The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration recently awarded California $631.4 million over the next five years through the new Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) formula program.
The PROTECT Formula Program helps states and communities better prepare transportation infrastructure for and respond to extreme weather events such as wildfires, flooding, and extreme heat. The program focuses on addressing at-risk highway infrastructure, making resilience improvements to existing transportation assets and evacuation routes, and resilience planning.
The agency encourages states to work with regional and local organizations to address vulnerabilities and prioritize transportation and emergency response improvements.
Funding can be used for port facilities, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and highway and transit projects that help improve evacuations or disaster relief.
“As California experiences destructive wildfires and other natural disasters, climate resilient infrastructure can be the difference between life and death,” U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) said. “With more than $630 million coming to California over the next five years, communities can make major investments in transportation infrastructure to create faster evacuation routes and improve emergency response.”
The PROTECT program was established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law included an amendment by Padilla addressing vegetation management along roadways.