Resiliency gets boost from FHWA via $7.3 billion program

In an effort to combat the effects of climate change and address the growing costs of extreme weather events, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced $7.3 billion in funding to help prepare for extreme weather events.

The new Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT)  funding is available to make transportation infrastructure more resilient to future weather events and other natural disasters by focusing on resilience planning, making resilience improvements to existing transportation assets and evacuation routes, and addressing at-risk highway infrastructure.

In general, eligible projects include highway and transit projects, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and port facilities including those that help improve evacuations or disaster relief. States are encouraged to work with regional and local partner organizations to prioritize transportation and emergency response improvements, as well as address vulnerabilities. 

 “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,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete 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.”