Second Addendum Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Proposed State Route 20 Improvements Corridor, Cherokee and Forsyth Counties, Georgia

AECOM Technical Services, Inc. (AECOM), was contracted by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to conduct a Phase I archaeological survey and National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) evaluations for the proposed improvements to State Route (SR) 20 in Cherokee and Forsyth counties. The proposed project consists of two units (PIs 0002862 and 0003682) of a larger widening and improvements project. The entire project consists of five construction units, PIs 0014131, 0014132, 0014133, 0002862, and 0003682, located on the SR 20 corridor, between the cities of Canton and Cumming. These proposed projects would improve and widen an approximately 18.5-mile (mi) (30 kilometer [km]) section of SR 20 between Scott Road in Cherokee County and North Corners Parkway in Forsyth County. The western terminus of PI No. 0002862 begins at SR 369 and improvements continue easterly for a distance of 6.3 mi (10 km) to approximately Tribble Road, where PI No. 0003682 begins. PI No. 0003682 improvements continue for 5.2 mi (8.4 km) east and terminate at North Corners Parkway.

The current investigation was conducted in accordance with the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT’s) Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) (GDOT 2013) and followed the guidelines set forth by the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists’ (GCPA) Guidelines for Archaeological Investigation (GCPA 2019). The proposed project is state funded and work for the subject survey was conducted in compliance with the George Environmental Policy Act (GEPA) O.C.G.A 12-16-1 and GDOT’s policy 4415-10(C). The work documented in this report is also in compliance with Section 106, the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974; and Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 60–66 and 800, as appropriate.

Since the time of the initial Phase I archaeological survey of the larger project corridor (Lowrey et al. 2021) and a subsequent addendum survey for one of the original five units, PI No. 0014131 (Chance Campbell 2021), the design for PIs 0002862 and 0003682 has been further refined and uneconomic remnant parcels resulting from ROW acquisition have been incorporated into the project plans, as well as minor changes to the project design that include adjustments to the required ROW and easements. A total of 37 locations were identified and surveyed; these areas are a part of the current Area of Potential Effects (APE) which included all areas of existing and required ROW and easements, as well as uneconomic remnant parcels. The APE extends for 31 km (19 mi) from west of Brooke Park Drive in Cherokee County to North Corners Parkway in Forsyth County. The width of the APE varies throughout the project ranging from 61 m (200 ft) to 315 m (1,033 ft). The survey areas for this second addendum consisted of areas of the current APE that extend outside of prior survey coverage for the project. In coordination with the GDOT archaeologist, an Expanded Survey Corridor (ESC) was not required for this addendum survey. AECOM conducted the Phase I archaeological survey from June 16th to June 18th and October 5th, 2021.

During the current survey effort, AECOM did not record any new archaeological sites. One previously recorded site (9CK1333) was revisited during the current survey. The site is situated in the backyard of an abandoned modern residence located at 1075 Holbrook Campground Road and represents a middle to late twentieth century artifact scatter. The results of AECOM’s investigation at 9CK1333 determined that the portion of the site within the surveyed area lacks integrity and significant data potential. However, because the site boundaries could not be fully delineated to the southeast, the site is recommended as having unknown eligibility for the NRHP under Criterion D. No further archaeological work is recommended within the surveyed portion of the site; however, the unknown portion should be designated an Environmental Sensitive Area (ESA) and protected with Orange Barrier Fencing (OBF) at the APE boundaries.