Biden-Harris Administration announces $34.7 million in grants to Virginia transportation infrastructure

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris Administration announced $34.7 million in grants to three recipients in Virginia projects that will help strengthen transportation infrastructure against the effects of climate change

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the PROTECT Grant Program is funding projects to protect bridges, roads, ports, rail, and transit from extreme weather and the impacts of climate change. 

“Every community in America knows the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, including increasingly frequent heavy rain and flooding events across the country and the sea-level rise that is inundating infrastructure in coastal states,” said FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “This investment from the Biden-Harris Administration will ensure our infrastructure is built to withstand more frequent and unpredictable extreme weather, which is vitally important for people and businesses that rely on roads and bridges being open to keep our economy moving.” 

Extreme weather due to climate change damages to transportation system, and the funding aims to decrease future needs for maintenance and reconstruction.

“From wildfires shutting down freight rail lines in California to mudslides closing down a highway in Colorado, from a drought causing the halt of barge traffic on the Mississippi River to subways being flooded in New York, extreme weather, made worse by climate change, is damaging America’s transportation infrastructure, cutting people off from getting to where they need to go, and threatening to raise the cost of goods by disrupting supply chains,” said Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today, through a first-of-its-kind program created by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are awarding nearly $830 million to make transportation infrastructure in 39 states and territories more resilient against climate change, so people and supply chains can continue to move safely.” 

Project selections in Virginia totaling $34.7 million include: 

• The City of Virginia Beach will receive over $19 million to address flooding issues on a 1.5-mile stretch of Pungo Ferry Road, a low-lying roadway that provides an east-west connection for several military installations, agricultural lands, and wildlife refuges. The project will raise the roadway by four feet to make it passable during 100-year storm events, and will include paved, graded shoulders and bike paths. 
• Stafford County will receive over $10.2 million to re-align a 0.45-mile portion of Brooke Road (SR 608) from Loblolly Lane to Maplewood Drive, a vital transportation route that serves the eastern part of the county and includes access to a commuter rail station. The project will address frequent flooding on portions of the road that becomes impassable for extended periods of time. The roadway runs parallel to Accokeek Creek, a major tributary to the Potomac River.  
• The Virginia Department of Transportation will receive over $5.4 million to install a weather and traffic monitoring system that will facilitate emergency evacuations due to extreme weather events in Virginia's Tidewater and Chesapeake region. The project will include the use of flood sensors, stream gauges, and traffic cameras to promote data-driven decisions in hazardous conditions, including flood, wind, fire, and landslides.

 The Federal Highway Administration is awarding funding to 80 projects in 37 states. The funding is divided into four grant categories: Planning, Resilience Improvements, Community Resilience and Evacuation Routes, and At-risk Coastal Infrastructure.   

The full list of grant recipients is available on www.fhwa.dot.gov.