By Theresa Opeka for THE CAROLINA JOURNAL
The North Carolina Department of Transportation NCDOT received some welcome news on Tuesday, after US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the NCDOT will receive $1.15 billion in additional emergency relief funding for Hurricane Helene repairs, the largest single allocation under the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief (FHWA ER) Program for a state in the department’s history.
FHWA’s ER Program provides funding to help states perform repairs caused by major natural disasters and extreme weather events.
Including Tuesday’s announcement, the state has received nearly $2 billion in ER funding from the USDOT for Hurricane Helene repairs.
“President Trump promised no North Carolinian would be left behind. Today’s announcement reflects that continued commitment to get America building again,” Duffy said in a press release. “This historic investment in the recovery effort is just one of many actions my department has taken to support the region. Since January, we’ve toured the damage, slashed red tape, and expedited the I-40 highway rebuild. We will not rest until the communities devastated by Hurricane Helene are made whole again.”
Duffy toured Haywood County in February to survey the damage and recovery efforts along I-40 near the Tennessee line.
In May, Duffy announced that NCDOT would receive $400 million in ER funding to accelerate repairs to roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Last week, Democrat Gov. Josh Stein and local officials from Buncombe, Ashe, Haywood, Madison, and Rutherford counties traveled to Washington, DC, to meet with the Trump administration and members of Congress about his request for an additional $13.5 billion in funding for Hurricane Helene recovery.
Included in that request was nearly $1.6 billion from USDOT to restore roads and critical infrastructure, including I-40, which has seen temporary repairs.
The interstate reopened to one lane in each direction in March, providing a critical connection to residents in North Carolina and Tennessee and a better route for long-distance drivers and truckers to transport goods.
Later this week, Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) officials will join local leaders to inspect progress on repairs to I-40.
During the visit in February, Duffy announced a partnership between USDOT and the US Forest Service that will grant a “special use” permit for extracting rock and other construction materials from Forest Service land and a nearby river, just 1–3 miles from the site, rather than transporting them 20–50 miles. This commonsense approach reduces project time and costs, speeding the highway’s reconstruction for local communities.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, marks the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene hitting North Carolina.