U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Announces More than $232 Million in Emergency Relief for Road/Bridge Repairs
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2015—U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced $232.5 million in Emergency Relief (ER) funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to help 26 states and Puerto Rico repair roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods and other unexpected events.
“We are committed to getting transportation facilities restored as quickly as possible following natural disasters and other emergencies,” said Secretary Foxx. “These funds will certainly repair roads and bridges, but most importantly, they are helping people who rely on them every day to arrive at their jobs and pick up their children at school.”
FHWA’s ER program reimburses states for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergency situations based on their requests. 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.
According to Beyond Traffic, a report issued by the Department in February, the Federal Highway Administration estimates that approximately $77 billion in annual investment is needed to meet the needs of our federal-aid highway system. In addition, there are 60,000 miles of coastal roads in America that are exposed to flooding from heavy rain and storm surges. Low-lying road infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to storm surges and bridges— because they often cross or are near bodies of water— are vulnerable to storm surges.
“We want states to know that they can go ahead and expedite repairs where they are needed most following a disaster and that they will be repaid,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “It is our top priority to help states and their communities that have been hurt by storms like these — so their residents can get back to traveling freely and safely again.”
At $55 million, Colorado topped the list among states reimbursed through the ER program –for a single flood event that caused widespread damage throughout the state, most of which is in the Boulder area.
Arizona also received $36 million for a slope failure on US 89 in Coconino County and Ohio $34 million for rock fall damages on SR 7 in Jefferson County. Both Alabama, in Baldwin and Mobile Counties, and Tennessee, south of Nashville, are repaid for repairs on two bridges on I-65 damaged by truck fires.
Delaware received funding to fix damaged piers on the I-495 bridge spanning the Christina River near the Port of Wilmington. Twenty other states received funding for extensive flooding, rainfall and other eligible events as well.
|
Emergency Relief Program Allocation |
|||
|
State |
Event Title |
Allocation |
|
| Alabama | Feb. 9, 2012 I-20 Sinkhole |
$320,000 |
|
| Alabama | Feb. 1-26, 2013 Severe Flooding |
$1,200,000 |
|
| Alabama | April 28, 2014 Storms and Flooding |
$1,500,000 |
|
| Alabama | May 22, 2014 Truck Crash and Fire on I-65 Bridge |
$4,607,000 |
|
| Alabama | July 31, 2014 Truck Crash/Fire on I-10 EB Bridge at Exit 30 |
$850,000 |
|
| Arizona | Jan. 2010 Winter Storm |
$1,000,000 |
|
| Arizona | Feb. 20, 2013 US 89 Slope Failure |
$36,000,000 |
|
| Arizona | Sept. 2014 Rainfall and Flooding |
$12,500,000 |
|
| California | Feb. 2014 Storms |
$2,765,597 |
|
| California | Aug. 24, 2014 Napa Valley Earthquake |
$4,800,000 |
|
| Colorado | Sept. 11, 2013 Flooding |
$55,000,000 |
|
| Colorado | Aug. 9, 2013 US 24 Flood Damage |
$576,159 |
|
| Colorado | Jan. 2014 US 550 Rockfall |
$850,000 |
|
| Delaware | June 2014 I-495 Bridge Pier Damage |
$4,000,000 |
|
| Florida | Aug. 25, 2012 Tropical Storm Isaac |
$900,000 |
|
| Florida | April 29-30, 2014 Spring Flooding |
$13,400,000 |
|
| Idaho | July 31-Aug. 7, 2014 Heavy Rainfall and Flooding |
$320,000 |
|
| Indiana | April 2011 Severe Storms and Flooding |
$369,603 |
|
| Kentucky | June 2011 Storms and Flooding |
$212,611 |
|
| Kentucky | March 2012 Tornadoes and Storms |
$53,342 |
|
| Kentucky | April 2013 Storms and Flooding |
$100,437 |
|
| Michigan | Sept. 26, 2014 Pedestrian Bridge Collapse |
$200,000 |
|
| Montana | March 2014 Severe Flooding |
$1,639,860 |
|
| Nebraska | May 2011 Platte and Missouri River Flooding |
$2,015,609 |
|
| Nevada | Sept. 2014 Rainfall and Flooding |
$9,144,000 |
|
| New Mexico | Sept. 9, 2013 Flooding |
$3,000,000 |
|
| New Mexico | September 18, 2014 Severe Storms and Flooding |
$530,500 |
|
| New York | May 2014 Flooding |
$1,000,000 |
|
| North Dakota | May 19, 2014 Southern Mouse River Basin Flooding |
$3,954,540 |
|
| North Dakota | May 19, 2014 West James River Basin Flooding |
$1,736,539 |
|
| North Dakota | May 19, 2014 Divide County Basin 1 Flooding |
$4,923,337 |
|
| North Dakota | May 19, 2014 Divide County Basin 2 Flooding |
$1,283,498 |
|
| Ohio | Mid‐March 2011 Heavy Rain fall |
$1,500,000 |
|
| Ohio | Jan. 2012 ER Event in Jefferson County |
$34,375,000 |
|
| Oklahoma | May 24 – June 10, 2007 Flooding Event |
$1,044,000 |
|
| Oregon | Feb. 6, 2014 I-84 Rockslide |
$750,000 |
|
| Puerto Rico | May 10, 2014 Rio Grande Rainfall |
$1,000,000 |
|
| South Carolina | Aug. 6, 2013 Jones Mill Rd Bridge Failure |
$483,412 |
|
| South Dakota | June 2014 Heavy Rainfall and Flooding |
$4,608,812 |
|
| Tennessee | April 28-30, 2014 Storms, Landslide, and Rockslide |
$825,600 |
|
| Tennessee | Aug. 15, 2014 Tanker Truck Crash and Fire on I-65 |
$2,060,497 |
|
| Utah | Sept. 2014 Rainfall and Flooding – Utah detours |
$200,000 |
|
| Vermont | April 23 – May 30, 2011 Severe Storms and Flooding |
$166,000 |
|
| Vermont | Aug. 27, 2011 Tropical Storm Irene |
$4,440,000 |
|
| Washington | Sept. 2013 Rain US 12 Slide |
$230,027 |
|
| Washington | March 2014 Abnormal Rainfall |
$5,093,898 |
|
| Washington | Aug. 21, 2014 Heavy Rainfall and Flooding |
$3,527,285 |
|
| Wisconsin | June 2012 NW Wisconsin Flooding Event |
$1,200,000 |
|
| Wisconsin | Sept. 25, 2013 I-43 Leo Frigo Bridge Pier Failure |
$200,000 |
|
|
Total |
$232,457,163 |
||
