TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Norfolk District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received an application for a Department of the Army permit pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1344). The purpose of this public notice is to solicit comments from the public regarding the work described below:
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with the Upper Roanoke River drainage basin. The project/review area is located along Interstate 81 (I-81) between Exit 143 and 150 in Roanoke and Botetourt Counties. The coordinates at the center of the project corridor are 37.363177, -79.945344.
PROPOSED WORK and PURPOSE: The proposed project will address deficiencies in the level of service due to traffic volumes exceeding capacity and will provide operational safety improvements for the travelling public by adding a third travel lane in each direction between Exit 143 and 150. The proposed project requires impacts to streams and wetlands for culvert replacements, culvert extensions, installation of inlet and outlet protection, construction of channel tie-ins, channel relocations, and placement of lateral fill to widen the roadway cross-section. The applicant requests authorization to permanently impact 4,676 linear feet (27,216 square feet) of streams, and 0.33 acres (14,323 square feet) of wetlands, and temporarily impact 3,324 linear feet (26,802 square feet) of streams, and 0.10 acres (4,240 square feet) of wetlands.
AVOIDANCE AND MINIMIZATION: The applicant has provided the following information in support of efforts to avoid and/or minimize impacts to the aquatic environment:
- Where possible, roadway widening is proposed toward the existing median where natural resources were previously impacted by interstate construction.
- Drainage design along the project corridor has been developed in a manner that maximizes the use of existing drainage patterns.
- Design of stormwater management BMPs (location, shape, and sizing) has been optimized to avoid and/or minimize impacts to jurisdictional areas.
- The use of long-post guardrail allows steeper fill slopes, minimizing the roadway embankment width and lateral encroachment into jurisdictional areas.
- All project staging and disposal areas have been located outside of jurisdictional areas.
- All in-stream work will be conducted in the dry to minimize downstream impacts.
A copy of the joint permit application can be found on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s website https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/additionaldocs.php?id=20252043.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION: The applicant offered the following compensatory mitigation plan to offset unavoidable functional loss to the aquatic environment:
Compensatory mitigation for permanent wetlands impacts is proposed at the standard ratios prescribed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Stream mitigation requirements have been determined using Unified Stream Methodology (USM) forms. The project will require 0.60 wetland mitigation credits and 2,577 stream mitigation credits as compensation for the proposed impacts.
CULTURAL RESOURCES:
Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(a)(2) the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is the lead Federal agency responsible for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for the proposed action. Any required consultation will be completed by the FHWA.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), acting on behalf of the FHWA and as the designated non-federal representative, in consultation with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR), determined on August 31, 2021, and updated on June 16, 2022, that the project would have no effect on historic properties as proposed in VDOT’s conceptual plans. The applicant determined that the limit of disturbance for the project would minimally extend beyond the previously reviewed limits, that these locations do not contain any resources eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and provided updated project review information to DHR on August 29, 2025.
ENDANGERED SPECIES: Pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) any required consultation with the Service(s) will be conducted in accordance with 50 CFR part 402. The FHWA is the lead Federal agency for ESA consultation for the proposed action. Any required consultation will be completed by the FHWA.
FHWA, or their designated non-federal representative, have already completed coordination with USFWS resulting in May Affect – Not Likely to Adversely Affect (MA-NLAA) determinations for the Indiana Bat, Northern Long-eared Bat, Monarch Butterfly, and Tri-colored Bat. Based on probable presence of the Tri-colored Bat, USFWS requested adherence to the pup season time-of-year restriction (May 15 – July 31) for tree removal should the Tri-colored bat become listed during project construction.
ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT: The FHWA is the lead Federal agency for Essential Fish Habitat consultation for the proposed action. Any required consultation will be completed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
There is no EFH in the Corps area of responsibility.
NAVIGATION: The proposed structure or activity is not located in the vicinity of a federal navigation channel.
VIRGINIA’S COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM: For compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended for projects located in Virginia’s Coastal Zone, the applicant must certify that federally licensed or permitted activities affecting Virginia's coastal uses or resources will be conducted in a manner consistent with the Virginia’s Coastal Zone Management Program (Virginia CZM Program), and obtain concurrence from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Office of Environmental Impact Review (OEIR). It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit a consistency certification to the OEIR at eir@deq.virginia.gov for concurrence or objection, and proof of concurrence must be submitted to the Corps prior to final permit issuance. A template federal consistency certification can be found in the Federal Consistency Manual here: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/environmental-impact-review/federal-consistency.
For more information or to obtain a list of the enforceable policies of the Virginia CZM Program, contact the DEQ-OEIR at (804) 659-1915 or e-mail: bettina.rayfield@deq.virginia.gov.
No concurrence is required because the project is not located within Virginia’s Coastal Zone.
WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION: Water Quality Certification may be required from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 Certification Rule (Certification Rule, 40 CFR 121), effective September 11, 2020, requires certification, or waiver, for any license or permit that authorizes an activity that may result in a discharge. The scope of a CWA Section 401 certification is limited to ensuring that a discharge from a Federally licensed or permitted activity will comply with water quality requirements. To comply with the Virginia Section 401 Water Quality Certification Program and the Certification Rule, the applicant is responsible for adhering to the procedures outlined in the Certification Rule when requesting certification from the certifying authority, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. In accordance with Certification Rule part 121.12, the Corps will notify the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator when it has received a Department of the Army (DA) permit application and the related certification. The Administrator is responsible for determining whether the discharge may affect water quality in a neighboring jurisdiction. The DA permit may not be issued pending the conclusion of the Administrator’s determination of effects on neighboring jurisdictions.
NOTE: This public notice is being issued based on information furnished by the applicant. This information has not been verified or evaluated to ensure compliance with laws and regulation governing the regulatory program. The geographic extent of aquatic resources within the proposed project area that either are, or are presumed to be, within the Corps jurisdiction has not been verified by Corps personnel.
EVALUATION: The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest. That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefits, which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal, must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered including cumulative impacts thereof; among these are conservation, economics, esthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historical properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food, and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership, and in general, the needs and welfare of the people. Evaluation of the impact of the activity on the public interest will also include application of the guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, EPA, under authority of Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act or the criteria established under authority of Section 102(a) of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. A permit will be granted unless its issuance is found to be contrary to the public interest.
COMMENTS: The Corps is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other Interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the Corps to determine whether to issue, modify, condition, or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this determination, comments are used to assess impacts to endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors listed above. Comments are used in the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) and/or an Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity.
PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY: Comments and information, including the identity of the submitter, submitted in response to this Public Notice may be disclosed, reproduced, and distributed at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Information that is submitted in connection with this Public Notice cannot be maintained as confidential by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Submissions should not include any information that the submitter seeks to preserve as confidential.
The Norfolk District will receive written comments on the proposed work, as outlined above, until February 28, 2026. Comments should be submitted electronically via the Regulatory Request System (RRS) at https://rrs.usace.army.mil/rrs. The Corps point of contact for this project is Steven VanderPloeg Steven.A.Vanderploeg@usace.army.mil.
Any person may request, in writing, within the comment period specified in this notice, that a public hearing be held to consider the application. Requests for public hearings shall state, with particularity, the reasons for holding a public hearing. Requests for a public hearing will be granted, unless the District Engineer determines that the issues raised are insubstantial or there is otherwise no valid interest to be served by a hearing.