245 
treme weather events, flooding, or other 
natural disasters; and 
‘‘(xv) any other features that mitigate 
the risk of recurring damage or the cost of 
future repair as a result of extreme weath-
er events, flooding, or other natural disas-
ters, as determined by the Secretary.’’. 
(b) EMERGENCY RELIEF PROJECTS.— 
(1) 
DEFINITION
OF
EMERGENCY
RELIEF 
PROJECT.—In this section, the term ‘‘emergency re-
lief project’’ means a project carried out under the 
emergency relief program under section 125 of title 
23, United States Code. 
(2) IMPROVING THE EMERGENCY RELIEF PRO-
GRAM.—Not later than 90 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 
(A) revise the emergency relief manual of 
the Federal Highway Administration— 
(i) to include and reflect the definition 
of the term ‘‘resilience’’ (as defined in sec-
tion 101(a) of title 23, United States 
Code); 
(ii) to ensure resilience measures are 
cost effective and substantially reduce the 
risk of, or increase resilience to, future 
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246 
damage, hardship, loss, or suffering in any 
area affected by a major disaster or emer-
gency declared by the President under sec-
tion 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5170); 
(iii) to identify procedures that States 
may use to incorporate resilience into 
emergency relief projects; and 
(iv) to encourage the use of Complete 
Streets design principles and consideration 
of access for moderate and low-income 
families impacted by a major disaster or 
emergency declared by the President under 
section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5170); 
(B) develop best practices for improving 
the use of resilience in— 
(i) the emergency relief program 
under section 125 of title 23, United 
States Code; and 
(ii) emergency relief efforts; 
(C) provide to division offices of the Fed-
eral Highway Administration and State depart-
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ments of transportation information on the best 
practices developed under paragraph (2); and 
(D) develop and implement a process to 
track— 
(i) the consideration of resilience as 
part of the emergency relief program under 
section 125 of title 23, United States 
Code; and 
(ii) the measurement of risk reduction 
and costs of emergency relief projects. 
(3) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out actions 
pursuant to paragraph (2), the Secretary shall con-
sult with the Administrator of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency to ensure resiliency guid-
ance and activities are consistent with and do not 
conflict with other resiliency and mitigation activities 
and priorities. 
SEC. 7006. HIGHWAY RESILIENCY INCENTIVES. 
Section 120(c) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) PROTECTIVE FEATURES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, the Federal share pay-
able for the cost of a protective feature on a 
Federal-aid highway or bridge project under 
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this title may be up to 100 percent, at the dis-
cretion of the State, if the protective feature is 
an improvement designed and demonstrated to 
mitigate and reduce the risk of recurring dam-
age, or the cost of future repair, from extreme 
weather events, flooding, or other natural disas-
ters. 
‘‘(B) 
PROTECTIVE
FEATURES
DE-
SCRIBED.—A protective feature referred to in 
subparagraph (A) may include— 
‘‘(i) raising roadway grades; 
‘‘(ii) relocating roadways in a base 
floodplain to higher ground above projected 
flood elevation levels or away from slide 
prone areas; 
‘‘(iii) stabilizing slide areas; 
‘‘(iv) stabilizing slopes; 
‘‘(v) installing riprap; 
‘‘(vi) lengthening or raising bridges to 
increase waterway openings; 
‘‘(vii) deepening channels to prevent 
flooding; 
‘‘(viii) increasing the size or number 
of drainage structures; 
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‘‘(ix) replacing culverts with bridges 
or upsizing culverts; 
‘‘(x) repairing or maintaining tide 
gates; 
‘‘(xi) installing seismic retrofits on 
bridges; 
‘‘(xii) adding scour protection at 
bridges; 
‘‘(xiii) adding scour, stream stability, 
coastal, and other hydraulic counter-
measures, including spur dikes; 
‘‘(xiv) the use of natural infrastruc-
ture to mitigate and reduce the risk of re-
curring damage or the cost of future repair 
from extreme weather events, flooding, or 
other natural disasters; and 
‘‘(xv) any other features that mitigate 
and reduce the risk of recurring damage or 
the cost of future repair as a result of ex-
treme weather events, flooding, or other 
natural disasters, as determined by the 
Secretary.’’. 
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SEC. 7007. GUIDANCE ON INUNDATED AND SUBMERGED 
ROADS. 
Upon the issuance of guidance pursuant to section 
1228 of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (Public 
Law 115–254), the Administrator of the Federal Highway 
Administration, in consultation with the Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall review 
such guidance and issue guidance regarding repair, res-
toration, and replacement of inundated and submerged 
roads damaged or destroyed by a major disaster declared 
pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) with 
respect to roads eligible for assistance under Federal 
Highway Administration programs. 
SEC. 7008. GUIDANCE ON EVACUATION ROUTES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) GUIDANCE.—The Administrator of the Fed-
eral Highway Administration, in coordination with 
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency and consistent with guidance issued 
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency pur-
suant to section 1209 of the Disaster Recovery Re-
form Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–254), shall re-
vise existing guidance or issue new guidance as ap-
propriate for State, local, and Indian Tribal govern-
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251 
ments regarding the design, construction, mainte-
nance, and repair of evacuation routes. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In revising or issuing 
guidance under subsection (a)(1), the Administrator 
of the Federal Highway Administration shall con-
sider— 
(A) methods that assist evacuation routes 
to— 
(i) withstand likely risks to viability, 
including flammability and hydrostatic 
forces; 
(ii) improve durability, strength (in-
cluding the ability to withstand tensile 
stresses and compressive stresses), and 
sustainability; and 
(iii) provide for long-term cost sav-
ings; 
(B) the ability of evacuation routes to ef-
fectively manage contraflow operations; 
(C) for evacuation routes on public lands, 
the viewpoints of the applicable Federal land 
management agency regarding emergency oper-
ations, sustainability, and resource protection; 
and 
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(D) such other items the Administrator of 
the Federal Highway Administration considers 
appropriate. 
(3) REPORT.—In the case in which the Admin-
istrator of the Federal Highway Administration, in 
consultation with the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, concludes existing 
guidance addresses the considerations in paragraph 
(2), the Administrator of the Federal Highway Ad-
ministration shall submit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works of the Senate, and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen-
ate a detailed report describing how existing guid-
ance addresses such considerations. 
(b) STUDY.—The Administrator of the Federal High-
way Administration, in coordination with the Adminis-
trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 
State, local, territorial, and Indian Tribal governments, 
shall— 
(1) conduct a study of the adequacy of available 
evacuation routes to accommodate the flow of evac-
uees; and 
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(2) submit recommendations to Congress on 
how to help with anticipated evacuation route flow, 
based on the study conducted under paragraph (1). 
SEC. 7009. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (4)(A) by inserting ‘‘assessing 
resilience,’’ after ‘‘surveying,’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(35) RESILIENCE.—Unless otherwise specified, 
the term ‘resilience’, with respect to a project, means 
a project with the ability to anticipate, prepare for, 
or adapt to conditions or mitigate against, with-
stand, respond to, or recover rapidly from, disrup-
tions, including the ability— 
‘‘(A) to resist hazards, mitigate against, 
reduce costs associated with, or withstand im-
pacts from, weather events and natural disas-
ters; or 
‘‘(B) to have the absorptive capacity, 
adaptive capacity, and recoverability to decrease 
project vulnerability to weather events or other 
natural disasters.’’. 
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254 
SEC. 7010. UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS. 
Section 5505 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (C) by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) to consider the ability to anticipate, 
prepare for, or adapt to conditions or with-
stand, increase resiliency to, reduce costs re-
lated to, respond to, or recover rapidly from, 
disruptions resulting from extreme weather 
events and natural disasters.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)(4)(A) by striking ‘‘re-
search priorities identified in chapter 65.’’ and in-
serting the following: ‘‘following research priorities: 
‘‘(i) Improving the mobility of people 
and goods. 
‘‘(ii) Reducing congestion. 
‘‘(iii) Promoting safety. 
‘‘(iv) Improving the durability and ex-
tending the life of transportation infra-
structure and the existing transportation 
system. 
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‘‘(v) Improving the ability to antici-
pate, prepare for, or adapt to conditions or 
withstand, respond to, or recover rapidly 
from, disruptions resulting from extreme 
weather events and natural disasters.’’; 
and 
(3) in subsection (c)(4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (C) by adding at the 
end the following: ‘‘In awarding grants under 
this section, the Secretary shall also select not 
less than 1 grant recipient with each of the fol-
lowing focus areas: 
‘‘(i) Improving the ability to antici-
pate, prepare for, or adapt to conditions or 
withstand, increase resiliency to, reduce 
costs related to, respond to, or recover rap-
idly from disruptions resulting from ex-
treme weather events and natural disas-
ters. 
‘‘(ii) Developing innovative road de-
signs, materials, and restoration strategies 
to better enhance the durability and struc-
tural integrity of roads and subgrade soils 
that may become inundated during ex-
treme weather events. 
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‘‘(iii) Enhancing the viability and du-
rability of evacuation routes, including 
ways to effectively manage contraflow op-
erations to minimize casualties.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) CONSIDERATIONS FOR SELECTED IN-
STITUTIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Tier 1 transpor-
tation centers awarded a grant under this 
paragraph with a focus area described in 
subparagraph (C) shall consider the fol-
lowing areas for research: 
‘‘(I) Developing new materials 
and improving the performance and 
resiliency of existing materials for the 
construction of roads, bridges, rail, 
and related transportation infrastruc-
ture. 
‘‘(II) Reducing local, State, Fed-
eral, and Tribal costs associated with 
natural disasters and severe weather. 
‘‘(III) 
Innovative 
technologies 
and 
approaches 
to 
pre-mitigate 
against severe weather. 
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