Historic Preservation
Burnside Bridge at Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland
(Google Earth)
Historic preservation has been a Federal concern since 1906 when the Antiquities Act provided for the protection of historic and prehistoric remains and monuments on Federal lands. Since that time, Congress has made historic preservation a responsibility of every Federal agency, enacting multiple laws that extend the consideration of our nation’s historic and archeological resources to properties beyond Federal lands and reflect the importance the American people attach to safeguarding and maintaining the places that embody our nation’s rich heritage.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides guidance and technical assistance to Federal, State, and local government staff regarding these Federal laws, as well as regulations, executive orders, policy, procedures, and training on topics related to historic preservation and cultural resources.
The Environmental Review Toolkit provides information geared to the Federal-aid highway program and its related projects. It includes guidance, recommendations, and successful practices to help address historic preservation/cultural resource issues during the transportation project planning and development process.
The Federal Highway Administration recently developed and released a tool to enhance practitioners’ awareness and understanding of requirements and best practices for implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Section 106 Tutorial. This learning tool contains easy-to-navigate modules for the Section 106 process’s key topic areas to ground new practitioners and refresh seasoned practitioners in Section 106 implementation.
