In Indian Country - 160,000 miles of roads. Miles owned by the BIA - 29,000. Miles of BIA roads in “acceptable” condition — less than 5000.
Given the vast territories covered by some Indian lands, particularly in the mid-West, it’s not surprising that there are 160,000 miles of roads in Indian country. The BIA owns less than one-fifth of those miles – the remainder are owned by tribes, states, counties, and other Federal agencies. But 70 percent of the miles of BIA roads are not paved; overall, only 17 percent of BIA roads –paved or not—have been assessed to be in an acceptable condition.
Over the last couple of decades, BIA has been allocated about $26 million per year to maintain the roads. This amount, though relatively steady, has not kept up with rising costs and has resulted in a backlog of $290 million in deferred maintenance, according to Michael Black, Director of the BIA in 2015.
Some of the tribal leaders who testified in recent hearings described the high number of deaths and injuries they were experiencing, and the inability of emergency personnel to reach accident scenes quickly, due to the inadequately maintained roads. Some also related success stories, recounting occasions when the federal government joined other partners at the table to repair and rebuild treacherous stretches of roads.
The President’s budget proposes to cut the funding for BIA road maintenance by $2.2 million and, clearly, to abandon any plans for progress on dangerous roads.
As a function of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior, funding for road maintenance is considered by the Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior and Environment. See the members here.