DOT Announces Over $1.6 Billion in Emergency Relief to Repair Disaster-Damaged Roads and Bridges; North Carolina to Receive $873 Million
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced in Washington on October 19 that Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy is providing over $1.6 billion in emergency relief funding to help states accelerate critical repairs to roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure damaged by recent natural disasters and catastrophic events. The funding covers 34 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and flows through the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Emergency Relief Program.
North Carolina receives $873 million following Hurricane Helene, which caused over 9,000 damage sites and more than 1,400 road closures in the western part of the state. Hawaii receives $81 million for the series of Kona Low storms in March 2026 that caused severe flooding throughout Hawaii, and Texas receives $52 million for heavy rainfall and multiple bridge washouts, including the FM 1431 bridge connecting Lago Vista and Marble Falls.
"Safe roads and bridges means rescue services arrive faster, medical professionals can reach those in need, and families can get the resources they need to recover," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster said the agency's work with states along with local, tribal, and federal agencies in the aftermath of disaster is essential to restoring broken transportation links.
FHWA's Emergency Relief Program provides funding to help states perform repairs caused by major natural disasters and extreme weather events such as flooding, landslides, and wildfires, with allocation listings published on the FHWA website. This package is separate from the $1.86 billion emergency relief announcement in June, and distinct from the $2.3 billion CRISI rail investment the department announced the same day.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料照片：2024年飓风 Helene 过后，北卡罗来纳州 Pigeon River 峡谷的 I-40 州际公路部分路段被洪水冲毁（北卡交通厅航拍）。NCDOTcommunications 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。File photo: a section of Interstate 40 in North Carolina's Pigeon River Gorge washed out by flooding after Hurricane Helene in 2024 (NCDOT aerial). By NCDOTcommunications, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
