AASHTO Journal - FHWA Releases $802M in Emergency Relief Funding

The Federal Highway Administration recently issued $802 million in “Emergency Relief” or ER funds to 36 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico to support transportation infrastructure repairs in the wake of natural disasters, extreme weather, or catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, flooding, and mudslides.

[Above photo by Caltrans]

FHWA noted in a statement that this round of ER program fiscal support includes funding for ongoing infrastructure repair needs following the impact from Hurricanes Ian and Fiona in 2022; the flooding and mudslides that struck Vermont in 2023; and severe “atmospheric river” rain events that caused flooding and mudslides in parts of California from 2022 through 2024.

In a separate statement, the agency issued $2 million in emergency relief to the U.S. Forest Service in Puerto Rico to fund repairs to roadways in the El Yunque National Forest caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto in August.

[Editor’s note: At the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2022 Annual Meeting in Orlando, a panel of state department of transportation and FHWA leaders discussed some of the lessons learned from hurricane recovery efforts undertaken by Florida and Puerto Rico.]

In January, FHWA issued $729.4 million to 34 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico to support repairs to roads and bridges due to natural disasters via its ER program.

Additionally, the Federal Transit Administration issued nearly $110 million in natural disaster relief funding in February to eight public transportation providers, including the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, in six states and one U.S. territory via the agency’s Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program.

The FTA said that funding will help those agencies pay for repairs to damaged equipment and facilities as well as recoup costs for evacuation and rescue operations following floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes that occurred in 2017 and between 2020 and 2022.