CONCORD, Mass. – The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) in Concord, New Hampshire, is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with the NH Route 16 Realignment Project in Dummer, N.H.
Work is proposed along an approximate 1.6 mile stretch of Route 16 between Muzzy Hill Road (NH 101A) and Dummer Pond Road. The project is partially Federally-funded and the Federal Highway Administration is the lead Federal agency.
The proposed work involves the placement of approximately 6.80 acres of fill and performance of work within waters of the U.S. in conjunction with the realignment of an approximate 1.6 mile stretch of Route 16 between Muzzy Hill Road (NH 101A) and Dummer Pond Road in Dummer. This work will permanently impact approximately 6.80 acres of waters of the U.S., and impact approximately 382 cubic yards within the 100-year floodplain.
The NHDOT project purpose is to address safety concerns due to structural box saturation issues, frost heaving along NH 16 and slope failure along the easterly roadway shoulders in close proximity to the Androscoggin River. The project also will address additional safety concerns related to existing roadway line-of-site within the northern project corridor.
The proposed project has been designed using the best available measures to avoid and minimize adverse impacts and mitigation for the project will include In Lieu Fee Payment into the New Hampshire Aquatic Resource Fund.
The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands. The public notice, with more specifics on the work proposed by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, can be viewed on the Corps website at www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.
Public comments on this work proposed by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (file # NAE-2018-00910) should be forwarded no later than Sept. 14, 2018 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Michael Hicks), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Michael Hicks at 978-318-8157 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: michael.c.hicks@usace.army.mil.