The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced on Friday the immediate availability of $43.1 million in Emergency Relief (ER) funds provided through the “quick release” process for use by the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service.
The funds will go to critical repair work in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Funding will also go to repairs to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.
“The damage caused by Hurricane Helene’s heavy rains, strong winds, and flooding is so extensive that emergency vehicles and utility crews cannot make their way into the national forests and national parks to make essential repairs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The emergency funding we’re sending will help the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service make repairs to vital transportation networks in four impacted states where roads are currently impassable and reopen these roadways as quickly as possible."
Of the requested $43.1 million in emergency relief funds, $18.1 million will be used by the U.S. Forest Service to re-open and re-establish the roads and bridges in the national forests of North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Another $25 million will be distributed to the National Park Service for emergency repairs to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Parts of the North Carolina section of the Parkway have reopened, but significant parts remain closed.
Source: FHWA, Washington Examiner
