The City of Bridgeport will install sidewalk along a portion of Foster Creek Avenue. Notable pedestrian traffic uses this route at different times during the year, and this project will help with access and safety. The project includes installation of a sidewalk, curb, and gutter along the northeast side of Foster Creek Avenue from 26th Street to the Columbia River Bridge, and along the southwest side of Foster Creek Avenue from 26th Street to 27th Street; a total length of 0.18 mile. Final gutter and curb width will be 3.0 feet, and the sidewalks will be 6.0 feet wide, and excavations will reach a depth of 1.0 foot. A storm system will be installed on the western end of the project, and excavations in this area will reach a maximum depth of 4.0 feet. Guardrail will be installed at the bridge approach. This area if fill from the bridge construction and excavations for posts will reach a depth of 6.0 feet.
Pre-field research consisted of the review of known archaeological resources within a 1.0-mi (1.6 km) radius of the Project Area as inventoried at the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) in Olympia, Washington. This review was completed using DAHP’s secure electronic database known as the Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Data (WISAARD). The background revealed 13 previously recorded sites and two archaeological districts. While none of which fall within the Project Area, one Native American lithic scatter falls within 100 feet of the proposed undertaking.
The fieldwork was completed in a manner consistent with Washington State Senate Bill 5282 amending RCW 27.53.030, and included inspection techniques to identify both surface and subsurface archaeological resources. The pedestrian survey of the Foster Creek Sidewalk Project did not identify any new cultural materials or features; however, subsurface shovel probing resulted in the recording of a pre-contact isolate. The artifact is a stone pestle, designated 45DO1062. Shovel probes 10 m to the east and west of the artifact were negative. Given the isolate’s location between a paved walkway and the edge of the terrace leading down to the Columbia River, additional probes to the north and south were not possible. Isolated finds such as this indicate past use of a location or the area.
Location: Douglas County, Washington
