The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is providing $749 million Emergency Relief program funds to 39 states and the District of Columbia to help repair roads and bridges that have been damaged by catastrophic and weather events.
“When natural disasters destroy vital transportation links, it impacts countless people who rely on those roads, bridges, and tunnels every day,” said Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, in a statement. “Cleanup and repairs can take years, and these funds are an important way our Department can help get families and communities moving again.”
Catastrophic events take years to recover from, and the funding from the Emergency Relief funds help fund the rebuilding, including events like Hurricane Ian in Florida, rainstorms and wildfires throughout California, Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, and flooding in and around Yellowstone Park in 2022.
The Emergency Relief program helps other areas of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), helping make America's infrastructure better able to withstand damage from future weather events and catastrophic events.
FHWA recently announced that it has opened applications for $848 million in competitive grant funding through the first round of the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Formula and Discretionary Grant programs. By funding projects that improve resilience to natural hazards and climate change impacts, the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program aims to reduce damage and disruption to the transportation system and improve the safety of the traveling public, saving money in the long run. In addition, the IIJA includes $7.3 billion over five years in PROTECT formula funding to states.
A full list of funds can be found here.
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Source: FHWA
