Nearly $7 Million in Federal Funds Approved to Reconstruct Hurricane Irene-Destroyed Bridge in Wyoming County

Nearly $7 Million in Federal Funds Approved to Reconstruct

Hurricane Irene-Destroyed Bridge in Wyoming County

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Nearly $7 million in federal funding has been approved for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to reconstruct a bridge in Wyoming County, according to officials with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Until Hurricane Irene-fueled high velocity flood waters wiped it out, the bridge crossed the Mehoopany Creek on State Route 3001 in Forkston Township. FEMA has obligated $6,924,799 to reconstruct the bridge in its original location.

Because devastation of the bridge was a direct result of Hurricane Irene, the project to replace it qualifies for Public Assistance (PA) in Category C, which covers permanent repair or replacement of eligible non-federal-aid roads and bridges. For a detailed description of PA categories, see http://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-eligible-work.

The FEMA portion of the project will comprise the 75 percent federal cost-share to reconstruct the bridge, which is estimated to cost a total of $9,233,065. The remaining 25 percent non-federal share will be paid by the Commonwealth.

FEMA manages the program, approves grants and provides technical assistance to the Commonwealth and applicants. The Commonwealth educates potential applicants, works with FEMA to manage the program and is responsible for implementing and monitoring the grants awarded under the program. Local officials are responsible for identifying damage, providing information necessary for FEMA to approve grants and managing each project funded under the program.

For a list of frequently asked questions about the federal PA process, see http://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-frequently-asked-questions.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.  Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion3.

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