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Emergency Relief Manual
(Federal-Aid Highways)

November 2009

Office of Infrastructure
Office of Program Administration
Federal Highway Administration

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
   1. Purpose of Manual
   2. Program Overview
2. Eligibility of Damage Repair Work
   1. General
   2. Eligible Items
      1. Engineering and Right-of-Way
      2. Indirect Costs
      3. Detours
      4. Traffic Damage
      5. Overlays
      6. Raising Grades
         1. Traditional Flooding
         2. Basin Flooding
      7. Slides
      8. Work on Active Construction Projects
      9. Toll Facilities
      10. Traffic Control Devices
      11. Landscaping
      12. Roadside Appurtenances
      13. Timber and Debris Removal
      14. Transportation System Management (TSM) Strategies
      15. Projects and Project Features Resulting from the NEPA Process
      16. Outside of the Highway Right-of-Way
      17. Administrative Expenses
          1. Regular and Extra Employees
          2. Payroll Additives
      18. Supplies and Materials
      19. Equipment
      20. Catastrophic Failure from an External Cause
   3. Ineligible Items
      1. Heavy Maintenance
      2. Damage Estimate Under $5,000 per Site
      3. Traffic Damage
      4. Frost Heaving
      5. Applicant - Owned Material
      6. Erosion Damage
      7. Prior Scheduled Work
      8. Mine/Underground Subsidence
      9. Snow and/or Ice Removal
      10. Emergency Transportation Services/First Responders
      11. Mitigation/Preventive Work/Evacuation Prior to Disaster
      12. Catastrophic Failure from Internal Cause
      13. Radiological Contamination
      14. Transit Operation and Maintenance Costs
   4. Emergency Repairs VS. Permanent Repairs
      1. Emergency Repairs
         1. General
         2. Intent of Emergency Repairs
         3. Federal Share (180-Day Period)
      2. Permanent repairs
         1. General
         2. Restoration-in-Kind
         3. Replacement-in-Kind
         4. Deficient Bridges
         5. Replacement of Culverts
         6. Betterments
3. Emergency Relief Application Process
   1. Method 1 - Traditional
      1. Preliminary Steps
      2. Disaster Assessment
      3. Formal State Request for ER Funding and Damage Survey Summary Report
      4. Length of Time to Develop Application
      5. Division Administrator's Finding
   2. Method 2 - Quick Release
      1. Preliminary Steps
      2. Disaster Assessment
      3. Formal State Request for ER Funding and Damage Survey Summary Report
      4. Length of time to Develop Application
      5. Division Administrator's Finding
      6. Detailed Damage Inspections
      7. Additional Considerations
   3. Two Disasters Treated As One
   4. ER Program Flow Chart
4. Preliminary Steps
   1. Letter of Intent
   2. Acknowledgment Letter
   3. Governor's Proclamation
      1. Basic Criteria
      2. Timing of the Proclamation
      3. Relationship to President's Declaration
      4. Concurrence by the Division Administrator
5. Disaster Assessment and Damage Survey Summary Report
   1. Purpose
   2. Logistics/Mobilization
      1. Disaster Coordination Engineer
      2. Division Office Orientation
      3. Resource Evaluation
   3. Coordination with other Agencies
      1. Policy
      2. State Transportation Agency
   4. Damage Assessments
      1. Detailed Damage Inspections
         1. Documentation
         2. Disaster Inspection Teams
      2. Windshield Inspections
         1. Scope of Review
         2. Record-keeping
         3. Supplemental Information
      3. Damage Assessments for Quick Release
   5. Damage Survey Summary Report
      1. Purpose
      2. Damage Survey Summary Report Preparation/Content
      3. Damage Survey Report Submissions
      4. Summary of Other Required Documents
      5. Exception
6. Project Procedures and Requirements
   1. General
   2. Fund Management
   3. Federal share
   4. Preparation and Submission of Programs
   5. Approval of Programs and Project Authorizations
   6. Advancing Projects During ER Program Funding Shortages
      1. Previously Approved ER Events
      2. ER Events Awaiting A Division Administrator Finding
      3. General Comments
   7. Project Oversight
   8. Combined Federal-aid and Emergency Relief
   9. Construction Start Deadline (Time Extensions)
   10. FHWA as the Construction Agency
   11. Project Designations and Numbering
   12. Disaster Code
   13. Construction Contracts/Force Accounts
       1. Emergency Repairs
          1. Force Account
          2. Solicited Contract
          3. Negotiated Contract
       2. Permanent Repairs
       3. Techniques to Accelerate Projects
          1. Cost-Plus-Time Bidding
          2. Design-Build
          3. Abbreviated Plans and Shortened Advertisement Period for Bids
          4. Short List of Qualified Contractors
       4. Contract Requirements
          1. Davis-Bacon Act
          2. Buy America
          3. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE)
          4. Americans with Disability Act (ADA)
          5. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
          6. Convict Labor
          7. Use of Suspended or Debarred Contractors
   14. Environmental Considerations
   15. Design Standards
   16. State Emergency Manual

1. Appendix A - Sample ER Request Memorandum
2. Appendix B - Sample State Letter of Intent
3. Appendix C - Sample FHWA Acknowledgment Letter
4. Appendix D - Sample Governor's Proclamation
5. Appendix E - Detailed Damage Inspection Report
6. Appendix F - Sample State Letter for Quick Release of ER Funds
7. Appendix G - Sample State Letter Requesting ER Funds