FHWA releases $108 million to improve safety on tribal roadways

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is making $108 million in grants available for transportation improvements that will help mitigate roadway fatalities and serious injuries on federal and tribal lands. The awards come from the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) and Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF) programs.

“Good transportation infrastructure is vital to the well-being of those traveling on Federal Lands and for those living and working in Native American, Alaska Native and other indigenous peoples communities,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “The grants we are announcing today will help make travel in these areas safer.”

The NSFLTP, a part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, funds construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation projects on federal and tribal lands to address major transportation challenges.

The TTPSF aims to reduce transportation-related deaths and injuries on tribal lands. Eligible entities can apply for grants from both programs through the available awards on their sites.

Five projects will receive $88 million from NSFLTP, including:

$22 million for Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming to reconstruct a 0.7-mile section of road, improve pedestrian safety and upgrade parking areas.
$24.1 million for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama to pave and widen a local road, add sidewalks and improve intersections.
$20 million for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina to build a 12-mile section of highway.

The TTPSF will provide $20.5 million to 80 projects, including:

$1.3 million for the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to realign the S-curve on a local road.
$1.2 million for the Pueblo of Cochiti in New Mexico to improve safety at an intersection with either a roundabout or lighting and traffic calming measures.
$1.2 million for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians in Maine to reconstruct a local road, adding paved shoulders, guardrails, signs, pavement markings and crosswalk flashing beacons.