridge. Once the existing bridge is demolished, the third phase of Merrimack River crossing
construction will be initiated with the construction of the new I-95 southbound bridge on the
alignment of the existing bridge. Following completion of the southbound bridge, I-95 southbound
traffic will be routed onto the new southbound bridge, and the northbound bridge will be reconfigured
to the final I-95 northbound four-lane configuration with the Shared-Use Path along the eastern edge
of the bridge. Figure 1-2 through Figure 1-6 illustrate the staging plan for the construction of the new
Merrimack River bridges.
1.4.2 Updated Wetlands Permitting Status
The DEIR Certificate requested that MassDOT ―discuss the submission of any updated
applications/information to the local conservation commissions or discuss how the project will be
conditioned by the conservation commissions to comply with the applicable wetlands regulations.‖
As noted in Table 1-1, Notices of Intent (NOI) applications were submitted to the Newburyport,
Amesbury and Salisbury Conservation Commissions on December 1, 2011. Public hearings have
been closed in Newburyport and Amesbury and still in progress in Salisbury.
In response to local concerns from the conservation commissions on the complexity of the project
and the accelerated application review schedule for the project, MassDOT engaged the services of
an independent engineering consultant to serve as a peer reviewer of the NOI applications for the
three commissions.
MassDOT has been consulting closely with the peer review consultant and has prepared
supplemental information to address the comments of the peer review consultant. The following
paragraphs briefly describe the supplemental information provided to the commissions in response
to the peer review comments, as well as information requests from the individual commissions.
MassDOT anticipates that each conservation commission will include special conditions in their
respective Orders of Conditions to be issued for the project. As noted in Table 1-1, the Orders of
Conditions are anticipated to be issued in March of 2012.
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