Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials are asking the public for comments by Nov. 22 on a Wetland Statement of Findings for a plan to improve N.C. 12 at the intersection of Coquina Beach Access and Bodie Island Lighthouse Road.
The National Park Service and the North Carolina Department of Transportation propose to improve highway, visitor and employee safety by building longer turn lanes on each road for traffic in both directions. Currently, the turn lanes are narrow and short, and there are no turn lanes into Coquina Beach Access for northbound vehicles.
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Officials said the highway speed limit, traffic volume and frequency of vehicles turning into the two popular visitor areas dictate improvements to traffic flow.
The Park Service has prepared a wetland statement of findings noting that about 0.13 acre of wetlands would be affected by the proposed project. The statement also documents compliance with the National Park Service Director’s Order 77-1: Wetland Protection and Procedural Manual 77-1: Wetland Protection through avoidance and minimization of impacts and to identify compensatory mitigation actions for unavoidable adverse impacts to wetland resources.
About 0.07 acre of phragmites-dominated wetland is to be restored as compensatory mitigation.
For more details and to submit comments electronically, visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/CAHA_CoquinaIntersection.
Comments can also be mailed to Superintendent, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Attn: Coquina Intersection, 1401 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC 27954. Deadline to submit comments is Nov. 22.
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