AASHTO Journal, 18 December 2015
The Federal Highway Administration has made available $1 million each in new emergency relief funds to the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Washington State Department of Transportation to help repair roads and bridges damaged in that region by flooding from heavy rains that began Dec. 7.
That is separate from disaster assistance totaling $410 million that the FHWA released earlier this month for damages from events dating from several years ago through this past October, and from a separate release of $1 million the agency provided WSDOT for flood damages in November.
The FHWA’s Emergency Relief program provides funding for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events.
The latest storm system has ravaged parts of the Oregon and Washington infrastructure.
In Oregon, the FHWA said it caused flooding, landslides, erosion, culvert failures and sinkholes resulting in widespread damage to the transportation system. Within three days, parts of the state had rainfall totals of up to 18 inches.
At the same time, the storm brought high winds and significant rain to western Washington, resulting in major flooding, saturated soils and landslides, as well as stream bank and slope erosion. Some of the areas hardest hit include US 12 near White Pass, US 2 between Clines Corner and Leavenworth, and I-5 near Woodland. Multiple routes were closed due to damage, flooding or debris.
“Emergency relief funding will help these two states continue their recovery from the extensive damage caused by this storm,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We want residents of the Pacific Northwest to know that we understand how important it is to get these roads open so life there can return to normal as soon as possible.”
Each state will receive $1 million in initial, or “quick release,” funds to help pay for repairs and to restore traffic movement as the states continue to assess their repair needs. Preliminary damages are estimated at around $5 million in Washington and $15 million or more for Oregon, the FHWA said.
“Both states should know that the funds provided today are only a down-payment toward completing the many other repairs to the highways that the region’s thousands of residents and travelers rely heavily upon this time of year,” said Federal Highway Administrator Greg Nadeau. “Additional resources will become available as the state continues to assess the damage.”