In the wake of flooding and storms that have wreaked havoc on the American Midwest, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is maintaining assistance and monitoring efforts.
The emergency relief funding establishes detour routes and technical assistance for the repair of bridges and roadways in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Dozens of roads remain closed all along the National Highway System.
“We are working closely with our state department of transportation partners to monitor the situation and stand ready to provide any aid the agency can to assist with getting impacted roads and bridges reopen for travel as soon as it is safe to do so,” Federal Highway Administrator Nicole Nason said.
FHWA is also helping through the use of 511 systems as a means of updating drivers on changing road conditions, traffic jams, or disaster-resulting detours. Relief funds are coming in the form of “quick release” services earmarked for the restoration of essential traffic and damage prevention. Those funds essentially work as down payments, to get things moving while assessments of long-term necessities are made.
Since the beginning of this year, the FHWA has dispatched $54.9 million in quick release funds to state road and bridge repair.