State Route 156 Castroville Boulevard Interchange Project (California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2021-068-04 (ITP))

State Route 156 Castroville Boulevard Interchange Project (California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2021-068-04 (ITP))

The Project will replace the existing at-grade signalized intersection on SR 156 West at Castroville Boulevard with a new grade-separated interchange, an alignment shift, roundabouts bike lanes, and frontage roads. The Project includes off-site mitigation for Project impacts to wetlands and off-site mitigation for Project impacts to protected amphibians. The Project is expected to result in permanent loss of approximately 5.6 acres of upland habitat for California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense, CTS) and Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum, SCLTS) (collectively, the Covered Species) and temporary construction impacts to a total of approximately 31.6 acres of Covered Species habitat. The Project will also result in approximately 50 acres of temporary impacts to Covered Species habitat in association with off-site mitigation activities, including habitat restoration. The Project is expected to result in incidental take of CTS, which is designated as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act, and SCLTS, which is designated as an endangered under the California Endangered Species Act and as a Fully Protected Species under Fish and Game Code section 5050. The ITP referenced above as issued by CDFW authorizes incidental take of species listed under CESA that may occur as a result of Project implementation. Incidental take of SCLTS may be authorized pursuant to Fish and Game Code section 2081.5. Additionally, Senate Bill 147 has been enacted to add section 2081.15 to the Fish and Game Code to allow CDFW to authorize the take of a fully protected species in subdivision (b) of section 5050 resulting from impacts attributable to the implementation of a maintenance, repair, or improvement project to critical regional or local water agency infrastructure if the conditions set forth in Fish and Game Code section 2081.15, subdivisions (a-c) are met (See Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 783.4, and Senate Bill No. 1231, stats. 2000). To meet the requirements of 2081(b) and 2081.5, approximately 43 acres of high-quality habitat for the Covered Species will be enhanced and perpetually conserved. Conservation and enhancement of these specific lands have been identified as the highest priority action in the Mojo Cojo Area of the SCLTS Elkhorn metapopulation. These conservation lands will also help provide an important link between protected CDFW lands. The Project also includes amphibian crossing structures that will improve SCLTS movement and overall connectivity from one side of SR 156 to the other. The Permittee will also be conducting post construction effectiveness monitoring of the amphibian crossing structures, as well as on the conservation lands.

Monterey

Northern California