Breakthrough on disaster relief money for Vermont's damaged roads

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced this afternoon that the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved his amendment to add $1.9 billion in emergency assistance for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to help rebuild roads and bridges washed out by Hurricane Irene and other federal disasters. The committee’s bill also includes key waivers that would allow Vermont to access all of the funding it needs without overly burdensome cost-sharing requirements.
The provisions were included in the annual transportation funding bill that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved on Wednesday ‘ a key step for this legislation. Leahy is the second-most-senior member of the committee and also a senior member of its transportation funding subcommittee. The bill now moves to the full Senate for its consideration.
Federal highway program officials currently estimate that Hurricane Irene caused nearly $1 billion in damage to highway infrastructure in states along the East Coast. Vermont alone will face a repair tab of $700 million or more, according to current estimates. But FHWA’s Emergency Relief Fund has less than $140 million left in the pot and already faces a backlog of more than $1.1 billion in repair projects from disasters previous to Irene.
Leahy said, ‘Vermont bore the full brunt of Irene. Roads, bridges and rail lines all over the state have been wiped out. It is devastation I have never seen before in Vermont. Our small state is stretched to the limit right now, and without additional federal aid Vermont will not have the resources we need to rebuild the lifelines that these destroyed roads and bridges provide to so many Vermonters. With winter on the doorstep, and just weeks to accomplish so much, we need the Department of Transportation’s full and immediate support.’
Leahy and US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and US Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have been working with Governor Peter Shumlin and other state and municipal officials across Vermont to address the state’s rebuilding efforts. Sanders and Welch joined Leahy in supporting the additional emergency highway funds.
Leahy has also included in the bill key waivers to ensure that Vermont will receive more than the annual per-state cap of $100 million in emergency highway aid and that Vermont will be able to access all of the funding the state needs without overly burdensome cost-sharing requirements. States typically pay 10 percent of highway construction. Because of the size of mitigation, the state would not be able to access all the federal funds if it needed to come up with a $70 million co-pay.
NOTE: This same bill also includes Leahy’s legislation to permanently allow heavy trucks to use Vermont’s Interstates, instead of having them travel through downtown streets and state roads. Leahy’s provision (which is matched with a similar provision for Maine) was approved yesterday at the transportation subcommittee markup.
Source: Leay's office. 9.21.2011