1.4 Stewardship and Oversight

TxDOT has entered into a Stewardship & Oversight Agreement (S&O Agreement) on Project Assumption and Program Oversight with the Federal Highway Administration, Texas Division (FHWA Texas Division). This agreement sets forth the roles and responsibilities of TxDOT with respect to Title 23 of the US Code project approvals and related responsibilities for Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP) oversight activities. Refer to the S&O Agreement website in the references below for more information.
On an annual basis, FHWA Texas Division develops a list of TxDOT projects known as
Texas Division Involved Projects (TxDIP)
 to optimize the successful delivery of TxDOT projects and to ensure compliance with federal requirements. TxDIP projects include major projects (see
Section 3.4.6
) (both design-bid-build delivery (DBB) and alternative delivery (DB) (see
Section 3.3.1.5
)), as well as other projects that FHWA Texas Division selects based on elevated program or project level risks.
The FHWA Texas Division also develops an individual TxDIP Plan for each TxDIP project to identify project risk areas, specific activities of project development/delivery that will require FHWA stewardship & oversight, and the degree of required FHWA coordination and involvement for each specified activity. The Design Division (DES), upon receipt from FHWA, coordinates the list with the respective District offices. TxDOT District and DES staff monitor projects on the TxDIP list to ensure appropriate coordination with the FHWA on any reviews or approvals identified by the TxDIP Plans. All FHWA-defined major projects are on the TxDIP list.

1.4.1 Local Public Agencies (LPAs)

Section XI, Subsection B, of the S&O Agreement also requires that TxDOT provide an annual report documenting its fulfillment of responsibilities as a pass-through entity of FHWA funds on projects performed by local public agencies (subrecipients). Federal government laws, rules and regulations refer to local government entities as local public agencies (LPAs). TxDOT refers to LPAs as local governments (LGs) since the State of Texas laws related to LG entities are codified in the Texas Local Government Code. TxDOT defines a LG project as a transportation project for which at least one phase of project development (environmental, design, right of way (ROW), utility relocation or construction) or the program is managed by a LG entity and is reimbursed with FHWA or TxDOT funds.
For this manual, the use of LGs is to be considered interchangeable with LPAs.