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Environmental Assessment <br /> The estimate of approximately 4.7 acres of potential new ground along CR 120 is conservative because it <br /> assumes a 6-foot width of construction disturbance along the entire roadway. In actuality,there will be <br /> many areas where a narrower width of impact will occur and some areas where the disturbance area will <br /> be broader. The calculation of anticipated disturbance acreage in Table 2-5 represents a reasonable <br /> projection of anticipated ground disturbance. The road improvement construction process generally <br /> includes the following stages: <br /> ■ Survey crews establish control lines (setting reference points in the existing pavement or ROW) <br /> to guide the construction crews. <br /> ■ Vegetation within the ROW construction zone will be removed. <br /> ■ Equipment needed to construct the improvements includes track hoes,bulldozers, dump trucks, <br /> graders, compactors, and loaders and similar heavy equipment. A water tender would also be <br /> used for compaction of the road surface and dust abatement during construction. Several <br /> corrugated metal drainage pipes may be required at larger dry wash crossings. <br /> Many of the road improvements required in Phases 1-3 have already been completed under the direction <br /> of LPC and as required by GCC's LUP. Each.phase of construction is reviewed, approved and monitored <br /> for adherence to LPC LUC and adherence to approved plans throughout the construction process by the <br /> LPC Engineer. As part of the plan review process LPC requires that site-specific environmental reviews <br /> be prepared as part of plan review. Accordingly, site-specific clearances and, if necessary,permitting for <br /> crossing potentially jurisdictional areas of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (or other sensitive resource <br /> issues)will be completed under the purview of LPC at the time that site-specific road improvement <br /> construction plans are submitted to the LPC Engineer.Nonetheless, for the purpose of this analysis and <br /> consideration of road construction impacts,are analyzed as indirect potential impacts to the environment, <br /> made to supplement or inform future site-specific approval by LPC. <br /> As defined in the RIA, GCC is required to pay a road maintenance fee of$0.12 per ton of coal removed <br /> from the mine project until January 1, 2018. Thereafter,the maintenance fee shall increase yearly in <br /> accordance with increases in the Annual Construction Cost Index published by the Colorado Department <br /> of Transportation. This fee will be used for road maintenance activities completed by LPC including the <br /> application of gravel, snow removal, signage, sign maintenance,blading, shoulder repairs, cleaning of <br /> drainage ditches and culverts, repair and replacement of culverts, restriping, repairs of erosion damage or <br /> embankment slopes,weed mitigation, dust control and stabilization,pavement preservation,pavement <br /> maintenance (including but not limited to asphalt crack sealing,pot hole repair, chip sealing, slurry or <br /> micro-surfacing, overlay or partial and/or full-depth repairs),pavement rehabilitation (including but not <br /> limited to structural enhancements that extend the service life of existing pavement and/or improves its <br /> load carrying capacity such as restoration treatments and structural overlays)and pavement <br /> reconstruction. <br /> GCC is responsible for all work and costs associated with the reseeding and/or weed control of the <br /> improved portions of CR 120 for 1 year following the completion of any phase of the Road Improvements <br /> (Design Feature 5). <br /> DOI-B LM-CO-S010-2011-0074-EA <br /> September 2017 <br /> -42- <br />