Kentuckians can now search federally funded transportation projects online in an effort to ensure those projects don’t negatively affect historic resources. Kentucky Heritage Council spokeswoman Diane Comer says the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet made the list available for individuals and preservation groups who might want to be a consulting party on projects that could harm historic resources.
“We’re talking archaeology sites,” she says. “You know it could be a house that’s in the National Register. It could be a whole neighborhood, a historic district or downtown. We’re talking buildings, barns, bridges, things that are listed in the National Register.
Comer says Kentuckians could request to become a consulting party for many years but this is the first time federally funded transportation projects are searchable online thanks to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
“If you live on a farm, maybe your farm’s in the National Register. It’s a very old family farm, there’s a big old farmhouse,” she says. “And the Transportation Cabinet is proposing to do a new bridge or a new road or something close to your house. You don’t want that to happen and you’re mad about it what can I do. Well then there would be an opportunity for you to perhaps sign on as a consulting party.”
The consulting process is in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act as a way to identify federally funded projects that could harm historic areas. More information about requesting to become a consulting party can be found here.