Feds to provide $30 million today for flooded roads

The U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday it will immediately make available an additional $30 million in emergency relief funds for Colorado road and bridge repair.

The federal agency also said that preliminary damage cost estimate statewide amounts to $40 million for roads and $112 million for bridges. The Colorado Department of Transportation has not released its road damage cost estimate, but expects to do so “in the next week or two,” a spokeswoman said.

The $30 million in emergency relief funds follows $5 million from the department last week, raising the total to $35 million.

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The funding also comes on the heels of flooding that closed sections of highways in Northern Colorado, including U.S. 34 and 36 as well as Colorado 14. Road damage exceeds 20 miles on portions of each of those highways, the federal agency said.

“While Colorado begins the difficult work recovering from these devastating floods, we will do everything we can to help restore vital transportation links,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

The Colorado Department of Transportation said this week that it planned to focus on restoring routes to communities that have limited access, including Estes Park. State employees will work with the National Guard and emergency contractors to begin building temporary roads on U.S. 36 and Colorado 7 between Boulder and Estes Park as well as U.S. 34 between Loveland and Estes Park.

Estes Park Mayor Bill Pinkham said the town is eager for those highways to reopen. Only residential and commercial traffic has been allowed to use Colorado 7.

The state of Colorado has an important interest in reopening those highways to sustain tourism in places such as Rocky Mountain National Park, Pinkham said.

“We’re such a major driver for tourism and sales tax,” he said.

The state said it issued requests for proposals for road and bridge repair Tuesday. It will select rebuilding teams by Friday with work beginning next week.

Of the funding provided Wednesday by the federal transportation department, $25 million will immediately support efforts to re-open closed roads, provide detours and protect damaged structures. The other $5 million will go toward road and bridge repairs on federally owned lands, including the Rocky Mountain National Park and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge.

Funds from the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program will reimburse the Colorado Department of Transportation for emergency work done immediately after flooding. The agency will provide additional funds in the future as permanent repairs are identified and cost estimates are completed.