Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Bridge Replacement State Route 137 Over Oochee Creek Marion County, Georgia

In January 2002, SITE, Inc. conducted a Phase I survey of the proposed replacement of the State Route 137 bridge over Oochee Creek in Marion County, Georgia. The project corridor is approximately 0.63 km (0.38 mi) long and 30 meters (100 ft) wide. The project corridor begins approximately 275 meters (900 ft) southwest of the creek, extends across Oochee Creek and ends approximately 305 meters (1,000 ft) northeast of the creek. This survey was conducted for the LPA Group, Inc. by personnel qualified under 36 CFR Part 61 (Appendix A) in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and 36 CFR Part 800. These investigations followed procedures defined in the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Plan Development Process and comply with the requirements of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division. Project activities included historical background research, archaeological field survey and evaluation of all archaeological resources within the project corridor. No historic resources are located in or near the project corridor. Background research identified no previously recorded archaeological sites within the project corridor. One multi-component site (9-Mr-3) is located within a 0.8 km (0.5 mi) radius of the project corridor. The archaeological field survey identified no unrecorded sites. Based on results of these investigations, the proposed replacement of the State Route 137 bridge over Oochee Creek would not affect significant archaeological resources. No additional archaeological investigations are recommended.