Addendum Phase I Archaeological Survey for the SR 86 Overpass at I-16 Emergency Repair Project, Treutlen County, Georgia

On July 15, 2021 a tractor trailer struck the bridge at the State Route (SR) 86 overpass bridge on Interstate (I-)16 in Treutlen County, Georgia. A State of Emergency for Treutlen County was declared by Governor Brian Kemp on July 15, 2021 and all work associated with the emergency repairs (comprised of rapid removal/demolition and permanent reconstruction) is being conducted in accordance with Section 106 Programmatic Agreement between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and its corresponding Section 106 Cultural Resources Manual (PA) (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] 2019). The project was originally surveyed by GDOT in 2021 (Herritt and Mustonen 2021) in accordance with Stipulation VIII of the 2019 Programmatic Agreement for the Transportation Program in Georgia and Section 8 of its accompanying Cultural Resource Manual. Since the original survey, bridge reconstruction plans have begun and the Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) provided to Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP), extends beyond the previous survey requirements of Herritt and Mustonen (2021). The shifted superstructure spanning I-16 was removed/demolished during emergency repairs conducted shortly after it was damaged (Herritt and Mustonen 2021).

This emergency project, P.I. No. 0018218, proposes to remedy the disconnection of SR 86 due to the bridge impact event via bridge reconstruction on a raised vertical profile, starting 213.4 meters (m) (700 feet [ft]) north of and ending 243.8 m (800 ft) south of the I-16 centerline where it is overpassed by SR 86 (Figure 1). The project length is 762 m (2,500 ft). The existing typical section of SR 86 consists of two 36.6 m (12 ft) travel lanes, one in each direction, with 1.2 m (4 ft) shoulders (0.5 m [1.5 ft] paved, 0.8 m [2.5 ft] unpaved) and 2:1 foreslopes protected by existing 68.6-centimeter (cm) (27-inch [in]) guardrail with wooden posts. The existing right-of-way (ROW) averages 22.9 m (75 ft) offset from the centerline of the SR 86 roadway. The proposed typical section would consist of two 36.6 m (12 ft) travel lanes, one in each direction, with 1.8 m (6 ft) shoulders (0.6 m [2 ft] paved, 1.2 m [4 ft] unpaved) and reconstructed guardrail or concrete side barrier protection before tying in with existing 2:1 foreslopes. Existing pavements are to mill-and-overlayed where possible and all construction activity is to take place within the existing ROW, resulting in no required ROW.

Due to the nature of the impact event and the removal of the existing bridge facility, SR 86 detours are already in effect and will remain throughout construction. Bridge construction is to be completed under rolling closure procedures or temporary lane reductions during off-peak hours.