Senator Collins Announces More Than $4 Million to Reimburse Costs for Emergency Repairs to Maine Infrastructure

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that multiple agencies in Maine have been awarded $4,079,583.91 in grant funding for emergency repairs to roads and transportation infrastructure that were damaged by severe storms between April 2023 and January 2024. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Emergency Relief Program, which reimburses states agencies for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways and facilities damaged by natural disasters.

“Severe weather in recent years has caused serious damage to infrastructure across our state,” said Senator Collins. “This funding will help recoup the costs of emergency response efforts to restore critical transportation routes for Maine communities.”

The grant funding is allocated as follows:

1. MaineDOT (Franklin County): $1,813,478 to reimburse costs for repairs following the June 2023 heavy rainstorm that caused significant road washouts and damage to culverts.

2. National Park Service (Hancock County): $1,000,000 to reimburse costs for road and trail repairs on Mount Desert Island following two coastal storms with record winds in January 2024.

3. MaineDOT (Statewide): $967,103 to reimburse costs for emergency repairs in 35 locations across the state following storm and flooding events in April and May of 2023 that caused shoulder and roadway washouts and damage to pavement, embankments, and culverts.

4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Statewide): $299,003 to reimburse costs for repairs at multiple wildlife refuges in Maine following the December 2023 Nor’easter.

Eligibility for the FHWA Emergency Relief Program is dependent on a presidential or gubernatorial disaster declaration, and it is the responsibility of individual states and federal agencies to request emergency relief funds for assistance in covering the cost of necessary repairs.

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