Archeological Survey of Revised Alternatives for the proposed Southwest Rome Bypass, Floyd County, Georgia

An intensive archeological survey was conducted on several interconnected proposed routes of a four-lane bypass highway on the southwest side of Rome. This bypass segment will extend from the South Rome Bypass at U. S. Highway 27 south of Rome to State Route 20 west of Rome. A 1. 1 km section straddling the Coosa River, near the mid-point of the bypass, has already been constructed and was not part of the survey area. Three alternative routes are under consideration south of the river and four alternatives north of the river. The various alternatives north of the river total approximately 20.3 km (12.6 mi) in length, while those south of the river total approximately 13 km (8. 1 mi). The northern alternatives also include about 1. 3 km for the rerouting of two secondary roads. Corridor width typically varied from 76 to 172 m (250 to 500 ft). In addition to the intensive survey of the alternative corridors, we also conducted limited, reconnaissance-level survey of a 610 m (2000 ft) wide corridor centered on the preferred alternative north and south of the river. Because sites did not closely correspond to topographically defined high probability areas, but rather to soil types and proximity to Horseleg Mountain, this high probability area survey focused on only a few areas and recorded seven sites outside of the actual construction corridors. The survey was conducted from May 19 to June 20, 1997, with several return trips to the project area in early and mid-July. Site 9FL376 was tested with four lx1 m units in June and 9FL338 was tested with two lx2 m units in December of 1997. A review of the state archeological site files revealed that two previously recorded sites (9FL293 and 9FL296) were within the proposed project area, that two others (9FL222 and 9FL223) bordered and could extend into the project area, and that about 10 other sites existed nearby. Most of these sites were recorded during surveys for previous segments and alignments of the bypass. However, a cluster of four officially recorded sites (9FL1, 10, 11, and 12) and several more unrecorded sites near Mountain End Lake (at the west end of Horseleg Mountain) had been recorded in the 1960s and 1970s by three independent researchers.