On Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) said it had awarded $20.9 million in grants for 88 Tribal road safety projects.
Part of the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund, and funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the projects will reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries on Tribal lands, and include measures like pavement markings, rumble strips and better pedestrian infrastructure.
“The crisis of traffic deaths on our nation’s roads stretches across the country, and that devastation is experienced at even higher rates in communities of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and other indigenous peoples,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “The grants we are announcing today through our Tribal Transportation Program will improve, repair, and modernize infrastructure in communities of all sizes on Tribal land, making roads safer and saving lives.”
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, transportation-related injuries and fatalities affect Native American and Alaska Native populations at greater rates than other demographic groups.
Officials said they grants would fund 37 roadway infrastructure safety improvement projects, including $300,000 for the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana for safety countermeasures along CC Bel Road; 15 data assessment and analysis activities-related project including $45,000 for Michigan’s Bay Mills Indian community to conduct road safety audits for pedestrian facilities near residential areas, and 29 safety plan projects, including funding for seven Tribes to develop their first transportation safety plan.
“The grants we’re announcing today will improve the lives of everyone who lives and travels on Tribal lands,” Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said. “We’re pleased to provide funding that can help Tribes install roadway departure countermeasures and infrastructure improvements like road shoulder widening as well as pedestrian paths to make travel for all road users safer while improving mobility, access, and economic opportunity.”