Pete Buttigieg Secretary of Transportation | Official website
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced over $108 million in grant awards for 85 projects aimed at improving transportation and reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries on Federal and Tribal lands. The grants, part of FHWA’s Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects and Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund programs, reflect the Biden-Harris Administration's ongoing commitment to enhancing safety, mobility, economic development, and equity on these lands.
“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,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The grants we are announcing today will help make travel in these areas safer.”
“Improving safety for those traveling on Tribal lands is of paramount importance to the U.S. Department of Transportation,” stated Assistant Secretary for Tribal Government Affairs Arlando Teller. “This funding can improve roads, intersections, sidewalks, and bike paths in these communities for all who use them.”
“These grants are yet another example of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to help those who live, work, and travel on Federal and Tribal lands by making their journeys safer,” noted Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “This funding will also improve mobility, access, and economic opportunity in dozens of communities.”
At an event held at Yellowstone National Park today, FHWA Administrator Bhatt announced $88 million in grants allocated to five projects nationwide under the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program:
- $22 million for Phase 3 of the Grand Loop Road project at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
- $24.1 million for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ Jack Springs Road project in Escambia County, Alabama.
- $20 million for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Greater Rural Access and Highways to Accelerate Mobility project in Graham County, North Carolina.
- $11 million for the Reconnecting the Historic Columbia River Highway project in Hood River, Oregon.
- $11.1 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Crab Orchard Greenway Multimodal Network project at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Carterville, Illinois.
Additionally, FHWA announced $20.5 million from the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund for 80 projects.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides up to $355 million per year through FY 2022-2026 for Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects. The law mandates that half of all funding go towards projects on Tribal transportation facilities while increasing their federal share to 100 percent. It also raises authorized funding levels from $2.4 billion to $3 billion over FY 2022-2026.
In upcoming weeks, FHWA plans to release additional funding opportunities under this program through a Notice of Funding Opportunity.
To assist Federally Recognized Tribes with their transportation priorities further, FHWA has created a guide titled "Transportation Funding Opportunities for Tribal Nations," detailing new highway programs introduced under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law alongside existing highway and bridge transportation funding programs.
