Current through August 30, 2024
(a) An operator shall install a bridge on a
forest road according to the following standards:
(1) a temporary bridge and the adjacent
roadway must be constructed to pass or withstand the 25 year flood without
damage; a permanent bridge and the adjacent roadway must be constructed to pass
or withstand the 50 year flood without damage; any adjustment to these design
standards must be determined in the field considering the characteristics of
the drainage and stream crossing, the design life of the bridge, the importance
of downstream resources, the type of construction techniques, and the
likelihood of bridge failure during flood; an operator shall, as necessary,
minimize potential flood damage to the structure and to downstream water
quality and fish habitat by installing relief culverts through approach roads
or by other means;
(2) one end of
each new permanent log or wood bridge must be firmly anchored;
(3) an earth embankment constructed for use
as a bridge approach must be protected from erosion by using planted or seeded
ground cover, bulkheads, rock riprap, retaining walls, or other equally
effective means;
(4) on a
rock-decked bridge, curbs must be installed to contain road surface material,
and a filter fabric must be laid underneath the material to prevent it from
falling within the ordinary high water marks of the water body;
(5) a snow ramp or ice bridge must be
constructed only of snow, ice, and cribbing, and must be largely free of soil
and organic mat; it must be constructed to go out with natural ice breakup, or
it must be breached and the cribbing removed when feasible before breakup to
protect downstream structures, water quality, and fish habitat;
(6) a bridge must be installed to provide
fish passage in accordance with
AS
16.05.841;
(7) in deep V-notches or in drainages where a
culvert may require substantial fill, a bridge is the preferred crossing
structure, if feasible;
(8) a
bridge must be installed in such a way as to minimize disturbance to the bed
and banks of a stream.
(b) In addition to the requirements of (a) of
this section, when installing a new bridge or replacing an existing bridge on a
forest road that crosses anadromous fish waters, the installation must be in
accordance with the standards set out in (c) of this section. In anadromous
fish waters catalogued under
AS
16.05.871, an operator may not cross the
water body with equipment, install a bridge or conduct excavation for bridges,
place sills or abutments, or place stringers or girders within the ordinary
high-water marks without prior written approval from the Department of Fish and
Game. If prior written approval is required by the Department of Fish and Game
under AS
16.05.871, an operator shall comply with that
department's requirements instead of the standards of (c) of this
section.
(c) When installing a
bridge over anadromous waters that have not been catalogued under
AS
16.05.871, an operator shall:
(1) locate a bridge where the banks are
stable;
(2) locate a bridge on a
straight reach of stream;
(3)
locate a bridge where the bank and approach characteristics are
suitable;
(4) schedule bridge
building activity to occur during a period that will avoid or reduce adverse
impact on fish; and
(5) where
feasible, avoid the use of center supports.
(d) An operator may not narrow an anadromous
stream between its ordinary high water marks.
(e) For water body types in Regions II and
III, a crossing may be made on natural ice. Natural ice thickness may be
augmented if site-specific conditions, including water depth, are sufficient to
protect fish habitat. In determining whether conditions are sufficient to
protect fish habitat, the state forester will consider whether augmented ice
thickness is likely to
(1) cause freezedown
into gravels used for spawning or fish overwintering habitat;
(2) cause bed scouring that disturbs gravels
used for fish spawning or fish overwintering habitat;
(3) excessively reduce the quality or volume
of fish overwintering habitat; or
(4) adversely alter stream flow patterns
above or below the crossing.
(f) In this section, "augmentation"
(1) means a technique to increase the
freezing depth of natural ice; and
(2) includes any of the following:
(A) adding water or ice to the
surface;
(B) removing
snow.
As of Register 166 (July 2003), and acting under
AS
44.62.125(b)(6), the
regulations attorney made technical changes to
11 AAC 95.300, to reflect
Executive Order 107 (2003). Executive Order 107 transferred functions related
to protection of fish habitat in rivers, lakes, and streams from the department
of Fish and Game to the Department of Natural Resources.
As of Register 186 (July 2008), and acting under
AS
44.62.125(b)(6), the
regulations attorney made technical changes to
11 AAC 95.300, to reflect
Executive Order 114 (2008). Executive Order 114 transferred functions related
to protection of fish habitat in rivers, lakes, and streams from the Department
of Natural Resources to the Department of Fish and
Game.
Authority:AS
41.17.010
AS 41.17.055
AS 41.17.080
AS
41.17.098
