The final segment of the upgrading of Trunk Highway 55 (T.H.55) is scheduled for letting in the Spring of 1999. This segment begins immediately South of East 46th Street on Hiawatha Avenue and heads generally south east on new alignment to just south west of Minuteman and Militia Drives near the airport (Figure 1). Segments of the project have been under construction since the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was completed and accepted in 1985 and a Record of Decision was issued. Prior to the Record of Decision, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) specifying agreed upon measures for mitigating impacts to cultural resources was completed with the final signature obtained on April 16, 1984. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has been implementing the terms of the agreement as the segments of the highway have been constructed.
The purpose of this report is to review the existing information concerning potential historic properties affected by the T.H. 55 project corridor and to provide answers to the following questions:
-Has sufficient information been gathered to determine whether or not archaeological resources or human burials exist within the proposed right-of-way?
-What is the likelihood that the four bur oaks located on centerline of the proposed relocation immediately south of station 3+200 mark the location of a sacred Dakota burial site or potential Traditional Cultural Property?
In response to concerns that the proposed project may affect the nearby spring at Camp Coldwater, which is already considered a contributing element for the Fort Snelling Historic District, this report also includes an investigation of the spring's potential as a Traditional Cultural Property.
