Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Project P.I. No. 0013603 in Newton County would replace the existing two-lane bridge on State Route (SR) 212 over Lake Jackson, approximately 13.9 miles south of Covington, Georgia. The new bridge would be constructed on new alignment, offset to the east of the current alignment so that existing horizontal curves on the approach to the bridge can be corrected with the proposed project. Traffic would be staged on-site using existing bridge structure. The proposed bridge would maintain two travel lanes, one in each direction. Constructing the bridge would require additional right-of-way (ROW) and easement areas, but the exact quantities are not known at this time. The existing ROW extends approximately 50 feet from the centerline of SR 212. The total project length is approximately .50 mile.
Because the project design for this project is under development, the Area of Potential Effect for this project is an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) provided to Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (E PEI) by Heath & Lineback Engineers, Inc. The ESB encompasses all areas needed to complete the design as well as a buffer to account for potential changes as design progresses. The width for this APE ranges from 130 meters at the northern and southern extents of the APE, to 156 meters in the middle section over Lake Jackson. The length of this APE is 760 meters.
There is one previously recorded site within a 1-kilometer radius of the ESB. Site 9NE1, a pre-contact lithic and pottery scatter, was recorded in 1940 by Thomas, Wauchope, and King (GASF
1940). The site lies to the west of the ESB on a small ridge overlooking Lake Jackson, approximately 60 meters from the western edge of the ESB. A total of 31 pottery sherds were recovered from the site, ranging from the Early Woodland period to the Lamar (Wauchope 1966). In addition to the pottery, two projectile points, one knife, and one scraper were also recovered from the site, along with lithic fragments and an antler awl.
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