The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced Jan. 16, the immediate availability of $6.5 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief (ER) funds for further repairs to roads and bridges throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The work continues to rebuild broken transportation links in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Brandye L. Hendrickson. “These additional funds will help ensure residents can travel safely.”
The additional funding supplements $8 million in ER funds previously made available to the U.S. Virgin Islands for Hurricanes Maria and Irma damage, bringing the total amount to $14.5 million for emergency work. The bulk of the funds provided will be used to restore traffic signal service on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix and make repairs to damaged intersections critical to highway safety.
The FHWA's ER program provides funding for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. The “quick release” payments to U.S. Virgin Islands are considered as initial installments of funds used to restore essential traffic and limit further highway damage, which can help long-term repair work begin more quickly.
More information about FHWA's ER program can be found online at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/erelief.cfm.
