Between June 17 and June 20, 2014, and on November 26, 2014, Environmental Services, Inc. (ESI) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey of the Trail Connectivity and Accessibility at Four Locations in Rome Transportation Enhancement Project in Floyd County, Georgia [GDOT Project No. PI 0010707]. The proposed project involves the construction of approximately 2,500 linear feet of new trail, building trailhead parking areas, painting parking spaces on existing paved streets to create trailheads, painting bike lanes on existing paved streets, and the installation of new signs, in an effort to improve accessibility to and connectivity within the existing trail system.
The Trail Connectivity and Accessibility Transportation Enhancement Project consists of four distinct survey areas. At the Heritage Point, Branham Avenue Trailhead, and East 1stAvenue/East 4th Street survey areas, because of the nature and scope of the undertaking, the survey area is limited to the Area of Potential Effect (APE), or the required footprint, of the proposed project, within which all construction and ground disturbing activity would be confined. Because of urban development in these three areas, the Expanded Survey Corridor (ESC) was not required by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). No potential for indirect effects outside of the required footprint of the proposed project exists. All trail construction would take place on land owned by the City of Rome or within the existing right‑ofway (ROW). No additional land, easements, or ROW would be acquired. Unlike the other three survey areas, construction on the portion of the APE which runs from the end of Cantrell Street southeast to the existing Kingfisher Trail will take place on previously undeveloped land. For the purpose of the Phase I archaeological investigations, the survey area includes the APE, which includes all required ROW and easements for the corridor, plus a 100‑foot (30.5 m) ESC on either side in accordance with the GDOT Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM).
The work for this survey was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800). The archaeological survey included a thorough pedestrian surface inspection with both judgmental and systematic shovel testing of the proposed impact areas at 30‑meter intervals. As a result of the survey, a total of 45 shovel tests were dug within four survey areas. Three archaeological sites were recorded as a result of the survey, all of which are recommended ineligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is recommended that no further work be conducted at these three sites. It is therefore recommended that no further archaeological studies are necessary based upon the information contained within this report. We recommend that the project be allowed to proceed as planned without further management consideration to archaeological resources.
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