Billions in Construction Projects
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has released its long-awaited workplan to use the $17.4 billion that Congress allocated for recovery projects in the areas affected by last year’s natural disasters. These areas include Texas, Florida, California, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The disaster recovery funds are spread across six Army Corps appropriations accounts. The largest account by far, the construction account, will fund 60 flood and storm damage reduction projects in 16 states and Puerto Rico at a total cost of $13.9 billion.
Although no date has been set for when and how these projects will be issued, it is expected to take a few weeks. Some of the USACE’s districts that were impacted will need to lean on non-impacted districts for assistance due to the influx of work. It is not a mistake if you see a non-impacted district soliciting for work in an impacted district. For example, you may see the Albuquerque District advertising work that is in the Galveston district. Members should make sure to keep an eye out for where the work is to be performed.
Last year, AGC urged Congress to fund efforts to rebuild impacted communities and restore the critical infrastructure necessary to return a sense of normalcy for millions of people. Congress included the disaster funding in the AGC-supported bipartisan budget bill for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. AGC will continue to work with Congress and USACE and will keep our members informed on the recovery progress.
For more information, please contact Jordan Howard at [email protected] or (703) 837-5368.