The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) proposes to replace the existing one-span bridge (Structure ID 177-5001-0) that carries County Road (CR) 3/Smithville Road over Muckaloochee Creek in Lee County, Georgia, under GDOT PI No. 0018269. On behalf of Arcadis, who is the Prime Consultant for this project, New South Associates, Inc. (NSA) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed improvements to CR 3. This survey is pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800). It adheres to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for archaeological investigation (National Park Service 2020), GDOT’s (2012) Environmental Procedures Manual, and the Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Surveys (Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists 2019), adopted by the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Community Affairs, which serves as Georgia’s State Historic Preservation Office (GASHPO).
The purpose of the survey was to identify and evaluate archaeological resources in the survey area for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This project is currently state funded. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing a permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act for a discrete portion of this project. The USACE area of potential effect (APE) consists of impacted Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and immediately adjacent uplands, as delineated on the Scope of Analysis (SOA) documentation dated March 8, 2022 (Appendix A). The USACE permit triggers Section 106 of the NHPA compliance for the permit area with the USACE acting as the lead federal agency. The portion of the survey area that is outside USACE jurisdiction is being documented in a separate report (Weber 2022) in compliance with the Georgia Environmental Policy Act (GEPA).
The portion of the APE subject to federal review measures 345 meters (m) (1,132 feet [ft.]) by 85 m (279 ft.), totaling 2.9 hectares (ha) (7.2 acres [ac.]). One new archaeological site (Site 9LE170) was recorded in the APE. Site 9LE170 is a low-density precontact lithic scatter with good stratigraphic integrity and low data potential within the APE. The site is recommended as having unknown eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as the site may extend outside of the APE
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