Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP) has completed fieldwork for the Phase [ archaeological survey for the proposed replacement of Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Bridge O 11-0004-0 on State Route (SR) 51 over the Hudson River in Banks County (PI No. 0015532). This survey was conducted for the GDOT under a contract with Atkins to locate and evaluate archaeological resources.
The proposed undertaking consists of replacing GDOT Bridge O 11-0004-0 on SR 51 over the Hudson River, located 0.4 kilometers (km) (0.25 miles [mi]) east of Homer, Georgia. 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 EP by project design engineers at Atkins. The ESB is approximately 0.78 km (0.48 mi) long and 122 meters (m) (400.3 feet [ft]) wide, and encompasses approximately 9.51 hectares (23.51 acres). The ESB is designed specifically to encompass all areas of possible and foreseeable ground disturbance resulting from the proposed project. When design is complete, the project's area of potential effect (APE) will likely be smaller than the ESB that was surveyed.
Prior to fieldwork, EP requested that staff at the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) at the University of Georgia in Athens conduct a review of their records. Additionally, EP reviewed Georgia's Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) online database. One previously recorded site was identified within the ESB, and four additional sites were identified within a I-km (0.62-mi) radius of the ESB. Additionally, one previously conducted archaeological survey intersects the ESB.
The objective of this archaeological survey is to locate archaeological resources within the ESB' and evaluate them in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Fieldwork for the Phase I survey was conducted by EP on June 26, 2019. While no new archaeological resources were identified during the survey, EP revisited one previously recorded site, 9BA48.
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