Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $47,582,050 in federal funding to upgrade and repair flood-prone bridges in Suffolk and Nassau counties. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), and will be used to fund the necessary improvements for damaged bridges in high-risk flood areas. A total of eight bridges in Long Island will receive funding to make repairs.
“This federal funding will help keep Long Island’s bridges in tip-top shape and ensure they are able to better withstand the next major storm,” said Senator Schumer. “These bridges are vital links in the transportation system that sustain our economy, and we must do all we can to make sure they are in a state of good repair.”
“This is a great investment that will help strengthen critical transportation infrastructure in Long Island,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Our bridges are heavily traveled and are assets in our communities. This funding will help prevent further erosion of our bridges, helping to keep our communities safe and taking the tax burden off of local families.”
FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding under Section 404 of the Stafford Act, the federal disaster law that supplies aid to states and localities to implement long-term resiliency measures after a major disaster. The purpose of these grants is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.
A full list of the eight bridges receiving FEMA funding is below:
- $26,457,050 for the bridge located on Route 908 J, Robert Moses Causeway over Fire Island Inlet in the Town of West Islip in Suffolk County.
- $8,521,500 for the bridge located on Route 908 E, Meadowbrook State Parkway over Sloop Channel in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County.
- $2,548,000 for the bridge located on Route 908 C, Loop Parkway, over Long Creek in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County.
- $5,044,000 for two bridges located on Route 908 J, Robert Moses Causeway over State Boat Channel in the Town of Islip in Suffolk County.
- $2,132,000 for the bridge located on Route 908 E, over False Channel in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County.
- $1,761,500 for the bridge located on Route 908 E, Meadowbrook State Parkway over Fundy Channel in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County.
- $1,118,000 for the bridge located on Route 908 M, Southern State Parkway over Hempstead Lake in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County.