The Emergency Relief (ER) program is intended to aid States in repairing road facilities which have suffered widespread serious damage resulting from a natural disaster over a wide area or serious damage from a catastrophic failure.

ER funds are not intended to supplant other funds for correction of preexisting, nondisaster related deficiencies.

The expenditure of ER funds for emergency repair shall be in such a manner so as to reduce, to the greatest extent feasible, the cost of permanent restoration work.

The approval to use available ER funds to repair or restore highways damaged by a natural disaster shall be based on the combination of the extraordinary character of the natural disturbance and the wide area of impact as well as the seriousness of the damage. Storms of unusual intensity occurring over a small area may not meet the above conditions.

ER funds shall not duplicate assistance under another Federal program or compensation from insurance or any other source. Partial compensation for a loss by other sources will not preclude emergency fund assistance for the part of such loss not compensated otherwise. Any compensation for damages or insurance proceeds including interest recovered by the State or political subdivision or by a toll authority for repair of the highway facility must be used upon receipt to reduce ER fund liability on the project.

Prompt and diligent efforts shall be made by the State to recover repair costs from the legally responsible parties to reduce the project costs particularly where catastrophic damages are caused by ships, barge tows, highway vehicles, or vehicles with illegal loads or where damage is increased by improperly controlled objects or events.

The processing of ER requests shall be given prompt attention and shall be given priority over non-emergency work.

ER projects shall be promptly constructed. Any project that has not advanced to the construction obligation stage by the end of the second fiscal year following the disaster occurrence will not be advanced unless suitable justification to warrant retention is furnished to the FHWA.

Permanent repair and reconstruction work, not accomplished as emergency repairs, shall be done by the contract method unless the State Highway agency adequately demonstrates that some other method is more cost effective as described in 23 CFR 635.204. Emergency repair work may be accomplished by the contract, negotiated contract or highway agency force account methods as determined by the Highway agency as best suited to protect the public health and safety.

ER program funding is only to be used to repair highways which have been seriously damaged and is not intended to fund heavy maintenance or routine emergency repair activities which should normally be funded as contingency items in the State and local road programs. An application for ER funds in the range of $700,000 or less must be accompanied by a showing as to why the damage repair involved is considered to be beyond the scope of heavy maintenance or routine emergency repair. As a general rule, widespread nominal road damages in this range would not be considered to be of a significant nature justifying approval by the FHWA Division Administrator for ER funding.