An Interstate 26 bridge column in South Carolina damaged in a fatal truck crash has received $2.8 million in relief funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
The crash involved a 2016 Peterbilt tractor-trailer that ran off the road on March 9, 2018, near mile marker 153 in Orangeburg County, killing driver Travis Hall, according to a local news report. The bridge took 19 months to repair.
The funding is part of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) latest allocation of $574 million for emergency relief for road and bridge repair. The Emergency Relief program reimburses states, territories, federal land management agencies and tribal governments for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergencies.
The funds help to pay for “the reconstruction or replacement of damaged highways and bridges along with the arrangement of detours and replacement of guardrails or other damaged safety devices,” according to DOT. The latest funding round will help 39 states and Puerto Rico make repairs to roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods and other unexpected events.
Reimbursements in this round include:
- More than $64 million to California, including $34 million for November 2018 wildfires.
- More than $46 million to Nebraska for winter storms and flooding in 2019.
- More than $27 million to Alabama for storms and flooding in 2020.
- More than $25 million to Michigan for flooding in the central part of the state in 2020.
- More than $22 million to Florida for Hurricane Michael in 2018.
- More than $21 million to North Carolina for Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
“These funds will help reimburse states for needed repairs to vital transportation infrastructure that residents rely upon for daily travel,” commented FHWA Administrator Nicole Nason.
The Trump administration has provided nearly $4.9 billion in road and bridge emergency repairs, including $1.2 billion so far in 2020, $1.5 billion in 2019, $1 billion in 2018 and $770 million in 2017.
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