Wilson & Company has provided solutions to a variety of engineering and planning related needs serving the Navajo Division of Transportation (NDOT) through an on-call contract since 2014. Our tasks have included:
Scoping and Program Management
Wilson & Company has actively worked alongside NDOT executive staff to develop their transportation program. The majority of the work is focused on the NDOT coordination process with the local Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Navajo Regional Office and reporting requirements for the federal Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) funding. Our team also assessed NDOT’s current organization and each of its departments through desktop audits and discussions with management and staff, site visits, and anonymous employee surveys.
Long-Range Transportation Plan Update
Wilson & Company assisted the Navajo Nation in completing an update to the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). This is an update to the 2009 LRTP (also completed by Wilson & Company) with a focus on self-administering their program as they now receive direct federal funding. The LRTP meets federal regulations, prioritizes funding of transportation projects, and outlines multimodal strategies. It provides a realistic look at existing conditions of all transportation assets (bridges, roads, pavements, sidewalk, etc.) to address immediate and future needs. This LRTP is viewed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as a “Best Practice.”
Tribal Transportation Improvement Program
Our staff worked with NDOT to develop a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), pivoting off the successful completion of the LRTP. The Tribal TIP was reduced from a 38-year list of potential projects to a 5-year fiscally constrained project list. The self-administration agreement with FHWA now allows the Navajo Nation to work directly with FHWA to administer their federal funding.
TIGER Grant Applications
Wilson & Company worked with NDOT to submit the three Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants for N12, N15, and N7 to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) in June 2015 for Navajo Routes with multiple safety issues that have resulted in numerous crashes.
Gravel Pit Study
Wilson & Company was part of a team including several Navajo Nation agencies to gather existing research and investigate potential sites for aggregate resource pits. This project involved extensive coordination with local chapters of the Navajo Nation. The team’s goal was to carry forward the permitting, planning, design, and implementation of several gravel pits that were owned by the Navajo Nation.
N52 Drainage Study
Wilson & Company completed a drainage study along route N52, a 1.6 mile gravel surfaced roadway providing access to the Chapter House and local housing in the Dalton Pass Chapter. Our team also provided NDOT with a revised roadway plan and profile to accommodate new drainage structure crossings.
Littlewater Access Road
This project included an alignment study, drainage, and geotechnical reports; environmental study and NEPA document; and final construction plans for full roadway reconstruction.
Navajo Fairgrounds Parking Lot
This project included survey, developing a grading plan, and bid documents for a high-priority parking lot construction project in a 3-week period.