Phase I Archaeological Resources Survey for the Proposed Replacement of the County Road 152/New Hope Road Bridge Over Little Ichawaynochaway Creek, Randolph County, Georgia.

In March 2019, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB), Inc. completed a Phase I archaeological resources survey in support of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) proposed bridge replacement along County Road (CR) 152/New Hope Road (Rd) over Little Ichawaynochaway Creek in Randolph County, Georgia. The bridge (Bridge ID No. 243-5020-0) 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. The existing one-lane beam bridge over Little Ichawaynochaway Creek was constructed in 1966 and is considered structurally deficient in part due to cracking within its sub- and superstructure. The bridge measures 108 feet (ft) (33 meters [m]) in length by 32.3 ft (9.8 m) in width. The existing ROW along this section of CR 152/New Hope Rd is approximately 200 ft (61 m) total, or 100 ft (30 m) on either side of the current road centerline.

Since the project is in a preliminary concept phase, the Area of Potential Effects (APE) for the current survey has been defined as the total length and width of the Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB). The dimensions of the ESB are determined by the designers prior to survey fieldwork and are intended to capture a large enough area in which variations in project design can occur. The ESB for this project has been defined as an area running 500 ft (152 m) west and 580 ft (177 m) east of the bridge’s existing approaches and extending 75 ft (23 m) from the CR 152/New Hope Rd centerline, measuring a total of 1,188 ft (362 m) in length by 150 ft (46 m) in width. The ESB encompasses approximately 3.1 acres (ac) (1.3 hectares [ha]) in total. 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 Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) and the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) databases was conducted. No recorded archaeological surveys or sites were identified within a one-kilometer (km) radius of the ESB.

Shovel testing and visual inspection of the ESB took place along two parallel transects located within the existing ROW along either side of CR 152/New Hope Rd. During the survey, 29 shovel tests were excavated within the ESB, none of which contained cultural material. Two planned shovel tests were located within the Ichawaynochaway Creek streambed; as these could not be offset the shovel tests were not excavated and labeled as “No Digs”. An additional three shovel tests within the creek’s floodplain could not be excavated due to standing water and were subsequently labeled as “No Digs”.

During the survey, the remains of a pair of bridge abutments and partially submerged timber pilings within the bed of the creek were identified approximately 20 m (66 ft) north of the existing bridge along the northern edge of the ESB. Timber beams were seen along the creek bank at the east abutment outside of the ESB. These likely represent part of the original bridge deck. These features were deemed a site and given the designation 9RH93. Due to the limits of the ESB, these beams were not assessed, and the site was not fully delineated to the north. As the timber beams were visible from within the ESB, the site boundaries were extended past the ESB to include them.

The portion of the site within the ESB was evaluated for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility under Criteria A, C, and D. The bridge abutments are what remains of a previous bridge that carried CR 152/New Hope Rd over Little Ichawaynochaway Creek along a earlier alignment. As the resource could not be linked to a specific event, Criterion A was not applicable. Due to the razed condition and poor preservation of the feature, several aspects of integrity were negatively impacted. The site lacks integrity of design, materials, workmanship, and feeling under Criterion C, and materials, workmanship, and location under Criterion D. The portion of the site within the ESB is recommended ineligible under Criteria C and D of the NRHP; however, as the northern portion of site was unassessed and consists of an unknown site boundary, the site should be considered to have an unknown NRHP eligibility. The unevaluated area of the site should be considered an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) and demarcated with orange barrier fencing (OBF) along the length of the unknown site boundary. The OBF will ensure that construction activities associated with replacement of the bridge over Little Ichawaynochaway Creek will not impact any unknown portions of 9RH93.