The Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Improvements to the Glade Road Project Area, Bartow County, Georgia

During August 2006, archaeologists with Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted a survey for the widening and reconstruction of County Route (CR) 633/Glade Road (Figure 1). The proposed project would consist of improvements to CR 633/Glade Road from CR 605/Homestead Way to CR 384/Bartow Carver Road in Bartow County. The total length of the proposed project is approximately four miles, and the proposed width varies from 75-150 feet. Glade Road is currently a two-lane rural roadway with rural shoulders. The roadway contains many horizontal and vertical curves and the intersections are stop-controlled. The posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour (mph). Many of the horizontal and vertical curves do not meet AASHTO standards for a 35 mph speed design. The proposed project would include improvements to intersections and improvements to the horizontal and vertical sight distances. The proposed operational improvements would allow CR 633/Glade Road to operate at an acceptable level of service through the year 2030. The proposed project would also correct horizontal and vertical alignment deficiencies and bring the roadway to within AASHTO design guidelines for the appropriate speed design. The proposed project would include the replacement of the existing Glade Road Bridge over Allatoona Lake. Glade Road currently crosses U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) property and Allatoona Lake at Clark Creek, approximately 1.6 miles north of Interstate (I) 75. As this waterway and associated shoreline is managed by the USACE, it was necessary to determine whether the current undertaking would require an Archaeological Resource Protection Act (ARPA) permit for that portion of the project. According to Christopher T. Purvis of the USACE, no ARPA permit was necessary as the records of the Allatoona Operations Project Management Office and Mobile District archaeological surveys show no identified sites at the proposed bridge replacement location. Mr. Purvis further indicated that any unknown sites would have been destroyed during the first bridge placement in the 1940's, but if during construction something of archeological significance is found, all work must be halted until an ARPA permit is granted (Christopher T. Purvis, personal communication 2007). The goal of the survey was to locate and evaluate archaeological sites within the Area of Potential Effect (APE) of the proposed undertaking, so that potential effects to any resources identified could be evaluated in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The project was conducted under a contract with McGee Partners, Inc. A review of the Georgia Archaeological Site Files at the University of Georgia in Athens showed that no previously identified archaeological sites have been reported in the proposed APE. During the course of the survey, one isolated find was identified. Due to its low research potential, the isolated find is recommended as ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Based on the results of the survey, EPEI recommends that no further archaeological work be undertaken within the APE and clearance for construction is recommended.