Washington, D.C. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today applauded a newly awarded $950,000 grant for the Tohono O’odham Nation for road and street light improvements. The funds come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) via the Federal Highway Administration.

According to a Department of Transportation announcement, the money will be used to pave unimproved roads used by school buses, construct a new roadway to replace a dirt road used by the Head Start program in the Pisinemo Community, install new road signs and warning lights in the Sells District, and improve street lights and sidewalks in the San Lucy Community.

“This money couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Grijalva, whose district includes the Nation on the U.S. side of the Mexican border. “This is exactly the sort of local project the Recovery Act is making possible all over the country, and these infrastructure upgrades are the backbone of a solid, sustainable economic recovery.”

Although each aim of the grant is laudable, Grijalva said, giving Head Start students better school access “is a particularly good example of how one grant can turn into an important long-term community investment. With improvements like these being in every state, we can look forward to a recovered economy that will create more opportunities for Americans everywhere.”