Phase I Archaeological Survey in Advance of the I-285/I-20 East Interchange Reconstruction Project, DeKalb County, Georgia

Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey in advance of the Interstate (I-)285/I-20 East Interchange Reconstruction Project in DeKalb County, Georgia (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] PI No. 0013915). This project is part of the GDOT Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP). The survey sought to identify archaeological sites in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The fieldwork was conducted from May to June 2019.

As currently proposed, the project would modify and/or replace five existing ramps at the I-285 and I-20 east interchange to improve the configuration or increase the number of lanes and/or speed: the I-20 westbound to I-285 northbound and southbound ramps; the I-285 southbound to I-20 eastbound and westbound ramps; and the I-285 northbound to I-20 eastbound ramp. In addition to the reconstruction of the interchange, the project would construct the following in the westbound direction of I-20: one westbound auxiliary lane between Lithonia Industrial Boulevard and Panola Road; one westbound auxiliary lane from Panola Road to Wesley Chapel Road; westbound collector/distributor (C/D) lanes between Wesley Chapel Road and the I-285/I-20 east interchange. In the eastbound direction of I-20, the project would construct an auxiliary lane from Panola Road to Lithonia Industrial Boulevard. The construction of the eastbound and/or westbound auxiliary lanes would require the reconstruction of the Miller Road Overpass Bridge, the Snapfinger Creek Bridge, Fairington Road/DeKalb Medical Parkway Overpass Bridge, and the associated intersection at Fairington Road and DeKalb Medical Parkway. The total length of the proposed project is approximately 4.5 kilometers (km) (2.8 miles [mi]) along I-285 and approximately 11.7 km (7.3 mi) along I-20. The purpose of the I-285/I-20 East Interchange Reconstruction Project is to improve safety and traffic flow within the I-285/I-20 east interchange and along portions of I-20 east of the interchange.

The project boundaries were provided by Parsons Corporation and represent an environmental survey boundary (ESB), which encompasses all areas of currently known and foreseeable ground disturbance. When the design is complete, the project’s area of potential effect (APE) will likely be smaller than the ESB that was surveyed. The ESB is approximately 365.4 hectares (ha) (903 acres [ac]) in size and extends 4.5 km (2.8 mi) along I-285 and approximately 11.7 km (7.3 mi) along I-20 and varies in width from approximately 0.1 km (0.06 mi) to 0.7 km (0.4 mi). Portions of the ESB also extend down Glenwood Road (approximately 1 km [0.6 mi] long and 0.08 km [0.05 mi] wide), Wesley Chapel Road (approximately 1.2 km [0.8 mi] long and 0.1 km [0.06 mi] wide), Miller Road (approximately 0.8 km [0.5 mi] long and 0.08 km [0.05 mi] wide), Panola Road (approximately 0.9 km [0.6 mi] long and 0.1 km [0.06 mi] wide), DeKalb Medical Parkway (approximately 0.6 km [0.4 mi] long and 0.1 km [0.06 mi] wide), and Lithonia Industrial Boulevard (approximately 0.5 km [0.3 mi] long and 0.1 km [0.06 mi] wide). 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.

An on-going MMIP project, the I-285 Eastside Express Lanes Project (PI No. 0013914), is being conducted by TerraXplorations and overlaps the current ESB along I-285. In order to avoid duplication of effort, it was determined that this overlapping portion would be included with the TerraXplorations survey for PI No. 0013914. Therefore, the TerraXplorations survey was considered as previous coverage for the current survey (PI No. 0013915). The TerraXplorations survey results were negative for cultural material within the ESB for the current survey (PI No. 0013915) (Wendy Dyson and Scott M. Dubord, personal communications 2019). The draft report is currently in progress.

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 was conducted that included a review of historic maps and aerial photographs at the University of Georgia (UGA) Map and Government Information Library (MAGIL), the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF), and Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) database. Results of the research show that there are eight previously identified archaeological resources within a 1-km (0.62-mi) radius of the ESB, one of which is located within the ESB, site 9DA463. A second site, 9DA473, is located outside but adjacent to the ESB. A total of 40 previous archaeological surveys were conducted within portions of the ESB. Portions of three previous surveys, Jennings (2018), Moss (2013), and Pietak (2010a), coupled with the TerraXplorations survey discussed previously, were applied as previous coverage for this current investigation based on comparable survey methods in accordance with current GDOT standards (GDOT 2013).

The Phase I archaeological survey resulted in revisits to one previously recorded historic site, 9DA463, and a previously recorded cemetery, 9DA473, the Wesley Chapel Methodist Church and Cemetery. It was determined that the site boundary of 9DA473 be amended to include the entire parcel boundary, due to the entire parcel being deeded as a cemetery and burials extending outside of the original site boundaries. The northernmost portion of the amended site boundary extends into the ESB, therefore requiring a site revisit. The survey also identified two previously unrecorded cemeteries, 9DA165, the Hillandale Memorial Gardens, and 9DA166, the Dawn Memorial Park, and two isolated finds, IF1 and IF2. The three cemeteries, 9DA473 the Wesley Chapel Methodist Church and Cemetery, 9DA165 the Hillandale Memorial Gardens, and 9DA166 the Dawn Memorial Park, were not identified or evaluated during the associated historic resource survey (PI No. 0013915, HP No. 181017- 001). Per the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Among the Federal Highway Administration, GDOT, and Georgia State Historic Preservation Department, Defining the APE of Historic Properties for the MMIP Program (2018 MMIP History APE MOU), the cemeteries were not located within the APE for the historic resource survey for this project; therefore, the sites have not been evaluated for the NRHP for Criteria A, B, or C.

For 9DA463, EP recommends that the portion of the site located within the ESB lacks significant data potential. However, because only a portion of the site was investigated, 9DA463 is recommended as of unknown eligibility for listing on the NRHP under Criterion D. No further work is recommended for this site. Similarly, as the historic cemeteries were not fully surveyed as only portions fell within the ESB, these sites (9DA165, 9DA166, 9DA473) are recommended as of unknown eligibility for listing on the NRHP under Criterion D. It is also recommended that the portions of the three sites located within the ESB be avoided and protected by the establishment of an environmentally sensitive area (ESA) with orange barrier fencing (OBF) along the not yet established APE for the length of the site in order to prevent inadvertent impacts. Finally, although IF1 and IF2 are currently considered ineligible for the NRHP, because they were not fully delineated, it is recommended that the unsurveyed portions, located outside the ESB, be protected by the establishment of an ESA with OBF along the not yet established APE for the length of IF1 and IF2 in order to prevent any inadvertent impacts from construction. If there are any modifications to limits of the current ESB, a reevaluation and potentially additional archaeological investigations would be necessary. A summary of sites and their recommendations is presented in Table 0.1.