Archaeological Assessment of Project I-185-1(63) Troup County Proposed Corridor

In 1968, Georgia requested that it be given additional mileage to add to its interstate system to give Columbus, Georgia, a direct interstate link with I-85 to Atlanta. This request was approved and many corridors were studied. Among these were alternate corridors "A" and "E". An Environmental Impact Statement was written which evaluated the various alternate corridors. Eventually it was decided that alternate "A" across Pine Mountain near Hamilton, Georgia, would provide the most direct link and best serve the traffic generating points in the area. A Location Study Report was submitted for alternate "A" and location approval was granted to the State of Georgia by the Federal Highway Administration on August 31, 1971. Since that time, a number of things have happened which have caused the Georgia Department of Transportation to take a closer look at this decision. All of these concerned the proposed crossing of Pine Mountain. A large amount of public sentiment was against the Pine Mountain cut and this eventually led to proposed legal action to stop the project. This along with new information concerning the cut led the Department to re-analyze the route. This analysis revealed the following facts:

1. Detailed soil investigations indicated severe problems in terms of cuts that would be hard to stabilize without greatly increasing the width of the cut through Pine Mountain. Test borings indicated highly fragmented rock structure.2. Water seepage from the cut slopes was foreseen as a likely problem and could reduce the water table of the mountain. 3. The steep approach grades from the south side of the mountain would have presented significant problems, in terms of noise pollution and negative aesthetic impact. 4. Feasibility studies of a tunnel of an open cut indicated that the geology and water table present in the mountain would preclude the practicability of boring a tunnel. A tunnel would not remedy the approach grade problems. These findings led to a re-assessment of the route. To retain the desirable features of alternate "A" (directness and highest level of service to traffic generators in the area) and avoid the undesirable consequences of crossing the Pine Mountain ridge, alternate corridors were investigated in the Pine Mountain vicinity. To the east of alternate "A" the ridge is prominent for several miles. Any attempts to cross to the east in a reasonable distance would involve the same problems encountered on alternate "A", as well as involving the Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park. Further consideration of an eastward realignment was therefore abandoned. To the west of alternate "A", the Pine Mountain Ridge retains its prominence until just east of State Route 219. The original studies indicated that a feasible route existed through this area and further studies showed that such routing would be compatible with the objectives of retaining as much of alternate "A" as possible while avoiding a crossing of the Pine Mountain ridge. The Environmental Impact Statement following this introduction is submitted as a supplement to the one previously written and accepted and concerns itself exclusively with the section proposed for relocation, from just north of Oak Grove Road in Troup County on the north to just south of Smith Road in Muscogee County on the south.