Addendum to the Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed SR 316/SR 8/US 29 at CR 929/ Oconee Connector Improvements Project in Oconee County, Georgia

Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP) conducted an addendum Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT’s) State Route (SR) 316/SR 8/United States (US) 29 at County Road (CR) 929/Oconee Connector Improvements Project in Oconee County, Georgia (P.I. No. 0013769). The survey was completed in December 2020 and was carried out for GDOT under a contract with CHA Companies, Inc. The survey represents an addendum to a 2019 Phase I survey report prepared by AECOM Technical Services, Inc. (AECOM) for the same project, because the Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) for the project has been enlarged. The goal of the survey was to locate and evaluate archaeological resources within the addendum survey area in accordance with the Georgia Environmental Policy Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

County Road 929/Oconee Connector intersects SR 316 approximately 1.61 kilometers (km) (1 mile [mi]) west of the existing SR 10 loop interchange and is currently configured as a signalized at-grade intersection. A new interchange is proposed to accommodate expected growth in traffic volumes and enhance functionality and operational traffic conditions in the proposed project area. Multiple interchange configurations are under consideration as the project concept is developed. The proposed project would also include grade separation of CR 440/CR 662/Virgil Langford Road with a proposed new bridge that would connect both sides of Virgil Langford Road across SR 316. Design plans were incomplete at the time of the addendum survey, thus the survey area for the proposed project includes all areas within the ESB provided to EP by the project design engineers. The ESB was designed specifically to encompass existing and proposed ROW, temporary and permanent easements, and 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. EP’s addendum survey area includes those portions of the project’s ESB (revised in 2020) that extend beyond the original, smaller ESB that was previously surveyed by AECOM (Hahs 2019). In total, the 2020 ESB measures approximately 86.6 hectares (ha) (214 acres [ac]), a 52.7 ha (130.3 ac) increase from the original 2019 ESB.  

EP’s addendum Phase I survey was conducted in accordance with GDOT’s Environmental Procedures Manual and the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists’ (GCPA) guidelines for archaeological investigation (GDOT 2013; GCPA 2019) and included pedestrian survey and systematic shovel testing at 30 m (98.5 ft) intervals. A review of records in the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) prior to the addendum Phase I archaeological survey indicated that twelve archaeological sites have been recorded within a 1 km (0.62 mi) radius, two of which, 9OC239 and 9OC433, fall within the ESB. These two sites were revisited during the addendum survey; no new sites were found. Site 9OC239, a precontact lithic scatter, was previously recommended ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion D due to lack of data potential (Duff 1996). EP revisited the portion of the site boundary intersecting the addendum survey area and excavated delineation tests with negative results. EP’s negative survey results affirm that 9OC239 lacks significant data potential within the ESB, and the site continues to be recommended ineligible for the NRHP.

Site 9OC433 represents the ruins of a twentieth-century historic house site and a precontact isolate, which was first recorded as a result of the initial AECOM survey for this project (Hahs 2019). AECOM determined that the portion of 9OC433 they surveyed lacked integrity and significant data potential; however, the entire site was not surveyed at the time and, therefore, the site’s NRHP eligibility remained unknown. As a result of EP’s additional investigation, site delineation was completed. More surface features related to the house foundations were mapped, but no additional subterranean deposits, precontact or historic, were encountered during shovel testing west of the former house site. EP concurs with earlier assessments by AECOM that the site is unlikely to contain data sets that would provide insights into historic period lifeways. The site is, therefore, recommended ineligible for the NRHP under Criterion D.

As the only archaeological sites in the ESB have been fully surveyed, evaluated, and recommended NRHP ineligible, no further archaeological investigation is recommended within the ESB; however, additional survey may be necessary if the project area changes. Because no artifacts were found during the addendum survey, no curation is necessary, and project field notes will ultimately be permanently housed with other small collections at the GDOT Office of Environmental Services (OES).