The Fort Peck Tribes of Montana signed an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration to take control of roads on the reservation.

The agreement, one of four in Indian Country, gives the tribe greater access to $10.4 million in federal highway funds. Tribal officials said they will have more flexibility without interference from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

"This cuts a lot of the red tape we had with BIA," Connie Thompson, of the tribe's planning department, told The Great Falls Tribune.

The agreement was made possible by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, the highway reauthorization bill.

Get the Story:
Fort Peck Tribe enters historic agreement to manage roads (The Great Falls Tribune 10/6)

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