BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 6 – More than $3.2 million was awarded to Vermont today by the U.S. Department of Transportation to repair highways damaged by severe storms this spring and summer, Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced.

The funding from the Federal Highway Administration to the Vermont Agency of Transportation is in addition to a $1 million emergency federal grant announced earlier this summer to begin repairs of washed-out roads.

The funds were awarded after President Barack Obama issued a formal disaster declaration at the request of Gov. Peter Shumlin and supported by the state’s congressional delegation.

“This money will be critical for covering the costs of repairing Vermont’s roads that were damaged by the summer flooding,” Shumlin said. “I am grateful to the congressional delegation for working to secure this additional funding, and to the Obama administration for ensuring we rebound from these back-to-back storms that harmed not only our infrastructure but also our economy this summer.”

Vermont was saturated with four times the normal rainfall during downfalls in June and July on the heels of record rainfall in May.  The most intense rain caused flash flooding that damaged roads and bridges and other public infrastructure across the state.

Eligible work includes emergency repairs needed to restore traffic and minimize damage to remaining facilities as well as making permanent repairs to rebuild highways.