Four alternative routes of a proposed divided highway connecting Columbus and Augusta, Georgia, were surveyed by examining a random 10% sample of the routes and 77 high probability areas, which were defined as river and creek crossings. The comparison of the 10% sample with the total survey showed that components were found in proportion to their true frequency, except that historic sites were under represented. The focus on fluvial settings resulted in an under-representation of ridge top sites. The survey located 169 sites, including isolated artifacts, small lithic scatters, large, multicomponent occupation sites and nineteenth and twentieth century house sites. During the prehistoric period, terraces were strongly preferred locations for sites, while ridges and uplands were heavily utilized during the historic period. Chert was the predominant raw material for prehistoric tools in the project area and was utilized heavily even in the lower Piedmont where quartz is locally available but chert is not. Based on the number of components, it appears that the Fall Line Hills area experienced a steady but slow rate of population growth throughout the prehistoric period, with settlement expanding rapidly during the historic period.
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