Feds Add $15M More Toward August 2024 Storm Repairs

Another $15 million in federal emergency relief is headed to Connecticut to cover road and bridge repairs from the August 2024 floods that battered western Connecticut — announced Wednesday by Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, Governor Ned Lamont, and the state's congressional delegation.

The money comes from the Federal Highway Administration and reimburses the Connecticut Department of Transportation for emergency work already done. With this approval, federal emergency relief to CTDOT for that storm totals $43 million, covering most of the estimated $51 million in repair costs. It follows a $3 million "quick release" in September 2024 and a $25 million reimbursement last October.

CTDOT paid for the initial repairs out of available funds to reopen washed-out roads and bridges as fast as possible. These reimbursements refill that money, the announcement says, so other planned transportation projects can proceed without being raided to cover storm damage.

Also tucked into the announcement: Hayes secured $1.5 million in federal Community Project Funding for renovations and repairs at the Southbury Public Library, which was damaged in the same storm.

"Extreme weather is putting more pressure on our infrastructure, and when historic flooding washed out roads and bridges in western Connecticut, we immediately got to work restoring those connections," Lamont said. "This federal reimbursement helps ensure that emergency work doesn't come at the expense of other projects."

Three bridges in Oxford and Southbury are currently in design for a future construction project, with those costs also eligible for the same emergency relief funds.

Illustration: The Brookfield Current