NCDOT Releases Weekly Cash Watch Report: Unreserved Funds Remain Strong Above Statutory Floor

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has released its latest Weekly Cash Watch Numbers report for the week of October 16–22, 2026, offering a detailed look at state transportation receipts, disaster response expenditures, and overall financial health.

Published in accordance with state transparency laws (Session Law 2019-251), the report tracks cash flow across NCDOT’s major operational accounts, bond proceed holdings, and statutory cash reserve targets.

Key Financial Highlights (Week of Oct. 16–22, 2026)

• Total Cash & Bond Proceeds: $2.078 Billion

• Ending Combined Cash Balance (Unreserved): $1.733 Billion (comprising $737.04 million in the Highway Fund and $996.86 million in the Highway Trust Fund).

• Statutory Minimum Cash Floor: $735.7 Million

• Reserved Cash Holdings: $239.28 Million (held in trustee accounts for Build NC bonds, GARVEE bonds, and the Transportation Emergency Reserve).

NCDOT’s unreserved combined cash balance of $1.733 billion comfortably exceeds the state-mandated statutory cash minimum floor of $735.69 million set by N.C. General Statute 143C-6-11(f). The department’s unreserved cash puts it within its targeted statutory range of $1.226 billion to $1.961 billion.

Weekly Receipts and Expenditures Breakdown

During the seven-day period, NCDOT collected $132.64 million in total receipts. Federal reimbursements accounted for $53.06 million of that total, which included $5.88 million specifically allocated as declared disaster reimbursements.

Disbursements for the week totaled $237.55 million, broken down across several major categories:

• Disaster-Related Costs: $66.46 million

• STI Construction Projects: $51.29 million

• Payroll (Bi-weekly): $40.27 million

• Administration & Other Operations: $31.79 million

• Debt Service Payments: $12.46 million

• Modal Programs (Ferry, Rail, Aviation, Public Transit): $5.16 million

Hurricane Recovery Costs and Federal Reimbursements

The weekly report also highlights ongoing financial impacts from Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.

NCDOT reports cumulative disaster relief expenditures for Hurricane Helene reaching:

• FY 2025: $909.2 million

• FY 2026: $794.7 million

• FY 2027 (To Date): $377.4 million

To date, cumulative federal reimbursements for Hurricane Helene relief efforts total $621.7 million from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and $375.6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Open Commitments and Transparency

As of late September 2026, NCDOT reported $9.72 billion in open project commitments. The department’s available unreserved cash represents 22.53% of those outstanding commitments.

NCDOT updates these weekly snapshot reports every Friday to inform lawmakers, local governments, and taxpayers on the flow of state transportation revenues and infrastructure spending.

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