20210554 Ver 1_B-5717 No Archaeological Survey Required Form_20220128

Project Tracking No.:
“No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007/2015 Programmatic Agreement.
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16-01-0126

NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED FORM
This form only pertains to ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES for this project. It is not
valid for Historic Architecture and Landscapes. You must consult separately with the
Historic Architecture and Landscapes Group.

PROJECT INFORMATION

Project No: B-5717 (UPDATE) County: Guilford
WBS No: 45673.1.2 Document: MCC
F.A. No: N/A Funding: State Federal
Federal Permit Required? Yes No Permit Type: USACE (not specified)

Project Description: The NCDOT proposes to replace Bridge No. 121 on SR 4240 (Westbound Lane)
(E. Lee Street) over South Buffalo Creek in the City of Greensboro, Guilford County. Bridge No. 121
was built in 1964 and is considered to be structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. This project
now includes the r eplacement of Bridge No. 109 on SR 4240 (Eastbound Lane) (E. Lee Street) over South
Buffalo Creek. The Proposed Study Area for the project will be centered on both bridges and now
measures about 1,938 feet in length and about 250 feet in width with a bump-out along SR 3140 (Cedar
Park Road). Overall, the new Study Area will encompass about 12.06 acres, inclusive of the existing
roadways and structures to be replaced. An updated Study Area has been submitted for review. This PA
form shall serve as an addendum to the original PA forms completed in February 2016 and August 2016.

SUMMARY OF CULTURAL RESOURCES REVIEW

Brief description of review activities, results of review, and conclusions:

A map review and site file search were originally conducted at the Office of State Archaeology (OSA) on
Tuesday, February 2, 2016. Based on the information compiled at that time, an additional review and file
search at OSA was not necessary. As a result of the original review, an archaeological survey was
recommended and conducted for this project. Although one (1) unassessed archaeological site (31GF24)
had been recorded in the Northwest Quadrant of the proposed project, no evidence of that particular site
was recorded during the course of the archaeological survey. No additional archaeological sites ha ve
been recorded within one (1) mile of the proposed project since the initial review and survey. Digital
copies of HPO’s maps (McLeansville Quadrangle) as well as the HPOWEB GIS Service
(http://gis.ncdcr.gov/hpoweb/) were reviewed once more on Monday, April 8, 2019. There are no known
historic architectural resources located within the expanded Study Area for which intact archaeological
deposits would be anticipated within the footprint of the proposed project. In addition, topographic maps,
historic maps (NCMaps website), USDA soil survey maps, and aerial photographs were utilized and
inspected to gauge environmental factors that may have contributed to historic or prehistoric settlement
within the project limits, and to assess the level of modern, slope, agricultural, hydrological, and other
erosive-type disturbances within and surrounding the new Study Ar ea .

Brief Explanation of why the available information provides a reliable basis for reasonably predicting
that there are no unidentified historic properties in the APE:

This is now a State-funded project that will require a Federal permit; it was initially a federally-funded
project. Temporary and/or permanent easements should not be needed, but the need for additional ROW
was not conveyed as part of the new request for review. However, the dimensions of the new Study Area
Project Tracking No.:
“No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007/2015 Programmatic Agreement.
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16-01-0126

will capture any ground-disturbing activities beyond NCDOT’s existing ROW. At this time, we are in
compliance with NC GS 121-12a, since there are no eligible (i.e. National Register -listed) archaeological
resources located within the project’s new Study Area that would require our attention. From an
environmental perspective, the new Study Area is still located in an industrial section of Greensboro off
of I-85 Business, straddles the floodplain of South Buffalo Creek, and is composed of Wehadkee silt loam
(Wh) and Pits (Pt), a classification for areas where the original soil material has been removed or altered
beyond recognition. In addition to the highly disturbed quality of the Pits (Pt) soil type, the poorly
drained conditions of Wehadkee silt loam (Wh) would not be considered favorable for containing intact
archaeological materials. A portion of the expanded Study Area now consists of Enon fine sandy loa m,
6-10% slopes (EnC); however, a reconnaissance of the project area during the survey two years revealed a
significant amount of disturbance and erosion within this area, as a result of the construction of Gateway
Research Park. The entire Study Area still consists of poorly drained and highly disturbed soils.
Preservation of archaeological materials within such soil types is likely to be poor. As noted in the
August 2016 PA form, no artifactual evidence or stratigraphic evidence of Site 31GF24 was recovered or
observed in the field. The Office of State Archaeology (OSA) has reviewed several projects within the
vicinity of new Study Area for environmental compliance, including cell tower locations (CTs 01-0599
and 01-0600), residential development (ER 02-11141), improvements at the NC A&T State Farm (ER 02-
9014), and transportation improvements (ER 03-2900). Citing a low probability for intact archaeological
resources to be impacted by the proposed projects, OSA did not recommend an a rchaeological survey for
any of these projects. Within five (5) miles of the Study Area, NCDOT’s Archaeology Group has
reviewed at least twenty (20) transportation-related projects for environmental compliance under the
Programmatic Agreement (PA) with the State Historic Preservation Office (NC -HPO), including this very
project. An archaeological survey was recommended and conducted for only one (1) of thes e projects,
based on the presence of favorable topography and soil conditions crossed by various new location
corridors. Only one (1) historic cemetery was documented as a result of that survey. Based on the nature
of the proposed project, current soil conditions, and previous survey and review work, it is believed that
the newly expanded Study Area, as depicted, is unlikely to contain intact and significant archaeological
resources. No archaeological sur vey is required for this project. If design plans change or are made
available prior to construction, then additional consultation regarding archaeology will be required. At
this time, no further archaeological work is recommended. If archaeological materials are uncovered
during project activities, then such resources will be dealt with according to the procedures set forth for
“unanticipated discoveries,” to include notification of NCDOT’s Archaeology Group.

**This project falls within a North Carolina County in which the following federally recognized Tribe(s)
has expressed an interest: Catawba Indian Nation. It is recommended that you contact each federal
agency involved with your project to determine their Section 106 Tribal consultation requirements.
Please know that the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, a State-recognized tribe, has also expressed
interest in activities within this county.

SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION
See attached: Map(s) Previous Survey Info Photos Correspondence
Photocopy of County Survey Notes Other:

Project Tracking No.:
“No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007/2015 Programmatic Agreement.
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FINDING BY NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST
NO ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED

April 8, 2019
NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST Date

Figure 1: McLeansville, NC (USGS 1952 [PR68]).
RED = Original Study Area
NAVY = Updated Study Area
S o u t h B u f f a l o C r e e k
South Buffalo CreekWh
Pt
W
EnC
MhC2
WkC
WkE
WkC
WkE
EnB
E LEE ST
CEDAR PARK RD
ON RAMP I85S\40W
E LEE ST
Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community
RESUBMITTALTIP# B-5717 (PA 16-01-0126)Replace Bridge No. 121 and Bridge No. 109 onSR 4240 (E. Lee Street)over South Buffalo CreekGuilford County, NC
Expanded Study Area
Original Study Area
Named_streams
HYARUT
mapfldhazar
NCHPOpoints
Local_District_Boundaries
NCHPO_NR_SL_DOE_Boundaries
GF Cemetery
Streets
Soils_All
Guilford_2014Parcels
¹
0 140 280 420 56070Feet