Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has directed Federal Highway Administration officials to make $25 million in Emergency Relief funds immediately available to help Texas with repairs on flood-damaged roads and bridges following Hurricane Harvey. The funds were approved for release promptly after Texas’ request.
“I have mobilized the Department of Transportation to provide whatever assistance Texas requires to restore the state’s transportation systems,” said Secretary Chao. “The funding provided today will help the state to act immediately and represents the beginning of our commitment to help repair Texas’ affected infrastructure.”
The FHWA ER funds help states pay for the costs of needed temporary repairs and facilitates permanent restoration of service in the weeks ahead. The FHWA’s ER program provides funding for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. The $25 million in Emergency Relief funding will be used to restore emergency access and to initiate the most critical repairs to damaged roadways and bridges in the next few weeks.
The Department says it will continue to coordinate closely with federal, state, local, and tribal partners to support the local relief and recovery efforts to Hurricane Harvey.
