A series of what are officially called Tribal Technical Assistance Program centers are being established to facilitate the upgrading of roads and bridges in Tribal communities. “We have heard directly from tribal leaders across the country about how decades of underinvestment in infrastructure affects tribal communities,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in announcing the centers. Buttigieg noted that six of the centers are now underway, with a seventh in the planning stage. Up to $3 billion in funding has been made available through the department’s Tribal Transportation Program, which, in turn, is funded via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The establishment of the assistance centers comes partly in response to input from tribal leaders who said they preferred a regional model to a single, centralized location. The centers, located in Alaska, Arizona, California, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Washington, are designed to serve the twelve established Bureau of Indian Affairs regions. According to a press release issued by the DOT, the centers will be tasked with meeting the “transportation training and education needs of Native American communities, building skills and expertise to ensure the safety and maintenance of tribal roads.” Announcement of a seventh center, designed to serve the Eastern and Midwest Bureau of Indian Affairs regions, is expected to be announced later. By Garry Boulard
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