FOLSOM, Calif. -
The Bureau of Reclamation has released the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the execution of a temporary construction permit to the City of Folsom
to begin road construction activities on Reclamation lands prior to the issuance of a perpetual easement document. The temporary construction permit would
allow the City to begin construction activities. The City would then proceed with widening the existing two-lane segment of Green Valley Road between East
Natoma Street and Sophia Parkway to provide a four-lane segment of Green Valley Road.
During the temporary construction permit term, Reclamation would finalize and issue the City a perpetual easement for the as-built 80-foot right-of-way of
Green Valley Road to continue operations and maintenance (O&M) activities. The temporary construction permit would terminate upon execution of the
perpetual easement. Proposed roadway dimensions include 12-foot-wide through lanes, an 11-foot-wide dual left-turn lane, and 8-foot-wide standard
shoulders/Class II bike lanes. The right-of-way includes 5 feet for a public utility easement on the north side of the road.
The Proposed Action would also improve the Shadowfax Lane intersection; improve the permanent Reclamation driveways along the roadway corridor; improve the
siphon along the curve of Green Valley Road; update roadway drainage and enhance culverts to maintain drainage conductivity using the City’s, County’s, and
Reclamation’s standards; and install an additional drainage pipe through an existing berm located south of Green Valley Road at the intersection of the
berm with the Humbug-Willow Creek Trail. Property access and vehicle turning movements would also be enhanced as a component of the Proposed Action.
The Proposed Action anticipates replacing the existing siphon beneath Green Valley Road with an open-bottom box culvert to provide better drainage and
water flow to the wetlands. The siphon was installed in the 1950s during construction of the Green Valley Road alignment and has been an ongoing
maintenance issue for the City. The Proposed Action would also enhance the existing Reclamation O&M staging area which is adjacent to, but just outside
of, the boundary of the Mormon Island Wetlands Natural Preserve. This enhancement would consist of paving and expanding the existing graveled parking lot
and installing gates, a garbage/recycle container, a sign kiosk, interpretive signs and a self-pay station.
The Draft EA was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and is available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=25477. If you
encounter problems accessing the document online, please call 916-978-5100 or email mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.
Written comments are due by close of business Friday, June 24, 2016, to Sarah Perrin, Bureau of Reclamation, Central California Area Office, 7794 Folsom
Dam Road, Folsom, CA 95630. Comments may also be emailed to sperrin@usbr.gov. For additional information or to request a copy of the Draft EA, please contact Perrin at 916-989-7173 (TTY 800-877-8339).
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
