About Tribal Transportation Planning

Transportation planning enables communities to identify broad goals to meet transportation needs through informed decisionmaking. The multimodal strategies for achieving these goals should address current and future land use, economic development, travel demand, public safety, health, and social needs among others.

Affirmed in treaties, Supreme Court decisions, and executive orders, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has a government-to-government relationship with Indian Tribal Governments and requires that the FHWA and other Federal agencies consult with Tribes regarding policy and regulatory matters. Additionally, 23 USC 134 and 23 USC 135 establish consultation requirements with tribes through the Statewide and Metropolitan planning and programming processes. With the utmost respect for Tribal sovereignty, the FHWA is committed to building more effective day-to-day working relationships among the Federal government, State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, local governments, and Indian Tribal Governments.

For more information about FHWA's Tribal Transportation Program, please contact the FHWA Tribal Transportation Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator works closely with FHWA headquarters and division offices, Tribal Governments, national and regional Tribal organizations, and the Transportation Research Board to promote intergovernmental relationships and partnerships in transportation, continue to build the technical and program capacity of the Tribal program, and enhance the state of the practice in Tribal transportation.