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Summary

On October 30, 2013, we issued a report on the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) oversight of the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) which provides funding for projects that support safe and adequate transportation and public road access to and within tribal lands, and Alaska Native Villages. From fiscal years 2005 to 2012, the TTP received about $3.5 billion in congressional appropriations, including $310 million provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. FHWA’s Office of Federal Lands Highway (FLH) and the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) jointly administer and oversee the TTP. Our report assessed whether FLH is effectively coordinating with BIA and providing adequate oversight of TTP projects under agreements with tribes. We found that FLH and BIA routinely coordinate in key TTP areas; however, FLH and BIA have opportunities to improve coordination on National Environmental Policy Act approvals and final acceptance of TTP projects. We also found that while FLH has some processes for reviewing the tribes’ management of transportation projects, its oversight is not based on sufficient data on tribes’ program risks and needs. In addition, we found that the TTP is governed by an outdated regulation and unclear guidance in some key areas on how to implement that regulation, such as allowable uses of funds. FLH concurred with our seven recommendations, which were focused on strengthening stewardship and oversight of the TTP program