Arizona Tribal Transportation

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is a multimodal transportation agency that is responsible for planning, building and operating the State Highway System and support facilities for the efficient and safe movement of people and products by surface and air.

ADOT efforts to address Arizona tribal transportation are based on the following major factors:

• There are 22 federally recognized Indian Tribes, Communities and Native Nations in Arizona with tribal land encompassing approximately 27,736,000 acres or 28% of the State land base.
• There are seven Tribes located out-of-state with aboriginal and ancestral interests in Arizona.
• The State Highway System includes 6,148 centerline miles of which 1,235 traverse Tribal land.
• There are 14 Tribal airports and seven Tribal public transit systems situated within Tribal communities throughout Arizona.
• Both State and Tribal governments have the common goal of providing efficient transportation systems for the safety and welfare of the traveling public.

Tribal Transportation Consultation in Arizona

ADOT’s Tribal Consultation Policy was initially adopted on September 1, 2006 and is reviewed and updated on a regular basis. It takes into consideration Arizona Revised Statute Section 41-2051, subsection C - Responsibilities of state agencies and Federal legislative requirements for state departments of transportation to consult with Native Nations and Tribal Governments in statewide and metropolitan transportation planning processes. Additionally Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires that Tribes be consulted in any decisions affecting their historic and cultural legacy. This applies to all Tribes resident in Arizona and Tribes with aboriginal or ancestral interests in Arizona. Consultation guidelines outlined in the ADOT policy provide a basis for mutual understanding as appropriate partnerships and agreements are carried out to address State and Tribal transportation issues.

ABOUT THIS WEBSITE

With the adoption of the ADOT Tribal Consultation Policy the department is committed to work with the Tribes, Communities and Native Nations to consult and coordinate on State and Tribal transportation missions and goals. This website was developed to support those efforts and to improve State-Tribal intergovernmental relations through resource information sharing. It is designed to be a central location for state-tribal transportation partnerships, projects, activities, groups, links, and other related information.

ADOT eSTIP INTERACTIVE MAP TOOL AND HIGHWAY PROJECTS ON TRIBAL LANDS

To check for state highway system projects on (or near) tribal land areas please use the ADOT electronic Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (eSTIP) interactive map tool. ADOT has included a tribal land boundaries map layer in the eSTIP tool. This feature simplifies the process of identifying state highway system project locations and view project information e.g. state route number, project milepost limits, project type, project description, project contact, construction start date, construction cost by fiscal year, etc.

To use the eSTIP interactive map tool follow these steps:

1. On this webpage click on the eSTIP menu tab above to open the map link.
2. After opening the map, click on the "Show Tribal Boundaries" map layer item on the left side of the screen.
3. Zoom into the location of interest on the statewide map.
4. Click on the color coded project area and a text box will display.
5. Click on the blue colored "TIP ID" number link which will open a screen with the project information.