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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMontana Dept of TransportationMontana Deportment of Transportation Jim Lynch, Director July 20, 2005 2701 Prospect Avenue PO Box 201 O01 Helena MT 59620-1001 Mayor Kenneth E. Olson, Jr. and/or Laurel City Council City of Laurel P.O. Box 10 Laurel, MT 59044 Brian Schweitzer, Governor Subject: Information ReqUest ProJect Name: Big Ditch -9 km W of Billings ProJect No.: BR 532-1(10)12 CN: 4884 Dear Mayor Kenneth E. Olson, Jr. Olson and Laurel City Council Members: The Montana Department of Transportation is evaluating potential environmental impacts that may be associated with the above project. With this letter we are requesting your assistance to help us conduct a thorough analysis and we are inviting The City of Laurel to provide comments or helpful information on the proposed project. The proposed project is located at Reference Post 13.78 on Secondary Route 532, locally known as King Avenue West, approximately 5.6 miles (9 kilometers) west of Billings where it crosses Big Ditch. The Structure is in Yellowstone County, Section 7, Township 1 South, Range 25 East. The existing structure is a single-span timber bridge, 7.92 meters long and 7.41 meters wide. The bridge was built in 1959 and is listed as functionally obsolete and eligible for rehabilitation. It is expected the existing bridge will be replaced with a culvert. The existing horizontal alignment will be used as is. The vertical alignment will be followed as closely as possible while allowing for the required hydraulic opening and the size of the culvert required. The limits of the project will be based on the minimum required approach length to tie the new culvert into the existing roadway. The total length of the project is expected to be less than 650 feet (200 meters). The new roadway will be designed for a width of 28 feet (8.4 meters) consisting of two 12-foot (3.6 meter) lanes and two 2-foot (0.6 meter) shoulders. The culvert length will be determined by clear zone requirements so that no guardrail will be required. Big Ditch diverts water from the Yellowstone River. This water runs through Big Ditch for irrigation purposes until it terminates in the town of Billings in Section 35, Township 1 North, Range 25 East. Big Ditch does not return flow to a Water of the United States. Big Ditch is operational between April 15th and November 1st. Big Ditch is not a judsdlctional Water of the United States as determined by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in their letter to MDT dated January 10, 2005. Big Ditch is not under the Jurisdiction of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Therefore, neither a 404 Clean Water Act Permit nor a 124 Stream Protection Act Permit will be required for this project. Please review the enclosed Preliminary Field Review Report for additional specific details about the proposed project. Environmental Services Bureau Engineering Division Phone: [406} 444-7228 An Equal Opportunity Employer TrY: 1800] 335-7592 Fox: (406) 444-7245 Web Page; www, mdt, mt, gov IJuly 20, 2005 Project Number: BR 532-1(10)12 Laurel City Council/Mayor Project Name: Big Ditch - 9kin W of Billings Page 2 of 2 Control Number: 4884 If you have comments or potentially helpful information, please forward those comments to MDT at your soonest convenience. To ensure that your comments are captured with the correct project, in all correspondence please refer to the Project Number and Control Number listed above. If MDT does not receive a wdtten response within thirty (30) calendar days, we will assume that The City of Laurel has no comments or concerns about this proposed project. If you have any questions, please phone Heidy Bruner at 406.444.7203 or email her at hbruner@mt.gov. She will be pleased to assist you. Thank you for your assistance. Sincerely, Tom Hansen, P.E. Engineering Section Supervisor Environmental Services Bureau TLH:hsb: S:~PROJECTS\BILLINGS\4884ENTWNCSP01.DOC encl: Preliminary Field Review Report cc: Jean A. Riley, P.E. - Chief, Environmental Services Bureau File Preliminary Field Review Report BR 832-'1 (10)12 Big Ditch - 9 km W of Billings Control No, 4884 Project Work Type 223 Introduction A preliminary field review for the project was held on March 20, 2002. The following personnel participated in this review: Gary Neville DESS Billings Don Vanice R/VV Billings Damian Krings Road Area Engineer Helena Kevin McCray Bddge Area Engineer Helena Bob Nelsen Maintenance Billings Dave Leitheiser Hydraulics Unit Helena Tim Tone Bridge Bureau Helena Jim Tompkins Surfacing Design Helena Shannon Schultz Planning Helena Dick Lewis Design Supervisor Helena Proposed Scope of Work The proposed project was nominated to replace this functionally obsolete timber structure crossing Big Ditch approximately 9 km west of Billings. It is expected the existing bddge will be rep[aced with a culvert. The existing horizontal alignment will be used. The vertical alignment will be followed as closely as possible while meeting current design standards. Proiect Location and Limits The proposed project is located on Secondary Route 532, locally known as King Ave. W, approximately 9 kilometers west of Billings where it crosses Big Ditch. (See the map on next page.) The structure is in Yellowstone County, Section 7, TlS, R25E, at reference post 13.78. Reference posting begins at the northern city limits of Laurel and increases to the north to where S401 begins. Reference posting then increases to the east and terminates at the junction with U1031. Project stationing will increase to the east. The limits of the project will be based on the minimum required approach length to tie the new culvert crossing to the existing roadway. Hesber Location Map Physical Characteristics The existing bddge is a single-span timber structure, 7.92 meters long and 7.41 meters wide, skewed 30 degrees. The bridge was built in 1959, and the current sufficiency rating is 58.6. The existing structure is listed as functionally obsolete and eligible for rehabilitation. The terrain at the crossing is level and the adjacent land use is primarily irrigated fields, although several homes exist near the crossing. Approaches exist at three corners of the bridge. The structure was originally built under project S 192(2)42, The existing surfacing is bituminous treated surfacing of unknown depth, and the approach roadway width is approximately 7.3 meters. The existing inslopes appear to be 3:1. The existing bridge is in.' :: condition. Some cracking and rutting is F ent in the asphalt covered timber deck. Timber stn,.~ars exhibit superficial splits, checks and cra,.~s. Light scour is present at Abutment No. 2. Details of the existing bridge are listed below: Year Built 1959 Inventory Number SOO 532 011+08781 Length, m 7.92 Width (curb to curb), m 7.41 Number of Spans 1 Span Length, m 7.62 Bridge Rail Type Steep W-beam Superstructure Type Timber stringers Abutment Type Timber Piles Sufficiency Rating 58.6 Structure Status Functionally Obsolete/Eligible for Rehabilitation Traffic Data 2002ADT = 660 Present 2005ADT = 700 Letting Date 2025ADT = 1060 Design (Future) DHV = 130 Corn Trucks = 6.9% 80 kN ESALs = 36 Growth Rate = 2.1% Accident History A computer accident analysis was conducted for this project. There were two recorded crashes involving this structure dudng the ten-year analysis period, from January 1, 1992 through December 31, 2001, according to the Transportation Information System. In 1995, a vehicle westbound at night on dry pavement crossed to the left side of the road and struck the bridge guardrail to avoid an oncoming eastbound vehicle crossing the bridge in the wrong lane. In 1997, a vehicle westbound in daylight on dry pavement went out of control, struck the right side bridge guardrail and went into the irrigation ditch. Major Design Features Functional Classification - This roadway is functionally classified as a Major Collector. Design Speed-The design speed for the project is 100 kilometers per hour based on the design criteria for Rural Collector Roads with paved surfaces. Horizontal and VerticalAliqnments - The existirig horizontal alignment is on a long tangent, and will be used as is. The length of new roadway will be determined based on the required grade raise for the new structure. The total length of the project is expected to be less than 200 meters. The vertical alignment will be established based on the required hydraulic opening and the size of culvert required. Typical Sections - The new roadway will be designed for a width of 8.4 meters consisting of two, 3.6 meter lanes and two, 0.6 meter shoulders. This width is based on the route segment plan for Rural Collectors with current AADT less than 1000 and DHV between 100 and 199. The culvert length will be determined by clear zone requirements so no guardrail will be required. The proposed surfacing will be 75 millimeters of Grade C plant mix on 300 mm of gravel, and crowned 2%. The finished surface will taper to the existing roadway width at the project limits. The surfacing inslopes will be 4:1; fill slopes will vary from 4:1 to 1.5:1 based on fill height; and v-ditches will be used. Grading - Grading for this project will be accomplished with Embankment-In-Place. Safety Enhancements - Pavement markings will be included with the project. Existing mailboxes will be replaced and mailbox turnouts provided. Hydraulics - The structv ,! =s not within a delineated floodplain; theref a permit w not be required Channel modifications a~,~. :not anticipated. Debris, drift and ice do n(~t -d~pear to be a problem. - ' Construction activities in and around flowing water are not anticipated. Current design and construction specifications will minimize any water quality impacts. For additional information, see the Location Hydraulic Study Report. Right of Way This project will require new right of way. Utilities/Railroad A conduit is attached to the north side of the bddge. There are overhead power and phone lines located south of the bridge and a gas line spanning the channel. There are no known existing water and/or sanitary sewer lines using this crossing. The project will have no railroad involvement. Design Exceptions The use of nonstandard design elements is not anticipated for this project at this time. Traffic Control The road will be closed and traffic will use an alternate route during construction. The detour length from one bridge end to the other is approximately 6 kilometers. Steam Access This canal crossing is private property and closed to public access, Environmental Considerations A Section 404 permit will be required. No 4(f) or 6(f) lands were identified at the Field Review. A programmatic Section 4(f) evaluation is required due to the canal crossing. Environmental Services wilt prepare the appropriate environmental studies and documents. Public Involvement A news release to the appropriate newspapers explaining the project will be produced. Salvage State Maintenance forces want salvageable stringers from the existing structure. The Contractor will dispose of the remaining materials according to Standard Specifications. Survey Requirements A conventional survey will be completed for this project. The hydraulic survey requirements are identified in the Location Hydraulic Study Report for the project. A survey request is attached to this report, Proiect Management Billings District Road Design will manage the preconstruction phase of this project. Cost Estimate The current cost estimate for the project is $190,000, which includes 15% for mobilization, '10% for contingencies, 15"/o for construction engineering and a 3% annual inflation rate for three years. PE costs are not included. The culvert cost is based on a unit cost of $4000 per meter. Construction cost from Road Design for the road approaches is estimated at $50,000. Cost breakdown is as follows: New Box Culvert ' New Approach Roadways Remove Existing Bridge Subtotal +15% Mobilization +10% Contingencies +15% Construction Engr. + 3 yrs. Inflation 60,000 50,000 10,000 $120,000 $140,000 $150,000 $170,OO0 $190,000 Ready Date Engineering Management will set a firm ready date when activity durations are received from the appropriate design units. BIG / DITCH 9 KM W i~F"~ILLINGS BR 532 1(10) 6f~UGI'U~F. I 0 60053201 ~ll& 01 fC, H 36 POPULATION ~ Canyon ~'~ YELLOWSTONE ~OUNTY