U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Announces $8 Million for Tribal Transportation Safety Improvements |
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Federal Highway Administration
26 April 2016
FHWA 25-16
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Contact: Doug Hecox
Tel.: 202-366-0660
WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced today that 35 tribes will receive more than $8 million for 54 projects from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)'s Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF) to improve transportation safety on tribal lands.
“Like the rest of the country, America’s tribal communities need a greater investment in transportation options that will improve their quality of life,” said Secretary Foxx. “These important funds will not only improve safety, but increase economic opportunity for the people living in these communities.”
The funds will be used for safety planning, engineering improvements, enforcement and emergency services, and education for tribal communities. FHWA received 130 applications from 73 recognized tribes requesting a total of $36.8 million in assistance.
Congress created the program to improve highway safety on tribal roads and other transportation facilities – statistically, some of the most hazardous in the nation because of poor physical condition and other factors. Examples of the grant recipients include:
The Hannahville Indian Community in Michigan will receive $746,495 to build 3.5 miles of concrete pedestrian trail, which is expected to improve safety by eliminating pedestrian-vehicle conflicts that, in the past five years, led to one death and two serious injuries.
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota will receive $624,063 to reconstruct more than 14 miles of road on the reservation’s most dangerous road corridor. The project will correct substandard road conditions, such as surface cracking and deterioration, narrow road shoulders and poor line of sight.
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Washington will receive $600,000 to improve local safety by realigning three dangerous county road intersections with SR 101.
The Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana will receive $498,028 to build a one-mile-long separated multi-use pedestrian-bicycle path from one end of Busby, Mont., to the other. The path will improve safety for pedestrians and offer residents an additional travel choice to the local school, post office, grocery store and housing.
The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma will receive $315,000 for various road safety improvements, realignment and surfacing of First Street and the SH18/US64 intersection, with increased sustainability along with quality of life improvements for Pawnee Nation and the City of Pawnee.
“Road safety is important to communities everywhere, and especially on tribal lands,” said Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “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.”
A complete list of this year’s recipients, and additional detail about the program, can be found online at https://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/ttp/