CONCORD, Mass. – The Vermont Agency of Transportation 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 the need to place additional fill for the construction of safety area improvements at a regional airport in Clarendon, Vermont.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation proposes to place fill material in an additional 53,872 square feet (1.23 acres) of waters of the U.S. for the construction of safety area improvements at the Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport in Clarendon. Placement of fill in a total of 2.67 acres of waters of the U.S. for the construction of runway safety area improvements was authorized under permit number NAE-2012-0279, issued on May 22, 2013. Since issuance of the permit, it has been discovered that extension of the Runway 1 Safety Area and installation of EMAS cannot be constructed as was planned.

A single 55-foot high MSE wall was originally proposed and permitted at the south end of the runway. Additional geotechnical investigation indicates that two MSE walls are necessary to ensure stability of the fill. Widening Taxiway E from the permitted 35 feet to 50 feet is necessary to conform to current FAA standards. To accomplish this work, additional fill is proposed in Wetlands C, J and K2 in conjunction with the installation of the two MSE walls, widening the proposed taxiway, and constructing a permanent access road at the south end of the runway for construction and maintenance. An additional 11,500 square feet (0.26 acre) of forested wetland will be cleared to facilitate construction.

The work is proposed in wetlands adjacent to Mill River at the Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport off of Airport Road in Clarendon. The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps of Engineers 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 detailed information, can be viewed on the Corps website at

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.

Public comments on this project by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (File # NAE-2012-0279-M2) should be forwarded no later than Jan. 30, 2014 to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Vermont Project Office (ATTN: Marty Abair), 11 Lincoln Street, Room 210, Essex Junction, Vermont 05452. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Marty Abair at 802-872-2893 or by email to martha.a.abair@usace.army.mil.