WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced Sept. 29 that the Trump administration will provide $574 million in emergency-relief funds to help 39 states and Puerto Rico make repairs to roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods, and other unexpected events.
“This $574 million in federal funding will help states repair and rebuild roads and bridges damaged from natural disasters,” Chao noted.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) emergency-relief program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), reimburses states, territories, federal land-management agencies and tribal governments for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergency situations. The funds help to pay for the reconstruction or replacement of damaged highways and bridges along with the arrangement of detours and replacement of guardrails or other damaged safety devices.
Some of the largest reimbursements include:
- More than $65 million to California, including $34 million for November 2018 wildfires.
- More than $46 million to Nebraska for winter storms and flooding in 2019.
- More than $27 million to Alabama for storms and flooding in 2020.
- More than $25 million to Michigan for flooding in the central part of the state in 2020.
- More than $22 million to Florida for Hurricane Michael in 2018.
- More than $21 million to North Carolina for Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Since January 2017, the Trump Administration has provided nearly $4.9 billion in emergency-relief program funds to repair roads and bridges. For a list of emergency-relief allocations, click here.
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