Phase I Archaeological Resources Survey of the I-16 Bridge Replacements over the Ocmulgee River Overflow, Bibb County, Georgia

In January of 2020, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) conducted a Phase I archaeological resources survey of the proposed Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) bridge replacements along I-16/State Route (SR) 404. The pair of bridges carry the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-16 over portion of the Ocmulgee River overflow located, approximately 2 miles (mi) (3.2 kilometers [km]) southeast of the city limits of Macon, Georgia. The existing bridges (Bridge ID # 021-0127-0 and Bridge ID # 021-0128-0) were constructed in 1967 and have been targeted for replacement. Since the project is in a preliminary concept phase, an Environment Survey Boundary (ESB) was surveyed in lieu of a defined Area of Potential Effects (APE). For the purpose of the current Phase I archaeological resources survey, the ESB was considered the limits of the survey area.

Prior to the start of fieldwork, background research was conducted through a review of Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS (GNAHRGIS) database. As a result of this research, eight previously recorded sites (9BI2, 9BI9, 9BI31, 9BI32, 9BI73, 9BI79, 9BI80, 9BI232) were identified within a 1-km radius of the project ESB, none of these sites are within the project ESB. The project ESB lies wholly within the Ocmulgee Old Fields Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) District. The Ocmulgee Old Fields TCP District is an approximately 14,000-acre tract of relatively undeveloped land located southeast of Macon which retains historical significance to the Muscogee (Creek) people and is viewed as their ancestral homeland. The property is defined as running from the northern boundary of the Ocmulgee National Monument National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-listed District, east and west of the Ocmulgee River, and south to the southern boundary of Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (Brockington 1999). The Ocmulgee Old Fields TCP District was determined to be eligible for listing as a district on the NRHP under Criterion A (as a Traditional Cultural Property of the Muscogee [Creek] and Seminole tribes), and Criterion D (for containing significant data associated with archaeological sites located within the TCP District). The property was identified as possessing a national level of significance within areas of history, prehistory, and archaeology. In particular, the Ocmulgee Old Fields TCP District derives its significance as an element of Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole traditional cultural history and landscape (Brockington 1999).

In January of 2020, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) conducted a Phase I archaeological resources survey of the proposed Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) bridge replacements along I-16/State Route (SR) 404. The pair of bridges carry the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-16 over portion of the Ocmulgee River overflow located, approximately 2 miles (mi) (3.2 kilometers [km]) southeast of the city limits of Macon, Georgia (Figures 1, and 2). The existing bridges (Bridge ID # 021-0127-0 and Bridge ID # 021-0128-0) were constructed in 1967 and have been targeted for replacement. The bridges will be replaced in their current location with no shift in I-16 alignment and utilizing a temporary bridge to maintain traffic flow during construction.

The Phase I archaeological survey was completed to assist GDOT in complying with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800). The survey was supervised by personnel qualified under the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards (36 CFR part 61 – Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation). The survey and report also adhered to the guidelines established by GDOT as outlined in the Environmental Procedures Manual dated 2012 and the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists (GCPA), Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Surveys dated April 2014.