Home News ACHP Endorses Florida Transportation Initiative to Improve Decisionmaking

For more information, contact Don Klima, dklima@achp.gov, or
Tom McCulloch, tmcculloch@achp.gov; (202) 606-8503

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has signed an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) to improve transportation decisionmaking within the State.

The agreement, signed by ACHP July 3, 2002, was developed by Florida DOT in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration. It sets forth principles that guide how Florida DOT will meet future transportation needs and State goals more efficiently.

Among other initiatives, the principles call for agencies to collaborate throughout project planning so that technical, environmental, policy, and program issues can be resolved in a predictable and timely manner. The principles also require agencies and stakeholders to use current technology to facilitate early and effective communication.

The agreement fulfills mandates set forth in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and in the National Memorandum of Understanding, which calls for environmental streamlining.

While developing the agreement, Florida DOT coordinated with several Federal and State agencies, including the Florida State Historic Preservation Officer, to ensure that the new approach is responsive to the full range of potential environmental impacts, including impacts to historic properties.

In addition to ACHP and the Federal Highway Administration, other Federal agencies that endorsed the agreement are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Transit Administration, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

ACHP, an independent Federal agency, serves as primary policy advisor to the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy and promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our Nation's historic resources. It oversees an administrative review process that requires Federal agencies to consider historic properties when planning projects. ACHP is headquartered in Washington, DC, with an office in Denver, Colorado.

About ACHP

FHWA's Historic Preservation Program

Posted July 29, 2002

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