Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Bridge Replacement of SR 281 at Broad River, Madison County, Georgia.

The proposed project would replace a substandard bridge on State Route (SR) 281 over Broad River located approximately 8 miles north of Comer, Georgia. The existing bridge is insufficient due to the age of the structure and the posted weight restrictions. The existing Right of Way (ROW) is 50 to 75 feet on the west side of SR 281 and 50 to 125 feet on the east side of SR 281. The total project length would be approximately .11 mile. The proposed bridge length is approximately 396 feet and the proposed typical section consists of one 12-foot travel lane with a 6-foot outside shoulder in each direction. The width of the roadway will be 36 feet and the width of the bridge deck will be 39.25 feet including the barrier.

                There were no design plans at the time of survey, thus the survey area for the proposed project includes all areas within an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) provided to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Office of Environmental Services by GDOT design engineers (Figure 2). The ESB measures approximately 3,250 feet in length, 100 feet to 200 feet in width, and is designed specifically to encompass all areas of possible/foreseeable ground disturbance as a result of the current project. When design is complete, the project APE will likely be smaller than the ESB that is shown.

                A review of the online database GNAH RGIS revealed 7 sites within a kilometer radius of the ESB. In 1996, a Level 1 archaeological survey was conducted by GDOT for eleven bridges in a three county area (Entorf and Fleming 1996). The assessment was in advance of repainting the bridges. The project remained within preexisting bridge right-of-ways and located no previously identified archaeological resources, or new archaeological sites. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) conducted a reconnaissance-level archaeological survey across the Broad River Natural Area for the Wildlife Resources Division of the GADNR (Crass 2000). Crass identified 10 sites within the Broad River Natural Area Boundary. Of these sites, 7 are within a kilometer radius of the ESB, five of which are rock piles. The remains were low density lithic scatters in tests that were dug to a depth of 130 centimeters below the surface (Crass 2000). None of these sites intersect or border the ESB.