Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed SR 85 Improvements from SR 279 to CR 820/Roberts Drive, Fayette and Clayton Counties, Georgia – USACE Section 106 Report

The proposed GDOT project would widen State Route (SR) 85 from just south of SR 279 in Fayette County to approximately 216.4 meters (m) (710 feet [ft]) north of Bethsaida Road/Lamar Hutcheson Parkway in Clayton County. The existing SR 85 has four 3.6-m (12-ft) lanes, two in each direction separated with a depressed median from the beginning of the project just south of SR 279 to just south of the intersection with Bethsaida Road/Lamar Hutcheson Parkway, where SR 85 transitions to three lanes in each direction to the north. The proposed project would add one additional lane in each direction for a continuous three lanes in each direction between Pointe South Parkway and north of Bethsaida Road/Lamar Hutcheson Parkway. From SR 279 to Pointe South Parkway, the proposed project would add sidewalks and curb and gutter. The proposed widening would require the existing SR 85 bridges over Camp Creek to be replaced with a single bridge. The existing right-of-way (ROW) is approximately 51.8 m (170 ft) wide. The proposed ROW would be up to approximately 76.2 m (250 ft) wide. The total project length is approximately 6.27 kilometers (km) (3.9 miles [mi]) along SR 85. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing a Section 404 permit for discrete portions of the project surrounding impacted Waters of the United States (WOTUS) (Figure 1).

The USACE has determined that the SOA for the proposed project is limited to three impacted WOTUS and a 100 m (328 ft) buffer from the impacted waters. As determined by the SOA, the three impacted waters are located within the previous GDOT survey area (Figures 2a and 2b).