Cultural Resources Protection
Maryland has long been a cultural crossroads. For at least 12,000 years people have left traces of their existence in the form of settlements, roads and artifacts. The physical remains of our past are known as cultural resources and reveal how Native Americans, European Americans, and African Americans, among others, used Maryland's diverse landscape.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) avoids, minimizes, and mitigates damage to above- and below-ground resources in consultation with the Maryland Historical Trust. A balance must be maintained between preserving our heritage and maintaining our transportation system. Each year, MDOT SHA constructs hundreds of projects that range from sign installation, to bridge replacement, to new highway construction. In accordance with federal laws, our cultural resources team of architectural historians and archaeologists evaluate proposed construction impacts on buildings, historic districts, roadway structures, and archaeological sites.
The Cultural Crossroads brochure provides an overview of MDOT SHA's commitment to the preservation of Maryland's significant archaeology sites, buildings and bridges. View the Cultural Crossroads pamphlet online or download a printable version.
Programmatic Agreement and Minor Projects
MDOT SHA reviews numerous projects with limited potential to affect historic resources each year.
As part of MDOT SHA’s responsibility to consider historic and cultural resources in our actions, MDOT SHA amended its Programmatic Agreement (PA) for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) in 2021. This current version of the PA continues to delegate authority from FHWA to MDOT SHA and provides for streamlined review procedures for minor projects, and other actions with limited potential to affect historic resources. Additionally, FHWA-funded local agency programs administered by MDOT SHA and reviews for MDTA actions are included in the PA.
As part of the PA, MDOT SHA makes a report of these minor project reviews available quarterly. To receive these reports, email CulturalResources@mdot.maryland.gov.