Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Proposed S&S Greenway Trail Extension (Phase III), Bulloch County, Georgia

In June of 2020, Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP) completed a Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed S&S Greenway Trail Extension (Phase Ill) in Bulloch County, Georgia. The project was conducted for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) (P.I. No. 0016632) under a contract with Heath and Lineback Engineers, Incorporated (H&L). EP's archaeological survey was completed in accordance with GDOT's Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) (2013), the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (1966, as amended through 2016) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR Part 800), and follows the standards set forth by the Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations (Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists [GCPA] 2019).

The S&S Greenway Trail Extension is a proposed 2.4 to 3. 7-meter (m) (8 to 12-foot [ft])-wide concrete shared-use path approximately 7.2 kilometers (km) (4.5 miles [mi]) in length in Bulloch County, Georgia. Phase Ill of the project begins at the existing terminus of the S&S Greenway Trail at what is known as the Five Points roundabout located at the intersection of Pretoria Rushing Road and Burkhalter Road. The trail parallels Josh Hagin Road along the north side within the existing right-of-way (ROW) until Grimshaw Road. There is a proposed trailhead on the east side of the intersection of Josh Hagin Road and Grimshaw Road. The trail crosses Grimshaw Road at grade and continues within the ROW into an undeveloped portion of the corridor for approximately 1.6 km (1 mi) until it emerges parallel to West (W.) Lane Street near the City of Brooklet, which is located approximately 14.5 km (9 mi) east of Statesboro. The path then continues parallel to W. Lane Street on the south side of the roadway in proximity to single-family residences and in front of Brooklet Elementary School, where there is a proposed small plaza and trail crossing in front of Brooklet Elementary School. The trail follows W. Lane Street past the school until reaching the Brooklet Trailhead behind the John Wesley Center near the intersection of W. Lane Street and Depot Street. Existing ROW along Josh Hagin Road and W. Lane Street measures 30.5 m (100 ft) in total width, while side roads typically have existing ROW widths of 9.1 to 15.2 m (30 to 50 ft); required ROW for the project has not been determined.

The survey area for the proposed project includes all areas within an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) provided to EP by H&L. The ESB measures approximately 7.3 km (4.5 mi) in length and between 12.2 and 100.6 m (40 and 330 ft) in width, or roughly 21.9 hectares (ha) (54.1 acres [ac]), and is designed specifically to encompass all areas of possible/foreseeable ground disturbance as a result of the current project. When design is complete, the project's Area of Potential Effect (APE) will likely be smaller than the ESB that is shown. EP's Phase I survey resulted in the identification of two archaeological sites within the ESB (sites 9BU140 and 9BU141), a historic cemetery (9BU142, Brooklet Cemetery) that is located within the viewshed of the survey area, and one Isolated Find (IF).