ABOUT WMAT DOT
The White Mountain Apache Tribe Division of Transportation was established by the White Mountain Apache Tribal Council on March 23, 2016. The WMAT DOT provides adequate transportation and public road access to and within the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
What is the TTP?
The Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) is the largest program in the Office of Federal Lands Highway. Established in 23 U.S.C. 202 to address the transportation needs of Tribal governments throughout the United States, the program will receive $505 million in FY 2020, as established in Public Law 114-94, Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (the FAST Act). The purpose of the TTP is to provide safe and adequate transportation and public road access to and within Indian reservations, Indian lands, and Alaska Native Village communities. A prime objective of the TTP is to contribute to the economic development, self-determination, and employment of Indians and Native Americans. The Tribal Transportation Program is funded by contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund and is subject to the overall Federal-aid obligation limitation.
HOW IS WMAT DOT FUNDED?
WMAT DOT receives its funding from the Highway Trust Fund.
This funding is allocated to tribes, and then dispersed through the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, Office of Tribal Transportation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Funds are allocated among Tribes using a formula based on tribal population, mileage and average tribal shares of the formal Tribal Transportation Allocation Methodology (TTAM) formula.
HOW CAN WMAT DOT USE THESE FUNDS?
All Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) funds provided to Tribes can be expended only on eligible projects and activities identified in the federal regulations and included in an FHWA-approved Transportation Improvement Program(TIP). Funds can be used for the following:
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Transportation planning, research, maintenance, engineering, rehabilitation, restoration, construction, and reconstruction of tribal transportation facilities
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Operation and maintenance of transit programs and facilities that are located on, or provide access to, tribal land or are administered by a tribal government
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Any transportation project eligible for assistance under this title that is located within, or that provides access to, tribal land, or is associated with a tribal government
WMAT DOT prepares the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a 5-year plan for improvements on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Each project on the TIP is supported by tribal resolution. WMAT DOT submits the TIP to the BIA Division of Transportation (BIADOT) for review and approval. BIADOT reviews, approves, and forwards the TIP to FHWA Federal Lands Highway Office (FLHO)for approval. WMAT DOT can allocate TTP funds for its project once the TIP is approved by FHWA.
