Guidance on Developing Future Stewardship/Oversight Agreements
This document was superseded by Stewardship and Oversight Agreement Implementation Guidance on 12/09/2013
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration |
MEMORANDUM |
Subject: | ACTION: Guidance on Developing Future Stewardship/Oversight Agreements | Date: | August 16, 2011 |
From: | /s/ Original signed by: King W. Gee Associate Administration for Infrastructure |
Reply to Attn. of: | HIPA-1 |
To: | Division Administrators |
The purpose of the attached Stewardship/Oversight Agreement Guidance is to provide a consistent approach for developing future agreements with the States, where the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the State Department of Transportation (SDOT) agree on how the Federal-aid Highway Program will be administered in a State, with specific actions to be taken by one or both parties. This updated guidance has superseded the April 14, 2006 Stewardship/Oversight Agreement Guidance, which was transmitted on May 8, 2006.
Section 106 of Title 23, United States Code, requires that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the State enter into an agreement documenting the extent to which the State assumes the responsibilities of FHWA under Title 23. The Stewardship/Oversight Agreement formalizes these assumed responsibilities and agreements to address how the Federal-aid highway program will be administered in the State. This guidance outlines the basic stewardship and oversight concepts and approaches Division Offices should follow rather than mandatory specific procedures.
Over the past two years, several review activities have identified areas of improvement and provided suggestions for the next update of our Stewardship/Oversight Agreement Guidance. A Stewardship/Oversight Agreement Guidance Team led by Butch Waidelich was identified and given its charge last November. The Team was sponsored by the Directors of Field Services (DFSs) and Associate Administrator for Infrastructure. In June, this Team completed its work and provided its recommendations to the DFSs and Office of Infrastructure.
Each Division Office is expected to work with their State to check their current agreement against criteria in the guidance, considering their current working environment and risk assessment, and to amend their plan as appropriate to be consistent with this guidance. We expect that this internal guidance be used the next time offices decide to update their Stewardship/Oversight Agreement.
If there are any questions on the guidance, please contact David Nicol, Director for Program Administration, at david.nicol@dot.gov or (202) 366-5530.
Attachment (.pdf, 0.3 mb)
cc: Leadership Team