The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced the immediate availability of $1.3 million in Emergency Relief funds for use by the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) as a down payment to offset cost of repair work needed to repair roads and bridges damaged by heavy floods in North Central and Northeastern Idaho earlier this year.
The funding announcement is in addition to the $3 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief funds FHWA provided in July to the ITD immediately following the initial flooding.
“This emergency funding will help Idaho rebuild critical roads and bridges damaged by flooding as quickly as possible,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“The Federal Highway Administration has been working closely with the Idaho Transportation Department as it assesses damage and undertakes projects to repair roads affected by heavy rain events this year,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “We will keep assisting the state as they restore critical transportation links in the coming weeks and prepare for future events.”
Heavy rains, followed by runoff and flooding, caused significant damage to roads in Nez Perce and Idaho counties. Idaho Governor Brad Little issued a disaster declaration on June 22 to assist with response and repair efforts.
The funding announced today adds to the more than $73 million FHWA has provided this year to the ITD, the Montana Department of Transportation, the Wyoming Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service for Yellowstone National Park, and Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service for Custer Gallatin National Forest.
FHWA’s Emergency Relief program provides funding to States, territories, Tribes, and Federal Land Management Agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. “Quick release” Emergency Relief funds are considered initial installments of funds toward restoring essential transportation links.
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Source: USDOT
