On Friday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a new program from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that would provide guidance and $7.3 billion in formula funding to help states and communities build more resilient infrastructure.
The first-of-its-kind Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program would help states and communities prepare for and respond to extreme weather events like wildfires, floods and extreme heat days using funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“In every part of the country, climate change is impacting roads, bridges, and rail lines that Americans rely on–endangering homes, lives and livelihoods in the process,” Buttigieg. “Using funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re launching this unprecedented effort to help communities protect their transportation infrastructure from extreme weather and improve routes that first responders and firefighters need during disasters.”
The program will make funding available to states over a five year period to make transportation infrastructure more resilient by focusing on resiliency planning, making resilience improvements to existing transportation assets and evacuation routes, and to addressing the at-risk highway infrastructure. Eligible projects will include highway and transit projects, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and port facilities.
“We see the effects of climate change and extreme weather play out across the country every week, with extreme temperatures and rainfall and resulting flooding and wildfires that damage and in some cases destroy roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “The PROTECT Formula Program will help make transportation infrastructure more resilient to current and future weather events and at the same time make communities safer during these events.”