Federal ‘Quick Release’ Funds Are an Initial Installment To Support Road Repairs

HARTFORD, CT - Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto today announced that they have received notification from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) informing them that the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is being awarded $3 million in “quick release” funding from its Emergency Relief program to aide in the immediate recovery efforts following the August 18 historic rain and flooding event in western Connecticut.

These “quick release” funds will assist CTDOT in the immediate and ongoing road repairs that have been underway since the initial impact of the storm. FHWA’s Emergency Relief program provides funding to states, territories, tribes, and federal land management agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. These “quick release” funds are an initial installment of funds toward restoring essential transportation links.

“This historic rain and flooding event has had a devastating impact on roads and bridges, as well as homes and small businesses,” Governor Lamont said.  “The quick support of federal emergency relief funds ensures that the rebuilding efforts on our roads will continue uninterrupted. I thank Secretary Buttigieg, Deputy Secretary Trottenberg, and the Biden-Harris administration for authorizing the quick release of emergency transportation funding for Connecticut. Our administration will continue pursuing additional federal emergency relief funds to help our communities rebuild, including for homeowners and businesses who have been impacted and need support.”

“CTDOT crews and contractors have been working around the clock over the last several weeks to reopen as many roads as possible to ensure no one is cut off from their neighbors and community,” Commissioner Eucalitto said. “Their hard work and efforts have truly been remarkable. I appreciate the support of the USDOT, FHWA, and our federal delegation who continue supporting the state during the ongoing recovery efforts.”

The FHWA’s Emergency Relief program complements Bipartisan Infrastructure Law programs and provisions by encouraging agencies to identify and implement measures to incorporate resilience in the design, restoration, and repair of damaged infrastructure to better withstand future damage from climate change and future weather events.

The Lamont administration is continuing to perform the required damage assessments to calculate whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) indicators/thresholds have been met that would enable the state to receive a federal major disaster declaration due to this storm. If such a declaration is approved, it could result in the release of federal funding to reimburse homeowners, businesses, and state and local governments for some of the costs of rebuilding and repairing damage to eligible public and uninsured private property. The requirements for seeking this type of declaration typically takes a period of days or weeks to complete, as state and local governments are required to submit very specific and detailed documentation with cost estimates to support the request for federal funding.

CTDOT continues to operate an interactive online map providing information on completed and ongoing road repairs from the August 18 storm. To access that map, click here or click the link available on the ct.gov/dot homepage.

To date, CTDOT has reopened more than 25 roads that were forced to close following the initial impact of the storm.