What is driving the construction timeline?
There are four components driving the construction timeline: 1) Engineering for peat deposits – The engineer’s report and the original environmental document (FEIS) for this project stated that the most prudent place to start construction was in the areas of peat to allow the soil sufficient time for settlement prior to placing pavement on that ground. 2) Environmental permitting – The environmental permits from state and federal agencies require a feasible plan for mitigation of wetland impacts prior to major construction. The permitting process can take approximately one year from the time it begins. To begin the permit process for the entire corridor, it was necessary to coordinate with the resource agencies on a suitable site for the wetland mitigation. That site has been purchased and the permit process will begin by Feb. 2008. In the interim, we have found a few likely sites for construction where the environmental impacts are relatively minimal. 3) Right of way acquisition – The
