Contact Us

Address: 668 N. Riverpoint Blvd., Rm 384 Spokane, WA 99202-1660 Phone: 509.828.1411 Email: msiedenburg@ewu.edu Online: www.ewu.edu/nwttap

Blog: www.sites.ewu.edu/nwttap/

Northwest TTAP Mission Statement:

The mission of the NW TTAP is to work with tribal organizations and partners to enhance transporta-tion safety, mobility, and capacity of tribes in the

region through education and training.

In This Issue

Director’s Update

Road Life Cycle Workshop

FAST Act and Tribal Transportation

FY15 TTP Safety Fund Award Announcement

Road Safety Audit At the Lummi Nation

2016 TGM Planning Grant Application Packet

FAST Act—New Provision in Tribal Transportation

Safety

Washington TTPO Meeting - March 3, 2016

Review of Tech Brief: Safety Evaluation of Wet-

Reflective Pavement Markings

2016 Transportation Research Board Meeting

TRB Annual Meeting Transportation Research Record:

Call for Papers

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Best Practices for

Indian Reservations

US DOT announces steep increase in road-way deaths

base on 2015 early estimates

Upcoming Webinars

Recent Publications & Research

Northwest Tribal Transportation E-News Volume 24 Issue 1

Northwest Tribal Technical Assistance Program

Serving Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Western Montana

2

Director’s Update –Rowena Yeahquo

The NW TTAP has been busy preparing for the Annual Summer Institute in Tribal Planning hosted by the NW Tribal Technical Assistance Program & EWU Tribal Planning Programs. This summer we will be offering a 3-part series with one week of coursework in each month of June, July and August. Each workshop will start on Monday and end at noon on Friday.

Road Life Cycle Workshop – June 13 – 17, 2016

The Summer Institute started with this informative workshop which covered the complete process of setting up and operating all aspects of a tribal roads program. The workshop was designed by Kurt Fredenberg, BIA NW Region Director with presentations from Kyle Kitchel, and Danny Capri, FHWA-HFL and Dan Lozar, Con-federated Salish & Kootenai Tribes. The Road Life Cycle workshop contained innovative presentations that showed the development of a road in a tribal transportation department.

Tribal Planning – July 11-15, 2016

This workshop will describe the history, structures and powers of tribal government within tribal sovereignty for tribal planning. It will include an overview of land use planning based on a Tribal Comprehensive Plan that covers the natural environment, land use, housing and community facilities, economic development, and transportation as elements of the plan, in addition to Tribal specific elements. Instructors Margo Hill (EWU), Kyle Kitchel (FHWA-HFL), Dr. Winchell (EWU), and Mike Marchand (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Res-ervation), will be joined by local tribal planners.

GIS for Tribal Planning, Transportation and Traffic Safety

This workshop will cover the fundamentals of Geographical Information Systems for spatial data collection, mapping, and spatial analysis of data for planning, transportation planning and traffic safety. ESRI ARC-GIS software will be utilized in computer-lab based instruction, along with data collection APPs, tutorials and lec-tures to serve beginning students and those with advanced skill. EWU’s Dr. Kerry Brooks will be joined by Byron Bluehorse, Alaska TTAP Director, and Adam Larsen, FHWA-HFL as course instructors.

The NW TTAP/EWU Summer Tribal Planning Institute has been well known for delivering a quality training opportunity with instructors that are experts in their fields. Each workshop is $200 or you can take all three workshops for $500. Enroll early, space is limited.

We invite all tribal transportation personnel, county and state personnel, and any interested parties working with tribes and desire a better understanding of tribal planning to take advantage of this opportunity. Please go to our website for information and registration, https://www.ewu.edu/nwttap/training/summer-institute.

The 28th Annual Summer Institute in Tribal Planning

Northwest Tribal Technical Assistance Program

Serving Tribes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho & Western Montana

3

Road Life Cycle Workshop

Was held June 13-17,2016

This was the first time an in depth workshop

on all aspects of the road life cycle has

been offered. The Northwest Tribal Tech-

nical Assistance Program (TTAP) Advisory

Board with representatives from the BIA,

FHWA, and Tribes, felt there was a need

for this type of training based on the NW

TTAP annual assessment survey. With the

Advisory Board’s input we developed a

comprehensive approach to identifying,

planning and construction of reservation

roads from beginning to end. This unique workshop was the first workshop in a 3-part series of the Tribal

Planning Summer Institute at Eastern Washington Spokane campus this summer. The Road Life Cycle

showed the development aspects of a road in a tribal transportation department. The workshop covered

how the Planning and the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) of the roads program is the basic foun-

dation of developing the Tribal Improvement Program (TIP). This course started with the beginning of road

identification, getting the road into the tribal road inventory, through design, reporting requirements, con-

tracting, and construction to close out. This is an essential workshop for the new transportation planner,

yet beneficial for the experienced planner, consultants, or local officials working with tribal road construc-

tion. The instructors will be Kurt Fredenberg, NW Region BIA, Kyle Kitchel and Danny Capri, FHWA-HFL

and Dan Lozar, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes.

The LEARNING OBJECTIVES WERE:

1. To make a more informed and stronger tribal department of transportation.

2. To obtain resources for application and implementation of all aspects of road planning, design, con-

struction and monitoring.

3. To have direct interaction with tribal transportation staff and gain information on tribal specific projects.

This was a 4 day workshop held at the EWU Spokane Campus, SEWC Bldg., 3rd Floor Planning studio.

Tribal Planning Process and Practices workshop will be held July 11-15, 2016 and GIS for Tribal Planning,

Transportation and Traffic Safety will be help August 8-12, 2016. The registration for each of these work-

shops is $200/person.

Go to https://www.ewu.edu/nwttap/training/summer-institute website for more information or call Michele

Siedenburg at 509-828-1411.

4

Five Year Transportation Bill

Sources BIA & FHWA Tribal Transportation Program (TTP)

On December 4, 2015 the president signed a five-year, $305 billion highway bill, “Fixing America’s Surface

Transportation Act” (FAST Act). A number of provisions for Indian Tribes were included in the legislation.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Position Created

Transportation Secretary Foxx appointed Kenneth Martin as DOT’s first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tribal Government Affairs. Martin is a member of Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

Foxx stated “Mr. Martin brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will wholly support the Pres-ident’s call to strengthen the government-to-government relationship between the United States and tribal governments”.

TRIBAL IMPACT

The FAST Act largely keeps the existing statutory structure of the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) and Tribal Transit Program intact, but provides for significant increases in funding over the life of the bill.

The legislation:

Increases funding for the TTP by $175 million over the 5-yr term above MAP-21 levels and in-

creases funding for the Tribal Transit Program by $25 million;

Creates a new Tribal Self-Governance program for the USDOT;

Reduces the Project Management and Oversight (PM&O) “takedown” for the BIA and the FHWA

by one percent (from 6% to 5%) and increases the Tribal Transportation Bridge Program by one

percent (from 2% to 3%) of the overall TTP funds;

Does not reauthorize “Tribal High Priority Projects”(HPP) funding

Institutes new data reporting requirements for the use of TTP funds;

Requires two studies related to safety on public roads in Indian County; and

Allows Tribes access to new federal grant programs and increases access to existing grant pro-

grams.

Authorizes $500 million for a “Nationally significant Federal lands and tribal projects program;

SELF-GOVERNANCE PROGRAM

The provision requires the Secretary of Transportation to establish a Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program within the DOT. The implementation for the new program will be developed through a negotiated rulemaking, which will be initiated within 90 days after the enactment of the FAST Act. The negotiated rule-making committee will include federal and tribal government representatives, a majority of which shall be nominated by and be representatives of Indian tribes with funding agreements under title 23 USC. Tribes who meet the eligibility requirements will be able to enter into self-governance compacts and annual funding agreements with DOT.

BRIDGE PROGRAM

Under the FAST Act, Congress has increased the takedown for the Tribal Transportation Bridge Program to 3%. With an FY 2016 authorization of $465 million, this would provide approximately $13.24 million (after limitation obligation) for bridge repair and replacement. This should help address the deficient bridges in In-dian Country and also help pay for the required inspections of BIA and tribal bridges.

(Continued on page 5)

The FAST Act and Tribal Transportation

5

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The FAST Act requires tribes to provide yearly (90 days after the end of fiscal year) reports on TTP projects detailing the names, descriptions, and current status of projects or activities as well as estimate of the num-ber of jobs created and/or retained by project or activity. A reference to this reporting requirement will now be in all TTP Agreements. Training for the reporting will be coming out in Fall 2016. SAFETY REPORTS It also requires the Secretary of Transportation, after consultation with Secretary of Interior, the Attorney General and Indian tribes, to submit two major studies to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and House Committee on Natural Resources.

Report on Tribal Government Transportation Safety Data – In many States, the Native Population is disproportionately represented in fatalities and crash statistics. Improved crash reporting by Tribal Law enforcement would facilitate safety planning and allow Indian Tribes more successfully for State and Federal funds for safety improvements. Without more accurate reporting of crashes on reserva-tion, it is difficult to fully understand the nature of the problem and develop countermeasures. The pur-pose of this report, due one year from enactment of the FAST Act, the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretaries of Interior and Department of Health and Human Services, the Attor-ney General and Indian Tribes, must submit to the Senate EPW, Natural Resources and Indian Af-fairs Committees, a report describing the quality of data collected and the relevance of the data to In-dian tribes. The Secretary of Interior is required to identify Federal transportation funds provided to tribes by agencies other than Department of Interior.

USDOT Study on BIA Road Safety - The second report directed the Secretary of Transportation, due two years after enactment of the Act, must identify and evaluate options for improving safety on public roads on Indian reservations. The study will be submitted to the same committees of the House and Senate and must consultant with the Secretary of Interior and DHHS, the Attorney General and Indian tribes.

ACCESS TO NEW FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAMS

Nationally Significant Freight and Highway program is to be funded at a total of $4.5 billion over 5 years. To provide assistance to nationally and regionally significant freight and highway projects.

Grants for more than $25 million for projects with total costs more than $100 million.

Projects only on the National Highway Freight Network or National Highway System.

Set aside of 10% for Small Projects (min $5 million) that do not meet minimum cost threshold.

Set aside of 25% for projects in rural areas.

Required 40% match however other federal assistance (i.e. TTP) can be used by applicant for

non-federal share. The federal share cannot exceed 80% of funding.

Can be used for planning, PE, CN (including reconstruction or rehabilitation), land acquisition,

equipment purchases, and operational improvements.

The FAST Act amends the National Priority Safety Programs to alter percentages of grant awards to States as follows:

Occupant protection 13% State traffic safety information system improvements 14.5% Impaired driving countermeasures 52.5% Distracted driving 8.5% Motorcycle safety 1.5% State graduated driver licensing laws 5% Non-motorized safety 5%

The Fast Act clarifies that a State may provide funds to “Indian tribal governments”.

(Continued from page 4)

(Continued on page 6)

6

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced on April 26, 2016 that 35 tribes will receive more than $8 million for 54 projects from the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF). These are awards in the categories of Engineering, Enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, Education, and Other Safety Planning Activities (Awards for safety plans were announced in December 2015). The press release is available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa1625.cfm and the list of successful awards can be found at http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/ttp/safety/documents/FY15-Awards-List.pdf

The notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for FY16 TTPSF is expected to be published in the Federal Regis-ter in May/June 2016. Also, FHWA requests your assistance in developing a report to congress about Tribal Governments and transportation safety. Please consider participating by responding to this survey: https://survey.max.gov/586164

Russell Garcia, P.E. Adam Larsen TTP Operations Team Supervisor Safety Engineer & Tribal Coordinator

Tribal Transportation Program Tribal Transportation Program

Federal Highway Administration Federal Highway Administration

Office of Federal Lands Highway Office of Federal Lands Highway

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 610 E 5th Street

Washington, DC 20590 Vancouver, WA 98661

(202)366-9815 (360) 772-1870

Russell.Garcia@dot.gov Adam.Larsen@dot.gov

FY 15 TTP Safety Fund Award Announcement

The FAST Act restructures the Surface Transportation Program by renaming it the “Surface Transportation Block Grant Program”. STBGP funds may be used for the following:

Construction of highways; Bridges Ferry boats Transit capital projects Environmental measures Highway and transit safety infrastructure Recreational trails projects Pedestrian and bicycle projects

Tribal governments are eligible applicants for STBGP competitive grant awards made by State or MPO. The FAST Act amends the ERFO (Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads) Program to expand

emergency relief funds to include “projects eligible for assistance located on tribal transportation facili-

ties, Federal land transportation facilities, or other federally owned roads open to public travel.

Updated 25 CFR 170 – TRIBAL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM

Expected date for publication Fall 2016

Data collection requirements from FAST Act have been included.

Roll out meetings will be scheduled and included in the Federal Register Notice.

23 USC 202(a)(9) – TRIBAL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM

Provides authority for “Title 23” (Tribal Transportation Program) funds that were provided to a

state, county, or local government to be made available to Tribes through an Agreement with the

BIA or FHWA. States must request funds be transferred to a tribe for a project or activity.

Funds tracked separately from TTP

(Continued from page 5)

7

The Northwest Tribal Technical Assistance Program (NW TTAP) ar-

ranged a Road Safety Audit (RSA) workshop at the Lummi Reservation

in March 2016. Last year, the Lummi Nation developed a Tribal Safety

Plan and partnered with Eastern Washington University (EWU) Tribal

Planning program to participate in a Washington Traffic Safety Commis-

sion demonstration project for Tribal Transportation Safety. During

2014, the Lummi transportation staff identified the need to hold a Rural

Traffic Safety Audit workshop as a “next step” in the development and

implementation of traffic safety projects and programs. This request was

made to the NW TTAP and the RSA workshop was carried out success-

fully. This training was conducted by Craig Allred and Adam Larsen of

the Federal Highway Administration and the event was attended by

members of the Lummi Nation and by other tribes who were interested

in learning about using RSAs as a safety tool.

A Road Safety Audit (RSA) is a proven countermeasure for improving

safety and saving lives by reducing injuries. The RSA is a formal and

independent safety performance review of a road transportation project

by an experienced, multi-disciplinary team of safety professionals, ad-

dressing the safety of all road users.

The Lummi Nation’s 2015 Transportation Safety Plan identified several collision clusters that require safety improvements. The Transportation staff chose two locations to conduct an RSA review for the workshop: Intersections (1) Haxton Way & Slater Road and (2) Lummi Shores Road/Kwina Rd/Marine Drive. The two intersections reviewed by the RSA team are main entrances into the reservation and have significant traffic volume generated from the administration offices, Northwest Trib-al College on Kwina Rd, and the casino/convenience store on Haxton Way. The RSA took into consideration many aspects and discussed various countermeasures at each intersection. This was an effective review with many ideas for countermeasures from the diverse group of professions and backgrounds of the RSA team. The NW TTAP will draft the final Road Safety Audit Report documenting the findings and coun-termeasures and deliver to the Lummi Nation for implementation.

Representing the National Center for Rural Road Safety, Jaime Sullivan

and Neil Hetherington were invited by the Northwest Tribal Technical

Assistance Program to observe the audit to learn more about the unique

aspects of RSAs on tribal lands. Neil filmed the audit, and interviewed

tribal leaders to document personal stories of how and why they are

committed to improving safety on their roads. The footage will be used

to create an educational video on RSAs and includes a message about

the importance of improving safety to protect future generations. The

video(s), anticipated to be available this summer, will be accessible on

the NW TTAP website at https: //www.ewu.edu/nwttap, along with a NW

TTAP report that documents the RSA.

Road Safety Audit At The Lummi Nation

Image 1: First day of training for the RSA

was in the classroom.

Image 2: Second day had the class divid-

ed into groups spending the day visiting

the locations choose for the RSA.

Image 3: RSA groups observing traffic

along one of the routes.

Image 4: Day 2 observing traffic by con-

venience store on Haxton Way.

8

2016 Received TGM Application list is available for Oregon. The Transportation and Growth Management Program has posted a list of grant applications received for the 2016 cycle. The list and all applications can be seen at http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/TGM/Pages/grants.aspx.

The applications are currently under review. Award letters will be mailed at the end of August, 2016. TGM is a joint effort of two state agencies: the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Depart-ment of Land Conservation and Development. TGM grants are awarded on an annual basis. TGM grants pro-vide planning resources to help Oregon jurisdictions address transportation, land use, and growth manage-ment issues in their communities. Proposed projects may be submitted for either of two grant categories. Cat-egory 1 grants relate to transportation system planning (TSPs), either complete TSPs, TSP updates, TSP re-finement plans, individual TSP elements (such as bike and pedestrian or transit plans), and safe routes to school-related infrastructure plans. Category 2 grants are to do integrated land use and transportation plan-ning, including area plans, downtown plans, and concept plans for areas being brought into an urban growth boundary. Eligible applicants include cities, counties, councils of government on behalf of a city or county, and tribal gov-ernments. Certain special districts are eligible, such as transportation districts, metropolitan planning organi-zations, ports, mass transit districts, park and recreation districts, and metropolitan service districts. School districts may be eligible as part of a joint application with a local government for an otherwise eligible project. Eligible applicants may join together to propose a project, such as a multi-county TSP or multi-city or city-county corridor plan. Award amounts generally range between $75,000 and $200,000. Grantees must provide a match of 12% or more of the total project cost, in the form of cash, staff time, monetized volunteer time, and direct project ex-penses. For questions about the TGM grant program, contact Cindy Lesmeister at 503-986-4349.

Program

Northwest Tribal Technical Assistance Program

(TTAP)

668 N. Riverpoint Blvd. room 384

Spokane, WA 99202-1660

Web site: http://www.ewu.edu/ttap

Director

Rowena Yeahquo

PH: 509.828.1410

Cell: 509.590.9357

Email: ryeahquo@ewu.edu

Tribal Transportation Program Specialist

Michele Siedenburg

PH: 509.828.1411 or 800.583.3187

Email: msiedenburg@ewu.edu

EWU Project Administrator

Dr. Dick Winchell

EWU - Urban & Regional Planning

PH: 509.828.1205

Email: dwinchell@ewu.edu

Newsletter Editor

Dr. Dick Winchell, FAICP

To subscribe or submit articles please contact: Michele

Siedenburg at msiedenburg@ewu.edu.

Northwest Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP)

Is administered by the Urban Planning Program at Eastern

Washington University. This material is based upon work sup-

ported by the U.S. Department of Transportation under Coop-

erative Agreement No. DTFH61-14-H-00007. Funds are pro-

vided by the Federal Highway Administration LTAP, the Bu-

reau of Indian Affairs Indian Reservation Roads Program, lo-

cally generated resources and individual contributions. Any

opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations ex-

pressed in this publication are those of the Author (s) and do

not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of

Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs or Eastern Washing-

ton University. Any product or company mentioned is for infor-

mational purposes only and should not be considered a prod-

uct endorsement.

This Newsletter has been reviewed and approved for publica-

tion by the FHWA TTAP Agreement Officer Representative.

9

FAST Act - New Provision stated in Tribal Government Trans-portation Safety

Source—Adam Larsen, FHWA–TTP (deadline June 30th)

Pursuant to the FAST Act, “without more accurate reporting of crashes it is difficult or impossible to fully understand the nature of the problem and develop appropriate countermeasures”. The law goes on to require the Department of Transportation to develop two reports to congress. These reports could influence future legislation regarding federal programs aimed at improving transportation safety for Tribal Governments.

The first report, due by December 2016, will examine the collection, sharing, and use of transportation safety data and the relevance of that data to Native American tribes. The purpose of this report is to improve the collection and sharing of data on crashes on Indian reservations. This report also requires identification of federal transportation funds provided to tribes by agencies other than the Department of Transportation and the Department of the Interior. Finally, states, counties and tribes will be provided with options and best prac-tices for transitioning to a paperless transportation safety data reporting system that uses data to improve safety on Indian reservations.

The second study, due by December 2017, must identify and evaluate options for improving safety on public roads on Indian Reservations.

The Tribal Transportation Safety Program requests your help in developing these reports. You can assist by completing a survey about transportation safety efforts. Enforcement, injury prevention, transportation, and planning departments of tribal governments are encouraged to share information to ensure that congress is provided accurate and complete information. Both Tribal and State governments are invited to participate in this conversation. The survey can be found at https://survey.max.gov/586164 until June 26, 2016.

Federal Lands Highway will author these reports on behalf of the Secretary of Transportation and will do so in coordination with the Tribal Transportation Safety Management System Steering Committee. If you are interested in additional information, please contact Adam Larsen, Adam.Larsen@dot.gov 360-619-7751.

Washington TTPO Meeting - March 3, 2016 By Michele Siedenburg, Tribal Transportation Program Specialist, NW TTAP

In March 2016, the Washington State Tribal Transportation Planning Organization (TTPO) held their quarterly meeting in Omak, Washington. In 2003 the Washington state TTPO was formally established. The purpose of the organization is for tribes to take an active role in statewide transportation planning by providing a forum to discuss and participate in tribal transportation Systems needs and opportunities similar to Metropolitan

Planning Organizations (MPO) and Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO). During this meeting elections for new officers were held.

2016 New WA TTPO Officers.

Pictured from left to right:

Vice-President: Julia Whitford, Kalispel Tribe

President: Matthew Jensen, Lummi Nation

Secretary: Keri Shepherd, Nooksack Tribe

Treasurer: Annette Nesse, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe

10

By: Cassidy Radtke (Graduate Student Assistant for EWU’s Masters of Public Administration Program)

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has recently asked for 40 states to participate in the FHWA Evaluation of Low-Cost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study (ELCSI-PFS). ELCSI-PFS’s goal is to identify and evaluate new safety tactics and equipment, which will allow for reduced crash rates while also staying cost-effective. Wet-reflective pavements markings help to indicate where road markings are in wet conditions.

Wet-reflective markings are upgrades of existing markings such as center lane, or shoulder markings. These can be applied as paint, tape, or other materials. Upgrading to wet-reflective markings helps drivers to better see lines in wet, low-visibility situations, such as water on the road or during rain.

There has been no published research on crash changes after wet-reflective markings have been ap-plied. The goal of the study was to evaluate changes in crash frequency after the application of wet-reflective markings, and to see if factors such as traffic volume, speed limit, land/shoulder width, or roadway type were differently affected. Crashes at intersections, in snowy conditions, or caused by an animal were not included in the analysis.

The methodology followed the empirical Bayes model, which compares installation sites to similar sites without wet-reflective markings. Safety Performance Functions were added to this methodology, which addressed differing traffic volume rates in the before and after measurements, trends in time, and differences in reporting practices.

Sites were chosen in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Markings were applied on two-lane roads, multilane roads, and freeways, in some combination of center, lane, and/or shoulder lines. Most crash types including injury, run-off-road, nighttime, wet-road, and nighttime wet-road were reduced, but only wet-road and injury crashes were reduced at statistically significant levels. Sideswipe and dry-road crashes had negligible changes.

When analyzing other factors, only wet-road crashes were used. No differences were noticeable in road width, area type, lane amount, presence of rumble strips, daily traffic rates, and crash rates. The benefit-cost ratios indicated rates of 1.45 for freeways and 5.44 for multilane roads. Two-lane roads weren’t consid-ered because crash reductions were statistically insignificant based on a small sample size. These ratios as-sumed a conservative average service life of 2 years, although some sources indicated it could be even long-er.

This study suggests wet-reflective pavement markings are a cost-effective way of reducing crashes in wet-road conditions. Although only wet-road crashes had consistently significant crash reductions, most crash types experienced reductions. With further research and perhaps a larger sample size, the exact bene-fit may become clearer in the future, but this initial research is promising in reducing wet-road crashes. The Wet-reflective upgrade markings may be consider for two-lane roads especially in Tribal coastal areas.

Review of TechBrief: Safety Evaluation of Wet-

Reflective Pavement Markings

Summary based on a TechBrief provided by:

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Research, Development, and Technology

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

6300 Georgetown Pike McLean VA 22101-2296

FHWA contact is Roya Amjadi, HRDS-20

202-493-3383 or roya.amjadi@fhwa.dot.gov

11

By Rowena Yeahquo, Director Northwest TTAP

Every January thousands of transportation professionals attend the Transportation Research Board Conven-tion in Washington DC. There are hundreds of session in various transportation issues and categories. The mission of the TRB is to promote innovation and progress in transportation research. Within TRB, the Native American Transportation Issues Committee (ABE80) is concerned with research and practice pertaining to transportation issues on or near tribal lands and communi-ties or affecting tribal historical or cultural properties wher-ever located and they invite your participation through their web site at http://www.trb.org/ABE80/ABE80.aspx. This year the committee discussed submitting research topics to TRB for funding; a Guidebook for Structuring a Tribal Transportation Planning Program for Meaningful Participa-tion in the Federal Transportation Planning Process; FAST Act Tribal Provisions; Vehicle Automation Preparedness for Tribal Communities and Low Volume Roads; and the TTAP Safety Circuit Rider Program.

The research topic “Role of Road Maintenance in Safety Crisis in Indian Country” was submitted and dis-cussed. The research will examine the state of data compiled by the BIA, FHWA, and Indian tribes to devel-op an estimate of the back log of road maintenance needs of tribal transportation facilities located on Indian reservations, within Alaska Native communities and within former Indian reservations in Oklahoma. The planned analysis will also quantify the use of “tribal shares” of Tribal Transportation Program dollars that tribe “re-purpose” for road maintenance which are intended to supplement, but not replace, the obligation of funds by the BIA for road maintenance programs on tribal lands. The research will examine whether chronic short-falls in federal funds available have contributed to unsafe conditions for motorists and pedestrians traveling on tribal transportation facilities. Over the last 30 years, annual appropriations for the BIA Road Maintenance Program have remained essentially flat at roughly $25 million. BIA estimated that funding of $120 million per year is needed to adequately maintain the BIA Road System. This benefits of this research should fall in line with the recent authorization measures that have stressed the need for improving highway safety, promoting job growth and economic development opportunities and using funds more efficiently and productively, while maintaining tribal self-determination and control of their administration of programs.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 2016

2017 TRB Annual Meeting & Transportation Research

Record: Call for Papers Source TRB web site:http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/174265.aspx.

TRB standing committees have issued calls for papers for the 96th TRB Annual Meeting, Jan. 8-12, 2017, in Washington, D.C, & the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board (TRR). The deadline to submit papers to be considered for the 2017 TRB Annual Meeting and TRR is August 1, 2016. Papers must be submitted in PDF format via the paper submission website. Authors must log in to MyTRB to view the calls for papers. Please create or update your MyTRB profile now if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, submit a paper for presentation, or submit a paper for publication.

Although calls for papers are beginning to be posted now, the Annual Meeting paper submission website will open in June. Please visit the paper submission site periodically to check for updates as committees will be producing calls for papers throughout the month of June. Prospective authors are encouraged to consult Preparing Papers for Peer Review and Presentation at the TRB Annual Meeting.

By late October, TRB will communicate the results of the initial review to the corresponding author indicat-ed on the paper submission form.

If you have any questions about submitting a paper, please feel free to contact MyTRB@nas.edu.

12

By Matthew Lower, EWU Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning Student This research is part of a study funded by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Best Practices for Indian Reservations

Tribal EMS services and Tribal Health Services can consider this research based on best practices to

address the traffic-related deaths on their reservation. There is a high level of traffic fatalities in Indian Coun-

ty, a trend that may be worsening. EMS personnel are in a unique position to address the epidemic because

they are the community members that work on the front lines, witnessing traffic-fatalities first hand far too

often.

Our best practice proposals are grounded in a new model for EMS delivery designed to increase the

role of paramedics while improving efficiency and maintain the financial solvency of rural EMS. A reconcep-

tualization of EMS as part of the public health system in addition to current roles may aid in long term im-

provements for mortality rates of traffic-related fatalities on the reservation. Additionally, a reassessment of

advanced life support (ALS) intercept could improve the mortality rate of traffic-related trauma patients in

transport on the large, rural reservations.

A Note on EMS Literature

EMS across the United States is standardized primarily through regional and county organizing bod-

ies, generally with a county agency setting protocols and practices. This makes a data driven study of EMS a

tricky task. As a 2010 study of EMS research points out, the research available on EMS is often contradicto-

ry: “research projects have used different methods and target groups, and results have been controversial”

writes the authors. “The implementation of prehospital care is strongly dependent on local political, geo-

graphical, cultural and economic factors, making comparisons between systems difficult” (Ryynänen 2010).

Our best practice suggestions come from a consensus drawn from industry conferences, publications, and

the various reporting of related data.

EMS in Washington State

Washington State’s EMS System is regionally coordinated to allow for flexibility in improving service

delivery (Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems, n.d.). Eight care councils serve as the “operations”

branch for their respective regions, while county medical directors set protocol and provide direct supervision

of patient care (EMS and Trauma, n.d.). Regionalized operations allow for increased collaboration between

local emergency departments and the ambulance services. Tribal EMS services fall under this organizational

framework, following the standards and protocols of their county medical director and working together with

other EMS agencies to ensure optimal care for tribal members and the greater community.

To view the complete article please click this link: https://wcms.eastern.ewu.edu/external/dsspreview/

Documents/CBPA/NWTTAP/Newsletter/Articles/2016/EMS%20Best%20Practices.pdf.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Best

Practices for Indian Reservations

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NHTSA 02-16 Friday, February 5, 2016

Contact: Gordon Trowbridge, 202-366-9550,

Public.Affairs@dot.gov

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced its latest estimate of traffic deaths, which show a steep 9.3 percent increase for the first nine months of 2015. The news comes as the agency kicks-off its first in a series of regional summits with a day-long event in Sac-ramento, Calif., to examine unsafe behaviors and human choices that contribute to increasing traffic deaths on a national scale. Human factors contribute to 94 percent of crashes according to decades of NHTSA re-search.

“For decades, U.S. DOT has been driving safety improvements on our roads, and those efforts have resulted in a steady decline in highway deaths,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “But the apparent increase in 2015 is a signal that we need to do more. The safety summits that NHTSA is kicking off today in Sacramento will provide us with new approaches to add to the tried-and-true tactics that we know save lives.”

NHTSA estimates that more than 26,000 people died in traffic crashes in the first nine months of 2015, com-pared to the 23,796 fatalities in the first nine months of 2014. U.S. regions nationwide showed increases ranging from 2 to 20 percent. View the report

“We’re seeing red flags across the U.S. and we’re not waiting for the situation to develop further,” said Dr. Mark Rosekind, NHTSA Administrator. “It’s time to drive behavioral changes in traffic safety and that means taking on new initiatives and addressing persistent issues like drunk driving and failure to wear seat belts.”

The estimated increase in highway deaths follows years of steady, gradual declines. Traffic deaths declined 1.2 percent in 2014 and more than 22 percent from 2000 to 2014.

Today’s summit in California is the first in a series of cross-cutting regional summits being held across the country, capped by a nationwide gathering in Washington, to gather ideas, engage new partners, and gener-ate additional approaches to combat human behavioral issues that contribute to road deaths. These summits will address drunk, drugged, distracted and drowsy driving; speeding; failure to use safety features such as seat belts and child seats; and new initiatives to protect vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cy-clists.

U.S. DOT announces steep increase in road-way deaths based on 2015 early estimates and convenes first regional summit to drive traffic

safety behavior changes

Reprint from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site at: http://www.nhtsa.gov/

About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/nhtsa-sees-roadway-deaths-increasing-02052016

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REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

19th Annual National Tribal Transportation Conference

October 3-6, 2016

Anaheim Marriott Hotel

Anaheim, California

Visit the 2016 NTTC Conference Website

The seven TTAP Centers throughout the U.S., in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration, bring you the 19th Annual Tribal Transportation Conference. The program for this year's conference is developed to meet your trans-portation needs. The agenda is set for many opportunities to visit booths and displays during registration, breaks, meals and breakout sessions.

This NTTC 2016 will be held at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel in Anaheim, California. It promises to be an exciting event that brings together tribal, federal, state, and private interests that work in the field of tribal transportation. The confer-ence will provide information and resources for all who are committed to improving the transportation infrastructure of Indian country and the safety of those who live, work and travel the roadways of Indian lands. Come participate, learn, and enjoy the conference.

Who Should Attend: This conference is for tribal leaders, tribal transportation program personnel including di-rectors, planners, engineers, tribal government leadership, including tribal law enforcement officers, federal and state transportation personnel and private transportation professionals.

Conference Tracks:

Planning

Technology

Transit

Leadership

Safety

Project Management

Technical Advances

Registration Information: Take advantage of special Early Bird pricing! Visit http://nttc.nijc.org/registration-3.

Hotel Information: This conference will be conducted at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel in Anaheim, California. To take ad-vantage of NTTC’s specially priced room block, register online at: http://nttc.nijc.org/hotel-info or call Marriott Reserva-tions: 1-877-622-3056 and mention “NTTC 2016”. Special room block pricing expires Monday, September 12, 2016.

Cancellation Policy: Participants must call and cancel at least 30 days prior to the conference to receive a full refund. Cancellations made after September 3rd will be assessed a $100 administrative fee. No refunds or credits will be provided for no-shows and cancellation notifications received on or after the conference. Substitutions are allowed,

contact TTAP for requests.

Early Bird Registration (Ends August 1st) – $375

Standard Registration (Ends September 25th) – $425

Late Registration (Begins September 26th) – $475

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Upcoming Webinars

The NW TTAP is creating a new page on our website to display links to new and past webinars available on line and other e-training.

FHWA Webinar: Every Day Counts—Smarter Work Zones

Date and Time: Thursday, June 23, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 pm ET

NACO Webinar: Saving Lives through Local Road Safety Planning

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 30, 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 pm ET

http://www.naco.org/events/saving-lives-through-local-road-safety-planning

NCRRS Webinar: The Public Health Side of Rural Transportation Safety

Date and Time: Wednesday, July 6, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ecqdkmrk36ab94a2&llr=ngyyawuab

FHWA/FTA Webinar: Planning Final Rule

Date and Time: Wednesday, July 13, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/planning-final-rule-webinar-july-13-2016-tickets-25861269754

FHWA Webinar: Did You Know a Road Can Go on a Diet?

Date and Time: Thursday July 28, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

https://collaboration.fhwa.dot.gov/dot/fhwa/WC/Lists/Seminars/DispForm.aspx?ID=997

Northwest TTAP

Advisory Board

Ricky Gabriel

Confederated Tribes of the Colville

Reservation

ATNI Transportation - Chair

ricky.gabriel@me.com

Rick Galloway

TTPC - Northwest Region

rick_go_on@msn.com

Kenton Dick

Burns Paiute Tribe

OR Tribes Representative

Kenton.Dick@burnspaiute-nsn.gov

MaryBeth Frank-Clark

Nez Perce Tribe

ID Tribes Representative

marybethf@nezperce.org

Dan Lozar

Confederated Salish & Kootenai

Tribes

MT Tribes Representative

dlozar@cskt.org

Al Pinkham

Confederated Tribes & Bands of the

Yakama Reservation

WA Tribes Representative

apinkham@yakama.com

Dezerae Hayes

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe

WA Tribes Representative

dezerae.hayes@muckleshoot.nsn.us

Kurt Fredenberg

BIA Northwest Regional Office

BIA Representative

kurt.fredenberg@bia.gov

Megan Nicodemus

Washington Dept. Of Transportation

Washington DOT Representative

nicodem@wsdot.wa.gov

Danny Capri

FHWA - TTP

FHWA Representative

danny.capri@dot.gov

Amy Changchien

FTA - Region 10

FTA Representative

amy.changchien@dot.gov

Dick Winchell

Eastern Washington University

Grantee Representative

dwinchell@ewu.edu

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Recent Publications & Research

The Northwest TTAP is a depository for publications from FHWA, TRB, BIA, State DOT’s and other agencies please

check out website and blog for materials at http://www.ewu.edu/ttap.

Data to Support Transportation Agency Business Needs: A Self-Assessment Guide

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 814: Data to Support Transporta-tion Agency Business Needs: A Self-Assessment Guide provides methods to evaluate and improve the value of their data for decision making and their data-management practices.

http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_814.pdf

Effective Project Scoping Practices to Improve On-Time and On-Budget Delivery of Highway Projects

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 821: Effective Project Scoping Practices to Improve On-Time and On-Budget Delivery of Highway Projects demonstrates how a state depart-ment of transportation (state DOT) can enhance its scoping process and practices to produce a project cost estimate and schedule that facilitate improved programming decision making and accountability. The guide-book illustrates the effort needed to develop a robust cost estimate and then manage to a baseline budget and scope throughout the project delivery cycle. The guidebook is applicable to a range of project types and is scalable in its ability to accommodate projects of varying complexity.

http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_821.pdf

Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Nine Months (Jan-Sep) of 2015

A statistical projection of traffic fatalities for the first nine months of 2015 shows that an estimated 26,000 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. This represents an increase of about 9.3 percent as compared to the 23,796 fatalities that were reported to have occurred in the first nine months of 2014. Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the first 9 months of 2015 increased by about 80.2 billion miles, or about a 3.5-percent increase. The fatality rate for the first nine months of 2015 increased to 1.10 fatalities per 100 million VMT, up from 1.05 fatalities per 100 million VMT in the first nine months of 2014. The third quarter of 2015 represents the fourth consecu-tive quarter with year-to-year increases in fatalities as well as the fatality rate.

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812240.pdf

Evaluation of the Safety Performance of Continuous Mainline Roadway Lighting on Freeway Seg-

ments in Washington State

The Washington State Department of Transportation has released a report that evaluates continuous road-way lighting on mainline freeway segments by developing multivariate random parameter models with specific lighting variables.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/855.1.pdf

Incorporating On-Road Bicycle Networks into Resurfacing Projects

Installing bicycle facilities during roadway resurfacing projects is an efficient and cost-effective way for com-munities to create connected networks of bicycle facilities. This workbook provides recommendations for how roadway agencies can integrate bicycle facilities into their resurfacing program. The workbook also provides methods for fitting bicycle facilities onto existing roadways, cost considerations, and case studies. The work-book does not present detailed design guidance, but highlights existing guidance, justifications, and best practices for providing bikeways during resurfacing projects.

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/resurfacing/resurfacing_workbook.pdf