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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSHA+NPS MHT Bridge 2100200 MD 34 Graffiti 10152021_re 707 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 | 410.545.0400 | 1.800.323.6742 | Maryland Relay TTY 800.735.2258 | roads.maryland.gov October 15, 2021 Ms. Elizabeth Hughes State Historic Preservation Officer Maryland Historical Trust 100 Community Place Crownsville MD 21032-2023 Dear Ms. Hughes: Introduction and Project Description This letter serves to inform the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) of the finding by the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) that proposed Project No. 23802 will have no adverse effect on historic properties. MDOT SHA proposes to remove graffiti from Bridge No. 2100200, MD 34 over the Potomac River and the C&O Canal National Historic Park (NR-12/MIHP No. WA-VI-48) by providing an overcoat to the north abutment substructure and bridge superstructure with an anti-graffiti coating and installing an 8- foot, gray, polyvinyl-coated anti-climb fence around the north abutment (Attachment 1). • Work to be performed: o Anti-graffiti coating of abutment, wing walls, and beams. MDOT SHA proposes to use brown paint on the bridge beams and gray paint on the bridge abutment and wing walls. o Installation of anti-climb fencing. MDOT SHA will use an anti-climb fence similar to those used by the National Park Service, C&O Canal (NPS) in other locations along the C&O Canal. The fence will also be gray like the abutments and wing walls. o Installation of anti-climb netting between beams. o MDOT SHA will apply for a Special Use Permit (SUP) from NPS regarding paint colors, anti-climb fencing and netting, how equipment/labor will access the work area for project limits of disturbance and limits of access, if there is a maintenance of traffic (MOT), how the bridge will be accessed by hanging platform, scaffolding and/or manlift, a safety plan for pedestrians, chemical specifications, air quality testing specifications, and work hours. o SHA anticipates starting/completing this project in Spring 2022. MDOT SHA met with NPS staff on August 30, 2021, to discuss the proposed work. The NPS administers the C&O Canal National Historic Park, and MDOT SHA is assisting the agency to complete its Section 106 compliance because it will issue a SUP for the repair project. More details will be provided in the SUP application, but the agencies’ discussions allowed MDOT SHA to make decisions. Ms. Elizabeth Hughes Page 2 A location map is included as Attachment 2. Note that these plans are draft and are subject to change. These plans constitute an interagency/intra-agency deliberative communication that is not for public disclosure under the Annotated Code of Maryland, General Provisions Article § 4- 344 (Maryland Public Information Act). Funding State funds only will be used for this project, and the NPS will issue a Special Use Permit for the undertaking. Area of Potential Effects In determining the Area of Potential Effects (APE) for this project, MDOT SHA considered possible visual, audible, atmospheric and/or physical impacts to historic properties, both archaeological sites and standing structures, which would diminish the integrity of any characteristics that would qualify a property for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The APE has been defined as the limits of access and limits of disturbance within the C&O Canal National Historic Park at the east end of Bride No. 2100200, as indicated on the attached USGS quadrangle map for Shepardstown (Attachment 3). The archaeology survey area is defined as the same as the APE. Identification Methods and Results Potentially significant architectural and archaeological resources were both researched as part of the historic properties investigation instigated by the proposed bridge repair project. Architecture: MDOT SHA Architectural Historian Anne E. Bruder consulted the GIS Cultural Resources Database, photographs, but did not make a site visit due to the nature of the repair project. Bridge No. 2100200 is a metal girder bridge that carries MD 34 over the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal) [NR-12/MIHP No. WA-VI-048] and the Potomac River. It was constructed in 2005 and the east abutment stands within the canal’s NRHP boundary. The APE for this project is confined to the limits of access and limits of disturbance the project will require, including access from MD 34 for vehicles and equipment at or near the work site. This area contains property that is either owned by MDOT SHA or administered by the NPS, but MDOT SHA will request a right of entry to complete the work. The C&O Canal was constructed between 1824 and 1850 with a length of 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland. Due to a series of floods, the Canal closed and the National Park Service made it a park in the 1960s. It has been listed in the NRHP since October 15, 1966. The APE is limited to the C&O Canal property that contains MDOT SHA’s limits of access and limits of disturbance Ms. Elizabeth Hughes Page 3 since the work is confined to MDOT SHA property. MDOT SHA has determined that the project will have no adverse effect on historic properties, including the C&O Canal. The Effects Table in Attachment 5 summarizes the MDOT SHA finding. Federal Highway Administration Section 4(f) De Minimis Finding: Based on your concurrence with our determination of no adverse effect and consideration of the views of any consulting parties participating in the Section 106 consultation, MDOT SHA intends to request that the Federal Highway Administration make a de minimis impact finding for the minor Section 4(f) use of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal) [NR-12/MIHP No. WA-VI-048]. Archaeology: MDOT SHA Consultant Archaeologist Lisa Kraus assessed the archaeological potential of the survey area based on review of MHT's Medusa Cultural Resource Information System, aerial photographs, street view imagery, site file data, and prior project correspondence for the replacement of the James Rumsey Bridge. The survey area has been included in five prior archaeological surveys (Danz et al. 2000, 2002; Griffith et al. 2002; Larrabee 1962; Wesler et al. 1981), and one site 18WA486, Lock 38, has been identified in the area surrounding the bridge on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. Prior to the replacement of the earlier James Rumsey bridge in 2004, MHT concurred that the portions of site 18WA486 surrounding the bridge were not eligible for listing in the NRHP. Given the prior survey coverage, the absence of eligible resources, and the minor nature of the proposed work, the project is unlikely to affect intact or potentially significant archaeological resources. No further work is recommended. Review Request Please examine the attached maps, plans, and Effects Table. We request your concurrence by November 18, 2021, that there would be no adverse effects on historic properties by the graffiti removal project on Bridge No. 2100200 carrying MD 34 over the C&O Canal. We also request your acknowledgement of MDOT SHA’s de minimis finding on the concurrence page. By carbon copy, we invite the Washington County Historic District Commission, the Washington County Historical Trust, Washington County Historic Advisory Committee, the C&O Canal Trust, and the C&O Canal Association to provide comments and participate in the Section 106 process. Pursuant to the requirements of the implementing regulations found at 36 CFR Part 800, MDOT SHA seeks their assistance in identifying historic preservation issues as they relate to this specific project (see 36 CFR §800.2(c)(3) and (5), and §800.3(f) for information regarding the identification and participation of consulting parties, and §800.4, and §800.5 regarding the identification of historic properties and assessment of effects). For additional information regarding the Section 106 regulations, see the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s website, www.achp.gov, or contact the Maryland Department of Ms. Elizabeth Hughes Page 4 Transportation State Highway Administration or the Maryland Historical Trust. If no response is received by November 18, 2021, we will assume that these offices decline to participate. Please contact Ms. Anne E. Bruder at 410545-8559 or abruder@mdot.maryland.gov with questions regarding standing structures for this project. Dr. Lisa Kraus may be reached at 410-545-2884 or lkraus.consultant@mdot.maryland.gov with concerns regarding archaeology. Sincerely, Julie M. Schablitsky Chief Archaeologist/Assistant Division Chief Environmental Planning Division Attachments cc: Ms. Jill Baker, Director, Washington County Department of Planning and Zoning (w/Attachments) Ms. Jeri L. DeYoung, Chief of Resources Management, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (w/Attachments) Mr. Justin Ebersole, Cultural Resource Program Manager C&O Canal National Historical Park (w/Attachments) Ms. Jeanette Mar, Environmental Manager, FHWA Maryland Division (w/Attachments) Ms. Pat Schooley, Washington County Historical Trust (w/Attachments) Ms. Betty Shank, Chairwoman, Washington County Historical Advisory Committee (w/Attachments) Ms. Elizabeth Shatto, Executive Director, Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area (w/Attachments) Mr. Christopher Arendt, Project Manager, MDOT SHA OOS (w/Attachments) Ms. Anne E. Bruder, Architectural Historian, MDOT SHA EPLD (w/Attachments) Mr. Anthony Crawford, District Engineer, MDOT SHA D6 (w/Attachments) Dr. Lisa Kraus, Archaeologist, MDOT SHA EPLD (w/Attachments) Mr. Bob Maimone, Environmental Manager, MDOT SHA EPLD (w/Attachments) Dr. Julie Schablitsky, Assistant Division Chief, MDOT SHA EPLD North Abutment, East End –Look N Job No. 24801 Photos (1 of 3) North Abutment,East End –Look W Attachment 1 North Abutment, West End –Look E Job No. 24801 Photos (2 of 3) North Abutment,West End –Look N West Profile Job No. 24801 Photos (3 of 3) Typical Graffiti on Girders Project LocationStr. 2100200 Esri, HERE, Garmin, (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS usercommunityProject Location MapMD 34 Str 2100200 over Potomac River & C&O Canal Remedial RepairsShepherdstown QuadWashington CountyAugust 2, 2021 Scale: 1: 12,000 0 0.15 0.30.075 Miles Ü77°47'59.066"W 39°26'13.934"N Attachment 2 Project LocationStr. 2100200 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National ParkNR-12WA-VI-048 James Rumsey Bridge (SHA 21002)WA-II-1122 Wesler, et. al., 1981 Larrabee, 1962 Danz, et. al., 2000 Griffith & Kender, 2002 Danz, et. al., 2002 Copyright:© 2013 National Geographic Society, i-cubed Cultural Resources MapMD 34 Str 2100200 over Potomac River & C&O Canal Remedial RepairsShepherdstown QuadWashington CountyAugust 2, 2021 Scale: 1: 12,000 Legend National Register of Historic PlacesMaryland Inventory of Historic PropertiesMHT Preservation EasementsArch Surveys 2019 0 0.15 0.30.075 Miles Ü77°47'59.066"W 39°26'13.934"N /APE Attachment 3 Attachment 4 Concurrence with the MDOT State Highway Administration’s Determination(s) of Eligibility and/or Effects Project Number: PCA 23802 MHT Log No._________________ Project Name: Bridge No. 2100200, MD 34 over Potomac River and C&O Canal Graffiti Removal County: Washington Letter Date: October 15, 2021 The Maryland Historical Trust has reviewed the documentation attached to the referenced letter and concurs with the MDOT State Highway Administration’s determinations as follows: Eligibility (as noted in the Eligibility Table [N/A]): [ ] Concur [ ] Do Not Concur Effect (as noted in the Effects Table [Attachment 3]): [ ] No Properties Affected [ ] No Adverse Effect [ ] Conditioned upon the following action(s) (see comments below) [ ] Adverse Effect Acknowledgment of FHWA’s intent to make a de minimis impact finding (as detailed in the referenced letter, if applicable): [ ] Acknowledge Comments: By: ______________________________________ _____________________ MD State Historic Preservation Office/ Date Maryland Historical Trust ____________________________________________________________________________ Section 4(f) Criteria of Temporary Occupancy or de minimis Finding Approval, if applicable: _____________________ _____________________ ________________________ Federal Highway Printed Name Date Administration Return by U.S. Mail or Facsimile to: Dr. Julie M. Schablitsky, Assistant Division Chief, Environmental Planning Division, MDOT State Highway Administration, P.O. Box 717, Baltimore, MD 21203-0717 Telephone: 410-545-8870 and Facsimile: 410-209-5046 A_Proj Number: 13131 CC: Bruder/Kraus/Maimone Attachment 5: Effects Table Project Name: Bridge No. 2100200, MD 34 over the Potomac River and C&O Canal Graffiti Removal October 15, 2021 Resource Type Impact SHPO Concur Remarks C&O Canal National Historical Park, WA-VI-048 HD No Adverse Requested 10/2021 Effect NAE Requested 10/2021 Codes: Resource Types: S (Structure), A (Archeological Site), HD (Historic District), NHL (National Historic Landmark) Impact: None, No Adverse, Adverse Effect: NPA (No Properties Affected), NAE (No Adverse Effect), AE (Adverse Effect) Bold rows indicate review action requested