Archaeological Resources Survey of the Proposed State Route 145 Bridge Replacement Over the North Fork of the Broad River, Franklin County, Georgia

On 21 May 2003, Brockington and Associates, Inc., conducted an intensive Phase I archaeological resources survey of the proposed State Route (SR) 145 bridge replacement over the North Fork of the Broad River in Franklin County, Georgia. The project corridor is approximately 610 meters (2,000 ft) long and 97 meters (318 ft) wide. The corridor is located on SR 145 approximately 2.6 km (1.6 mi) west of Franklin Springs, 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 resources within 0.8 km (0.5 mi) of the project area, provide an evaluation of National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility for all identified archaeological resources, 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 (NHPA) (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 boundary. Shovel tests were excavated at 30 meter (98 ft) intervals within single transects traversing the length of the corridor on both the northern and southern sides of SR 145. Brockington and Associates, Inc., recovered no significant archaeological resources within the project APE as it is currently defined. Archaeological resources clearance for the proposed SR 145 bridge replacement over the North Fork of the Broad River is recommended.