Addendum: Phase I Archaeological Survey of Bridge Replacements on SR 83 at Lee Creek and at Ocmulgee River, Jasper and Monroe Counties, Georgia

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) proposes to replace the State Route (SR) 83 bridges over Lee Creek and Ocmulgee River in Jasper and Monroe Counties under PI No. 0013813. The bridges would be built on a new alignment north of the existing bridges. In 2018, New South Associates, Inc. (New South), on behalf of GDOT and Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. (Kimley-Horn), conducted a Phase I Archaeological Survey of the project area (Olin 2019). Since that survey, a change was made to the proposed design that necessitated an addendum Phase (survey. Kimley-Horn provided New South with an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) encompassing both the prior Area of Potential Effects (APE) and Expanded Survey Corridor (ESC) as well as an area of design changes northeast of the previous survey. The addendum survey area reported in this document refers to the portion of the ESB located outside of the previously investigated area. Archaeological resources were evaluated for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Work was pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800). A portion of the addendum survey area falls within the Oconee National Forest, owned by the United States Forest Service, requiring permitting following the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (Permit Tracking No. R2018080308016).

One new archaeological site (9JA59 l) was identified during this survey. No previously recorded sites were located in the addendum survey area. Site 9JA59 l is a historic house site that dates to the late-nineteenth or early-twentieth century. The site was not fully delineated and appears to extend beyond the addendum survey area to the south/southeast. The NRHP eligibility of the site is considered unknown overall, but the portion of Site 9JA59 l within the addendum survey area lacks significant data potential. New South recommends no further work within the addendum survey area, but an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) should be established to protect any unknown portions of the site outside of the addendum survey area during construction.