I-64 Southside Widening and High Rise Bridge Replacement

Chesapeake, Virginia
Owner:  Virginia Department of Transportation

WSSI has provided environmental permitting services and permit compliance inspections for this large-scale VDOT-funded Design Build project that includes widening along approximately nine miles of Interstate 64 and the construction of a new 6,000-foot long fixed-span bridge over the Elizabeth River south of the existing High Rise Bridge. 

 WSSI applied for and received permits for and authorization of impacts to wetlands and other waters of the U.S. for the road widening and bridge activities.  WSSI obtained an Individual Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and an Individual Permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for stream and wetland impacts.  WSSI obtained authorization for impacts to subaqueous bottomlands from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), and a Coastal Zone Consistency Determination from the DEQ.  Because the project required work in the Elizabeth River’s Federal Navigation Channel with alterations to the channel boundaries, WSSI obtained Clean Water Act Section 408 certification from the COE.  WSSI also secured Section 408 certification and Nationwide Permit authorization for pre-construction geotechnical work.

Section 408 coordination required WSSI to develop a Maritime Work Plan (MWP) that included a description of the proposed maritime undertaking, a Disaster Response Plan, and a Communication Plan.  WSSI then coordinated with multiple parties, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Virginia Maritime Association, the Virginia Pilots Association, and the Virginia Port Authority to obtain concurrence.  In that process WSSI incorporated comments from the various groups to ensure that the proposed work would not adversely affect their use of the waterway.  

WSSI coordinated with regulatory agencies regarding the presence of various Endangered and Threatened Species including Atlantic sturgeon, northern long-eared bat, and peregrine falcon, as well as for Essential Fish Habitat.  WSSI negotiated with the National Marine Fisheries Services and VMRC to use confined bubble curtains to mitigate potential acoustic impacts to fisheries from the driving of hollow steel piles.

WSSI has worked with the project team to modify existing COE, DEQ, and VMRC permits to address additional impacts that have become necessary in construction. 

WSSI compliance inspectors are providing full-time, on-site wetland permit compliance monitoring during construction to ensure adherence to those requirements at 266 impact locations.  WSSI inspectors also observe all concrete pouring and grouting operations on or near the Elizabeth River, ensuring every pour has the appropriate control measures in place and any accidental discharges are mitigated promptly and reported if necessary.  Inspectors also provide support for dewatering procedures and provide a daily status update and photo log for the in-stream construction of a special design wall on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River.  The inspectors report any issues of non-compliance to the DEQ and COE, document the pre-construction conditions with photographs, and complete monthly monitoring reports for DEQ.

(The permitting portion of the project was completed by WSSI’s Virginia Beach office, formerly known as Kerr Environmental Services, Inc.)