South Asheville News

U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards has introduced the Restoring Access to Mountain Homes Act, aimed at facilitating permanent repairs to private roads and bridges in Western North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene. The legislation allows states and local governments to finance these repairs and receive reimbursements from FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

The bill is co-led by Congressmen Don Davis and Tim Moore, with Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis leading a companion bill in the Senate. Private roads constitute nearly half of all roads in Western North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to over 7,000 private roads, bridges, and culverts.

While FEMA has approved funding for minor repairs, larger repair projects remain underfunded. The proposed act seeks to alleviate this financial burden by enabling reimbursements for repair costs incurred by the N.C. Department of Transportation and local governments.

Congressman Edwards emphasized the importance of federal support, stating that "the federal support provided by this bill is critical to making sure WNC communities can finally rebuild." Congressman Davis highlighted the need for timely recovery efforts: “We must ensure a timely and effective recovery for western NC.”

Congressman Moore stressed the impact on families struggling with access issues due to damaged infrastructure: “This bipartisan bill will help reconnect our communities.” Senator Budd pointed out the necessity of using Public Assistance dollars for rebuilding access points: “I am proud to propose a bill that will allow the people of Western North Carolina to use Public Assistance dollars to regain access to their homes.”

Senator Tillis added that this legislation ensures FEMA public assistance funding can be used effectively: “This commonsense legislation ensures that FEMA public assistance funding can be used to repair private roads and bridges destroyed by the hurricane.”