Baltimore-Washington Parkway Widening Feasibility Study

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Baltimore-Washington Parkway Widening Feasibility StudyEnvironmental Effects7.0EnvironmentalEffectsThe following presents the results of an initial, multidisciplinary environmental analysis for each of thewidening options, including the No-Build scenario for the B-W Parkway corridor. The environmentalanalysis does not constitute a formal environmental evaluation according to NEPA, since there is noproposed Federal action at this time. This analysis, however, is a basic examination of the social,economic, environmental, historic, and cultural resources in the study area and the potential impacts onthese resources that would be anticipated with implementation of each of the proposed wideningoptions.7.1EnvironmentalResourcesThe following describes the environmental resources in the B-W Parkway study area. Potentialenvironmental justice impacts are described, followed by a discussion of air quality and noise data.Distinctive habitats and the animals that reside in these areas are noted in this section. Readily availabledata regarding floodplains and wetlands along the B-W Parkway corridor is also noted.7.1.2LandUsesThe defined general study area is large, covering about 247-square miles. Land uses in the study areainclude a mixture of residential, commercial, and institutional areas. Alternatives were identified inconsideration of these locations with the intent of providing access to them as well as avoiding orminimizing impacts to them. A summary of land uses within the general study area includes thefollowing:Residential areas are located south of MD 193 in the communities of Greenbelt, Cheverly, andEast Riverdale. North of MD 193 there are clusters of residential areas located near theinterchanges of MD 197, MD 198 and MD 175 in the communities of Laurel, Maryland City, andFort Meade.The study area also includes a diverse mix of large Federal and State-owned properties.Included are the USDA/BARC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Patuxent Research Refuge, theNASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Fort George G. Meade, and the headquarters of the NSA.State-owned properties include two universities, the University of Maryland at College Park,Bowie State University, and the Jessup Correctional Institution.Development proposals and locally identified activity centers in the study area includeBaltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI Airport), Arundel Mills,Odenton Town Center, Greenbelt Station Town Center, and several development projects inCollege Park.60 November 2012
Baltimore-Washington Parkway Widening Feasibility StudyEnvironmental Effects7.1.3ForestAreasThe study area contains several forest resources. Patapsco Valley State Park is the most significantprotected area of forest land in the vicinity of the study area. Patapsco Valley State Park extends along32 miles of the Patapsco River, encompassing 16,043 acres and eight developed recreational areas. InAnne Arundel County, most of the woodlands areas are in the central or southern portions of the countyalong the Patuxent River, near Fort Meade, and the B-W Parkway itself. There are also significantforested areas along the Patuxent and Middle Patuxent watersheds. In the eastern part of HowardCounty, the forest cover is more limited due to development, but can be found along stream valleys,such as those surrounding the Patuxent reservoirs.Within the study area there are significant forested areas associated with the Patuxent Wildlife ResearchCenter and BARC, both under Federal protection. In addition, the Greenbelt Park under the ownershipof the NPS also contains a significant concentration of protected forest land. The B-W Parkway is eitheradjacent to, or runs through, each of these protected areas. Also, the B-W Parkway itself, along withAnacostia River Park, USDA’s BARC, and the Goddard Space Flight Center are all designated as forestareas.7.1.4NaturalEnvironmentalResourcesThe B-W Parkway is located partially within the area of the BMC (Howard, Baltimore, and Anne ArundelCounties) and partially within the area of the MWCOG (Prince George’s County) jurisdictions. For airquality, both of these multi-jurisdictional metropolitan areas are designated as non-attainment areas forground-level ozone and PM 2.5 according to EPA’s Clean Air Act standards.Currently experienced noise levels along the B-W Parkway are typical of those associated with multilanesuburban freeway/expressway type highways. The typically expected vehicle mix of privateautomobiles, buses, and commercial vehicles is observed in the northern portion of the study corridorwhich is owned and operated by the Maryland SHA. However, the NPS-maintained section prohibits useof the facility by large trucks, therefore reducing noise levels. Individual noise generators in the studyarea include industrial areas with heavy truck traffic and aircraft operations at BWI Airport and localairports such as Tipton Airfield.The study area is considered an environmentally sensitive area. There are three major river crossingsidentified along the Corridor: the Patuxent River, Little Patuxent River, and Patapsco River. Plus, there isan abundance of unnamed streams and related floodplains associated with the watersheds of theseprincipal rivers.For the existing 100-year floodplain for the study area, the Patapsco River, forming the boundarybetween Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, contains significant floodplain areas within thestudy area. Anne Arundel County contains 12 watersheds. Within the study area there are floodplainsassociated with the non-tidal Patapsco River watershed, the Severn River watershed, the Little Patuxent61 November 2012
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