Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Says Reservation Roads Need Help

NEW TOWN, N.D. (AP) — The Three Affiliated Tribes chairman says the number of trucks traveling on Fort Berthold Reservation roads is expected to triple in the next two years.

Tex Hall says hundreds more oil wells are expected, making roads and safety a priority. He says daily traffic on reservation roads already totals about 2,500 trucks.

Hall recently spoke with the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Highway Safety Program, when Robert Esquerra visited to determine whether the tribes will be eligible for $335,000 in grant money. The program the past two years has paid for three law enforcement officers and also officer overtime.

Some consider state Highway 23 one of the most dangerous roads in the state. Tribal planning director Lisa Redford says one tribal elder calls it the "Hail Mary Highway."

Tags: three affiliated tribes, new town, north dakota, news, updates