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The US Department of Transportation is awarding $19.2 million in grant money to Western UP counties to help pay for the recovery and rebuilding following last summer’s Father’s Day Flood.
Congressman Jack Bergman said the money will go toward the repair or reconstruction of Federal-aid highways and roads in Houghton, Gogebic, and Menominee Counties that were damaged by the flood. “Those Counties were faced with an unprecedented hurdle due to damaged infrastructure, and this major grant will help ensure the affected counties have the resources to appropriately rebuild,” said Bergman.
“I saw firsthand the devastation of the flooding last year – much of which occurred without warning. But I was also struck by the resiliency of these communities that worked tirelessly to repair their homes and businesses and support their neighbors,” said Senator Peters. “I urged the Department of Transportation to provide resources to help neighborhoods impacted, and I’m pleased the agency is now taking the necessary steps to help Michiganders as they work to rebuild stronger than ever.”
“I had the chance to see the destruction last year and strongly advocated for this funding,” said Senator Stabenow. “This is an important step forward for the families and communities impacted by the flood in recovering from this devastating damage.”
“Houghton County is very pleased to hear about the $19.2 million in federal aid that is to be received to support the ongoing road work to recover from the Father’s Day flooding and we are extremely grateful to Senators Stabenow and Peters for their efforts in obtaining this funding,” said Eric Forsberg, Houghton County Administrator. “This has been, and continues to be, a long and stressful process for many Houghton County residents but, thanks to the efforts of our Road Commission and city crews, tremendous gains have been made in the effort to repair our roads and an end is in sight.”
“The Houghton County Road Commission is grateful to receive the funds necessary to pay for repairs to roadways damaged in the Father’s day flood,” said Kevin Harju, P.E., Manager of the Houghton County Road Commission. “Several of the repairs have been completed and there are more repairs that will need to be completed this summer. The Houghton County Road Commission is still working on securing an addition $3 million to pay the required 20% match requirement for federal aid projects. These funds will help us to be able to continue to design and repair damages caused by the flood.”
The grant is part of a package of more than $700 million being awarded by the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration in emergency relief for road and bridge repairs throughout the country.
Most of the money will be used to help areas to recover from hurricane damage or wildfires, including those that devastated California.
34 states in all will receive funds, as well as American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands to make repairs to roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods, and other unexpected events.
