The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) heard you! Thanks to feedback from the Tribes and others involved with Tribal transportation issues the FHWA is forging a path towards a more effective and vibrant Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP).
The FHWA’s TTAP is a critical program for the Tribes that provides technical assistance and training to support transportation needs. Amy Lucero is the Chief Technical Services Officer who leads technology deployment, technical assistance, and training through the FHWA’s Resource Center, National Highway Institute, and Knowledge Management unit. She is also the acting Chief Innovation Officer. Both the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and TTAP were previously housed in the Office of Technical Services, and Amy and her staff are pleased to be working with the TTAP program again. Amy spoke at the recent Intertribal Transportation Association virtual meeting and stated that she is very much looking forward to getting to work with the Tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and all those involved with Tribal transportation as FHWA advances this important program.
Strategic improvements to the TTAP are planned following the Federal Register Notice and Request for Comments on the TTAP, which was published on August 21, 2020, at 85 FR 51838. “We are reviewing comments on the TTAP models presented in the notice including proposed alternatives,” says Amy. “Based on our early review, some of the common themes we’re seeing involve geographic challenges; unique transportation needs for individual Tribes; local knowledge of Tribal transportation issues; and, incorporating existing FHWA resources into the TTAP model.”
Amy is grateful for the feedback and asks for your support, collaboration, and patience as FHWA works to develop a plan that will build on the program’s successes, learns from past challenges, and focuses on new opportunities. “We want to see the TTAP succeed but we cannot do it without the partnerships and support from the Tribes. Everyone must be at the table.”
For more information on TTAP, LTAP, or the FHWA Center for Local Aid Support in the Office of Innovative Program Delivery, visit our website at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/clas/. You can also sign-up to receive electronic communications including the newsletter at this link.
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