Proposed Bridge Replacement over Grove Creek on SR 59 in Banks County, Georgia

The proposed project would take place on SR 59 in Banks County, five miles north of Commerce, Georgia {Figures 1 and 2}. The existing typical section of SR 59 consists of two 12-foot travel lanes with no shoulders, one in each direction. Existing Right-of-Way (ROW) is 110 feet total along the roadway. The project proposes to remove the existing bridge (Structure ID 011-0009·0) on SR 59 over Grove Creek and build a new bridge in its place. The project begins approximately 700 feet southwest of the bridge and ends about 550 feet northeast of the bridge. The project length is 0.29 miles long, with the new bridge being about 281 feet long and 40 feet wide. The proposed typical section would consist of two 12·foot travel lanes (one in each direction}, with 10-foot shoulders (4 feet paved/6 feet grass). An offsite detour is anticipated during construction, which is about 11.2 miles from one side of the bridge to the other, utilizing SR 59, SR 15, 1-85, and SR 63. The road and bridge will continue to be a rural two-lane corridor with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour. Area of Potential Effect: The Area of Potential Effect (APE) will consist of all existing and required ROW and all easements as described above. Newly required ROW varies from approximately 25 to 85 feet. An Expanded Survey Corridor (ESC) was surveyed on both sides along the entire length of the project to accommodate possible future changes.

According to GNAHRGIS (Figure 3), there are no previously recorded archaeological sites within the project APE; however, there is one (1) archaeological site within one kilometer of the project area (9BA26). Archaeological site 9BA26 represents a precontact lithic scatter consisting of 1 bifacial tool~ 1 projectile point fragment, and 37 flakes, all of which yielded no diagnostic characteristics. Although this was the case, the site was recommended eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) with local significance (Jefferies and Hally 1975:13-16).

Only one (1) archaeological survey is known to have been conducted within 1 kilometer of the current project area (Jefferies and Hally 1975}. This survey, covering several areas in Jackson and Banks Counties, was conducted by the University of Georgia for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. This survey located several sites, but only 9BA26 (discussed above) was within 1 kilometer of the current project.