Newsroom: Press Releases
Lautenberg, Menendez Announce
Nearly $90 Million in Highway
Disaster Relief Grants for New Jersey
Lautenberg Press Office 202-224-3224
Wednesday, January 04,
2012
NEWARK – U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded grants totaling almost $90 million for the repair and reconstruction of federal aid roads and bridges in New Jersey that were damaged by Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and flooding in August 2011.
“This federal funding will help finance repairs and rebuild the roadways that were destroyed by powerful storms in our state last year,” said Senator Lautenberg, a member of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds the FHWA. “When disaster strikes, federal emergency aid is critical to help communities, commerce and families recover. We will continue to fight for disaster relief funding so that resources are available to New Jersey when there is an emergency in our state."
“Last summer’s massive storms and floods caused incredible damage to many of our roadways and we knew that only through a strong federal-local partnership could we ensure our state had the resources necessary for both immediate repair and long-term recovery. That’s why we worked so hard to pursue every funding opportunity available and why I am so pleased by today’s announcement of funds that will not only reimburse our state for completed emergency repair work, but allow for continued repair and recovery of our communities,” said Senator Menendez.
The grants awarded to New Jersey include:
- $65 million in emergency relief for damage caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee; and
- $24 million in emergency relief for the flooding in August that warranted a federal disaster declaration.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Lautenberg has led the effort to secure critical disaster relief funding. Following Hurricane Irene in September, Senators Lautenberg and Menendez were joined by 10 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Senate leadership requesting comprehensive federal disaster aid for the FHWA and other agencies.
In November 2011, President Obama signed into law a measure that provides $1.66 billion to bolster the FHWA federal highway disaster relief program, which is the source of the grants announced today.
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