CONCORD, Mass. – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Highway Division, is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the United States in conjunction with bridge replacement work in Dennis, Mass.
The applicant is proposing to discharge fill material into wetlands and waterways associated with the replacement of two bridges, conveying Route 28/Main Street and Upper County Road over the Swan Pond River in Dennis, Mass. (The U.S. Coast Guard is the permitting authority for the bridge structures, both temporary and permanent. The Corps only has permitting authority over the placement of fill material in waters of the United States and adjacent wetlands for this project).
The purpose of the work is to replace the two existing, structurally deficient bridges with new bridges. As part of this project, the existing four-span, timber pile-supported bridges at each location will be removed and replaced with new three-span, steel pile-supported structures. This work will include removal of existing bridge components, construction of new bridge components, including new decking, abutments, retaining walls with associated rip-rap slope protection, and in-river piers, installation of turbidity barriers, and installation of steel sheeting to allow portions of the work to proceed under dry conditions.
A temporary construction access bridge supported by steel pipe piles will be installed at Route 28/Main Street in order to allow traffic flow to be maintained throughout construction. The application for the federal permit was filed by the applicant with the Corps in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in United States waters, including wetlands.
Section 404 direct impacts associated with this project include construction of new bridge abutments, construction of new retaining walls and associated rip-rap slope protection, construction of new in-river piers, cut piles to remain in place and associated backfill, and installation of turbidity barriers.
The public notice can be viewed on the Corps website at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil. Select Regulatory and then public notices or go directly to http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Regulatory/Public%20Notices/.
Public comments on the Corps permit review (file # NAE 2011-02008) should be forwarded no later than April 19, 2012 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Dan Vasconcelos), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Dan Vasconcelos at 978-318-8653 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: daniel.b.vasconcelos@usace.army.mil.