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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 01-2073

NOTICES

Finding

Chester County

[31 Pa.B. 6356]

   Pursuant to the provisions of 71 P. S. Section 2002(b), the Secretary of Transportation makes the following written finding:

   The Federal Highway Administration and the Department of Transportation plan to replace the Mortonville Bridge which carries S.R. 3062, Strasburg Road, over the West Branch of the Brandywine Creek in East Fallowfield Township, Chester County.

   The project will require use of the National Register-listed Mortonville Bridge and the National Register-listed Dry Mill Race Bridge. If a new owner is not found for either the Mortonville Bridge or the Dry Mill Race Bridge they will be demolished. Both the Mortonville Bridge and the Dry Mill Race Bridge contribute to the significance of the Mortonville Historic District. The project will require the demolition of the Mortonville Mill building ruins. The Mortonville Mill is a contributing resource of the Mortonville Historic District. The project will require acquisition of 19.5 square meters (210 square feet) of land from the National Register-listed Mortonville Hotel. The project will require 2,648 square meters (30,046 square feet) of land and demolition of three contributing elements of the Mortonville Historic District. This action will have a visual effect on the National Register-eligible Mortonville Historic District and will have an effect on the visual character of the western and eastern approaches into the historic district. This action will introduce visual elements that are out of character with the existing historic district.

   The environmental, economic, social, and other effects of the proposed project as enumerated in Section 2002 of the Administrative Code have been considered. It has been concluded that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the project as designed and all reasonable steps have been taken to minimize such effects. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been prepared and signed by all appropriate agencies for the proposed action. Mitigation measures have been stipulated in the MOA. The MOA stipulates that a marketing plan be developed to transfer ownership of the Mortonville Bridge and the Dry Mill Race Bridge to a party which would agree to preserve the bridges in place. If a new owner is not identified, the Mortonville Bridge and the Dry Mill Race Bridge will be documented to an appropriate level of Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) standards.

   Measures to minimize harm to the Mortonville Hotel have been incorporated into the proposed project. The amount of land to be acquired from the Mortonville Hotel property for reconfiguration of the Strasburg Road intersection with Creek and Laurel Roads has been minimized. Within the Mortonville Historic District, the proposed project requires the acquisition of the least amount of land compared to the other build alternatives. The demolition of the Mortonville Mill will be mitigated by the preparation of a Historic American Engineering Record or Historic American Building Survey documentation package. A landscaping plan will be developed in consultation with the PA SHPO to mitigate the adverse visual effects of construction with the historic district. The MOA also includes a stipulation for the erection of a plaque commemorating the bridges, historic district, and mill building. The use of stone facing on the abutments and piers of the new bridge will also mitigate the visual effect of a new bridge.

   I have considered the environmental, economic, social, and other effects of the proposed project as enumerated in Section 2002 of the Administrative Code, and have concluded that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the project as designed, and all reasonable steps have been taken to minimize such effect.

BRADLEY L. MALLORY,   
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 01-2073. Filed for public inspection November 16, 2001, 9:00 a.m.]


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