Last year, Caltrans began a construction project in the Owens Valley, just east of the Sierra Mountains. It runs along a stretch of Highway 395. However, shortly after construction began, Caltrans unearthed human skeletons, along with many more Native American artifacts.
What You Need To Know
- The $70 million project will connect two four-lane sections of Highway 395
- Native American monitors support the improvement of the freeway but want it to be diverted so as not to disturb the burial ground
- Development of freeways and other construction has imposed on Native burial grounds and sacred sites before
- Both the Native advocates and Caltrans are bracing for a showdown over the project
Los Angeles Times' Louis Sahagún wrote about the fight between infrastructure, progress and the right to preserve historical grounds. He joined host Lisa McRee on "LA Times Today."
The $70 million project will connect two four-lane sections of Highway 395. Sahagún explained that the area was also originally home to villages of Native Americans, and the construction has encountered several skeletons.
Native American monitors support the improvement of the freeway but want it to be diverted so as not to disturb the burial ground.
"This first came up in 1997," Sahagún said. "This is a project that is meant to increase safety for them and for anyone who uses that dangerous ground. But the project has been ongoing and not to their satisfaction."
Development of freeways and other construction has impeded on Native burial grounds and sacred sites before.
"The San Diego Freeway ran into some issues," Sahagún said. "The big one I remember vividly was the $1 billion Genesis Solar project in the Mojave Desert, which was pushed hard aggressively by President Obama. And they ran into some grave sites in the Mojave Desert, and Native Americans pleaded with the Obama administration, 'Please, please wait. At least slow down, please.' They didn't."
Both the Native advocates and Caltrans are bracing for a showdown over the project.
"Caltrans has expressed a desire to deal with the concerns and get this job done," Sahagún said. "But the Native Americans want nothing less at this point than to have them, 40% of the way through this project, curve the design of the road to make it go more than a half a mile to a mile away from this grave site. This is an enormous demand expectation for a $70 million road improvement project. So a lot of negotiations are ahead."
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