A Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed County Road (CR) 49/Excelsior Church Road Bridge Replacement Over Ten Mile Creek, Candler County, Georgia

In November and December 2018, VHB completed a Phase I archaeological resources survey in support of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) proposal to replace the bridge carrying CR 49/Excelsior Church Road over Ten Mile Creek in Candler County, Georgia (Figures 1 and 2). The bridge (Bridge ID # 043-5007-0) is part of GDOT’s Low Impact Bridge Program (LIBP) which has been developed to provide expedited project delivery for bridge replacement projects with minimal anticipated impediments. To qualify for this program, a potential bridge replacement will require minimal permits, minimal right-of-way (ROW), minor utility impacts, no Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordination, no on-site detour, and meet other low-impact characteristics as defined in GDOT’s Low Impact Bridge Program Manual (2018). The existing girder bridge was constructed in 1968 and underwent rehabilitation in 2002. It has been targeted for replacement due to structural deficiencies. The existing Right-of-Way (ROW) is 40 feet (ft) (12.19 meters [m]) along either side of the CR 49/Excelsior Church Road centerline, or 80 ft (24.38 m) in total width. 

The Phase I archaeological survey was completed to assist GDOT in complying with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800). The survey was conducted 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, Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Surveys dated April 2014.