Over $3.5 million heading to AZ to rebuild roads and bridges after flooding and wildfires

The Telegraph Fire burns on June 10, 2021 in Globe. (AP Photo/Mark Henle, Pool)

By Robert Gundran

September 23, 2024

Over $3.5 million is headed to Arizona to help repair roads and bridges that were damaged in wildfires and flash floods in 2021 and 2022.

The Biden-Harris administration’s US Department of Transportation recently announced that the Federal Highway Administration will give a total of $802 million to states and US territories to fix infrastructure that was destroyed or damaged in extreme weather events.

On June 1, 2021, the Mescal fire started near the Arizona city of Globe. It burned over 72,000 acres of land and took two weeks to contain.

The Telegraph fire started near the city of Superior on June 4, 2021. It burned over 180,000 acres and was fully contained a month later. The fire destroyed 51 structures, according to reporting from ABC 15.

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Roughly $3.2 million from the Federal Highway Administration funding is going to repair infrastructure damaged during those two fires.

Over $360,000 was allocated for damages caused by storms and flash flooding in July 2022 in the Coconino, Kaibab, and Prescott national forests.

“Americans are dealing with the impacts of more and more extreme weather caused by climate change—affecting their lives and our infrastructure,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release.

“With these funds, the Biden-Harris administration is helping communities rebuild key transportation links and make them more resilient for the future.”

Since December 2021, the Federal Highway Administration has supported local recovery efforts across the country by funding roughly $4.2 billion in emergency relief, according to Acting Federal Highway Administrator Kristin White.

Author

Robert Gundran

Robert Gundran grew up in the Southwest, spending equal time in the Valley and Southern California throughout his life. He graduated from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in 2018 and wrote for The Arizona Republic and The Orange County Register.

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CATEGORIES: INFRASTRUCTURE

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