On August 31st, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded $50 million to reimburse Michigan for emergency road and bridge repairs made in 2020 after dam failures and flooding in mid-Michigan.
Following extensive flood damage caused by dam breaches in May 2020, nearly 30 roads and bridges across the region were closed and suffered damage. In Midland and Gladwin counties, three bridges within a 2-mile distance were closed to traffic after being washed away. US-10 at Sanford Lake was also closed to traffic due to extreme scour of bridge piers and the bridge approaches being washed away.
The FHWA will send $50 million in emergency relief funds to Michigan to reimburse the state for repairs it made to roadways and bridges following the severe flooding in mid-Michigan in 2020. The flooding prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency, order the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents, and contributed to the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams.
The reimbursement is part of aid the FHWA is distributing to states and territories for repairs to roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods, wildfires and other recent severe weather events. Michigan received a larger reimbursement than most other states with the exceptions of California and Puerto Rico, who faced historic wildfires and hurricanes, respectively.
Reporting for WGRT – George James
