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by Ian Kayanja
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCIV) — The Biden-Harris Administration announced Thursday that over $350,000 in grant money is set to come to the Lowcountry.
The funding will be given to the Lowcountry Council of Governments to make transportation infrastructure more resilient to elements of climate change – mainly flooding.
The money will go toward a resiliency improvement plan, which includes areas of Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties.
It is part of the nearly $830 million in total grant funds given out to help states and local communities save taxpayer money while strengthening surface transportation systems.
READ MORE: "South Carolina receives nearly $1B in infrastructure funding under Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law."
“From wildfires shutting down freight rail lines in California to mudslides closing down a highway in Colorado, from a drought causing the halt of barge traffic on the Mississippi River to subways being flooded in New York, extreme weather, made worse by climate change, is damaging America’s transportation infrastructure, cutting people off from getting to where they need to go, and threatening to raise the cost of goods by disrupting supply chains,” said Secretary PeteButtigieg.
“Today, through a first-of-its-kind program created by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are awarding nearly $830 million to make transportation infrastructure in 39 states and territories more resilient against climate change, so people and supply chains can continue to move safely.”
The funding comes from President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Every community in America knows the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, including increasingly frequent heavy rain and flooding events across the country and the sea-level rise that is inundating infrastructure in coastal states,” said FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt.
“This investment from the Biden-Harris Administration will ensure our infrastructure is built to withstand more frequent and unpredictable extreme weather, which is vitally important for people and businesses that rely on roads and bridges being open to keep our economy moving.”