The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration awarded a total of $20.9 million in grants to 88 projects to improve road safety on reservations, 13 of which are in South Dakota.
Native American and Alaska Native populations are affected by transportation-related injuries and deaths more than any other demographic, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration data.
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation will receive $1,397,600 to go towards phase two of a road and guardrail improvement project.
Other grants range from $10,000 to over $800,000 and will help fund projects for the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Lake Traverse Reservation, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Yankton Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
"These grants, made possible through funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, represent our ongoing commitment to serving tribal communities,” Arlando Teller, the U.S. Transportation Assistant Secretary for Tribal Government Affairs, said in a press release.
