Engineering

Red Lake Engineering

The Red Lake Tribal Engineering Division is responsible for managing and planning for safe, efficient, and reliable roads for the Red Lake Nation. The Division maintains an inventory of over 1,600 miles of paved and maintained highways and roads that serve the Red Lake Nation and its people.

The Red Lake Reservation (Miskwaagamiiwi‐zaaga'igan) encompasses over 800,00 acres of land and waters in parts of nine counties (Beltrami, Clearwater, Lake of the Woods, Koochiching, Roseau, Pennington, Marshall, Red Lake, and Polk) in northern and northwestern Minnesota. The Reservation is widely regarded as having one of Minnesota's most distinct and rich environments, with majestic pine forests, awe-inspiring lake shores, and vast areas of wetlands that provide habitat to countless animal and plant species.

One of the most crucial components of a healthy economy and quality of life is a sound and efficient transportation system. The Engineering Division seeks to accomplish the development and maintenance of this important system by following its mission and values in all endeavors:

Our Mission

It is the Mission of the Tribal Engineering Division to deliver excellent customer service to the members of the Red Lake Band and to provide our Nation the safest and most reliable transportation system possible to strengthen our economy and improve the quality of life for present and future generations.

Our Values

Dedication — We will provide quality service to the best of our ability.
Respect — We will treat the Nation and its citizens as our valued customers, and treat the with respect.
Innovation — We will improve and integrate transportation services using creative thinking and best available practices.
Quality — We will do our best to ensure that all work done meets or exceeds acceptable standards.
Honesty — We will provide the public accurate information that is understandable and accessible.

Tribal Transportation Program

History

The Indian Reservation Roads Program (IRR) was established in 1928 and authorized the Secretary of Agriculture (which had responsibility for Federal roads at that time) to cooperate with State highway agencies and DOI to survey, construct, reconstruct, and maintain Indian reservation roads serving Tribal lands. In 1982, Congress created the Federal Lands Highway Program (FLHP) under the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 The FLHP is a coordinated program that addresses access needs to and within Indian and other Federal lands, and the TTP continues as a funding category of this program. Administered by The Office of Federal Lands Highway within the Federal Highway Administration, the TTP is jointly managed and administered under a memorandum of agreement between FHWA and BIA that was established in 1983, and amended in 1992.

Purpose

The purpose of the TTP is to provide safe and adequate transportation and public roads that are within, or provide access to, Tribal land, or are associated with a Tribal government, visitors, recreational users, resource users, and others, while contributing to economic development, self- determination, and employment of Indians and Alaska Natives. [25 CFR 170 Background section, November 7, 2016]. Under the program, Tribes, partners, and the Federal government work together to accomplish safe and adequate transportation and ensure economic development, self-determination, and employment of tribal citizens. The program is covered by 25CFR170 under a self-governance compact with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Red Lake Engineering department ensures that all planning and construction follow these regulations.