Regional Implementation of Tribal Transportation Safety Program: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Roadway Safety Improvement Program

University Transportation Centers Program2019PDFTech ReportShinstine, Debbie S.Ksaibati, KhaledTrusty, DennisWYT2/LTAP CenterUniversity of Wyoming. Department of Civil and Architectural EngineeringUnited Tribes Technical CollegeMountain-Plains ConsortiumUnited States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) ProgramUnited States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and TechnologyMountain-Plains ConsortiumNorth DakotaSouth DakotaUnited StatesCrash ratesHighway safetyImplementationIndian reservationsMethodologySafety programsTribal governmentNative AmericansMPC-19-399.1MPC-454Tribal communities recognize the need to improve roadway safety. A five-step methodology has been developed by the Wyoming Technology Transfer Center (WYT2/LTAP) to improve roadway safety on Indian reservations. This methodology was initially implemented on the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR), which led to the Wyoming Department of Transportation funding of three system-wide, low-cost safety improvement projects. Due to the success of the program on the WRIR, tribes across the country have become interested in implementing the program. WYT2/LTAP and the Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program (NPTTAP) are helping tribes implement this program on their reservations in the Great Plains region, and have developed criteria to identify tribes for participation. Reservations in North Dakota and South Dakota applied to TTAP to participate and three tribes were accepted for implementation: the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST), the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe, and the Yankton Sioux Tribe. This study describes the implementation on the SRST. Many challenges and differences were identified through the analysis, demonstrating that a single procedure would not work for different reservations. Through extensive coordination and collaboration with the tribes and government agencies, WYT2/LTAP, along with the TTAP centers, can provide the technical assistance the tribes need to develop their own road safety improvement program.132