Following the completion of its 2022 Wildlife Corridors Action Plan, which identifies projects for reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) proceeded to plan and design the state’s first wildlife overpass over U.S. Highway 550, north of the village of Cuba. As part of ongoing cultural resources support for the agency, Barr was tasked with completing a Phase I cultural resource survey to identify and evaluate potential impacts to cultural resources within the project area.
Barr’s cultural resources team conducted a survey of an 8.1-mile segment of U.S. Highway 550 that provided up-to-date information on 21 previously recorded archaeological sites and four previously recorded historic cultural properties. We also discovered and recorded two new archaeological sites.
Barr’s survey data will be used to streamline the process of assessing potential impacts to cultural resources within the wildlife-crossing project area. It will also help NMDOT mitigate any adverse impacts on cultural resources and outline necessary actions for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
