Environmental Division
Social & Cultural Office, Historic Preservation Section
James K. Polk Building, Suite 900
505 Deaderick St.
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0334
Phone: 615.253.2461
Fax: 615.741.1098
Martha Carver, Historic Preservation Program Manager
Section 4(f)
Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966 prohibits the Secretary of
Transportation from approving any project that requires the
“use” of a historic property unless there is no prudent and
feasible alternative to that use and unless the project includes
all possible planning to minimize harm to the historic resource.
Section 4(f) and Section 106 overlap in the documentation provided to the public. The consent of neither the State Historic Preservation Office nor the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is necessary for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to approve a Section 4(f) use, but FHWA considers comments from these agencies. Visit www.fhwa.dot.gov for additional information.
As a result of this stringent law, TDOT places great emphasis
on shifting project alignments to avoid the “use” of any
historic property. This includes actual right-of-way takes,
and under certain circumstances, temporary and permanent
easements.
