$1.5B in Federal Road and Bridge Repair Funds Headed to Disaster States

Ben Thorpe Headshot
Western North Carolina seen after Hurricane Helene arrived in September 2024.
Western North Carolina seen after Hurricane Helene arrived in September 2024.
North Carolina DOT

Only a few weeks after approving over $1 billion in grants for its Bridge Investment Program, the U.S. Department of Transportation has approved another $1.5 billion for repairing roads and bridges affected by natural disasters.

This new round of funding – which includes over $683 million to repair damage from Hurricane Helene – aims to assist communities impacted by storms, wildfires, flooding and other catastrophic events, as well as support national hurricane preparedness.

The money will go toward repairing federal-aid highways and federally owned roads in 36 states as well as Washington, D.C., Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.  

Over $1.36 billion has been committed to federal-aid highways, with the top five distributions by state as follows:

  • North Carolina: $403.2 million
  • Tennessee: $194.4 million
  • California: $171.9 million
  • Oregon: $83.2 million
  • Puerto Rico: $81.1 million

Some of the bigger allocations for federal-aid highways include the following:

  • North Carolina: $400 million for Hurricane Helene.
  • Tennessee: $178.3 million for Hurricane Helene.
  • California: $62.3 million for December 27, 2022, severe atmospheric river events.
  • Puerto Rico: $51.1 million for September 18, 2022, Hurricane Fiona.
  • South Carolina: $42.1 million for Hurricane Helene.
  • Wyoming: $39.7 million for a June 8, 2024, landslide on Highway 22.
  • Oregon: $30.7 million for September 7, 2020, statewide wildfires.

Additionally, another $168.5 million was allocated to federally owned roads, with the top five distributions by state as follows:

  • Tennessee: $33.2 million
  • Georgia: $25.8 million
  • North Carolina: $15 million
  • Arkansas: $13.7 million
  • South Carolina: $10 million

Some of the bigger allocations for federally owned roads include the following:

  • Tennessee: $28.8 million for April 12, 2020, heavy rains and floods at Cherokee National Forest.
  • Arkansas: $13.3 million for April 27, 2022, heavy rains and flooding around Ozark-St. Francis National Forest.
  • North Carolina: $10.8 million for January 9, 2024, storms and flooding at N.C. Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests and George Washington & Jefferson National Forest.
  • South Carolina: $8.9 million for Hurricane Helene.
  • Minnesota: $5.2 million for June 25, 2024, storms and flooding.
  • West Virginia: $4.9 million for May 8, 2023, flooding in the Northern Region Monongahela National Forest.
  • Alabama: $4.5 million for February 12, 2024, storms and flooding.