Owner/Client
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Location
Fayette, Haywood, Tipton Counties, TN
CEC Services
- Threatened & Endangered Species Surveys/Wildlife Surveys
- Wetlands & Waters Delineations
- Stream Assessments and Restoration
- Highway Right-of-Way Surveys
- Route/Right-of-Way Surveys
Owner Objective
CEC submitted an Environmental Boundaries Report to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The Environmental Technical Study Area (ETSA) for the approximate 11.6 miles of proposed alignment totaled 1,275 acres. Fieldwork was initiated December 1, 2021 and completed on January 27, 2022. The alignment was evaluated from the southern terminus near SR-59 and proceeded generally northward to the proposed intersection of SR-1, including one interchange at I-40 and a proposed interchange near Fredonia Loop Road. Lastly, the corridor from the proposed interchange at Fredonia Loop Road east to SR-222 was evaluated.
CEC Approach
Natural Resources documented by CEC included 27 wetlands, 48 streams (perennial, intermittent and ephemeral), 51 upland drainage features, and seven ponds. Ephemeral streams and upland drainage features were also designated as wet weather conveyances due to differing jurisdictional requirements of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Therefore, all wet weather conveyances were numbered consecutively regardless of ephemeral or upland status in order to facilitate any changes of status that may have been requested by either regulatory agency. In total, 27.96 acres of wetland, 38,639 feet of stream, and 16,304 feet of upland drainage feature were documented within the ETSA.
A species review and agency coordination letters were also included in the report. The TDEC Division of Natural Areas (DNA) had no record of state or federally listed species within one mile of the project and three state listed species within one to four miles of the project. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) did not list any species of concern in the vicinity of the project. The FWS further stated that Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act had been fulfilled.
