Some school bus routes on the Navajo Nation will soon get long-awaited improvements thanks to an agreement between the tribe and Coconino County.
An intergovernmental agreement signed between the Nation and the county this summer now allows the tribe to work with Coconino County to repair and improve roads lying in both jurisdictions. Under the terms of the agreement, Coconino County will provide a half million dollars annually in matching funds while the Navajo Department of Transportation will oversee the engineering and manages the projects.
Coconino County Supervisor Judy Begay’s district covers much of the Navajo Nation. She says high clay content renders many roads impassable in wet seasons.
"Which impacts also the school buses that go in and out to school And then overall, it affects the quality of life meaning the roads become impassable to get people to work off the reservation into Flagstaff," Begay said.
The agreement will impact road projects from outside Flagstaff to nearly Utah.
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