PennDOT Wins 2017 American Cultural Resource Association Award for Public Outreach Regarding I-95 Archaeological Discoveries

PennDOT Wins 2017 American Cultural Resource Association Award for Public
Outreach Regarding I-95 Archaeological Discoveries

9/7/2017-KING OF PRUSSIA

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is the winner of
the
2017 American Cultural Resource Association industry award in the public
sector
for PennDOT's public outreach efforts regarding archaeological discoveries
made
during the Interstate 95 corridor reconstruction.

"A tremendous amount of coordination has gone into these outreach efforts
and
we are honored to receive this award," PennDOT District 6 Executive Kenneth
M.
McClain said. "PennDOT remains committed to informing the citizens of
Philadelphia and the archelogy community of these amazing discoveries."

The ACRA awards program recognizes private and public-sector clients of
ACRA
member firms for cultural resource management accomplishments. PennDOT's
accomplishments include DiggingI95.com, a website dedicated to educating
the
public on the artifacts found at the I-95 Girard Avenue Interchange (GIR)
construction sites, as well as several cultural exhibits showcasing the
artifacts. I-95 GIR is one of five major projects that are part of a
long-term
initiative to rebuild and improve the interstate in Pennsylvania.

To date, 10 prehistoric sites and more than a million artifacts have been
identified by AECOM, an engineering firm overseeing the I-95 project on
PennDOT's behalf. The firm is now in the process of analyzing the items
ranging
from the late 18th century through the early 20th century, including
drinking
glasses, figurines and various building foundations.

"A lot of people didn't think we were going to find anything," explained
Catherine Spohn, PennDOT's cultural resources professional who oversees the

implementation of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in
PennDOT District 6. "The impression was when I-95 was built, everything was

destroyed. But in reality, buildings were knocked down on the surface so
everything underneath was still there."

After being analyzed and catalogued, some of the artifacts may be sent to
The
State Museum of Pennsylvania but the plan is for a significant portion of
them
to stay in Philadelphia so they will be available for view to local
residents.

For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, those
made
possible by or accelerated by Act 89, or those on the department's Four and

Twelve Year Plans, visit www.projects.penndot.gov.

A list of weekly road restrictions and PennDOT maintenance operations in
the
five-county Philadelphia region is available by visiting the District 6
Traffic
Bulletin at www.penndot.gov/District6.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by
visiting
www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides
traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and
access
to more than 825 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and
Android
devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts
accessible
on the 511PA website.

For more PennDOT information, visit www.penndot.gov. Follow local PennDOT
information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAPhilly, and follow the
department on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentoftransportation and Instagram at
www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot.

To view a complete list of District 6 News Releases: Click
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