From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Road Conditions on Tribal Lands and Indian Student
Attendance

Description: Roads provide a vital connection to essential services such
as schools, but the poor conditions of many roads on tribal lands
contribute to transportation challenges for students and others. GAO
reviewed road conditions and their potential impacts.

Related GAO Work: GAO-17-423: Tribal Transportation: Better Data Could
Improve Road Management and Inform Indian Student Attendance Strategies

Released: May 2017


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[Images: dirt road, map of United States]
Roads are a vital link connecting people to the essential services they
need, such as schools.

[Images: road with sign saying "Welcome to Indian Country, school bus on
dirt road, road covered in snow]
However, for the roughly 150,000 miles of roads on tribal lands, which
are often in remote areas of the country, rough terrain and extreme
weather, such as what you see here in New Mexico and South Dakota, can
disrupt that link.	

[ Image: Pie chart ]
More than half of roads on tribal lands are unpaved-made of earth or
gravel - making them difficult to traverse in bad weather or when they
are not well maintained.

[Images: road with potholes, highway construction]
When roads deteriorate, people may have difficulty getting to school or
work for a long time. For example, when one part of U.S. Highway 89 in
Arizona collapsed in February 2013, the road did not reopen until March
2015.	

[ Images of flooded roads ]
When bad weather occurs, these roads can become completely impassible,
such as this road on the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota, or this
road on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico.	

[ Video of Bus traveling up gravelly hill ]
There may not be alternative routes for school vehicles that use these
roads. 

[ Image: school bus, leaning on side of dirt road ]
In bad weather conditions, the long bus routes and greater number of
unpaved roads increase the risk of students getting stuck or stranded,
such as this bus in the northern part of Navajo Nation in Utah.  This
may prevent school vehicles from making all of their stops.

[ Video from school bus, driving on bumpy dirt road ]
Furthermore, poorly maintained roads wear out vehicles more quickly than
normal. For example, the washboard effect of dirt or gravel roads that
are poorly maintained can lead to a bumpy ride and greater wear and tear
on vehicles.  	

[ Graphics: factors impacting absenteeism, chronic absence rates ]
Many factors affecting individuals, schools, families, and communities
contribute to higher rates of absenteeism among Indian students.  Poor
road conditions can be one of those factors, as students who can't
physically reach their schools may have a hard time showing up on time,
or at all.

[ Image: map showing roads on a piece of land with multiple owners ]
Several factors make properly maintaining and improving roads on tribal
lands difficult. One factor is that roads in a single school district
can have multiple owners and cross into other reservations, and some
owners may not have the resources to properly maintain their road
segment. 	

[ Video of construction vehicle on dirt road ]
Materials and labor can be costly and as roads fall into disrepair, they
become even more costly to maintain and improve.	

[ Image: Bar chart showing funding levels ]
At current federal funding levels, improving roads on tribal lands has
been challenging. For example, Tribal Transportation Program funds-one
of the sources of federal funds available to Tribes for improving these
roads-are limited and funds received have remained nearly constant and
below
the amount requested. 

To learn more about the issues around tribal roads, including our
recommendations to address them, see GAO-17-423 which you can find on
our website, GAO.gov.

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