Federal government gives $2 million for N.W. road repairs

The federal government says it’s sending money to Oregon and Washington for road and bridge repairs after heavy storm damage this week. The Federal Highway Administration announced Friday that it will send a million dollars to each state.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said the federal contribution will help.

“So that will take care of a portion of the total estimated damage costs to Oregon’s transportation system of roughly, at this point in time, five million dollars,” Brown said. “So the federal assistance is absolutely critical to us, right now.”

Federal officials expect that $5 million figure to climb to at least $15 million.

The federal funds follow Governor Brown’s emergency declaration for 13 Oregon counties, and a similar emergency declaration by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

“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,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. The money will go toward fixing the hardest hit roads, including Interstate 5 near Woodland, Washington, and U.S. 12 near White Pass, Washington. Preliminary damage estimates are $5 million in Washington.

Oregon officials count 43 sections of highway affected by landslides. Three highways are still closed: Highway 101 near Wheeler, Highway 22 near the Coast, and Highway 103 in Clatsop County – though officials expect 103 to open once flood waters recede.

“Both states should know that the funds provided today are only a down payment toward completing the many other repairs to the highways,” said Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “Additional resources will become available as the state continues to assess the damage.”