Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, a Mead & Hunt company, provided cultural resource investigations and environmental compliance support for the Southeast High-Speed Rail (SEHSR) program, a passenger rail corridor extending more than 200 miles from the Potomac River through Virginia to Raleigh, North Carolina. Supporting major rail improvements, new rail alignments, roadways, bridges, and tunnels, the team completed extensive archaeological and historic resource evaluations while coordinating regulatory approvals across multiple state and federal agencies.
We conducted Phase I and II archaeological investigations, historic architecture surveys, GIS-based cultural resource mapping, archival research, and technical reporting for the corridor. Our team documented more than 200 archaeological sites and 5,000 architectural properties, evaluated over 200 properties for National Register eligibility, completed archaeological testing at two dozen sites, and developed more than 300 chains of title.
The analysis required extensive coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Highway Administration, state historic preservation offices, transportation agencies, local governments, and community stakeholders. Dovetail authored Memoranda of Agreement to resolve project impacts and developed mitigation measures including National Register nominations, archaeological data recovery, interpretive exhibits, educational materials, trail planning, museum displays, and public outreach initiatives, helping advance project delivery while preserving important cultural resources.
