3 C Rail Project

Lawhon & Associates, Inc., (L&A), as a member of the Parsons Brinkerhoff team, conducted a preliminary evaluation of wetlands, water-bodies, and waterways along the path for the proposed 3 C Rail Project that will provide passenger service between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland as part of a larger national rail transportation network.    

Protocols established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual were utilized for this project.   In order to establish areas that have potential wetland characteristics a search of available secondary information was conducted to identify ecological resources within the survey areas.  This secondary literature included county soil survey maps, National Wetland Inventory (NWI) maps, Ohio Wetland Inventory (OWI) map, floodplain maps, and watershed information from information provided through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Natural Areas and Preserves and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Since access to some of the wetland areas off the proposed corridor could not be attained at the time the field visits were conducted the wetlands were visually field verified from roadway right-of-ways.  Wetland boundaries were approximated utilizing aerial photography and secondary sources.