Baltimore Bridge Collapse Could Wipe Out Federal Emergency Funds
The Washington Post is reporting that Maryland could jump ahead of states that have waited for more than a decade for emergency highway money as the federal government commits to providing full funding to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it collapsed on March 26 in Baltimore.
The bridge collapsed after it was struck by a massive cargo ship leaving the Port of Baltimore. The bridge spanned the lower Patapsco River and was one of three crossings over the Baltimore Harbor. It carried approximately 11.5 million vehicles annually.
The Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief fund, which reimburses states to rebuild or repair highways after disasters, has a $2.1 billion backlog of projects and only $89 million on hand.
The fund does not provide funding on a first come, first serve basis, which leaves some states waiting years to be reimbursed. According to the article, the Baltimore bridge could be moved to the top of the list and wipe out all available funding, which in turn would put pressure on Congress to act quickly to refill the fund’s coffers.
The article includes quotes from Members of Congress discussing the need to act quickly to add more funds so that their states can continue to access emergency reimbursement should the bridge collapse wipe out the funding.
“We also have a responsibility to support every other community that has been devastated by a disaster because we are all in this together. No state or county, big or small, red or blue, wealthy or not, can shoulder the burden alone,” Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “When a disaster is so big, so catastrophic for any one state or locality to handle, it falls on the federal government to step up and help.”
Read the full Washington Post article here.
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The 24th Annual NASHTU Conference will be held June 3 to 5, 2024 at the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington D.C. To register for the 2024 NASHTU Conference, click here.
The NASHTU Conference provides an important opportunity for transportation unions to come together and strategize about how best to serve our members and deliver safe, cost-effective transportation projects for taxpayers.
The conference is also a chance to hear from some of the preeminent transportation leaders in Washington. Past conferences included the congressional leaders of both Senate and House committees with jurisdiction over transportation and infrastructure and key transportation and labor officials from AASHTO, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, FHWA, Center for American Progress, American Highway Users Alliance, Economic Policy Institute, and many other transportation stakeholder organizations.
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