Archaeological Survey for the Proposed SR 1/US 27 from Veterans Highway to Old Dalton Road Improvements Floyd County, Georgia

Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. (SAS) conducted an intensive archeological survey for proposed improvements of SR 1/US 27 in Floyd County, Georgia. The performance of the contract was conducted through the HNTB Corporation, an engineering firm contracted with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). The Area of Potential Effect (APE), or project area, includes both sides of the road, extending generally 30 m from the centerline of the existing road alignment. The new proposed right-of-way (ROW) adds approximately 10 m to the existing ROW on both sides of the road. The project location is on the perimeter of the Rome city limits and along the eastern side of Berry College. It extends from the SR I loop (Veterans Highway) on the southern end to Dalton Road on the northern end, covering approximately 3 km (1.8 mi) in length. The project will improve the existing four-lane highway.

The archeological survey project recorded seven archeological sites and two archeological occurrences (Table 1 ). The limits of two sites were firmly established and were recommended ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) because of poor preservation and limited research potential. The boundaries of the remaining five sites extend beyond the buffered project area limits and therefore retain unknown NRHP eligibility statuses. The portions of these five sites that lie within the APE were determined to be unable to contribute to their overall NRHP eligibility. Thus, proposed ground-disturbing activities associated with the proposed SR 1/US 27 improvements will not affect significant archeological resources. Therefore, it is the opinion of the principal investigator that the proposed project will not adversely affect any significant (i.e., eligible to the National Register) archeological resources and should be given clearance to proceed.