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Agency
Texas Historical Commission
Abstract
On October 11, 2018, TxDOT conducted an intensive archeological survey for the proposed to Arroyo Roma Driveway project. The project consists of an access drive for the channelized Arroyo Roma Drainage facility in the City of Roma, Starr County, Texas. A small parcel of new ROW is proposed for the project. Given the limited ground disturbing impacts with maximum depth of impact of 18 inches the project is
A 100 percent pedestrian survey and backhoe scraping was conducted at the survey area of the proposed near the Roma Cemetery. The pedestrian survey noted significant ground disturbing impacts from prior grading and road construction of US 83. Two trenches long were scraped reaching a maximum depth of approximately six feet. Below the disturbed surface soils, intact Holocene sediments provided a good indicator of excavation disturbance such as grave shafts and none were noted. No cultural materials, features, funerary items, or remains were observed during the backhoe scraping. As such, any possible unmarked graves associated with the cemetery do not extend into the existing ROW and no further work is recommended.
A TxDOT archeologist evaluated the potential for the proposed undertaking to affect archeological historic properties (36 CFR 800.16(l)) or State Antiquities Landmarks (13 TAC 26.12) as well as any unmarked graves associated with the adjacent Roma Cemetery (13TAC 22 and Health and Safety Code Chapters 711 and 712) or the proposed FM 3338 roadway improvement project. Based on the pedestrian survey and gradall scraping of the APE, no archeological sites, archeological materials, grave shafts, human remains, or funerary materials were observed in the proposed project area. In addition, the majority of the APE had been substantively impacted by prior transportation construction and utilities. Based on these observed impacts and the results of the survey, any sites in the APE would likely lack sufficient integrity of location, association, and materials to be able to address important questions of prehistory or history (36CFR60.4 and would not be considered eligible for listing to the NRHP (36 CFR 60.4) or for designation as a SAL (13 TAC 26.8) and no further work is warranted for the project area.
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