WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced recently the immediate release of $10 million in Emergency Relief funding for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The federal government calls the funds a “down payment,” according to a press release to help in the immediate aftermath to support emergency repair work stemming from Hurricane Helene.
“Hurricane Helene’s devastation affected communities in multiple states, including Virginia, and the Biden-Harris Administration is here to support all of them as they recover and rebuild,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Department is deploying this initial $10 million for Virginia to help restore key transportation networks and routes, and we will continue our support for impacted states and communities for as long as it takes to fully recover.”
“This funding represents the first step in our commitment to help Virginia restore roads, bridges, and critical transportation infrastructure that were damaged by Hurricane Helene,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Kristin White. “We stand with Virginians whose livelihoods and businesses have been impacted by the destruction of the storm, including the washout on Route 58. FHWA is working with our state partners on the ground to repair roads and do the work to reconnect Virginia.”
Hurricane Helene caused damages to roads and bridges in southwestern Virginia, including road washouts. In particular, one mile of Route 58 near Damascus is closed to traffic due to the damage to the roadway where it no longer exists. A 30-mile detour is in place until the road is re-opened, which affects residents and travel within the state.
Virginia DOT will use the emergency relief funds provided through “quick release” to restore and reopen the one-mile section of Route 58 that is currently washed out and on other sections of the route that require repair.
The 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. These Emergency Relief funds, provided through the “quick release” process, are an initial installment of funds toward restoring this essential transportation link. Additional funds needed to repair damage in Virginia will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through nationwide funding allocations.
The FHWA Emergency Relief program complements Bipartisan Infrastructure Law programs and provisions by encouraging agencies to identify and implement measures to incorporate resilience in the design, restoration, and repair of damaged infrastructure, to better withstand future damage from climate change and future weather events.
Virginia requested and the FHWA approved the “quick release” amount.
North Carolina was approved for $100 million dollars on Oct. 5 while Tennessee got $32 million on Oct. 5 as well, and South Carolina was approved for $2 million on Oct. 4.
More information about the FHWA’s Emergency Relief program can be found online at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/erelief.cfm.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
