Final Report - VHB.com

intersection of US Route 201 and Old Augusta Road would be impacted by Option 5,
resulting in approximately 3.5 acres of farmland soil of statewide importance
impacted.
Clothed sedge and dry land sedge are known to occur on both sides of the utility
corridor located south of Eagle’s Way. Less than 0.1 acre would be impacted by
Options 2, 2A, 3, and 3A. Options 1, 4, and 5 do not impact this resource.
Right-of-Way Impacts
None of the options require full acquisition of any parcels in this Strategy. However,
the connector road associated with Options 3 and 3A would require several acres of
partial acquisitions, in addition to the ROW needed for the two new intersections on
US Route 201. A total of approximately 9.1 acres of partial acquisition on 33
properties is required for Option 3. Option 3A would require slightly more
acquisition, 9.2 acres, on 31 privately owned parcels. Property acquisitions are
relatively smaller in Options 2 and 2A, in which approximately 2.5 and 1.5 acres of
partial acquisitions are required, respectively.
The location of the northern connector road for both Option 3 and Option 3A
requires a small acquisition of the Mount Ararat Baseball Fields, which represents an
impact that would require further review pursuant to Section 4(f) of the USDOT Act.
No other impacts to public parks or recreational facilities would result from any of
the other options.
Cultural Resources
A limited number of detailed archeological studies have been undertaken in this
strategy Study Area. The completed studies were conducted primarily on the
Topsham Fairgrounds and along the Androscoggin River. It is anticipated that at
least two potential sensitivity areas for archeological resources exist for new
construction in Options 2, 2A, 3, and 3A.
A small number of standing structures 45 years or older are located in the vicinity of
Strategy 2A and may be impacted by one or more option. Although none of the
buildings appear to be National Register–eligible, none has been previously
inventoried on MHPC forms. The structures are mainly single-family residential and
date from c. 1870 to c. 1925.
Located south of the intersection of Main Street and Lewiston Road are a small ca.
1880 front-gable house on Second Street and a one-story brick and concrete post
office building at 101 Main Street, which dates to 1962 and would be impacted by
Options 2, 2A, 3, and 3A. The post office displays a typical design of those from the
early 1960s with a one-story, flat-roofed rectangular form, cutaway corner with
recessed entry, and multipane rectangular windows.
Conclusions 153