AASHTO Journal - FHWA Issues $10.5M in Relief for Colorado Flooding

The Federal Highway Administration recently made $10.5 million in Emergency Relief or ER funds available to Colorado, with the Colorado Department of Transportation receiving $6.5 million to help repair roads and bridges damaged by flooding in Southwest Colorado, with the U.S Forest Service receiving $4 million for similar repair needs.

[Above photo by Colorado DOT]

Severe rainstorms hammered southwestern Colorado from October 22 to 25, with rainfall totals reaching seven inches in areas such as Pagosa Springs. The flooding surpassed four feet on certain roadways during its peak and closed multiple state and local roads for extended periods of time. Colorado DOT said it continues to assess the full extent of the damage.

“[We are] working closely with Colorado to ensure that repairs caused by the recent flooding are addressed immediately,” said FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster in a statement. “The ER funding we are providing today will help rebuild vital roads for residents and get travel for communities in rural Colorado back on track.”

He added that this tranche of ER funding will allow the Colorado DOT to continue working on critical road and bridge repairs, with the U.S. Forest Service using its slice of those ER funds to proceed with emergency repairs to federal transportation facilities and federal-aid highways, including removal of debris, rebuilding embankments, repairing bridges, installing temporary culverts, and placing temporary aggregate surfacing to restore essential access.

Overall, Colorado DOT estimates that the flooding caused $65 million in damage to federal-aid highways in the southwestern portion of the state, with the agency using this initial round of ER funding to focus on repairing US Highway 160, US 550, and Colorado Highway 151 – the three highways that sustained “significant” structural damage from flooding – so roadway capacity can be restored before winter.

The agency stressed that the $65 million damage figure is a preliminary estimate, as high water has limited full inspections of bridges and other structures. Colorado DOT expects to provide a more accurate and comprehensive estimate in eight to 10 weeks – estimates that may also be impacted by subsequent flooding that recently struck the state.

“I’m glad that the FHWA has approved our request for immediate assistance to repair roads and highways that have been severely damaged by this storm before the winter weather makes it harder to do this work,” noted Governor Jared Polis (D) in a separate statement.

“Coloradans, businesses, and emergency responders rely on these roads to get where they need to go and move goods across the state,” he said. “We have resources on the ground now working around the clock to open damaged roads and highways, and this funding means our crews can start right away clearing debris and repaving roads.”

“We are grateful to FHWA for acting so quickly and for their partnership,” said added Shoshana Lew, Colorado DOT’s executive director. “Southwest Colorado depends on these highways to move people, goods and emergency services. This funding means crews can start rebuilding now and restore safe and normal traffic patterns while the weather still lets us do the work. Under the best of circumstances, winter is a challenging time of year for both the traveling public and our highway maintainers who work around the clock to keep challenging mountain terrain safe. Restoring functionality to critical routes like US 550 and US 160 as quickly as possible is imperative.”