Phase I Archaeological Resources Survey for the Proposed SR 22 Bridge Replacement over the South Fork Broad River, Oglethorpe and Madison Counties, Georgia

Brockington and Associates, Inc., conducted an intensive Phase I archaeological resources survey on 9 January 2003 for the proposed State Route (SR) 22 bridge replacement over the South Fork Broad River in Oglethorpe and Madison Counties, Georgia, under contract with Greenhorne & O'Mara, Inc. The project corridor is approximately 762 meters (2500 ft) in length and approximately 120 meters (400 ft) in width. The corridor is located on SR 22 approximately 6 km (4 mi) south of Comer, Georgia. For this project, the area of potential effect (APE) is defined as the length and width of the project corridor. Background research and field survey were conducted to: provide accurate and reliable locations of archaeological sites in the project area; provide an evaluation of National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility for all identified archaeological resources in the project corridor; and provide recommendations for mitigation if avoidance of NRHP eligible sites is not possible. This survey was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act (1992, as amended). The archaeological field survey consisted of pedestrian inspection of the entire project corridor. Visual surface inspection and shovel testing were conducted within the project boundaries. Shovel tests were excavated at 30 meter (100 ft) intervals within double transects traversing the length of the corridor on both the eastern and western sides of SR 22. Brockington and Associates, Inc., recovered no artifacts and no significant archaeological resources within the project APE as it is currently defined. Archaeological clearance for the proposed SR 22 bridge replacement over the South Fork Broad River is recommended.