Addendum Ground Penetrating Radar Survey of the Proposed Widening of County Road (CR) 1515/Willis Foreman Road, Richmond County, Georgia

The original proposed project would widen Willis Foreman Road from the intersection of United States (US) 1/State Route (SR) 4/Deans Bridge Road to the intersection with US 25/SR 121/Peach Orchard Road, approximately 2.5 miles (mi) (4 kilometers [km]) north of the City of Hephzibah in Richmond County, Georgia (PI No. 0013703). The City of Augusta proposes to improve the existing roadway conditions by expanding Willis Foreman Road to include a central turn lane to assist in relieving traffic congestion. The originally proposed project would consist of operational improvements to Willis Foreman Road from US 1/SR 4/Deans Bridge Road to US 25/SR 121/Peach Orchard Road. The existing right-of-way (ROW) of Willis Foreman Road generally varies between 50 and 60 ft (15 and 18 m), but the ROW expands up to 80 ft (24 m) at some intersections. The proposed ROW would vary between 65 and 90 ft (19.8 and 27.4 m). 

Project PI No. 0013703 was initially surveyed for archaeological resources in 2019 during the early stages of the design process. Documentation of this survey was submitted to GDOT. The documentation was concurred with by Georgia State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) on June 18, 2020; however, a request was made for a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey to be performed within the Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) adjacent to site 9RI1198. After the Avoidance and Minimization Measures Meeting (A3M) for the project, this survey area would encompass the project Area of Potential (APE) adjacent to the site. The coverage would confirm and clear the project APE of any potential for unmarked burials associated with the nearby Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). The proposed addendum GPR survey area was located within the project ESB 350 m northwest of the intersection of Willis Foreman Road and Windsor Springs Road.