Phase I Archaeological Resources Survey for the Proposed Bridge Replacements at Interstate Highway 85 over Indian Creek, Franklin County, Georgia

The proposed project would replace both the northbound and southbound bridges carrying Interstate 85 (1-85) over Indian Creek in Franklin County, Georgia. The existing steel stringer bridges were constructed in 1963. The northbound bridge (Bridge 10 119-0040-0) has a sufficiency rating of 75.9 and the southbound bridge (Bridge 10119-0041-0) has a sufficiency rating of 64.4. The existing typical section of 1-85 consists of two 12-foot travel lanes and a 10-foot outside shoulder and a 6-foot outside shoulder. The project is in a preliminary concept phase and the proposed typical section has not yet been determined. The existing right-of-way (ROW) is 230 feet (ft), and the proposed ROW would be determined as project plans develop. Traffic would be maintained on the existing bridges during construction, and the new bridges would be permanently offset.

For the purposes of this project, the project APE is defined as the total length and width of the environmental survey boundary (ESB). The dimensions of the project ESB are determined prior to fieldwork and are designated to capture a large enough area within which variations in project design can occur. The length of the project ESB has been defined as beginning approximately 1.14 miles (1 .8 kilometers [km]) north of the 1-85/State Route (SR) 51 intersection and extending northward for a total distance of approximately 1.1 miles (1.7 km). The total width of the project ESB measures 400ft (1 22 meters [m]) (200ft [61 m] along either side of the existing 1-85 centerline). As the limits of the project ESB are anticipated to cover all possible design alternatives, no expanded survey corridor (ESC) is required for this project. The project ESB will be referred to herein as the project survey area and encompasses approximately 51 acres.