Discoveries propel McArthur Lake project to award
Crews are pictured at work on the McArthur Lake Cultural Discovery project. Cultural discoveries found during an archeological excavation as part of a highway construction project received an award presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Courtesy photo
An aerial view of the McArthur Lake project, which received a national award from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials on Oct. 31.
A discovery of Native American artifacts during highway construction in northern Idaho has earned national recognition from America's leading transportation organization.
Jyl Wheaton of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and Idaho Transportation Department project manager CarrieAnn Hewitt received the award at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials annual meeting in Philadelphia. It was ITD's second AASHTO award that day, following recognition for the State Highway 21 Wildlife Overpass project east of Boise.
Wheaton served as lead archaeologist for the discoveries, which included hundreds of tribal artifacts now being cataloged for further study.
"These two AASHTO national awards for ITD again prove that our employees are fantastic," said ITD Chief Deputy and Chief Operations Officer Dan McElhinney. "The SH-21 Lucky Peak wildlife crossing is a great partnering example, and the U.S. 95 McArthur Lake Bridge showcased excellent tribal teamwork, to solve wildlife safety with cultural preservation success."
The AASHTO President's Transportation Awards represent the highest honor for state transportation departments.
The $11 million project in Boundary County rebuilt a two-lane section, widened shoulders and replaced a box culvert over Deep Creek, which flows into McArthur Lake. The new 300-foot span bridge allows for safe animal passage.
During excavation, workers discovered artifacts that predated known timeframes, pushing the earliest human existence in the upper Columbia River Basin back 4,000 years. The findings prompted a partnership between ITD, the Kootenai Tribe and contractors to preserve the area's indigenous history.
"The Idaho Transportation Department deserves a lot of credit for recognizing early on that this had the potential to change the history of the Kootenai Tribe and the history of the area as well," Wheaton said. She praised ITD for fostering "the spirit of inclusiveness that came to define this project."
"It has been a pleasure working with the Kootenai Tribe," Hewitt said. "In addition to keeping our project on schedule, I've developed a tremendous respect for the tribe and their willingness to work together."
An aerial view of the McArthur Lake project, which received a national award from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials on Oct. 31.