The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced almost 110 million USD in funding to help public transport providers recover from natural disasters.
The funding has been allocated to eight public transportation providers in states that have suffered from recent natural disasters.
This support, provided through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Public Transportation Emergency Relief (ER) Program, will help repair damaged equipment and facilities. It will also contribute towards the costs for evacuation and rescue operations associated with floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said:As the climate crisis accelerates, extreme weather is disrupting not just American lives and communities, but also the infrastructure we rely on every day. Under President Biden, DOT is delivering much-needed funding to transit agencies to recover and rebuild after these disasters, while we continue our work to combat climate change across every mode of transportation.
Specifically, the funding allocation includes:
- 2.1 million USD to the Hillsborough Regional Transit (HART) in Hillsborough County, Florida for providing emergency services during Hurricane Ian in 2022
- 420,000 USD to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to replace vehicles following a December 2021 tornado
- 18.6 million USD to the Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District in Louisiana to rehabilitate the Pointe à la Hache Ferry Crossing, which was damaged in several major storms
- 75 million USD to the New Jersey Transit Corporation to support repairs and relocation of a 70-year-old facility damaged during Hurricane Ida in 2021
- 201,160 USD to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority for emergency response costs during the December 2022 blizzard in Erie and Niagara County, New York
- Almost 13.2 million USD to the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority to rehabilitate the Tren Urbano rail system following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017
- 6,769 USD to the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority to repair a maintenance facility damaged during Hurricane Maria
- 400,000 to the Brazos Transit District in east Texas to repair a maintenance facility damaged in a February 2021 winter storm
FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said:Americans cannot stop their lives because a disaster damages their transit systems. We know it is critical to fund recovery efforts for these systems, so they can keep taking Americans to work, school, doctors’ appointments, and other important destinations.
This announcement represents the second round of grants under the FY 2023 programme. In July 2023, 102.3 million USD was announced to help 17 transit agencies recover from natural disasters.
