- $60 Million in ‘Quick Release’ Emergency Relief funds are a down payment on Maryland’s initial costs for emergency repairs, design, and reconstruction of the bridge
March 31, 2024
By Highpoint Digest News Staff
Washington, DC – (Highpoint Digest) – Within hours of receiving the request, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on March 28, 2024, announced the immediate availability of $60 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief (ER) funds for the Maryland Department of Transportation to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge after a cargo container ship struck the bridge on March 26, 2024. These funds serve as a down payment toward initial costs, and additional Emergency Relief program funding will be made available as work continues.
“No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress. President Biden has been clear: the federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open.”
“We are supporting President Biden’s whole-of-government response to this tragic incident and the federal government is committed to providing all necessary resources to rebuild the bridge,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “The Emergency Relief funding announced today provides an initial down payment of funds to help Maryland manage ongoing disruptions to traffic, supply chains, and daily life, and is the first step in our joint efforts to reconstruct the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”
FHWA’s Emergency Relief program provides funding to States, Territories, Tribes, and Federal Land Management Agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. These “quick release” Emergency Relief funds are an initial installment to help restore essential transportation. Additional funds needed for the rebuilding of the bridge will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through nationwide funding allocations. FHWA is also providing technical assistance, conducting site assessments, and administering emergency contracts for the new bridge.
The structure is located in the Baltimore Harbor and Port of Baltimore. Following the incident, the channel has been closed, and all shipping traffic to Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore has been stopped and diverted elsewhere. The Port of Baltimore is essential to the regional economy and national supply chains, and the I-695 corridor, of which the bridge was a part, provides a vital connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast. FHWA is actively coordinating with federal, state, and local officials in the region, including the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Maryland Transportation Authority, the City of Baltimore, U.S. Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and others to mitigate supply chain impacts, manage traffic, reopen the port, and ultimately rebuild the bridge. The NTSB, an independent agency, is leading the investigation into the vessel allision and subsequent bridge collapse.
The Governor of Maryland has declared a State of Emergency and FHWA has approved MDOT’s application, making the event eligible for Emergency Relief funding. The funds will be used for eligible costs associated with debris removal, demolition, detours, emergency repairs, and design and reconstruction on I-695 and the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Maryland Department of Transportation is continuing to conduct necessary emergency operations, such as implementing detours, to maintain traffic as the disaster area is not passable, and to repair applicable sections sufficiently to protect facilities from further damage and clearing the navigable waters to safely reopen operations at the Port of Baltimore.
The FHWA Emergency Relief program complements the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by encouraging agencies to identify and implement measures to incorporate resilience in the design, restoration, and repair of damaged infrastructure to better withstand future damage from climate change and future weather events.
(U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics)
Additional Information on what is the Emergency Relief Program and what it does
Description
Congress authorized in Title 23, United States Code, Section 125, a special program from the Highway Trust Fund for the repair or reconstruction of Federal-aid highways and roads on Federal lands which have suffered serious damage as a result of (1) natural disasters or (2) catastrophic failures from an external cause. This program, commonly referred to as the emergency relief or ER program, supplements the commitment of resources by States, their political subdivisions, or other Federal agencies to help pay for unusually heavy expenses resulting from extraordinary conditions.
The applicability of the ER program to a natural disaster is based on the extent and intensity of the disaster. Damage to highways must be severe, occur over a wide area, and result in unusually high expenses to the highway agency. Applicability of ER to a catastrophic failure due to an external cause is based on the criteria that the failure was not the result of an inherent flaw in the facility but was sudden, caused a disastrous impact on transportation services, and resulted in unusually high expenses to the highway agency.
The Availability of Funds
$100 million is authorized annually for the ER Program under 23 U.S.C. 125. Congress has periodically provided additional funds for the ER program through supplemental appropriations. MAP-21 eliminated the $100 million per State event cap. The total ER obligations for U.S. Territories (American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Virgin Islands) is limited to $20 million in any fiscal year.
Federal Share
Approved ER funds are available at the pro-rata share that would normally apply to the Federal-aid facility damaged. For Interstate highways, the Federal share is 90 percent. For all other highways, the Federal share is 80 percent. The Federal share for permanent ER repairs may amount to 90 percent if the combined eligible ER expenses incurred by the State in a Federal fiscal year exceeds the annual apportionment of the State under 23 U.S.C. section 104 for the fiscal year in which the disasters or failures occurred. Federal Share payable for Federal Lands Management Agencies (FLMA) is 100 percent.
Emergency repair work to restore essential travel, minimize the extent of damage, or protect the remaining facilities, accomplished in the first 270 days after the disaster occurs, may be reimbursed at 100 percent Federal share. The 270 day time period for 100 percent reimbursement of emergency repairs may be extended if a State cannot access a site to evaluate damages and the cost of repair. The extension is provided to each individual site and not to the entire event.
How Requests Are Made
It is the responsibility of individual States to request ER funds for assistance in the cost of necessary repair of Federal-aid highways damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic failures. A notice of intent to request ER funds filed by the State Department of Transportation with the FHWA Division Office located in the State will initiate the ER application process. States are required to submit an application for ER funding to FHWA within two calendar years of the date of the disaster. The application must include a comprehensive list of all eligible project sites and repairs.
Source: Federal Highway Administration
