FHWA Agreement Tribes Planning Process

The Federal Highway Administration Office of Tribal Transportation works in partnership with Tribal Governments and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to achieve Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) planning on Tribal lands. A TTP Agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation and a Tribe provides an understanding that Tribal Governments inherit "all the functions and duties that the Secretary of Interior would have performed (Chapter 2 of Title 23, USC)."

As per this legislation, the Tribal transportation planning process, including the development of a long-range transportation plan is carried out and approved by the Tribal Government. However, a major planning component that FHWA has approval authority on, in partnership with a Tribe, is the development of an annual TTP Transportation Improvement Program (TTPTIP). The TTPTIP is derived from a list of eligible projects approved under a Tribe's individual TIP.