The Department of Transportation this week released an additional $195 million in emergency relief funding to help rebuild the Interstate 35W bridge that collapsed in August 2007, bringing the total federal transportation investment in the recovery and rebuilding effort to almost $377 million.
“We’ve made it clear that Minnesota will have the resources it needs to recover and rebuild from this tragedy,” Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said. “Today we keep that commitment to reconnecting this community.”
The $195 million will go toward the repair and reconstruction of the bridge. In addition to bridge-related repair and recovery efforts, emergency relief funding also has gone toward restoring traffic flow in the region and clearing debris immediately following the collapse.
The Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief program reimburses states for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. DOT remains committed to paying the full cost of eligible repairs to rebuild the bridge and will reimburse Minnesota as additional costs are incurred, Peters said.
