Senate Hears from Wyoming Witnesses on How to Improve the Safety of Roads in Indian Country
Press Release
Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), welcomed Wyoming's own, Delbert McOmie, the Chief Engineer of the Wyoming Department of Transportation, and John Smith, the Director of the Department of Transportation for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of Wind River Reservation to the Committee. They testified at an oversight hearing titled: "Tribal Transportation: Pathways to Safer Roads in Indian Country."
"I would like to welcome John Smith from the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, who is better known as Big John in Wyoming and Del McOmie from the Wyoming Department of Transportation," said Chairman Barrasso.
In his opening statement, Senator Barrasso pointed to the two men's history of working to improve road safety on the Reservation. "Last year the two tribes, along with the state, completed construction of what is commonly called the "17 Mile Road'," said Barrasso. "It was an extremely dangerous road. Crashes and deaths occurred all too often on that road. Thanks to the diligent efforts of the tribes and the state, the 17 Mile Road is now much safer."
Delbert McOmie, the Chief Engineer of the Wyoming Department of Transportation, testified that safety was the paramount goal when working on the project. "Safety was critically important in deciding what to do with the project," said McOmie. "In addition to adding 8-foot shoulders and eliminating hairpin corners, roadway lighting was added at major intersections and irrigation systems were moved from open ditches to buried pipes. Rumble strips are currently being added to further improve safety."
McOmie continued on to say that "Congress and the federal agencies should provide flexibility to the states and tribes and to also look for opportunities to streamline and simplify programs and project delivery. If we can reduce the expenses of program administration, more funds can be applied to actual projects and programs."
John Smith reflected on other panelists' testimony and the situation in Indian Country. "Two Indian people die in one day, every day in America. Why is this? It's simply put: Bad roads and more often unpaved roads," said Smith.
Source