127.22 Off-Site Borrow, Spoil, and Staging Areas

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Key Points


Additional Information
The Section 106 Process
Guidelines for Obtaining Environmental Clearance for Project Specific Locations


127.22.1 Introduction

All MoDOT projects now use contractor-furnished borrow material, which is designated on the plans, quantified, and paid for as embankment in place. Also, contractors may choose spoil deposit sites or staging areas that are outside the project footprint and therefore have not been previously addressed by National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements for the project and other environmental approvals. MoDOT guidance on how to address these sites can be obtained from the resident engineer or the MoDOT environmental unit. For borrow sites, if the appropriate quantity of material for a project is available from several sources, the contractor is required to designate the specific source from which the materials are to be obtained. The contractor is required to clear land disturbance areas for environmental concerns, unless the necessary clearances have already been obtained and the contractor provides documentation to the RE. The requirements of Section 4 (f) of the Department of Transportation Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Presentation Act will apply to all areas of land disturbance. The contractor must provide written certification to the resident engineer that the proposed site of land disturbance has been cleared of environmental concerns under all applicable federal and state laws and regulations by MoDOT environmental and historic preservation staff. These include but are not limited to the Clean Water Act; the Endangered Species Act; the National Historic Preservation Act; the Farmland Protection Act; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response; Compensation and Liability Act; and RSMo Chapter 194, Section 194.400, Unmarked Human Burial Sites. Certification shall include, as attachments, clearance letters and other evidence of coordination with the appropriate regulatory agencies.

The plans may indicate suggested spoil disposal sites for excess material but do not specify mandatory disposal sites unless such mandatory sites are justified economically with respect to a particular federal-aid project or a combination of federal-aid projects. The FHWA may concur in and may approve the designation of a mandatory site based solely on environmental considerations, provided the environment would thereby be substantially enhanced without excessive cost. Specifying a mandatory disposal site is rare, and in most instances, the contractor is given the option on the disposal site. This does not prohibit the specifying of disposal sites on state-financed projects. Borrow, embankment in place, and excess material quantities are clearly indicated in the grading quantities on the plans. Where the plans provide more than one borrow or excess area, the plans clearly indicate which areas are used in specific balances, and specify the approximate quantities involved. Costs of borrow easements obtained on right-of-way projects are not accountable as a right-of-way item. Such costs are charged to the construction of the project.