Award of two contracts totaling $264,444 for road improvement projects on Fort Totten Reservation in North Dakota and Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota was announced today by Commissioner Philleo Nash of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Improvement of reservation roads is an important phase of resource development efforts carried on by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Indian lands to improve economic conditions and stimulate employment. The road projects provide jobs for Indian workers, better school bus service, improved access to markets for farm and ranch produce, and increased tourism and recreational development on reservation lands.
A $139,498 contract to provide crushed gravel base course and bituminous surfacing on 14 miles of road between the communities of Wanblee and Potato Creek in Washabaugh County, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation was awarded to Weelborg Bros., Inc., Dell Rapids, South Dakota. The project includes part of a reservation school bus and mail route linking Pine Ridge, Kyle, and several other reservation communities, as well as a section of the new route for State Highway 40 between the communities of White River and Interior. The winning bid was the lowest of nine bids ranging to $224,880.
A $124,946 contract to grade, drain and gravel surface 11.7 miles of roads on the Fort Totten Reservation extending north from State Highway 57 was awarded to Hulstrand Construction, Inc., Lakota, North Dakota. The project will serve 20 homes in a farming area west of the Fort Totten community in Benson County. The winning bid was the lowest of five ranging to $148,415.
