Indian Reservation Roads Program

This final rule establishes policies and procedures governing the Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) Program. The IRR Program is a part of the Federal Lands Highway Program established to address transportation needs of tribes. The program is jointly administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Federal Lands Highway (FLH) Office. It expands transportation activities available to tribes and tribal organizations and provides guidance for planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining transportation facilities. It also establishes a funding distribution methodology called the Tribal Transportation Allocation Methodology (TTAM). The TTAM includes a factor for allocating IRR Program funds based on the relative needs of tribes and reservation or tribal communities for transportation assistance. It also addresses the administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various tribes including the cost of road construction, geographic isolation, and difficulty in maintaining all weather access to essential resources and services. The TTAM provides funding for Indian Reservation Roads High Priority Projects that would not otherwise have sufficient funding; and makes available a minimum allocation to tribes if funding levels are sufficient.