On September 17th and 18th, 2014, Edwards‑Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey of Duncan Bridge Road/State Route (SR) 384 and Pea Ridge Road/ County Road (CR) 382 intersection improvement project in Habersham County, Georgia (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] P.I. No. 0009945, HP No. 140121‑013). This GDOT project=s area of potential effect (APE) and expanded survey corridor (ESC) includes 1 kilometer of roadway and intersection improvements along SR 384 and CR 382. The APE includes the maximum amount of proposed right‑of‑way (ROW) in the project description below, and the ESC includes a 100‑foot (30 meter) buffer of the APE. The combined APE and ESC will hereafter be referred to as the survey area. Consulting engineering firm Gresham Smith and Partners (GSP) retained EPEI to locate and evaluate archaeological resources within the survey area.
Prior to the commencement of fieldwork, a review of the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens indicated that no previously identified archaeological sites are located in the survey area of the current study. In addition, no previously recorded sites are located within 1 kilometer of the survey area. The Phase I archaeological survey was completed in accordance with GDOT's Environmental Procedures Manual (GDOT 2013). Fieldwork including visual inspection, systematic shovel testing, and metal detection.
The current survey resulted in the identification of one Historic period archaeological site, 9HM308. The overall eligibility of the site is unknown as it is not fully defined. Further, due to poor integrity caused by razing of the former house site, the portion of the site examined lacks significant data potential. As the site is defined currently only within the ESC and no portion of it lies within the APE proper, no adverse effects are anticipated due to the proposed project. Because 9HM308 could not be fully delineated within the survey area, if the design changes to include more land west of the known portion of the site, additional work is recommended.
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