Exit 3 is on the interstate highway system and was funded with federal money, which makes it subject to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) oversight and federal regulations.

That means the Exit 3 project was subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires federal agencies to take into account the effect any major undertaking would have on historic properties.

The DOT and FHWA determined the land was culturally significant to three federally recognized tribes — Stockbridge-Munsee, St. Regis Mohawk and Delaware, all of whom had ancestral connections to the area�— and began negotiating a deal to allow the project to move ahead.

By 2014, Stockbridge-Munsee and St. Regis Mohawk representatives entered into an agreement with the state and federal transportation agencies. It called for the state to excavate the property for artifacts and consider displaying Native American imagery on the overpass.

The parties all met together to discuss their options in 2016. By the end of the meeting, they reached consensus: The murals would be displayed on the overpass' "wing walls," which are the retaining walls on either side of the structure.

"Based on the results of this consultation, the NYSDOT is hereby committing to the Stockbridge Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians to include the aesthetic treatment that will reference the Native-American heritage and culture on the flyover wing walls as part of the project," DOT Regional Director Sam Zhou wrote in an Oct. 7, 2016�letter