The U.S. Department of Transportation has allocated more than $1.5 billion in federal funding through the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Emergency Relief (ER) program to repair transportation infrastructure damaged by natural disasters across the United States. The funding supports emergency and permanent repairs to roads, bridges, and federal-aid highways in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
More than $683 million of the total will go toward recovery efforts related to Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread damage across the Southeast. The ER program funding will reimburse state departments of transportation for response and reconstruction costs from hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other extreme weather events.
Key state allocations include:
- North Carolina: $415 million total, with over $400 million for Hurricane Helene-related damage, including critical repairs on Interstate 40
- Tennessee: $227 million, of which $178 million is tied to Helene damage
- South Carolina: $68.8 million, with more than $50 million addressing Helene impacts
- Florida: $44.6 million, including $43 million for damage from Hurricanes Helene, Milton, and Debby
- Georgia: $26.4 million, including $23 million linked to Helene recovery
The funding will support rapid construction and design efforts to restore damaged corridors, improve resiliency, and reduce future risk. FHWA is expediting approvals and removing administrative delays to accelerate work on urgent projects in disaster-stricken areas.