Archaeological find shouldn't delay Sound Transit project, officials say

The discovery of a significant Indian archaeological site where Sound Transit's light-rail line crosses the Duwamish River probably won't delay or disrupt construction, Sound Transit and the state archaeologist say.

"I wouldn't expect anything like that at this point, given what the professional archaeologists have found," Rob Whitlam, state archaeologist with the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, said yesterday.

"We're very confident of our ability to build our project on our timeline," said Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick.

Fire-cracked rocks, charcoal, stone tools, animal bones, shells and other artifacts that predate white settlement were uncovered near the Duwamish River in Tukwila last fall by Sound Transit archaeological consultants. Sound Transit plans to build a column on the site to support its elevated light-rail tracks.

Another government agency, the state Department of Transportation, abandoned a major construction project two months ago after a surprise archaeological find in Port Angeles. The department walked away from a dry-dock project there at the request of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe after workers uncovered an ancient tribal village. The state already had spent $58 million on the project.

Whitlam and James Irish, Sound Transit's light-rail environmental manager, said the Duwamish find differs from the Port Angeles discovery in several respects:

• The Duwamish site is much smaller.

• It was found before — not during — construction.

• No human remains have been unearthed.

• Affected tribes haven't asked Sound Transit to change its plans.

Sound Transit is building a 14-mile, $2.44 billion light-rail line from downtown Seattle to South 154th Street in Tukwila that is scheduled to open in 2009. Bids to build the segment that includes the Duwamish site were opened just last week.

Construction at the site isn't scheduled to start until June or July, Irish said. Before then, Sound Transit plans to spend $300,000 on more-intensive archaeological investigations.

The plan was developed in consultation with the Muckleshoot and Duwamish tribes, as well as the state Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Cecile Hansen, Duwamish tribal chairwoman, said yesterday the tribe doesn't want Sound Transit to postpone or reroute the line.

"We're not trying to stop any progress in the city that's going on," she said. "But I'm not going to say we won't do anything in the future."

Muckleshoot officials did not return calls yesterday. But, in a Jan. 11 letter, a tribal archaeologist raised only minor concerns with Sound Transit's plan for additional archaeological work at the site and did not ask for changes in the route or construction schedule.

"If they had any reason to think we had to stop, I'm sure we would have heard something," Irish said.

Whitlam said he understood all parties had signed off on Sound Transit's proposal.

Of the 900 artifacts excavated so far at the site, all but about 50 have been fire-cracked rocks, said Philippe LeTourneau, principal investigator for BOAS Inc., Sound Transit's archaeological consultant. Archaeologists also have found evidence of a hearth and a decomposed post, he said, but it's too soon to say whether the site was an open-air camp or a structure.

The artifacts could be anywhere from 200 to 2,000 years old, LeTourneau said. The property was farmed after white settlers arrived, he said, but the artifacts are deeper than plows reached. The site was never filled or excavated, and the river bank in the area is relatively stable.

"A site this well-preserved is very rare," he said.

The site is unlikely to contain human remains, BOAS President Astrida Blukis Onat said. It appears to have been a living area facing the river, she said, and graves usually are found in more out-of-the-way spots.

Eric Pryne: 206-464-2231 or epryne@seattletimes.com