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Invitation to Become a Participating Agency for a

Proposed Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Project

State Highway (SH) 201 from SH 195 to Interstate Highway (IH) 35,

CSJ 0909-36-117

Mr. John Tointigh

Tribal Administrator

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma

P.O. Box 1220

Anadarko, OK 73005

Dear Mr. Tointigh:

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is initiating an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed extension of SH 201. The project
limits are from SH 195 in Killeen to Interstate Highway (IH) 35 in
Salado. The purpose of the proposed project, as currently defined, is to
alleviate congestion on US 190, improve traffic flow in southern Bell
County, and provide direct access to the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional
Airport. Additional information regarding the proposed project can be
found in the enclosed Notice of Intent (NOI).

The proposed project is located in an area that may be of interest to
your tribe. With this letter, we extend your Tribe an invitation to
become a Participating Agency with the FHWA in the development of the
EIS for the subject project. This designation does not imply that your
Tribe either supports the proposal or has any special expertise with
respect to evaluation of the proposed project.

Pursuant to Section 6002 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU),
Participating Agencies are responsible to identify, as early as
practicable, any issues of concern regarding the proposed project\'s
potential environmental or socioeconomic impacts that could
substantially delay or prevent an agency from granting a permit or other
approval that is needed for the proposed project. We suggest that your
Tribe\'s role in the development of the above project should include the
following as they relate to your area of expertise:

1.  Provide meaningful and early input on defining the purpose and need,
    determining the range of alternatives to be considered, and the
    methodologies and level of detail required in the alternatives
    analysis.

2.  Participate in coordination meetings and joint field reviews as
    appropriate.

3.  Timely review and comment on the pre-draft or pre-final
    environmental documents to reflect the views and concerns of your
    tribe on the adequacy of the document, alternatives considered, and
    the anticipated impacts and mitigation.

Please respond to FHWA in writing by March 21, 2007 if your tribe wishes
to become a Participating Agency.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss in more detail the
proposed project or our agencies\' respective roles and responsibilities
during the preparation of this EIS, please contact:

> James Cravens, P.E., Area Engineer

Federal Highway Administration

300 E. 8th Street, Ste. 826

Austin, TX 78701-3233

\(512\) 536-5974

Thank you for your cooperation and interest in this proposed project.

Sincerely yours,

Janice Weingart Brown

Division Administration

Enclosure: Project NOI

Cc: Dianna Noble, Director, Environmental Affairs Division, TxDOT