Bathymetric and Topographic Surveys of the French Broad River at Highway Construction Sites near Asheville, NC
Summary
In January 2020, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) began work on the Interstate 26 (I 26) highway widening project that involves bridge crossings over the French Broad River (FBR) near Asheville, North Carolina. The NCDOT is committed to minimizing environmental impacts resulting from the I 26 widening project and aims to be a steward of the FBR corridor. To be effective environmental stewards, NCDOT needs to know when and where geomorphologic changes are occurring within potentially impacted areas. In June 2019, the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the NCDOT, began collecting pre-construction bathymetric and topographic data to characterize streambed and streambank morphology of the FBR in the [...]
Summary
In January 2020, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) began work on the Interstate 26 (I 26) highway widening project that involves bridge crossings over the French Broad River (FBR) near Asheville, North Carolina. The NCDOT is committed to minimizing environmental impacts resulting from the I 26 widening project and aims to be a steward of the FBR corridor. To be effective environmental stewards, NCDOT needs to know when and where geomorphologic changes are occurring within potentially impacted areas. In June 2019, the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the NCDOT, began collecting pre-construction bathymetric and topographic data to characterize streambed and streambank morphology of the FBR in the reaches upstream and downstream from the I 26 construction sites. The first pre-construction surveys set a baseline to which future surveys may be compared. Subsequent surveys over the same reach of the FBR will allow for periodic geomorphological assessments that may be used to inform the North Carolina Department of Transportation of potential impacts from construction activities.
