Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed I-85 Noise Barriers, Coweta County, Georgia

During August 2006, Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey of the proposed location for the Interstate (I) 85 Noise Barriers project. The project consists of noise wall installations along 1-85 from State Route (SR) 154 to Collinsworth Road in Coweta County, Georgia, south of Palmetto. No acquisition of right-ofway (ROW) will be required. Construction activities will occur within the existing ROW along a corridor approximately five miles long on both sides of 1-85. The goal of the survey was to locate and evaluate archaeological sites within the Area of Potential Effect (APE) of the proposed undertaking, so that potential effects to any resources identified could be evaluated in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The project was conducted under a contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc. A review of the Georgia Archaeological Site Files at the University of Georgia in Athens showed that there is one previously identified archaeological site within a one kilometer (km) radius of the project area. The site is outside the APE for the current study, and is of unknown eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). During the course of the current investigations, one archaeological site was identified. The portion of the site within the current project's APE exhibits relatively low artifact density and the research potential of this portion of the site is low. Therefore, the section of the site within the APE does not contribute to the site's eligibility. It is recommended the project be allowed to proceed as planned within the APE. However, the site appears to continue undisturbed to the southeast, and that portion of the site has not been investigated. The site is recommended as of unknown eligibility as the boundaries of the site cannot be fully defined within the APE.