Events
Find information about the Bureau's technical assistance events below.
Disaster Recovery Workshops
American transportation infrastructure faces increasing exposure to natural disasters, with damages exceeding $20 billion annually, according to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data from 2020 to 2024, with Hurricane Harvey alone generating $45 billion in transportation impacts during 2017. While FHWA’s Emergency Relief Program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance program provide partial relief, other tools could be deployed to help communities recover. Recently, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced expedited federal support and more than $2.6 billion in Federal funding to help States and U.S. territories pay for repairs to roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure damaged by natural disasters.
The Bureau will host three regional workshops for states and localities impacted by national disasters. These three workshops will provide State and local decision makers technical assistance on available Federal resources and promote the use of the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovative Act (TIFIA) and the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) master credit agreements (MCA) to bridge the gap between immediate disaster impact and long-term fiscal resilience. An MCA allows USDOT to provide a conditional commitment to a program of related projects up to a specified cap, with individual loans executed after projects are defined and requirements satisfied. The workshops will be customized to address the unique characteristics of the host regions for State and local decision makers, each headlined by a USDOT senior leadership representative.
Master Credit Agreements
Master Credit Agreements (MCAs) under TIFIA and RRIF allow the DOT to expedite state infrastructure financing. Instead of immediately obligating Federal funds, an MCA creates a pre-negotiated framework and conditional commitment for a program of related projects up to a specified cap ($500 million to $2 billion). Individual loans are executed later as specific projects are defined and satisfy Federal requirements.
Key Benefits for Disaster Recovery
The Bureau uses MCAs as pre-positioned tools to streamline post-disaster financing by allowing States to:
- Aggregate multiple recovery projects under a single, common security pledge.
- Establish a 5-year "preparedness horizon" for long-term infrastructure resilience.
- Drastically shorten approval timelines after a disaster strikes by using pre-negotiated terms.
Requirements & Compliance
To qualify, the MCA must be backed by high-investment-grade, non-Federal revenue (such as State general obligation bonds or legislative appropriations). Funds are formally obligated only after projects meet all statutory requirements, including project-specific environmental reviews (NEPA) and final financial close within the 5-year window.
Note: While the same framework applies to RRIF MCAs, they are limited to fewer eligible project types under the statute compared to TIFIA.
For more information about the Bureau's credit programs, please see the Credit Programs Guide.
Resources
For more information:
The first Disaster Recovery Finance Workshop will be co-hosted by the Centralina Regional Council and held in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 6, 2026. Due to capacity limitations, attendance by representatives from North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee is by invitation only.
Agenda Overview
- Welcome and Goals
- State DOT Perspectives on Funding and Financing Disaster Recovery
- Funding and Financing Disaster Recovery in Western North Carolina
- Build America Bureau Financing Strategies for Disaster Recovery
- Disaster Recovery Funding and Finance Information and Networking Fair
- Mobilizing Public-Private Partnerships for Disaster Recovery
- National Environmental Policy Act: Strategic Alignment and Streamlining under a Master Credit Agreement
- Closing and Key Takeaways
For questions, please contact BuildAmerica@dot.gov.
The Bureau will host a second workshop in Portland, Oregon. Representatives from Alaska, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California will be invited to attend. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
The Bureau will host a third workshop in Tampa, Florida. Representatives from Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, Alabama, Mississippi, and the US Virgin Islands will be invited to attend. More information will be shared as it becomes available.