FTA, ARRA to fund tribal transit

A new bus maintenance facility for the Navajo Nation in Arizona and a new transportation center for the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina are two of 100 of transit projects on tribal lands that will share in $32 million in Public Transportation on Indian Reservations funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

The $32 million, of which $17 million will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Tribal Transit Program, will pay for 100 transit projects for tribes in 22 states. Proposed projects include new buses, vans and other capital equipment, as well as operations, transit planning and the construction of new transit facilities. The $17 million in ARRA funds will cover 39 of the projects.

“We want the economic recovery to reach all of America,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “New and restored transportation infrastructure on tribal lands will help spur and sustain economic growth on those lands.”

Participants include federally recognized Indian Tribes or Alaska Native villages, groups or communities as identified by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior. 

FTA national and regional staff members reviewed 152 proposals and selected 100 based on, among other criteria, planning and coordination, demonstration of need, benefits of the project and financial commitment of the sponsoring organization.

A list of winning projects may be found here and will be announced in the Federal Register.