Phase I Archaeological Survey for the I-285 Eastside Bridge Replacements AIP Project on Glenwood Road, Redwing Circle, and Covington Highway, DeKalb County, Georgia

Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey in advance of Eastside Bridge Replacements Project on Glenwood Road, Redwing Circle, and Covington Highway over Interstate (I)-285 in DeKalb County, Georgia (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] P.I. No. 0017129). This Advanced Improvement Project (AIP) was previously part of the Major Mobility Investment Program’s (MMIP) I-285 Eastside Express Lanes project (P.I. No. 0013914). Advancing this AIP sooner would mitigate traffic challenges during the construction of the other MMIP project and maintain competition among construction developer partners. The proposed AIP would reconstruct three bridges along I-285 at Glenwood Road (Structure ID 089-0053-0), Redwing Circle (Structure ID 089-0115-0), and Covington Highway (Structure ID 089-0015-0) in DeKalb County, Georgia. The total length of the proposed project would be approximately 3.1 kilometers (km) (1.9 miles [mi]). The fieldwork was conducted from January to April 2020.

The proposed project would replace the existing Glenwood Road bridge over I-285 (Structure ID 089-0053-0), located approximately 2.7 km (1.7 mi) north of the I-285/I-20 interchange in DeKalb County. The proposed bridge would be approximately 92 meters (m) (302 feet [ft]) long and 24.2 m (79.5 ft) wide. The bridge would consist of two 3.4 m (11 ft) travel lanes in the eastbound and westbound directions with a 0.6 m (2 ft) gutter and a 1.7 m (5.5 ft) sidewalk on each side of the bridge. A single 3.4 m (11 ft) left-turn lane is proposed in each direction to access the I-285 northbound and southbound entrance ramps. In addition, the I-285 southbound entrance ramp would be reconfigured to include a designated right-turn lane from Glenwood Road onto the ramp in order to reduce queuing along eastbound Glenwood Road. The length of construction along Glenwood Road is approximately 518 m (1,700 ft). The proposed project would construct the new bridge on an offset alignment approximately 12.2 m (40 ft) to the north of the existing bridge alignment. This would allow the existing bridge to remain open to traffic during construction. Approximately 0.1 hectare (ha) (0.27 acre [ac]) of right-of-way (ROW) and 0.27 ha (0.66 ac) of permanent easements would be required for construction. The proposed project would replace the existing Redwing Circle bridge over I-285 (Structure ID 089-0115-0), located approximately 4.2 km (2.6 mi) north of the I-285/I-20 interchange in DeKalb County. The proposed bridge would be approximately 82.8 m (271.5 ft) long and 12.7 m (41.5 ft) wide. The bridge would consist of one 3.7 m (12 ft) travel lane in the eastbound and westbound directions with a 0.6 m (2 ft) gutter and a 1.7 m (5.5 ft) sidewalk on each side. The proposed bridge profile would be approximately 0.3 to 1.5 m (1 to 4.75 ft) higher than the existing bridge in order to obtain current minimum vertical clearance over the I-285 mainline lanes. The length of construction along Redwing Circle is approximately 823 m (2,700 ft). The bridge would be replaced on existing alignment and would require a detour. The proposed detour route is approximately ii Phase I Archaeological Survey for the I-285 Eastside Bridge Replacements AIP Project on Glenwood Road, Redwing Circle, and Covington Highway, DeKalb County, Georgia 2 km (1.25 mi) utilizing Covington Highway to the north and the proposed detour duration is approximately six to eight months. Approximately 0.02 ha (0.05 ac) of ROW and 0.6 ha (1.4 ac) of permanent easements would be required for construction.

The proposed project would replace the existing Covington Highway/State Route 278 bridge over I-285 (Structure ID 089-0015-0), located approximately 4.4 km (2.7 mi) north of the I-285/I-20 interchange in DeKalb County. The proposed bridge would be approximately 122.5 m (402 ft) long and 27.3 (89.5 ft) wide. The bridge would consist of two 3.7 m (12 ft) travel lanes in the eastbound and westbound directions with a 0.6 m (2 ft) gutter and a 1.7 m (5.5 ft) sidewalk on each side. A single 3.7 m (12 ft) left-turn lane is proposed in each direction to access the I-285 northbound and southbound entrance ramps. In the center of the bridge, a 2.4 m (8 ft) raised median is proposed, which will divide the eastbound and westbound traffic. No changes are proposed to any of the existing entrance and exit ramps. The length of construction along Covington Highway is approximately 653 m (2,140 ft). The proposed project would construct the new bridge on an off-set alignment approximately 18.3 m (60 ft) to the south of the existing bridge alignment. This would allow the existing bridge to remain open to traffic during construction. Approximately 0.27 ha (0.66 ac) of ROW and 0.5 ha (1.26 ac) of permanent easements would be required for construction.

Arcadis U.S., Inc. provided the project boundaries, which represent an environmental survey boundary (ESB) that encompasses all areas of currently known and foreseeable ground disturbance. The ESB is noncontiguous; the southernmost ESB encompasses the I-285 intersection with Glenwood Road, while the northernmost ESB encompasses the I-285 intersection with Covington Highway and Redwing Circle. The southernmost ESB extends 0.42 km (0.26 mi) along I-285 and 0.75 km (0.47 mi) along Glenwood Road with varying widths from 210 m (689 ft) to 82 m (269 ft). The northernmost ESB extends 1.3 km (0.8 mi) along I-285, 0.9 km (0.6 mi) along Covington Highway, and 0.16 km (0.1 mi) along Redwing Circle with varying widths from 248 m (813 ft) to 83 m (273 ft). The northernmost ESB also encompasses an area south of Redwing Circle (145-x-171 m [474-x-562 ft] in size) to include Agape Way, Lexington Terrace, and Madison Way, all of which may need to be utilized as a detour during bridge reconstruction. Lexington Terrace and Madison Way are currently located on private land. As this project is in its early development stages, all direct effects are currently unknown and any changes extending outside of this ESB will require additional assessment. When the design is complete, the area of potential effect (APE) will likely be smaller than the ESB. Hereinafter, the ESB is also referred to as the survey area.

Previous archaeological survey areas for two MMIP projects, the I-285 Eastside Express Lanes (P.I. No. 0013914) and the I-285/I-20 East Interchange (P.I. No. 0013915), extended into both the southernmost and northernmost ESB (DeFrancisco et al. 2019; Hinson 2019). As such, much of the noncontiguous ESB had already been surveyed in accordance with GDOT’s Environmental Phase I Archaeological Survey for the I-285 Eastside Bridge Replacements AIP Project iii on Glenwood Road, Redwing Circle, and Covington Highway, DeKalb County, Georgia Procedures Manual (EPM) (GDOT 2013), as well as the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists (GCPA) standards (GCPA 2019). This current investigation utilized these surveys as previous coverage.

The scope of work for the proposed project included background research, archaeological field survey, assessment of National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility for identified archaeological sites, and completion of the Phase I survey report. Prior to the archaeological survey, background research comprised a review of historic maps and aerial photographs at the University of Georgia at Athens (UGA) Map and Government Information Library (MAGIL), the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF), Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) database, and the DeKalb County Courthouse. Results of the research showed that there are nine previously identified archaeological resources within a 1 km (0.6 mi) radius of the ESB, one, 9DA166, of which is located within the ESB.

Site 9DA166, a mid-twentieth century cemetery, was previously recommended as of unknown eligibility for listing on the NRHP under Criterion D (Hinson 2019). As the southernmost ESB falls entirely within the recent Hinson (2019) survey area, no additional site revisit or delineation was required for this current investigation; therefore, the previous NRHP recommendation remains the same for 9DA166. It is recommended that an environmentally sensitive area (ESA) be established with orange barrier fencing (OBF) along the not yet determined APE for the length of the site in order to prevent any inadvertent impacts from construction.

The Phase I archaeological investigation resulted in the identification of one previously unrecorded cemetery, 9DA176 or the Farmer Family Cemetery, through historic research. This research indicated that the family cemetery dated to the nineteenth century and contained approximately 30 marked and unmarked graves. However, the cemetery’s historic boundary is currently located within the existing ROW and private property with no markers or signs to indicate the cemetery’s presence. Documentary evidence indicates that a number of these graves were relocated in the 1960s (DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court [DCCSC] 1962: Deed Book [DB] 1674:316). Site delineation methods included probing, ground penetrating radar (GPR), canine scent detection survey, and mechanical and hand trenching, all of which were negative for cultural material associated with the cemetery. As no evidence of graves was located, it is most likely that they were removed sometime in the 20th century due to on-going infrastructure developments. As such, the documented cemetery lacks both integrity and significant data potential. EP recommends the site as ineligible for listing on the NRHP under Criterion D. However, in an abundance of caution, it is recommended that an ESA be established with OBF along the not yet determined APE for the length of the site in order to prevent any inadvertent impacts from construction.