US Route 301 Corridor Study

New Castle County, Delaware

 

For the past decade, Dovetail has been completing cultural resource studies, public outreach, and project coordination for the US Route 301 corridor on behalf of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). This project involves the creation of a new roadway and associated spur road through central Delaware.

Dovetail’s technical cultural resource responsibilities to date have included:

  • Intensive archival research
  • Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III archaeological studies based on a predictive model
  • Architectural analysis
  • Geographic Information System (GIS) field data collection
  • Production of cultural resource GIS layers, technical report production, resource documentation forms, and project coordination with involved local, state, and federal agencies
  • Completion of DelDOT public brochure
  • Design and crafting of both traveling and permanent artifact exhibits as well as a StoryMap

Research has spanned a variety of topics, from Woodland period precontact campsites to early-twentieth-century dwellings. In addition to conducting the archival documentation, fieldwork, laboratory analysis/curation, report production, and agency completion, Dovetail has also worked with DelDOT, the Archaeological Society of Delaware (ASD), and the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office (DE SHPO) to assure that the results are disseminated to the public. This includes preparation of five volumes of The Bulletin, the journal of the Archaeological Society of Delaware; presentation of the project results at numerous local, state, and national conferences; and the creation of museum displays to showcase notable finds in public venues, as well as the production of pamphlets and handouts on the undertaking. A GIS StoryMap will help to share this incredible data with a global audience.

This extensive linear project required coordination with a number of involved parties, including:

  • DelDOT
  • DE SHPO
  • ASD
  • Maryland Historical Trust
  • Maryland State Highway Administration
  • Eastern Shore Natural Gas
  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  • Various consulting firms
  • Numerous communities, individuals, and agencies with a vested interest in this corridor