Mississippi to receive $16.6 million to repair roads and bridges damaged in last year’s floods

Mississippi is slated to receive a total of $16,584,320 in emergency relief funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.

According to a USDOT press release, $10,262,491 will be allocated for February 2019 flood-related damage and $5,671,829 allocated for Dec. 27, 2018 flood-related damage. Another $650,000 will be allocated to Mississippi federal lands for the February through April 2019 rains.

The funds are part of $653.2 million in emergency relief going to make repairs to roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods, mudslides and other unexpected events. Funds are going to 37 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced today.

“This $653 million in federal funding will help communities repair their transportation infrastructure damaged by recent natural disasters,” Chao said in the release.

“These (emergency relief) funds will go a long way in restoring the state’s damaged roads and bridges following several severe weather outbreaks last year,” said Melinda McGrath, Mississippi Department of Transportation executive director. “We are grateful for the federal assistance and look forward to facilitating these repairs as quickly as possible.”