Underwater, terrestrial, and intertidal core extractions at the Walk Bridge, Norwalk, CT: An alternative to traditional Phase I survey

Summary

The CTDOT Walk Bridge Replacement Project in Norwalk, Connecticut presented several challenges, making it unsuitable for a traditional Phase I archaeological survey. The urbanized Area of Potential Effect (APE) has been heavily industrialized since the mid-19th century. The pervasive ground disturbance, landmaking, and hazardous soil contamination that characterize the APE presented obstacles to typical survey methods such as hand-excavated shovel test pits. Documentary research identified several areas of potential archaeological sensitivity in the APE, including the possible location of a Late Woodland Native American fort. To overcome these obstacles and better assess the archaeological potential of sensitive portions of the APE, AHS chose to employ a testing strategy that combined terrestrial geoprobes, underwater vibracores, and intertidal push-cores. This sampling strategy allowed AHS to evaluate the presence of and/or potential for intact soils and subsurface cultural materials; to collect data to reconstruct local paleogeography and paleogeomorphology, evaluate depositional environments, and record changes in historic-period land use; and to provide recommendations for further investigations or mitigation based on an overall assessment of underground and underwater archaeological potential within the APE. Underwater, intertidal, and terrestrial core extractions provided AHS with cost-effective and information rich alternatives to traditional survey strategies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14862