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Two months after a propane truck explosion damaged a Vermont Highway 14 bridge near the town of Irasburg early last December, federal agencies have now stepped up to help fund its repairs.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Feb. 13 that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) made $1.2 million in "quick release" emergency relief funding immediately available to Vermont to get a new bridge built as fast as possible. Vt. 14 is an important north-south route in the northern part of the state.

"We know how important this bridge is to the people of Vermont," Buttigieg said in a news release. "The Biden-Harris administration is making these federal emergency funds available to help restore travel on this critical route as quickly and safely as possible."

Officials with the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) told MyChamplainValley.com that they are pleased to receive the grant which will be used to pay for more than a third of the replacement project, slated to cost about $3 million.

With the federal money in hand, VTrans officials said the bridge construction is now expected to be completed, with cars driving across the structure, in mid to late April.

Leaking Propane Burned Bridge for Two Days

Early on Dec. 4, a propane truck crashed into the Vt. 14 bridge before landing in the Black River and bursting into flames. The driver was okay, but the bridge itself was not, as firefighters were unable to extinguish the blaze until the evening of Dec. 5. During that time, and fed by the tanker's propane, the fire slowly ate away at the structure until it was totally destroyed.

Since then, traffic has been rerouted to Vt. 58 and U.S. Highway 5, adding about a 4-mi. detour between Irasburg and Coventry as well as other nearby towns in Vermont's Northern Kingdom.

Crews from VTrans had already gotten to work to repair the bridge before the department even knew if it would receive relief money from the FHWA.

"There wasn't a whole lot we could salvage from the previous bridge, so this is a brand-new bridge," noted Jeremy Reed, the state agency's chief engineer. "We're certainly not in any way slow walking this; rather, we've done everything we can to expedite the reconstruction of this bridge."

He added that the quick-release funds are certainly appreciated because it means "we don't have to encumber other [state] funds while we wait for the construction to conclude."

"Vermont residents and businesses are experiencing disruptions to their daily lives that often result in additional cost and delay," noted FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt. "It's imperative that we get this bridge back up and running again soon."

Federal Relief Available for Emergency Fixes Across U.S.

FHWA's Emergency Relief program provides funding to states, territories, tribes and federal land management agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic external events. Its "quick release" emergency funds are an initial installment of monies to help restore essential transportation.

Additional funds needed to repair the bridge damage in Vermont will continue to be supported by the federal agency's program, FHWA officials said.

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