Kentucky receives $22M in emergency relief funding for repairs
Published 11:00 am Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Kentucky is receiving nearly $22 million in emergency relief funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA, for the repair of roads and bridges following natural disasters in the state, over the past several years.
The funds are part of an overall $574 million funding package announced Tuesday by Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao under FHWA’s Emergency Relief program, to help 39 states and Puerto Rico make infrastructure repairs due to damage by storms, floods, and other unexpected events.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Emergency Relief program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration, reimburses states, territories, federal land management agencies, and tribal governments; for eligible expenses associated with the reconstruction or replacement of damaged highways and bridges along with the arrangement of detours and replacement of guardrails or other damaged safety devices.
The breakdown of funding, which totals $21,929,473 in Kentucky includes:
–$520,000 due to heavy brain in December 2015
–$4,557,455 for February 2018 severe storms and flooding
–$12,889,014 for February 2019 severe storms and flooding
–$3,963,005 for February 2020 severe storms and flooding
“These funds will help reimburse states for needed repairs to vital transportation infrastructure that residents rely upon for daily travel,” said Federal Highway Administrator Nicole R. Nason.
Since January 2017, the Trump administration has provided nearly $4.9 billion in Emergency Relief program funds to repair roads and bridges, according to the Department of Transportation.