Home Working with Section 106 ACHP Case Digest

Spring 2005 Virginia: Modification of Broad Run Bridge, Prince William County

Agency: Federal Highway Administration

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) proposes to replace the deck of the southbound bridge crossing Broad Run on US 15/29 in Prince William County, Virginia. Under the plan, VDOT proposes to widen the bridge deck approximately 12 feet and replace the existing guardrail with a new rail that meets current safety standards.

US 15/29 and the bridge over Broad Run bisects the historic village of Buckland, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Buckland Historic District. The district, which dates to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, includes Buckland Farm, on which the well-kept Samuel Love House was built in 1774. Research suggests that the farm is one of Virginia’s earliest.

Buckland Historic District also includes a well-preserved village site comprised of 14 historic structures and buildings and about 20 archeological properties. The superintendent of nearby Manassas National Battlefield Park has determined that Buckland village is one of the most intact early communities in Virginia.

There are also important transportation aspects to the history of Buckland, as a stagecoach town and early (1823) turnpike known as “Buckland on the Pike.” The proposed project is also located within the Civil War battlefield of Buckland Mills.

A third property, the Broad Run Stone Bridge abutments, is eligible for the National Register. The abutments are not part of the current bridge structure, but remain in the banks of Broad Run near the US 15/29 bridge.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which is proposing to fund VDOT’s project, determined that the proposed undertaking will have “no adverse effect” on historic properties. The Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer and the Buckland Preservation Society objected to this finding, however.

In February 2005, FHWA invited the ACHP to participate in Section 106 consultation to resolve the disagreements among the consulting parties, which include the Manassas National Battlefield Park, the American Battlefield Protection Association, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Civil War Preservation Trust, the Piedmont Environmental Council, the Buckland Preservation Society, and Prince William County.

The next month, the ACHP met with the consulting parties at Buckland to learn more about the history of the site and the potential effects of the proposed project on historic properties.

As a follow up to the meeting, FHWA is planning to circulate a revised determination of effect among the consulting parties for review.

Because a number of other proposed projects in the surrounding area may affect the Buckland Historic District, many groups are concerned about the potential cumulative effect of development on this resource. The variety of consulting parties to the proposed project indicates an interest in preserving the Bucklands area as a historic site at the local, regional, and national levels.

Staff contact: Carol Legard

Posted June 9, 2005

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