News

USDOT announces $1.15 billion for Helene road repairs

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 24, 2025

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will receive $1.15 billion in additional Emergency Relief funding for Hurricane Helene repairs, the largest single allocation of disaster relief the Federal Highway Administration has ever granted, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced on Tuesday.

With the newest appropriation, the USDOT has provided nearly $2 billion in emergency relief funding for Hurricane Helene repairs in North Carolina.

“President Trump promised no North Carolinian would be left behind. Today’s announcement reflects that continued commitment to get America building again,” Duffy said. “This historic investment in the recovery effort is just one of many actions my Department has taken to support the region. Since January, we’ve toured the damage, slashed red tape, and expedited the I-40 highway rebuild. We will not rest until the communities devastated by Hurricane Helene are made whole again.”

Earlier this year, Duffy announced that NCDOT would receive $400 million in ER funding to accelerate repairs to roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Later this week, Federal Highway Administration officials will join local leaders to inspect progress on repairs to Interstate 40. The inspection follows Duffy’s February visit to North Carolina, where he announced a partnership between USDOT and U.S. Forest Service to secure a special use permit. The permit allows NCDOT to source rock from Forest Service land and extract construction materials from a nearby river—just 1-3 miles from the site—rather than transporting them 20–50 miles, reducing project time and cost.