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Puerto Rico gets $3.2M reimbursement from U.S. Dept. of Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will reimburse Puerto Rico some $3.2 million under the Emergency Relief for Road and Bridge Repairs program.

The money was used to repair roads and bridges damaged by by storms, floods, and other unexpected events. 

In Puerto Rico’s case, the federal agency allocated three funding assignments: $2.2 million for repairs following Hurricanes Irma and María in September 2017; $916,279 to address damage caused by heavy rains in May 2019; and $70,979 to repair infrastructure impaired by the earthquakes and landslides of January 2020.

The allocation awarded to Puerto Rico is part of a total $574 million in Emergency Relief (ER) funds approved to help 39 states and Puerto Rico, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s ER program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration, reimburses states, territories, federal land management agencies, and tribal governments for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergency situations.

The funds help to pay for the reconstruction or replacement of damaged highways and bridges along with the arrangement of detours and replacement of guardrails or other damaged safety devices. 

“These funds will help reimburse states for needed repairs to vital transportation infrastructure that residents rely upon for daily travel,” said Federal Highway Administrator Nicole R. Nason. 

Since January 2017, U.S. government has provided nearly $4.9 billion in ER program funds to repair roads and bridges.

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This story was written by our staff based on a press release.
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