The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Little Rock District) (“Corps”) issued a January 8th Public Notice referencing an Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (“AHTD”) Clean Water Act Section 404 permit application.
AHTD has requested authorization for the placement of dredged and fill material in waters of the United States associated with replacing four bridges and widening the approaches on State Highway 14, and constructing a boat ramp on the Cache River.
The proposed project is located in Jackson County, Arkansas.
The basic purpose of the project is stated to be the upgrading of 1.8 miles of State Highway 14 and replacement of four structurally deficient bridges. The overall purpose of the project is stated to be to upgrading the roadway to make it safer for motor vehicle traffic in the Jackson County area. The project is deemed non-water dependent.
An Arkansas Game and Fish Commission boat ramp would be constructed on the north side of the new Cache River bridge and within the AHTD right-of-way.
Approximately 15.1 acres of wetlands would be permanently impacted and approximately 4.5 acres of wetlands would be temporarily impacted. Impacts to the Cache River and the three relief channels would be approximately 0.8 acres. The majority of such impacts are stated to be temporary and the boat ramp is stated to be projected to impact less than 0.1 acres of the Cache River channel.
The impacted wetlands are described as slightly impaired or fully functional scrub/shrub wetlands.
The Federal Highway Administration is stated to have approved the project as a National Environmental Policy Act categorical exclusion.
The Public Notice references no relocates, environmental justice issues, cultural resources or prime farm lands associated with the project. However, the project is described as lying within the current known range of the federally endangered (Endangered Species Act) Northern Long-eared Bat and Indiana Bat. AHTD, therefore, would prohibit clearing activities during the active period of the bats in Arkansas from April 1 to October 15, or a professional biologist will perform a bat assessment to ensure that none of these bats are present prior to any clearing activities.
Click here to download a copy of the Public Notice.
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