Cultural Resources Program

Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, agencies like ODOT are required to identify and consider a transportation project’s impact on historic properties.

The Cultural Resources Program helps ensure that federally funded or permitted ODOT projects follow Section 106 and other state preservation laws by routinely consulting with a broad range of stakeholders, including the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the State Archaeologist, federally recognized Native American Tribes, members of the public, and a variety of other groups.

Historic properties are physical legacies of the history of Oklahoma and its people. Historic properties can include archaeological sites, historic buildings, structures, objects, and historic districts. Cultural resources can also include sacred sites, traditional cultural properties, and cemeteries/burial grounds.

ODOT’s Cultural Resources Program seeks to identify historic properties and places of cultural significance that may be impacted by ODOT projects and avoid or minimize those impacts to the greatest extent possible.