# Tribal Safety

- FHWA Awards Six Tribal Technical Assistance Program Cooperative Agreements to Support Native American Communities’ Access to Federal Funding, Improve Safety, and Economic Opportunity FHWA Awards Six Tribal Technical Assistance Program Cooperative Agreements to Support Native American Communities’ Access to Federal Funding, Improve Safety, and Economic Opportunity neil_gaffneyTue, 11/29/2022 - 16:43            Tribes encouraged to seek assistance from the Center in their area and apply for historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tribal funding; Funding opportunity for a seventh center coming soonWASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced cooperative agreements re-establishing regional Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) centers. The centers will assist Tribal communities as they seek to access $3 billion in Tribal Transportation Program Funding made available by President Biden’s infrastructure package, as well as additional Federal funding opportunities.FHWA’s move from a centralized technical assistance model – headquartered in a single, centralized location under a two-year pilot program – back to a regional technical assistance model responds to the input of Tribes gathered in 13 listening sessions over seven months, and input from Tribal stakeholders through a Federal Register Notice Request for Information. These conversations illuminated the diversity of needs across the wide range of geographic, topographic, and climate conditions that exist across Indian country.The regional centers will ultimately serve the 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) regions and associated Tribes and meet the transportation training and education needs of Native American communities, building skills and expertise to ensure the safety and maintenance of Tribal roads.“We have heard directly from Tribal leaders across the country about how decades of underinvestment in infrastructure affects Tribal communities,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is responding to calls from our Tribal partners for greater technical assistance, establishing six regional centers, with a seventh on the way. Our goal is to help Tribes make the most of historic funding to modernize roads, bridges and more.”“FHWA is deepening its commitment to partnering with Tribal communities across the country by re-establishing these technical assistance centers and helping Tribal communities secure access to federal transportation funding and technical assistance,” said Federal Highway Acting Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “We are committed to ongoing dialogue with Tribal governments to ensure that this restored technical assistance program is responsive to Tribes and provides them with access to the technical training and assistance they need. This will allow Tribes to successfully compete for Federal infrastructure funding and administer and manage transportation programs that serve the needs of their Tribal communities and reduce the significant number of serious injuries and fatalities on Tribal lands.”TTAP centers are established to deliver the Tribal component of FHWA’s Local Technical Assistance Program to Tribal communities. The centers provide American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal governments with training, technical assistance, and technology services that best meet the needs of Tribal communities, including on-demand, virtual, and hands-on services that strengthen Tribal capacity for self-governance of transportation programs. TTAP centers complement other DOT technical assistance resources designed to support Tribal, rural and disadvantaged communities.Today’s announcement is a critical step in a process begun earlier this year when FHWA issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcing the availability of up to $17.8 million over five years to re-establish regional TTAP centers. Of the seven TTAP Centers advertised, the following six TTAP centers were selected for award:									Regional TTAP Centers									Associated BIA Regions									TTAP Center Awards															Southern TTAP Center									Eastern Oklahoma									Oklahoma State University (OSU)													Southern Plains													Southwestern TTAP Center									Navajo									Lenea Corporation (LC)													Southwest													Northern TTAP Center									Rocky Mountain									North Dakota State University (NDSU)													Great Plains													Western TTAP Center									Pacific									National Indian Justice Center (NIJC)													Western													Northwestern TTAP Center									Northwest									University of Washington (UW)													Alaska TTAP Center									Alaska									University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)						The final, Eastern TTAP Center that will assist Tribes in the Eastern and Midwest Associated Bureau of Indian Affairs Regions, will be readvertised in December of this year through a NOFO, with an informational webinar two weeks following that notice. That NOFO will be available at grants.gov and includes additional information and program requirements.In addition to $3 billion in Tribal Transportation Program funding and $17.8 million to re-establish TTAP centers, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides the following funding specifically for Tribes between 2022 and 2026:	$825 million under the Tribal Transportation Facility Bridge Program and Bridge Formula Program Tribal Bridge set-aside;	$200 million under the Tribal Transportation Facility Bridge Program and Bridge Investment Program Tribal Bridge set-aside;	$121 million under the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund; and	$45 million under the Tribal High Priority Projects Program; and	$10 million under the Rural and Tribal Technical Assistance Pilot Program.To assist the 574 federally recognized Tribes in addressing their transportation needs, FHWA developed a Transportation Funding Opportunities for Tribal Nations brochure, and this summer the USDOT launched Navigator to help communities understand the best ways to apply for grants and access the full array of DOT technical assistance resources.In the coming months, the Department will host listening sessions to gather further input on how USDOT and FHWA can support Tribal communities as they work to access transportation funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve safety, mobility options and quality of life for Tribal residents.###                                          0            Placement              Off                            Effective Date              Wed, 11/30/2022 - 12:00                Related Links                        Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP)          Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Eastern Tribal Technical Assistance Progr...          Transportation Funding Opportunities for Tribal Nations brochure (PDF)          DOT Navigator                          Contact Info              FHWA Office of Public Affairs                How to set Effective Date              Use specific date to backdate article                Placement              Off                Archive              Off
- FHWA Awards Nearly $9 Million for Tribal Transportation Safety Improvements and Announces Additional $120 Million Available Thanks to President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law FHWA Awards Nearly $9 Million for Tribal Transportation Safety Improvements and Announces Additional $120 Million Available Thanks to President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Lawneil_gaffneyFri, 06/03/2022 - 18:16            FHWA 16-22Contact: FHWA.PressOffice@dot.govTel.: (202) 366-0660WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced that 51 Tribes will receive $8.9 million for 58 projects from FHWA for Fiscal Year 2021 to improve transportation safety. This new grant announcement comes in addition to $120 million to assist tribes in the coming years through the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund, made possible by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and now available for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2026. This combined funding will help fulfill the goals laid out in the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy announced earlier this year, which comes amid a troubling spike in roadway deaths of drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists, particularly among Native Americans.“At a time when Native Americans are more likely than any other group in our country to lose their lives in roadway crashes, these funds from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help improve safety in Indian Country,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.“There are projects that we know are the most likely to reduce fatalities and serious injuries and this historic funding opportunity aims to improve transportation safety in Tribal areas,” said Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “Simple changes like adding rumble strips, better lighting, or clearer stop signs can and will save lives in communities across the country. FHWA is ready to assist Tribal leaders in their work to make travel safer in Indian Country.”The complete list of grant recipients for FY2021 is available at TTPSF FY2021 Grant Recipients.The recipients announced today include 11 Tribes that have not previously participated in the program and will receive funding to develop their first-ever transportation safety plans.Among the FY 2021 grant recipients are:	The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians in Minnesota will receive a $268,000 grant for lighting at 40 high-risk intersections.	The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota will receive $500,202 to improve safety for motorists and pedestrians by adding rumble strips, more permanent street markings, more pronounced stop signs with LED lights, and roadway departure countermeasures at two high risk locations.	The Navajo Nation in Arizona will receive a $981,402 grant to add safety features that can prevent drivers from driving off the road on high-risk routes.	The Native Village of False Pass in Alaska will receive a $12,500 grant to develop the Tribe’s first transportation safety plan.	The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Connecticut will receive a $7,500 grant to update its 2018 transportation safety plan.This funding opportunity builds on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s efforts to improve the safety of our nation’s roadways for all road users, including through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary grant program that will provide $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2022 to support regional, local, and Tribal plans, projects and strategies that will prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The Safe Streets for All program supports the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and the goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadway.The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides the largest funding ever in the history of the Tribal Transportation Program, which includes the safety fund, by increasing the total authorized from $2.4 billion under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act to $3 billion for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2026.Reflecting feedback from Tribal transportation leaders, under the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund program, Tribes can apply for funding at 100% federal share with no matching requirement to implement projects in four categories: transportation safety plans; data assessment, improvement, and analysis activities; systemic roadway departure countermeasures; and infrastructure improvements such as intersection safety improvements, shoulder widening and pedestrian or bicyclist safety improvements.The TTPSF Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announced today can be found at TTPSF Fiscal Years 2022-2026 NOFO. Additional information on how to apply for the Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund NOFO and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund.To further assist the 574 federally recognized Tribes in addressing their transportation needs, FHWA has developed Transportation Funding Opportunities for Tribal Nations, a brochure that provides information on new highway programs created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as well as existing highway and bridge transportation funding programs. Additionally, Tribal Bridge Program Questions and Answers are available online at TTP Bridge Q&A.###                                          0            Placement              Off                            Effective Date              Tue, 06/07/2022 - 12:00                Related Links                        TTPSF Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)          Tribal Bridge Program Questions and Answers          Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund          Transportation Funding Opportunities for Tribal Nations                          Contact Info              FHWA Office of Public Affairs                How to set Effective Date              Use specific date to backdate article                Placement              Off                Archive              Off