FHWA Grants $10M to Virginia for Post-Hurricane Road Fixes
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The Federal Highway Administration issued a $10 million emergency relief grant to Virginia on Oct. 18 to immediately pay for road repairs, especially a key freight corridor, damaged by Hurricane Helene.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said his department “is deploying this initial $10 million for Virginia to help restore key transportation networks and routes, and we will continue our support for impacted states and communities for as long as it takes to fully recover.”
The emergency grant was dubbed by FHWA as a “down payment” to assist the state with its road repair bills. FHWA also released emergency grants in early October, stemming from Hurricane Helene damage, to North Carolina ($100 million), Tennessee ($32 million) and South Carolina ($2 million).
The southwestern part of the state still is recovering from damages it sustained after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 and spiraled through Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas.
FHWA is sending $10M in #EmergencyReliefFunds to @VaDOT to help with emergency repairs to roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane #Helene. This is the first step in FHWA’s commitment to helping restore Virginia’s transportation networks & key routes. https://t.co/68FfFZrX7p pic.twitter.com/FhHVdBlnLx — Federal Highway Admn (@USDOTFHWA) October 18, 2024
Hurricane damage to Virginia’s infrastructure includes three bridges washed away: the Route 1212 bridge and the Route 859 bridge in Washington County, and the Route 800 bridge in Smyth County. Along with damaging roads and bridges, the storm’s floodwaters washed away roads.
A month after the storm, Virginia communities still are coping with the aftermath and transportation challenges. For instance, vehicles can no longer travel along a 1-mile section of U.S. Route 58 near Damascus and the Tennessee border since the road was washed away.
This destruction on Route 58 forced a road closure resulting in a 30-mile detour until the road can reopen, which continues to impact travel locally and within the state.
U.S. Route 58, an important east-west freight route in Virginia’s Southside Corridor, provides access to the Hampton Roads region route and connects to Kentucky.
“There is no interstate access along southern Virginia, so U.S. 58 acts as the major corridor along this part of the state, though it connects and provides access to Interstate 81, U.S. Highway 29, Interstate 85 and Interstate 95,” according to Virginia’s Transportation Plan issued in 2022.
White
Kristin White, acting Federal Highway administrator, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to help repair Virginia’s infrastructure.
“We stand with Virginians whose livelihoods and businesses have been impacted by the destruction of the storm, including the washout on Route 58. FHWA is working with our state partners on the ground to repair roads and do the work to reconnect Virginia,” White said. “This funding represents the first step in our commitment to help Virginia restore roads, bridges and critical transportation infrastructure that were damaged by Hurricane Helene.”
The Virginia Department of Transportation will prioritize the use of emergency federal dollars to restore and reopen the 1-mile section of Route 58 and areas of the roadway that need repairs.
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