Transportation Emergency Relief Extension Act

The Transportation Emergency Relief Extension Act would amend federal highway law to give states more time to move emergency-relief highway projects funded under the federal Emergency Relief program. Specifically, it adds a rule that, for projects supported by emergency declarations, the construction obligation deadline cannot occur earlier than the last day of the sixth fiscal year after the later of (1) the governor’s emergency declaration and (2) the president’s major disaster declaration. If a deadline is set, the secretary of transportation may grant extensions—up to one year per extension on request, with additional extensions possible if the governor shows justification. The bill also requires updates to the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Manual every two years, distributing the updated manual to state departments of transportation and posting it publicly. The purpose is to provide greater flexibility and clearer guidance for managing post-disaster highway repair and reconstruction.