Addendum Phase I Terrestrial Survey and Aquatic Investigations for a Pedestrian Bridge over the Chattahoochee River, Fulton County, Georgia

The following report is the result of terrestrial and underwater archaeological investigations that were requested as an addendum to the original Phase I survey conducted by Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) in 2012 (Woodliff 2012). In January and February 2015, SEARCH conducted an underwater archaeological investigation, and in March and April 2015, EPEI conducted a Phase I archaeological terrestrial survey for the proposed construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Chattahoochee River at State Route (SR) 9/Roswell Road in Fulton County, Georgia (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] Project P.I. No. 0009640, Historic Preservation [HP] No. 120711-001). The proposed pedestrian bridge is a jointly sponsored design by the cities of Roswell and Sandy Springs, Georgia, for the use of pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the Chattahoochee River and to connect existing walking trails on both sides of the river. The project consists of two alternatives, a west alternative and an east alternative, each located west and east of the SR 9/Roswell Road bridge, respectively. Only one of the alternatives will be chosen for construction.

The original 2012 survey investigated only the eastern alternative, and no underwater investigation were conducted at that time. As changes to the proposed construction efforts included the use of temporary rock jetties in the Chattahoochee River, this necessitated the inclusion of the National Park Service (NPS), and more specifically, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA), which prompted the need for an underwater archaeological investigation. As the Chattahoochee River at this particular point in its water course is under the purview of the CRNRA, they had requested an underwater archaeological investigation be conducted so that the proposed temporary rock jetties would not impact any cultural resources. Additionally, a western alternative was developed and designed in order to vet all possibilities for the construction of the pedestrian bridge.

The west alternative Area of Potential Effect (APE) would construct a 12-foot wide multi-use trail and pedestrian bridge over the Chattahoochee River, connecting the cities of Roswell and Sandy Springs, Georgia. The trail would consist of two access points connected with Riverside Road on the north side of the river. One access point would be at Azalea Drive, and a second further to the west connecting with the existing multi-use trail system running parallel to the river. The trail would intersect SR 9 on the south side of the river, north of and across from Roberts Drive. The bridge would be a precast pre-stressed arch beam design, requiring 11 support piers, six of which would be within the Chattahoochee River. The trail and bridge would be constructed within existing SR 9 ROW and Riverside Park on the north side of the river and within the river. On the south side of the river the trail would require approximately 7,616 square feet (.17 acre) of additional ROW for construction. The trail and bridge would be approximately 1,212 feet (.23 mile) long.

The east alternative APE would also construct a 12-foot wide multi-use trail and pedestrian bridge over the Chattahoochee River, connecting the cities of Roswell and Sandy Springs, Georgia. The trail would connect with Riverside Road on the north side of the river, and Roberts Drive on the south side of the river. The bridge would be a precast pre-stresses arch beam design, requiring 13 support piers, six of which would be within the Chattahoochee River. The trail and bridge would be constructed within existing State Route (SR) 9 right-of-way (ROW) on the north side of the river and within the river. However approximately 740 square feet (.02 acre) of additional ROW and 8,122 square feet (.19 acre) of construction easement would be required from the south side of the river for construction. The trail and bridge would be approximately 1,092 feet (.21 mile) long. The east alignment is the locally preferred alternative.

The terrestrial survey area includes the APE for both alternatives, as described above, as well as an additional 100 foot (30.5 meter) expanded survey corridor (ESC), with the exception of that portion of the APE that lies directly adjacent to 9FU228, the Ivy Mill site. The site lies within the Vickery Creek Unit of CRNRA and is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criteria A and D. In consultation with GDOT and the NPS, the terrestrial survey along the boundary of the Ivy Mill site (9FU228) remained restricted to the existing ROW and did not include the full extent of the ESC.

The aquatic investigation survey area includes an APE and an ESC as well, with the APE defined as 50 meters west of the SR 9/Roswell Road bridge, and 215 meters east of the bridge, as well as approximately 90 meters from the mouth of Vickery Creek (also known as Big Creek) upstream to just past a recreational pedestrian bridge. The ESC extended the investigations on the Chattahoochee River an additional 100 feet both upstream and downstream of the APE. The archaeological survey results are in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended), and the Guidelines for the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1979 (as amended). Additionally, as a portion of the aquatic APE is located within the Vickery Creek Unit of the CRNRA, a Federal property, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA). Therefore, SEARCH obtained an ARPA permit prior to conducting their aquatic investigations (ARPA Permit No. CHAT 2015-01). Both the terrestrial survey and the aquatic investigations were completed in accordance with GDOT’s Environmental Procedures Manual, stipulations of the associated Task Order, and in consultation with GDOT archaeologist Heather Mustonen and Bethany Serafine and Paula Capece of the NPS Southeast Regional Office (SERO).

Prior to the commencement of fieldwork, a review of the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) and Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) database was completed. These data indicate that 17 previously recorded sites, and four previous surveys are within 1 kilometer of the survey area. Two sites fall within the ESC portion of the survey area, 9FU228 and 9FU284, and one site lies just east of the aquatic APE, 9FU4.

As a result of this survey, two previously recorded resources, 9FU228 and 9FU284, were investigated, and one new archaeological resource was recorded, 9FU633. Site 9FU228, as mentioned previously, is considered eligible for the NRHP under Criteria A and D. Only a very small portion of 9FU228 was investigated via the placement of 15-meter interval shovel tests. No cultural material was recovered and no cultural features were located at 9FU228. Despite this, the eligibility status of 9FU228 remains unchanged. Site 9FU284 was recorded as a small, late nineteenth to early twentieth century historic artifact scatter that was recommended ineligible for the NRHP. The current survey revealed that the site area is disturbed due to SR 9 road improvements, and no additional artifacts were recovered. Therefore, the initial ineligible recommendation for 9FU284 remains unchanged by these investigations. Site 9FU633 is a submerged stone footing associated with Dunwoody’s Bridge, a wooden bridge that was built sometime in the 1850s, was burned and re-built during the Civil War, and continued to be utilized until 1925 when it was replaced by a concrete bridge. The stone footing was recorded as a site, but it contains very little research potential, and is itself only a small portion of what was once a much larger historic bridge. As the bridge is well documented, and discussed in several publications, historic documentation would likely reveal more information about the bridge than additional archaeological investigations. Therefore, site 9FU633 is recommended ineligible for listing on the NRHP under Criterion D.