Emergency federal aid is coming to Idaho for flood-damaged roadways. Here’s how much
The U.S. Department of Transportation will cover an initial $3 million in emergency relief funds after spring flooding caused damage to roadways in two Idaho counties.
Gov. Brad Little declared a disaster last month, when excessive rainfall and runoff created “significant damage” in the state’s north central and northeast regions and caused dangerous traveling conditions, according to the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.
Little issued a disaster declaration on June 17, triggering the availability of emergency reimbursement funds to help with repairs, the Idaho Office of Emergency Management said at the time in a news release. The governor’s action marked Idaho’s first — and still its only — weather-related declaration this year, a state emergency management spokesperson told the Idaho Statesman.
“The emergency funding we’re announcing today will help the people of Idaho recover from these devastating floods and safely reopen their roads and bridges as quickly as possible,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a Monday news release.
The infusion of federal disaster dollars, designated for the affected areas in Idaho and Nez Perce counties, should cover the majority — if not all — of the fixes to damaged roads and bridges, a Federal Highway Administration spokesperson told the Statesman by email. The funds also cover emergency repairs and work to maintain traffic flow throughout the disaster.
Total damages are expected to reach about $6 million, according to a preliminary estimate from the Idaho Transportation Department. The remainder of repair costs are also eligible for federal reimbursement.
“ITD does not have any anticipated timeline for making the needed repairs,” John Tomlinson, the department’s communication manager, said in an email to the Statesman. “But this money will allow us to proceed expeditiously with emergency repairs.”
Flooding closed the northbound lane of U.S. 95 a few miles south of the city of Lapwai in Nez Perce County, the U.S. Department of Transportation release said. Road crews worked to reestablish a temporary asphalt surface to reopen two lanes, before beginning to plan to make more permanent repairs this summer, it added.
Other roads impacted in Nez Perce County included Gifford-Reubens Road, Southwick Road and Webb Road, the U.S. Department of Transportation news release said.
In Idaho County, Toll/Clear Creek Road was the affected area identified in the release. County engineers previously estimated the cost to make permanent repairs to three road systems damaged by the flooding at $1.5 million, the Statesman previously reported.
“The flooding has interrupted daily life in communities in the region, and we hope that by restoring vital transportation links people can regain a sense of normalcy,” Stephanie Pollack, the Federal Highway Administration’s deputy administrator, said in the release. “Today’s funding represents a down payment on our federal commitment to ensuring roads and bridges in Idaho damaged by the flooding are repaired as quickly as possible.”
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 4:52 PM.
