During the weeks of October 19 and 26, 1998, New South Associates conducted site visits and historical background research of the Spring Street Viaduct Replacement Project. This project includes 13 pier locations under the Spring Street Viaduct adjacent to the Richard B. Russell Building on the southwestern end of the viaduct and from the railroad tracks to Marietta Street on its northeastern end. The project also included an abutment on Martin Luther King Drive one half block northeast of its intersection with Spring Street for a total of 14 locations considered. Examination of historic maps and recent soil boring logs indicated that nothing of historic significance was likely to be found at the pier locations, and that most of the area is covered by eight to 25 feet of fill. This investigation suggests an extreme depth of the fill deposits and a very low probability of encountering significant historic remains. The limited potential archaeological return would be outweighed by the cost and difficulty of archaeological testing. Archaeological monitoring during construction is recommended instead.
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