The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) plans to undertake modifications to SR 8/SR 10 (Ponce de Leon Avenue) in the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia (Project Number PEMSL-0007-00[411]; PI 0007411) to improve pedestrian safety. New South Associates has completed a Phase I Archaeological Survey of the planned project area pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36 CFR 800). The project's area of potential effect (APE) extends approximately 3.1-kilometers (1.9-mi.) between CS 1860 (Piedmont Avenue) to the west and SR 42 (Moreland Avenue/Briarcliff Road) in the east. Work would take place within existing 25 to 27-meter (80 to 90-ft.) right-of-way (ROW) and up to 6.1 meters (20 ft.) of new ROW. The survey area also included 30 meters (100 ft.) of extended survey corridor (ESC) on both sides of the APE. The APE and ESC combined covered roughly 170 hectares (69 ac.). This report describes the objectives, methods, and results of the survey. The majority of the project corridor is disturbed by historic and modern urban development. Most areas were covered by buildings or paved surfaces that could not be examined using shovel testing survey. Five areas that were open for subsurface investigations revealed graded soil profiles sometimes overlain by fill or rubble. One archaeological site, 9FU579, was identified in the front yard of two twentieth-century apartment buildings. The materials recovered from the site lack a significant archaeological research potential and cannot be clearly related to significant historical contexts. The site was not evaluated outside the project APE or ESC, but the portion inside the project corridor would not contribute to any significance the site might have. Consequently, no further investigations of this site are recommended. Because the project area was heavily urbanized, the archaeological content of areas in the APE and ESC could not be entirely determined. Current design plans indicate the planned project would cause minor ground-disturbance and therefore has a low potential to impact undiscovered archaeological resources. However, it is recommended that an archaeological monitor supplied by GDOT or a contractor observe any construction activities entailing substantial excavation.
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