The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on Monday released $3 million in emergency relief funds for the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) to help Maui manage repairs for infrastructure damaged by wildfires this month.
The Emergency Relief program provides states, territories, tribes, and federal land management agencies with funding to repair highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events.
Funding can be used for erosion control of damaged areas, guardrails, jersey barriers to reroute traffic and protect pedestrians and workers, portable battery-operated traffic signals, signs, traffic management services, and traffic signals.
“The Federal Highway Administration has been in close contact with HDOT and will remain so in order to bring the support needed in West Maui,” Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said on Aug. 21. “The quick release funding we are providing today will help emergency service personnel, police, and other first responders obtain the equipment needed for traffic management in Lahaina and the surrounding area, as well as resources for repairs to infrastructure in the future.”
The $3 million will be used to offset traffic management services and repairs to infrastructure that are the result of wildfires in Lahaina on the island of Maui. On Aug. 8, wildfires began that caused damage and killed residents. President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Hawaii on Aug. 10 and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.