The Harris County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners has been approved for a Transportation Enhancement grant from the US Federal Highway Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation to construct a walking and cycling trail near Hamilton, Georgia. Figure 1 shows the location of the project area. The Board hired Southern Research of Ellers lie, Georgia to conduct the required archaeological survey of the proposed trail corridor in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended). The survey's goal was to locate and evaluate all archaeological sites that might be impacted by the construction, operation or maintenance of the trail.
The proposed trail will begin behind the county courthouse in Hamilton and proceed easterly paralleling Georgia Highway 116 to a broad flood plain of Palmetto and Beaver Creeks. In the flood plain, the proposed trail is configured into a series of looping and interlocking trails that alternately cross the flood plain and adjacent upland slopes and knolls. The total length of the proposed trail is 5.24 kilometers (3.25 miles). The corridor the trail will occupy is only 3.7 meters (12 feet) wide. According to the county engineer, Mr. Bill Patrick, disturbance to the ground surface will not exceed 0.30 meters (one foot) in depth. Figure 2 illustrates the route of the proposed trail.
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