Despite the uncertainty regarding funding distribution and potential travel challenges, we, the Tribal Planning Committee, along with our partners and sponsors, remain fully committed to continuing the Tribal Transportation Training (TTT) in Guthrie, OK. While the agenda may experience minor adjustments, rest assured that the quality of training and the opportunities for networking will remain unchanged.

The 2025 TTT is hosted by the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, with generous sponsorship from the Pawnee Nation, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Cross Timbers Consulting and Premier Steel. This training is designed to provide tribes with the most relevant and up-to-date information for managing transportation programs effectively.

We look forward to seeing everyone April 22 - 24 at the Meridian Technology Center in Guthrie, OK. We look forward to a productive, successful, and collaborative experience that will continue to strengthen our partnerships and help us achieve shared goals.

2025 Tribal Transportation Training Details:

• Dates: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - Thursday, April 24, 2025
• Location: Meridian Technology Center I 3025 S. Division St., Guthrie, OK 73044
• Cost: FREE for Tribal personnel only
• Registration is limited to 100 attendees so register early to secure your spot!

The 2025 TTT is proudly supported by:

Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) 101

Details: 2.5-hour course (45-minute modules); can be taken at your own pace

Description: Through the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP), Tribes can receive support in the use of Federal funds for a variety of projects that will improve the quality of life through safe and adequate transportation for native villages, communities, reservations, and Indian lands. By having a better understanding of the TTP, Tribes can get a better idea of what the available funding can be used for.

This training also covers some related concepts such as discretionary grants, Tribal Transportation Improvement Programs (T-TIPs), Referenced Funding Agreements (RFAs), and environmental requirements of the TTP such as NEPA. This is an introductory course that will not get into the details of these complex topics but rather is meant to provide a basic awareness of the concepts.

This course is designed for Tribal members who would like more information about TTP funds. This includes Tribal Council members, Tribal transportation practitioners, and local agency practitioners. Topics covered include:

• Tribal Transportation Program Overview
• TTP Fund Allocation and the TTP Formula
• Using TTP Funds

Risk-Based Safety Planning & TTPSF Webinar Recordings

Description: Risk-based safety planning can help tribes identify and build justification for proactive transportation safety infrastructure improvements. TTPSF can provide funding for risk-based safety planning, Road Safety Audits (RSA), and other transportation safety studies under the Data Assessment, Improvement, and Analysis category.

Several examples of risk-based safety planning projects in Tribal areas were shared during recent webinars co-hosted by the National Center for Rural Road Safety, the National Local Technical Assistance Program Association, and the FHWA Office of Tribal Transportation. Below are links to the webinar recordings.

Recorded Webinar 1: Risk-based Safety Planning for Tribes (Click Here for Recording)

Recorded Webinar 2: Results of a Systemic Study of Pedestrian Safety in Tribal Areas (Click Here for Recording)

In January 2025, FHWA published A Systemic Safety Study of Pedestrians in Tribal Areas. The study identified risk factors for pedestrian crashes in rural Tribal settings and explored transportation planning practices and strategies to reduce the occurrence and severity of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in rural Tribal areas. This study identified resources available and created tools for Tribal agencies (planners, engineers, councils, etc.) and others who may be involved with pedestrian safety in Tribal communities to help determine high-risk areas within communities, identify potential safety improvements, and prioritize potential improvements or locations.

Download Final Report (PDF, 5MB)

For more information, visit https://www.tribalsafety.org/ped-study/

On February 20, 2025, the BIA Office of Justice Services launched Operation Spirit Return, an initiative that is intended to help solve missing and unidentified cases in the American Indian and Alaska Native community and to focus on reuniting remains with family members and tribal communities. This effort is a collaboration between the Missing and Murdered Unit, the federal database NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and the Texas-based company Othram, with the goal of addressing the staggering number of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Natives in tribal communities.

The full press release is available here.

For more information about the Missing and Murdered Unit or to learn about how you can get involved visit www.bia.gov/mmu. 

The American Planning Association recently published Understanding What Environmental Review Executive Orders Mean for Planning. The article details changes that may be in store for the regulatory process that drive federal environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The article highlights the following:

• President Trump's "Unleashing American Energy" Executive Order (EO)
• Shifting of NEPA responsibilities to individual federal agencies, which will use their own previously adopted NEPA standards for reviews while new standards are enacted
• Federal courts setting precedents for NEPA regulations
• The impact the review processes will have on planners, and the potential for a more streamlined process

The full article is available here.

TTP Bridge Program 

Deadline: Any time during the year, in accordance with 23 CFR 661.25, a Tribe can submit an application package for preliminary engineering (PE) and/or Construction funding.

Description: The TTP Bridge Program is focused on improving the number of TTP bridges in poor condition.

For more information, visit: TTP Bridge Program | FHWA

Tribal High Priority Projects (Tribal HPP) Program

Deadline: Any time during the year, a Tribe can submit an application package for Tribal HPP Program funding. On January 31, the applications received will be reviewed for eligibility, evaluated, and ranked for funding. Applications submitted after January 31 will be collected for the next fiscal year funding cycle.

Description: This program is a nationwide priority program for: (1) An Indian Tribe or governmental subdivision of an Indian Tribe whose annual allocation of funding under the Tribal Transportation Program is insufficient to complete the highest priority project of the Indian Tribe or governmental subdivision of an Indian Tribe; or (2) Any Indian Tribe that has an emergency or disaster with respect to a transportation facility.

Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program

Deadline: Applications will open at 2:00 PM ET on March 18, 2025, and will close at 4:59 PM ET on April 17, 2025.

Description: The RTA Program aims to help applicants develop transportation infrastructure projects in rural and tribal communities that will qualify for federal funding and financing programs for additional development phase activities or construction. The RTA Program provides funding for planning and design phase activities for rural and tribal infrastructure projects. This program will award grants for either the hiring of staff or the procurement of expert firms to provide financial, technical, and legal assistance with project-related planning and design phase activities.

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

Deadline: April 18, 2025

Description: $750 million is available to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The application period is open from January 6, 2025 - April 18, 2025. 

FEMA’s competitive mitigation grant program provide states, local communities, Tribal Nations and territories funding to address high-level future risks to natural disasters such as wildfires, drought, hurricanes, earthquakes, extreme heat and increased flooding to foster greater community resilience and reduce disaster suffering.

Port Infrastructure Development Program 

Deadline: April 30, 2025, 11:59 PM ET

Description: The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) is a discretionary grant program administered by the Maritime Administration. Funds for the PIDP are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port.

PIDP grants support efforts by ports and industry stakeholders to improve port and related freight infrastructure to meet the nation’s freight transportation needs and ensure port infrastructure can meet anticipated growth in freight volumes. The PIDP provides funding to ports in both urban and rural areas for planning and capital projects. It also includes a statutory set-aside for small ports to continue to improve and expand their capacity to move freight reliably and efficiently and support local and regional economies.

Indian Highway Safety Law Enforcement Grant

Deadline: May 1, 2025

Description: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Justice Services (OJS), Indian Highway Safety Program (IHSP) solicit proposals for implementing traffic safety programs and projects that are designated to reduce the number of traffic crashes, deaths, injuries, and property damage within these populations. Indian Highway Safety Grants are financial assistance grants that are reimbursable and available to federally recognized tribes. 

For more information, contact: Kimberly Belone, Program Analyst (Coordinator) BIA/OJS - Indian Highway Safety Program, 505-563-3900

Indian Highway Safety Occupant Protection Grant

Deadline: May 1, 2025

Description: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Justice Services (OJS), Indian Highway Safety Program (IHSP) solicit proposals for implementing traffic safety programs and projects that are designated to reduce the number of traffic crashes, deaths, injuries, and property damage within these populations. Indian Highway Safety Grants are financial assistance grants that are reimbursable and available to federally recognized tribes. This grant application is for federally recognized tribes that demonstrate a financial need in the field of occupant protection.

For more information, contact: Kimberly Belone, Program Analyst (Coordinator) BIA/OJS - Indian Highway Safety Program, 505-563-3900

Bridge Investment Program - Large Bridge Projects

Deadline: August 1, 2025

Description: Large Bridge Project Grants under the Bridge Investment Program are available for bridges with total eligible project costs over $100 million, with minimum grant awards of $50 million, and maximum grant awards of 50 percent of the total eligible project costs.

Bridge Investment Program - Planning Projects

Deadline: October 1, 2025

Description: Planning Project grant applications are available for bridges with maximum grant awards of 80 percent of the total eligible project costs.

Bridge Investment Program - Bridge Projects

Deadline: November 1, 2025

Description: Bridge Project Grants under the Bridge Investment Program are available for bridges with total eligible project costs up to $100 million, with minimum grant awards of $2.5 million, and maximum grant awards of 80 percent of the total eligible project costs.

Securing funding for your project can be challenging, but with professional grant writing assistance, you can increase your chances of success. Since 2013, Cross Timbers Consulting staff have prepared over 100 funded grant applications, garnering over $102.1 million dollars in funding for tribal transportation programs. These include:

• Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program [TIGER/RAISE]
• Energy and Mineral Development Program [EMDP]
• Tribal Transportation Program Safety Funds [TTPSF]
• Indian Community Development Block Grant Program [ICDBG]
• Community Development Block Grant CARES Act [CDBG-CV]
• Accelerated Innovation Deployment [AID] Demonstration Program
• FTA Tribal Transit Grants
• Safe Streets and Roads for All [SS4A]
• Bridge Investment Program [BIP]
• Tribal Energy Development Capacity [TEDC]

CTC grant writing staff can help simplify the process and improve your odds of receiving funding. When you're ready to take the next step, contact us to discuss how we can support your funding goals.

Vehicle Safety Recalls Week

March 3 - 9 is Vehicle Safety Recalls Week, so it is a great time to check your vehicle for recalls. There are millions of vehicles on the road with potentially life-threatening safety recalls - yet 25% of them are never repaired. It is essential to check your car for safety recalls and to get all recalls repaired.

Checking for vehicle safety recalls is easy. Visit NHTSA.gov/Recalls or download the SaferCar app: NHTSA.gov/App

If your car has a recall, get it fixed! 🧰 Vehicle safety recalls are FREE to repair — and you could save a life. 

March 25 - 27 TTPCC Meeting [TBD - temporarily suspended]

March 29 - April 1 National Planning Conference

Colorado Convention Center I Denver, CO I planning.org/conference/

April 7 - 10 Tribal Self-Governance Conference

Gila River Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino I Chandler, AZ I tribalselfgov.org

April 22 - 24 Tribal Transportation Training

Meridian Technology Center I Guthrie, OK I crosstimbersconsulting.com

April 28 - May 1 Tribal GIS Conference

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) I Albuquerque, NM I information

April 29 Oklahoma Tribal Transportation Council (OTTC) Meeting

Oklahoma DOT

April 29 - May 1 TTPCC Meeting [TBD - temporarily suspended]

May 6 - 8 Northwest Tribal Transportation Symposium 2025 [cancelled]

May 5 - 8 National Tribal Road Maintenance Symposium [TBD]

The Box Event Center I Rapid City, SD I northernttap.org

September 21 - 25 NTICC

Gila River Casino & Resort I Chandler, AZ I nticc.org

December 7 - 10 National RTAP Conference

Hyatt Regency Austin I Austin, TX I nationalrtap.org