Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
The Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Tribal Transportation, with support from the Federal Lands Highway (FLH) Research and Innovation Program and the DOT Volpe Center, is conducting a Transportation Planning in Tribal Communities Research Study. Existing studies that have surveyed Tribal transportation planners have recognized two challenges: 1) That existing planning tools do not always align with Tribal community context and transportation needs; and 2) That it is not always clear what benefits planning provides to transportation project selection and delivery in Tribal communities.
Therefore, the Transportation Planning in Tribal Communities Research Study seeks to align available planning analysis tools to serve Tribal community needs based on a range of contextual factors as well as quantify the benefits of planning analysis in the project selection and delivery processes. Additionally, this Study seeks to ensure that any findings will optimize Tribal Transportation Program funding decision-making in Tribal communities. The targeted audience for the Study is primarily Tribal transportation planning staff and, secondarily, FHWA’s Office of Tribal Transportation staff and other federal agencies and partners.
The goals of the Study are to analyze the transportation project development lifecycle (planning through design, construction, and maintenance) to understand which planning analysis tools best serve Tribal community transportation needs and to what effect. The specific Study goals are as follows—
- Align planning tools to specific Tribal planning needs;
- Ensure long-range transportation plans are implementable by Tribal staff; and
- Link planning phase to project design, construction, and maintenance.
To view more information about the Study please visit DOT FHWA’s website by clicking here. The Study is expected to be conducted over a three-year period from June 2020 to June 2023. To view the Project Overview, please click here. To learn more about the Study and how your Tribal transportation staff can participate, please contact the Program Manager, Cole Grisham at (202) 839-1409, or via email at nicholas.grisham@dot.gov.
For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.
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