The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said recently that 35 tribes will be awarded $8 million to support projects that will enhance transportation safety through the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF).
USDOT said this funding will support educational measures, emergency services, engineering improvements, safety planning and other items. The funding will cover 54 transportation programs.
“Road safety is important to communities everywhere, and especially on tribal lands,” Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau said. “From improving intersections to building bicycle or pedestrian paths, these new funds will help to make tribal communities safer and better-equipped for the needs of the traveling public.”
Projects that will receive support include the construction of pedestrian pathways in Michigan in the Hannahville Indian Community. In addition, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe will realign three county road intersections, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota will restore 14 miles of road that is considered a dangerous stretch in the area.
The program was initiated by Congress to improve highway safety and conditions. The DOT said some areas within tribal areas are among the most hazardous in the U.S.
