Anchor QEA has been working with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Urban Corridors Office for several years providing wetland, fish and wildlife, mitigation, and environmental permitting services for the Interstate 405 (I-405) Corridor Program.  The I-405 Corridor Program is a broad term for a program of more than 150 individual, coordinated projects to relieve congestion and improve mobility for motorists, transit, and freight users along the freeway’s 30-mile length.  Several examples of Anchor QEA’s experience on these projects are described below:

• I-405 Tukwila to Renton Improvement Project:  Anchor QEA delineated all streams and wetlands for this WSDOT road project.  Anchor QEA prepared the Ecosystems Discipline Report (including all wetland, stream, and upland vegetation resources) and is currently permitting this project.
• I-405 Mitigation Identification:  Per WSDOT request, Anchor QEA identified, rated, and provided concepts for stream and wetland mitigation projects throughout the north end of the I-405 corridor.  These wetland mitigation sites will be used to provide stream and wetland mitigation for the I-405, State Route (SR 520) to I-5 Improvement Project.  Anchor QEA led all field personnel in evaluating the sites and will provide final designs for the selected sites.
• Springbrook Creek Wetland and Habitat Mitigation Bank:  The Springbrook Creek Wetland and Habitat Mitigation Bank is a WSDOT and City of Renton partnership project that will re-establish, rehabilitate, enhance, and preserve approximately 130 acres of wetland, wetland buffer, and riparian and upland habitat areas on five parcels of land.  Anchor QEA obtained all permits and Endangered Species Act (ESA) clearances for the Springbrook Creek Wetland and Habitat Mitigation Bank project, which required significant permit coordination with federal, state, and local permitting agencies.  The project also required significant ESA coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).