In March of 2019 the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) conducted a Phase I archaeological resources surveys in support of a proposed bridge replacement (Bridge ID No. 175-5048-0) along County Road (CR) 348/Lord Road over Rocky Creek, located in western Laurens County, Georgia. The bridge is part of GDOT’s Low Impact Bridge Program (LIBP) which has been developed to provide expedited project delivery for bridge projects with few anticipated impediments (GDOT 2018). In November of 2019 and February of 2020, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) returned to the project area to complete a Phase II archaeological resources survey. Testing consisted of close interval (15 meter [m]) shovel testing, test unit excavation, and geomorphological consultation.
As the project is currently in the concept phase of development, an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) was considered as the survey area in lieu of a formal Area of Potential Effects (APE) determination. The ESB for this project was determined by the design team to be of sufficient length and width in order to accommodate all future variations in design which might be considered. The actual design plan, which is still in the concept phase of development, will likely be smaller than the ultimate limits of the ESB. Along this section of CR 348/Lord Road the existing Right-of-Way (ROW) measures approximately 80 feet (ft) (24.3 m). The ESB for this bridge replacement effort measures approximately 1,150 ft (350.2 m) in length by 150 ft (46 m) in width centered on the existing bridge structure, for a total area of approximately 4 acres (ac) (1.6 hectares [ha]). The ESB is bisected by Rocky Creek, which flows northeast to southwest through the survey area (Figure 2). As the limits of the ESB cover all possible design alternatives, no Expanded Survey Corridor (ESC) is required.
Prior to the start of fieldwork, a review of the Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) and the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) databases were completed. One archaeological site (9LS71) is located within a 1-kilometer (km) radius of the ESB. No previous archaeological surveys were identified within the project area.
As a result of Phase I and II survey, 80 shovel tests were excavated within the ESB, 67 of which were positive for cultural material. Fifteen (15) shovel tests were recorded as “No Digs” due to their locations in driveways or standing water. In addition, four (4) 2 x 1 m test units were excavated, and a separate geomorphological consultation was conducted by a qualified geomorphologist. One archaeological site was identified (9LS368), an Archaic period lithic quarry and lithic tool manufacturing workshop.
Site 9LS368 is a multi-component site represented primarily by an Early to Late Archaic period lithic quarry and lithic tool manufacturing workshop, and a secondary scatter of historic debris associated with previous structures dating to the early to mid-twentieth century. Due to the retained integrity of association, location, and materials of the precontact component of the site, and its ability to address questions relating to Archaic Period settlement, subsistence, and functional utilization of riverine areas in the Georgia Coastal Plain, the portion of site 9LS368 identified within the ESB is recommended eligible for the NRHP under Criterion D. The area of the identified site located in the northernmost section of the ESB contains the greatest integrity and potential for significant features and deposits. While artifacts were recovered from the ESB south of Rocky Creek, the site integrity in that area has been disturbed by historic and modern agricultural activities. VHB recommends avoidance of site 9LS368 to the extent possible. If site disturbance activities, including staging and all construction related impacts, cannot be avoided, then data recovery is recommended to mitigate adverse impacts as they relate to the proposed replacement of the CR 348/Lord Road Bridge over Rocky Creek.
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