Pase I Arch. Survey for Reconstruction of a Section of US460 Between Belevedere Dr. & Cane Run Rd.: Scott County, KY (State Item No. 7-344.00)-FRT 164

Introduction This proposal has been prepared in response to a request from staff of the KYTC for a proposal and cost estimate for conducting a Phase I archaeological survey for a proposed reconstruction of a segment of US Highway 460 between Belevedere Drive and Cane Run Road in Scott County, Kentucky. This investigation is intended to provide specific information concerning the nature and distribution of cultural resources within the project area, with particular attention paid to the potential impact to a previously reported site that may lie within the project boundaries. The reported site is part of the William Suggett Agricultural and Industrial District, reported to the Kentucky Heritage Council (KHC) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1988. The work that is proposed will include a review of the existing archaeological sites and an evaluation of the extant documentary and cartographic sources pertaining to the project area and its vicinity. This information will serve as the basis for the design and completion of a Phase I archaeological survey, using a combination of surface and subsurface investigative techniques. Description of Project Area The proposed project involves archaeological survey work along a section of relocated Right-of- Way (ROW) for US Highway 460 in Scott County, Kentucky. The relocated section is about 4,350 feet (1,326 meters) long and entails a shift in the ROW to the south of the existing roadway for distances up to about 130 feet. The project area also includes small areas of temporary construction easement that will be surveyed as well. The current roadway runs along the south bank of North Blkhom Creek for about half of the project length. A short bluffline currently forms the south/southeast ROW, and the reconstruction work will expand the ROW to include areas now on the crest of this low bluff The previously reported NR District is positioned near the northeast end of the project area on the crest of the bluff and on uplands continuing to the south and east (outside the proposed new RO~. A culture historical survey conducted by Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. (CRAI) earlier this year documented the current condition of structures that were contributing and noncontribut ing elements to the NR District. None of these structures will be impacted by the current project, but a section of rock fence that was also listed as a contributing element will be impacted. In addition, a portion of the NR District that was identified as an artifact scatter in the 1988 NIt nomination (also a contributing element to the District) may fall within the proposed new ROW area. The main goal of this survey is to determine if this archaeological scatter will be affected by the proposed work. If so, UK-PAR will obtain a sample of artifacts from this area, conduct appropriate analyses, and make recommendations regarding additional work. A second goal of the project is to relocate a cave that is also reported near the northeast end of the project area, and to investigate the archaeological potential of this cave if it lies within the proposed ROW. UK-PAR archaeologists will coordinate cave entry and work on the reported NR District with KYTC personnel and with the Kentucky Office of State Archaeology. Based on maps supplied by KYTC, the project area measures about 4,350 feet (1,326 meters) in length and is up to 130 feet (40 meters) wide, with Ml of the additional ROW lying south of the current roadway of UD 460. The western 1,800 feet (550 meters) of the proposed new ROW has been previously surveyed and will not be revisited. The current work will focus on conducting standard archaeological survey of the eastern approximately 60 percent of the project ROW, a distance of about 2,250 feet. At an average width of 130 feet, about 6.7 acres (2.7 ha) of new ROW will require survey. The maps supplied by KYTC and the calculated dimensions of the affected area are the basis for construction of the time and cost estimate presented below.