DOT Secretary Duffy announces $1.5B for Hurricane Helene, other disaster recovery
The funding, part of the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief program, will support repair projects in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Duffy, who visited the hardest-hit areas as one of his first official actions upon taking office, said the administration is committed to expediting recovery.
'Under President Trump's leadership, this Department will leave no state behind. We are expediting the process to remove unnecessary barriers for urgent projects so communities can rebuild in real time,' he said. 'Within the first 100 days of the Administration, we announced repairs to North Carolina's I-40 highway, washed out by Hurricane Helene, that are projected to save two-thirds in both cost and time — amounting to hundreds of millions of hard-earned tax dollars.'
Hurricane Helene, which struck in September 2024, caused catastrophic damage across the Southeast, particularly affecting transportation networks in North Carolina and Tennessee. The storm destroyed sections of key highways, including I-40 and I-26, both critical routes for freight transportation in the region.The hurricane's impact was especially severe on railroad infrastructure. More than 40 miles of CSX's former Clinchfield Railroad between Erwin, Tennessee, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, was washed away, including two bridges. Norfolk Southern also suffered extensive damage, with many sections along 50 miles of its line between Marshall and Old Fort, North Carolina, through Asheville destroyed by flooding.
I-40, which straddles the North Carolina-Tennessee border, has been particularly affected. While some sections have recently reopened with limited capacity — including the stretch between Exit 7 in North Carolina and Exit 447 in Tennessee — many areas remain under construction. Currently, only one lane is open in each direction between exits 15 and 20 in North Carolina.
Of the $1.5 billion allocated, North Carolina will receive $415 million, with more than $400 million dedicated to Hurricane Helene recovery. Tennessee will get $227 million, including more than $178 million for Helene-related repairs. Additional allocations include $68.8 million to South Carolina (with over $50 million for Helene), $44.6 million to Florida (including $43 million for damage from hurricanes Milton, Helene and Debby), and $26.4 million to Georgia (with $23 million for Helene recovery).
This emergency funding builds on previous allocations, including a $352.6 million 'quick release' package and $167 million initially provided to North Carolina and Tennessee for emergency relief following the hurricane.The funds will be used to restore transportation routes that are essential to regional productivity and economic recovery. Projects include rebuilding damaged sections of I-40 and I-26, repairing bridges, and restoring roads that support tourism by connecting Americans to the region's natural resources.
'The Federal Highway Administration has been working closely with states across the country to restore vital transportation networks and provide safe travel for the public,' said FHWA Chief Counsel Jay Payne. 'As we continue to provide disaster relief, we remain steadfast in our commitment to provide the federal resources needed until all highway transportation links are restored.'
The damage from Helene has had significant economic impacts beyond just infrastructure. CSX reported losing approximately $1 million per day in revenue during the first quarter due to hurricane damage and related network constraints. The railroad continues to rebuild its 60-mile line through eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, with reconstruction expected to continue 'through the better part of this year' before completion in October or November, according to CSX Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Sean Pelkey.
Duffy emphasized that the Department of Transportation will continue assisting affected states throughout the recovery process.
'We will continue to support impacted states and regions every step of the way as they make emergency repairs and get critical transportation infrastructure back up and running as quickly and safely as possible,' he said.
The post DOT Secretary Duffy announces $1.5B for Hurricane Helene, other disaster recovery appeared first on FreightWaves.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Republican Unloads Medicaid-Related Stock Before Voting For Trump Tax Bill
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Republican Congressman sold a Medicaid-related stock before voting for President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package, which affects Medicaid. In May, Pennsylvania Representative Robert Bresnahan sold stocks in Centene Corporation, a healthcare company that works as an intermediary for government and private healthcare programs, while debates about the tax package, called the "One Big, Beautiful Bill," continued. The trade has recently been made publicly available. Newsweek contacted representatives for Bresnahan by email outside of business hours to comment on this story. Why It Matters The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" 218 votes to 214 after months of internal GOP divisions and last-minute negotiations. UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 15: Rep.-elect Robert Bresnahan, R-Pa., poses for a photo on the House steps after freshman members of Congress posed for their class photo on the House steps of the Capitol on... UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 15: Rep.-elect Robert Bresnahan, R-Pa., poses for a photo on the House steps after freshman members of Congress posed for their class photo on the House steps of the Capitol on Friday, November 15, 2024. More Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images The legislation extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts, eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, and boosts funding for immigration enforcement and defense. The bill will also reduce Department of Health and Human Services budget by $880 billion over 10 years, which would include cuts to Medicaid alongside other measures such as implementing work requirements. The CBO estimates that the bill would result in 11.8 million people losing health insurance by 2034, with the majority of those people losing coverage from Medicaid. Meanwhile, members of Congress are allowed to buy and sell stocks, but the practice has attracted bipartisan criticism because of concerns it may facilitate insider trading, if lawmakers are privy to information about assets that could move markets. There are also concerns politicians with stock holdings can influence the assets they hold to inflate their share value. What To Know According to his financial disclosures, Bresnahan purchased between $1,001 and $15,000 in Centene Corporation on April 8. On May 15, he sold those stocks. This came a week before the legislation initially passed in the House. In July, it was reported that shares in the company fell almost 40 percent after the insurer predicted its 2025 revenues would be hit. The disclosures were first reported by data platform Quiver Quantitative, which claimed Bresnahan does not manage his own stock portfolio and plans to set up a blind trust. What People Are Saying Speaking to Newsweek, Veljko Fotak, a finance professor at the University at Buffalo in New York, said the trade "definitely is not appropriate." "It does suggest he thought the value of the shares would tank. His position allowed him to be a better judge of that probability than you or I. He did not have clear foresight—but he did have an unfair advantage, compared to other traders. "I will also say – the moral optics are made worse by the nature of the event. Profiting from inside information regarding the likelihood of legislation passing is ugly enough—when that inside information is about millions of individuals losing access to Medicare, the optics are somehow even worse.... This is Nero selling lumber while Rome is burning." On X, New Mexico Democrat Melanie Stansbury wrote: "This Congressman literally dumped stock in a Medicaid provider company right before this bill came to the Floor. Don't be fooled—these guys know exactly what they're doing." Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, wrote: "Protecting his stock portfolio while ripping away health care from 17 million Americans This is Washington at its worst. We need to ban Congressional stock trading."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
India backs Dalai Lama's position on successor, contradicting China
DHARAMSHALA, India (Reuters) -A senior Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organization he has set up have the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism, in a rare comment contradicting rival China's long-held position. The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said on Wednesday that upon his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be able to identify his successor. He previously said the person would be born outside China. Beijing says it has the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor as a legacy from imperial times. Kiren Rijiju, India's minister of parliamentary and minority affairs, made a rare statement on the matter on Thursday, ahead of visiting the Dalai Lama's base in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala for the religious leader's 90th birthday on Sunday. "No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be," Indian media quoted Rijiju as telling reporters. "Only he or his institution has the authority to make that decision. His followers believe that deeply. It's important for disciples across the world that he decides his succession." In response to the remarks, China's foreign ministry warned India on Friday against interfering in its domestic affairs at the expense of bilateral relations, urging it to be prudent in its words and actions. "We hope the Indian side will fully understand the highly sensitive nature of Tibet-related issues, recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama," spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference. India's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the Dalai Lama's succession plan. Rijiju, a practising Buddhist, will be joined by other Indian officials at the birthday celebrations. India is estimated to be home to tens of thousands of Tibetan Buddhists who are free to study and work there. Many Indians revere the Dalai Lama, and international relations experts say his presence in India gives New Delhi a measure of leverage with China. Relations between India and China nosedived after a deadly border clash in 2020 but are slowly improving now.
Politico
2 days ago
- Politico
Newsom to tour South Carolina next week in potential 2028 preview
The California governor will speak to Southern voters in an early sneak peek into a possible presidential bid. California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference on April 16, 2025, in Ceres, California. |By Jacob Wendler 07/03/2025 01:23 PM EDT California Gov. Gavin Newsom will meet with voters across South Carolina in a two-day trip through the state next week, further fueling speculation that the Democratic governor is preparing for a 2028 presidential run. The South Carolina Democratic Party — which announced the trip Thursday — is marketing the series of meet-and-greets as an opportunity for the governor to meet with communities impacted by natural disasters and 'speak to the urgent need for federal support and investment' in the wake of Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires. Newsom traveled to the state in January 2024 to stump for former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the run-up to the presidential election. He received a lukewarm reception from some voters skeptical of his liberal reputation, POLITICO reported at the time.
