American Indian Transportation Improvement Act of 1997

American Indian Transportation Improvement Act of 1997 - Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to: (1) extend and increase through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for Indian reservation roads under the Federal lands highway program; (2) permit up to three percent of the funds allocated for Indian reservation roads for a fiscal year to be transferred by the tribal government to mass transportation services; and (3) exclude funds made available under the Federal lands highway program for a public land highway constructed on an Indian reservation from the apportionment adjustments, hold harmless provisions.

(Sec. 5) Revises requirements regarding the scenic byway programs to: (1) require the Secretary of Transportation to provide technical assistance and make grants to Indian tribes for the planning and development of Indian tribe scenic byway programs; (2) provide for a Federal share of 80 percent for the costs of planning and development of Indian tribe scenic byway programs; and (3) extend such programs through FY 2003, requiring that not less than one percent of funds made available for a fiscal year be used to make competitive grants to Indian tribes for the planning and development of Indian tribe scenic byway programs.

(Sec. 6) Amends Federal law concerning highways to define the terms: (1) "Indian tribal transportation department"; and (2) "Indian tribe."

(Sec. 7) Revises the requirement regarding acceptance by the Secretary of certification relating to certain highway or other transportation construction projects to include Indian tribes.

(Sec. 8) Revises the requirement regarding the allocation of apportioned funds for highway safety programs to require that not less than one percent of the ten percent of funds made available to a State under the surface transportation program for transportation enhancement activities for a fiscal year be transferred to, and used by, the Secretary to make competitive grants to Indian tribes for transportation enhancement activities.

(Sec. 9) Repeals requirements regarding set asides for Indian reservation bridges under the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program. Replaces them with a requirement providing for an amount equal to one percent of the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program funds available to be apportioned to States, to be allocated to the Secretary for projects to replace, rehabilitate, paint, or apply calcium magnesium acetate to highway bridges that are part of the Indian reservation road system, with priority given to bridges with the highest level of deficiency.

(Sec. 10) Revises requirements relating to highway safety programs to: (1) remove reference to "political subdivision of a State" with respect to the application of the requirements on Indian reservations; and (2) require that 95 percent of funds for highway safety programs on Indian reservations be apportioned to Indian tribes (currently such funds are apportioned to the Secretary of the Interior).

(Sec. 11) Amends Federal law concerning transportation to revise the requirement relating to the set-asides from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund to require that not less than one percent is available for transportation services to Indian tribes: (1) under an allocation formula, to be established by the Secretary through negotiations with Indian tribes; and (2) with respect to any fiscal year commencing before the formula is established, under an allocation formula established by the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.

(Sec. 12) Provides for $500,000 per fiscal year for FY 1998 through 2003 to be set aside out of amounts made available out of the Highway Trust Fund to support: (1) the development and administration of an Intertribal Transportation Association; and (2) government-to-government dialog between Indian tribes, the Department of Transportation, the Department of the Interior, other Federal agencies, and State and local transportation agencies.