The Federal Highway Administration recently announced $17-million in grant awards from the 2017-2018 Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund. These awards represent funding for 94 projects to develop transportation safety plans, enhance safety data, and improve transportation infrastructure. The Tribe received $340,000 for the Design of Old Barnstable Road Project, which will provide a completed construction plan for a one-mile stretch of road, designed to prevent another pedestrian fatality, and reduce the potential for serious bicyclist and vehicular crashes

FHWA received 234 applications from 141 recognized Tribes requesting a total of $90.1 million in assistance.

Each year under the FAST Act, 2% of the available TTP funds are set aside to address transportation safety issues in Native America. Funds are available to federally recognized Indian tribes through a competitive, discretionary program. Awarded annually, projects are chosen whose outcomes will address the prevention and reduction of death or serious injuries in transportation related incidents, such as motor vehicle crashes. Transportation fatalities and injuries severely impact the quality of life in Indian country. Statistics are consistently higher than the rest of the nation as a whole; FHWA advocates the development of strategic Transportation Safety Plans as a means for tribes to determine how transportation safety needs will be addressed in and around tribal communities. Additional information on developing safety plans can be found here.

Eligible projects for the TTP Safety Fund under the FAST Act include: development and revision of transportation safety plans, crash data improvement, road safety audits, and other activities, primarily infrastructure improvements