Seventh Addendum to the Phase I Archaeological Survey of the I-285 Top End Express Lanes Project, Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton Counties, Georgia

The proposed project consists of an advanced acquisition of a land parcel (Parcel 160 at 2861 North DeKalb Drive, Doraville, GA 30340) in DeKalb County, Georgia to prevent imminent development that would increase the cost or limit future transportation alternatives (Figure 1). This acquisition is part of the larger proposed Interstate (I-) 285 Top End Express Lanes Project in Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton Counties, Georgia. The proposed project includes express lanes (EL) in each direction along 18.0 miles of I-285 from just south of Paces Ferry Road (Exit 18) to Henderson Road, along 3.5 miles of State Route (SR) SR 400 from south of the Glenridge Connector to the vicinity of the North Springs Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transport Authority (MARTA) Station, and along approximately one mile of I-85 (see inset, Figure 1). This project proposes a total of 22.5 miles of EL improvements as follows: one EL in each direction tying into existing high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along I-85 from I-285 north to Pleasantdale Road; one EL in each direction along I-285 from the western terminus of the project to the I-75/I-285 Interchange; two ELs in each direction from the I-75/I-285 Interchange to the I-85/I-285 Interchange; one EL in each direction from the I-85/I-285 Interchange to the eastern terminus of the project along I-285; one EL in each direction along SR 400 from Northland Drive to the I-285/SR 400 Interchange; and two ELs in each direction from the I-285/SR 400 interchange to the North Springs MARTA Station.

The survey for the land parcel does not cover the entirety of the I-285 Top End Express Lanes Project. Prior surveys also evaluated the western portion of Parcel 160 (see Brannan 2020), which is located 0.2 miles (0.32 kilometers) down North DeKalb Drive from its intersection with Buford Highway, directly southeast of the Buford Highway and the I-285 overpass (Figure 1). Because the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is in negotiations to acquire all of Parcel 160 for right-of-way (ROW), an archaeological survey of the unevaluated portion was conducted to determine if National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligible properties were present as stipulated by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966.