Office of the Administrator 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

 Washington, D.C. 20590 

February 24, 2022 

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM TO THE SECRETARY 

From: Stephanie Pollack

 Deputy Administrator 

 X62240 

Prepared by: Timothy G. Hess

 Associate Administrator for Office of Federal Lands Highway 

 X69472 

Subject: Transmittal of the Tribal Transportation Program Fiscal Year 2020 Data 

Report

SUMMARY 

I am attaching a report prepared by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) containing 

information gathered from all recipients of Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) funds. The 

report, which is for the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Transportation, identifies 

the names of the projects and activities carried out under the TTP during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, 

as well as their status, and an estimate of the number of jobs created and retained by the projects 

and activities. Recipients of TTP funds include Tribes, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and FHWA. The attached report addresses several of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation’s (DOT) priorities, including Tribal equity, safety, and economic 

strength. 

BACKGROUND 

Section 1117(a) of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (23 U.S.C. § 201(c)(6)(C)) 

requested preparation of annual TTP data reports. The TTP provides funds to 573 federally 

recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages (Tribes) to help them address the 

transportation needs of their communities. The Tribes use these funds for eligible transportation 

activities such as planning, design, and construction of transportation facilities, as well as 

addressing maintenance and transportation safety issues. The amount of TTP funding made 

available to each Tribe is determined by a statutory funding formula. The Tribes receive all TTP 

funds except a 5-percent statutory set-aside that BIA and FHWA use for program management 

and oversight. 

The attached report contains an Executive Summary as well as six attachments. The attachments 

include general information on funding and jobs as well as more specific information on the 

projects and activities that were carried out with the TTP funding in FY 2020. A copy of this 
2 

report will be provided to the Secretary of the Interior through BIA, which co-administers the 

TTP with FHWA. 

The attachment is the fifth year for this report; over 98 percent of Tribes reported their data. 

NEXT STEPS 

FHWA’s Office of Federal Lands Highway, in cooperation with BIA, will be preparing a data 

report for FY 2021 containing information from all recipients of TTP funds. Both FHWA and 

BIA continue to work with Tribal transportation representatives to clarify instructions and 

improve the data reporting system for use in the coming years. 

The Secretary 

REVIEWED: __________________ 

DATE: __________________ 

COMMENTS: 

Preferred follow-up to comments / questions: 

☐ Policy office hours 

☐ Verbally in daily check-out 

☐ In writing 

☐ Standalone briefing meeting 

Attachments: 

 Executive Summary: Tribal Transportation Program Fiscal Year 2020 Data Report

 Attachment A: General Program Overview 

 Attachment B: National Financial Summary 

 Attachment C: Non-Construction Activities 

 Attachment D: Design and Construction Project Reports 

 Attachment E: TTP Bridge Program Project Report 

 Attachment F: National TTP Safety Report 
TRIBAL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM FISCAL YEAR 

2020 

DATA REPORT TO THE 

SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE 

SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR 
Fiscal Year 2020 TTP Data Report | 3  

Background

The Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) is an important resource in a Tribe’s overall infrastructure investment strategy. The TTP provides funding to address the transportation needs 

of the 573 federally recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages (Tribes). Tribes use 

TTP funds for construction, road and bridge maintenance, and other transportation related 

activities. 

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Federal Lands Highway and the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Division of Transportation jointly administer the program in 

accordance with a memorandum of understanding. Tribes directly receive all TTP funding 

except for a 5-percent statutory set-aside which the BIA and FHWA use for program 

management and oversight (PM&O). The TTP funding that Tribes received in Fiscal Year (FY) 

2020 includes: 

 The Tribal shares; 

 The 2-percent Planning funds; 

 Any TTP Bridge Program funds; and 

 Any TTP Safety funds. 

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st 

Century Act (MAP-21) established the TTP in 2012. 

Prior to MAP-21, the TTP was known as the Indian 

Reservation Roads (IRR) Program, established by 

the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 

1982. The statutory funding formula in Title 23, 

United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 202(b) 

determines the Tribal shares. Title 25, Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 170 contains the 

policies and procedures for carrying out the TTP.

Program Management and Oversight

The PM&O funds are used to carry 

out stewardship and oversight of the 

TTP as well as other TTP activities that 

are deemed as inherently Federal 

in accordance with the appendix 

to Subpart E of 25 CFR Part 170. In 

FY 2020, $22,876,500 was made 

available to FHWA and BIA to carry 

out PM&O activities through the 

5-percent statutory set-aside. These 

funds were used for: 

ͦ Payroll and travel of the FHWA and 

BIA TTP staff; 

ͦ Office space and supplies; 

ͦ Information Technology support 

and equipment; 

ͦ Maintenance of the National Tribal 

Transportation Facility Inventory; and 

ͦ Other special TTP-specific and 

required studies, technical 

assistance and activities such as: 

ͦ Tribal Technical Assistance Program; 

ͦ Carrying out Tribal program reviews; 

and 

ͦ Conducting bridge inspections on 

the Tribal and BIA bridges across 

the country. 
Fiscal Year 2020 TTP Data Report | 4  

Program Funding 

2020 Funding Levels 

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act authorized the TTP in FY 2020 at a funded level of $505 

million. After the application of a 9.4-percent obligation limitation, $457,530,000 remained for program activities. 

Of this amount, $9,150,600 was designated for each of the planning and safety set asides, $13,725,900 was 

designated for the Bridge Program and $22,876,500 went toward PM&O funds. The net result was $402,626,400 of 

FY 2020 TTP funding made available to the Tribes as formula Tribal shares. Additional background information 

about the TTP is provided as Attachment A. 

FAST Act Funds Available 

for Programs $457,530,000 

FY 2020 Tribal Shares $402,626,400 

Program Management

& Oversight (administered by FHWA and BIA) $22,876,500 

Bridge Program $13,725,900 

Planning Set Aside $9,150,600 

Safety Set Aside $9,150,600

Further review of the data contained in the three-chapter reports show that in FY 2020 the Tribes expended funds 

on more than 677 design or construction projects with a total estimated cost of approximately $2 billion. In addition, 

the reports show that in FY 2020, the Tribes leveraged and expended an additional $19 million in non-TTP funds on 

those projects as well.
Fiscal Year 2020 TTP Data Report | 5  

Data 

Collection 

DATA REQUIREMENTS 

The FAST Act included language in 23 U.S.C. 201(c)(6)(C) that called for the collection 

of data on the obligation and expenditure of TTP funds and the development of an 

annual report for the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of the Interior. 

Specifically, the language states:

Tribal Data Collection

In addition to the data to be collected under subparagraph (A), not later than 90 days after the last day of each fiscal 

year, any entity carrying out a project under the tribal transportation program under section 202 shall submit to the 

Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior, based on obligations and expenditures under the tribal transportation 

program during the preceding fiscal year, the following data: 

(i) The names of projects and activities carried out by the entity under the tribal transportation program during 

the preceding fiscal year. 

(ii) A description of the projects and activities identified under clause (i). 

(iii) The current status of the projects and activities identified under clause (i). 

(iv) An estimate of the number of jobs created and the number of jobs retained by the projects and activities 

identified under clause (i). 

This Report to the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior contains the data collected for FY 2020. 

Reducing the Reporting Burden on Tribes

In order to meet FAST Act reporting requirements, FHWA and BIA worked closely with several Tribes to develop 

the TTP Online Reporting Tool (PORT) for gathering the required data. The PORT uses the MAX Survey platform on 

MAX.gov. The PORT is prepopulated with existing data to minimize the data entry work required of the Tribes. The 

Joint Agency Report System (JARS) is a Microsoft Access database used to collate and present the data 

collected in PORT with automated reports. The PORT data is broken into Construction Projects and NonConstruction Activities. 

Over 98 percent of the Tribes that received TTP funds during FY 2020 entered data into the PORT System. The BIA and 

FHWA provided data on the receipt and use of PM&O funds
Fiscal Year 2020 TTP Data Report | 6  

Fiscal Year 2020 Reports

Several reports were generated from the collected data and are available for review 

in the attachments or on the TTP Website. Highlights are summarized below. The reports 

included as attachments to this report as well as the report itself are posted on the FHWA 

TTP Website at https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/programs-tribal/annual-report .

Chapter 1: National Financial Summary Report

The National Financial Summary Report shows the overall 

amount of TTP funding made available to and expended 

by each reporting Tribe in FY 2020, as well as the number 

of jobs created and the number of jobs retained through 

the projects and activities that were carried out. 

The Chapter 1 Report shows that in FY 2020, $422,975,3701

in TTP funding was made available to the Tribes that 

entered data into the PORT. The report also shows that 

these same Tribes expended $321,793,667 of TTP funds in 

FY 2020. The total funds available, $445,851,870, are the 

amounts reported by tribes, BIA and FHWA. The amount 

differs from the amount of TTP funds made available in FY 

2020, $457,530,000, because amounts reported by Tribes 

may also include funds awarded from previous fiscal 

years or from other fund sources. 

In addition, the report shows that the TTP funded projects 

and activities in FY 2020 accounted for 1,937 permanent 

(retained) jobs as well as 4,313 other non-permanent 

(created) jobs. 

In many cases the difference between the funds made 

available and expended may be that the Tribes are saving 

up or carrying over their funding to undertake a future 

project that requires the use of several years of Tribal shares. 

Or, BIA or FHWA have obligated funds on a contract but the 

work has not yet been started or completed. 

The Chapter 1 Report is included in this report as 

Attachment B.

1 Reports reflect only amounts submitted to PORT by Tribes, so differ from total amounts authorized to the program. Set 

asides and bridge program funds are included in reported amount

$3,736,805 

$547,243 

TTP Funds Available to Tribes 

$422,975,370 

BIA PM&O 

$18,552,500 

FHWA PM&O $4,324,000 

Funds Expended Funds not Expended 

$321,214,896 

$101,760,474 

FHWA 

PM&O 

BIA 

PM&O 

Funds Expended Funds not Expended 

$3,776,757 

Funds Expended: Reported by Tribes

FY 2020 TTP Funds: $445,851,870 – As Reported 

Funds Expended: PM&O

$14,815,695 
Fiscal Year 2020 TTP Data Report | 7  

Maintenan

ce

Administra

tion

Planning

Transit

Other

Safety

Chapter 2: Non-Construction Activities

This report contains overview information on all TTPfunded non-construction activities that were carried 

out by the reporting Tribes in FY 2020. The chart to 

the right summarizes the amounts expended in each 

non-construction category. 

The Chapter 2 Report is included in this report as 

Attachment C. The jobs associated with these 

activities are included in the overall information 

contained in the Chapter 1 Report. 

Chapter 3: Design and Construction Projects Report 

This report contains overview information on all the TTP-funded design and construction projects and activities 

that were carried out by the reporting Tribes in FY 2020. The Construction Projects include all construction-related 

projects and activities, including projects funded through safety and bridge set-aside funding. The information 

provided in the report includes:

• Federal Project Number; 

• Project Name; 

• Percent (%) complete; 

• Project Description; 

• Progress Reported by Tribe; 

• Estimated Project Cost; and 

• TTP Funds Expended this FY.

The report lists the Tribes in alphabetical order. The Chapter 3 Report is included in this report as Attachment D. 

Additional information/data on the specific bridge projects and safety projects contained in the Chapter 3 

Report are included in this report as Attachment E and Attachment F. 

The funding and jobs associated with these design and construction activities are included in the information 

contained in the Chapter 1 Report. 

Maintenance 

Administration 

Planning 

Transit 

Other 

Safety 

$54,957,781 

$36,377,313 

$12,921,846 

$7,653,704 

$2,187,711 

$1,226,271 

Non-Construction Spending 
Fiscal Year 2020 TTP Data Report | 8  

Timothy Hess 

Associate Administrator 

Office of Federal Lands Highway 

timothy.hess@dot.gov 

202-366-9472