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December 10, 2003HARTMAN-HAMMOND BRIDGEEPA: Objections standByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday dealt another blow to Grand Traverse County's Hartman-Hammond bridge plans by refusing to withdraw earlier project objections. EPA officials in a letter to the state Department of Environmental Quality again voiced opposition to the bridge and said the county road commission hasn't resolved concerns they raised in September. "The current proposal has not minimized project-related impacts to the greatest extent possible, nor has the (county) adequately identified the wetland impacts associated with the project," the EPA's Jo Lynn Traub said in a letter to the DEQ. "For these reasons this proposal does not meet (federal) guidelines and we continue to sustain our objection to the issuance of a permit for this project." County road officials were not available for comment late Tuesday, but DEQ representatives say the EPA's refusal to back down on its opposition to the bridge is a major problem for the county. The DEQ has the final call on the bridge permit. "We have told the Grand Traverse road commission that it is unlikely we would issue a permit over the EPA's objections," DEQ spokeswoman Patricia Spitzley said. "We share some of the concerns that the EPA has identified ... we've asked that these be addressed, and (the county has) chosen not to, for whatever reason." The road commission withdrew its original application, and last month submitted a revised plan that reduced the wetland impacts of the bridge by about six-tenths of an acre, to some 1.65 acres. The county also rerouted the west side of the corridor where Hammond Road meets U.S. 31 South, around a wetland area near the headwaters of Jack's Creek. The county's revised plans include a series of 50-foot bridge spans designed to keep more area beneath the structure open for wildlife crossings. County officials say design changes, which added about $2.5 million to bridge costs now at around $10 million, would keep about 70 percent of the quarter-mile bridge span open. EPA officials said they supported the county's decision to move the route around the Jack's Creek wetlands on the west end of the corridor - although other changes did not resolve the agency's earlier concerns. "This plan includes fill in both upland and wetland areas immediately adjacent to the river, once again raising the question of whether the proposed design would have an adverse impact on wildlife passage," the EPA letter stated. The agency supports a bridge design that fully spans the river valley, although county road officials have said that option is cost-prohibitive and would add another $8 million to the bridge tab.
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