U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao Announces $8.9 Million in Transportation Grants to Improve Highway Safety in Indian Country

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced over $8.9 million for 91 projects to 80 Federally recognized American Indian Tribal Nations during her remarks at the National Congress of American Indians on Tuesday.

“These Federal funds will go to American Indian Tribes to improve traffic safety and improve the quality of life for tribal communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.

Nearly 60 Tribes will receive funding to assist in the development or update of a transportation safety plan. A library of such plans is online at https://www.tribalsafety.org/safety-plans-library.

"From safety planning to sidewalks and road repairs, these funds will play an important role in enhancing the safety and accessibility of transportation infrastructure on Tribal roads," said Federal Highway Administrator Nicole R. Nason.

The $8.9 million will come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration’s Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF). Some of the grant awardees include:

• Twenty-three Tribal Nations in Alaska, including $33,870 for the Organized Village of Kake for Road Safety Audits (RSA) at four high crash locations
• Four Tribal Nations in Wisconsin, including $682,685 to the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin for a pedestrian trail along 60^th Street near Round Lake
• Four Tribal Nations in Arizona, including $499,043 to the Gila River Indian Community for pedestrian facilities along baseline road and 83^rd Avenue
• Seven Tribal Nations in Washington, including $760,000 to the Samish Indian Nation for a Roundabout at SR-20 and Campbell Lake Road
• Five Tribal Nations in South Dakota, including $621,560 to the Oglala Sioux Tribe to establish a clear zone along BIA Route
• Three Tribal Nations in New York, including $866,459 for the Seneca Nation of Indians to install a roundabout at Broad Street- Iroquois Drive Intersection
• Five Tribal Nations in Oklahoma, including $12,500 to the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town to develop the Tribe’s first transportation safety plan
• Two Tribal Nations in Nevada, including $12,500 to the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Tribe to develop the Tribe’s first transportation safety plan
• Three Tribal Nations in New Mexico, including $45,418 to the Pueblo of Jemez for traffic calming measures on NM-4
• Four Tribal Nations in Montana, including $120,676 to the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation for striping and rumble strips on BIA Route 2
• Two Tribal Nations in Michigan, including $754,860 to the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians for intersection sight distance improvements on Upper Bay Shore Road
• Ten Tribal Nations in California, including $450,000 to the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria for implementation of a national crash data management system that will benefit many Tribes

A full listing of grants can be found here.

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