The Federal Highway Administration has made $2 million in Emergency Relief funds available to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to repair bridges and roads affected by flooding in December.
Estimates in mid-January put the total damage from storms, which dumped up to 20 inches of rain in some parts of the state, at roughly $8 million across multiple sites in the state.
Roughly 200 damage sites are still being evaluated.
“The people of Alabama should know that the funds provided today are just a down payment on what we know will be many other repairs to the highways that they rely heavily upon,” says FHWA Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “As the extent of damage becomes clearer, we won’t hesitate to make additional resources available.”
The Emergency Relief program offers “quick release” funds for immediate repair work on roads and bridges affected by natural disasters or other “catastrophic” events. Each year $100 million is authorized for the program, with supplemental funding applied by Congress as needed.