Feds sending nearly $43 million to Oregon to pay for weather-, disaster-related road repairs in recent years

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) -- Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Monday that the Federal Highway Administration is sending $42.7 million to state and federal agencies in Oregon to reimburse them for repairs to roads and other critical infrastructure that was seriously damaged during recent natural disasters.

The federal funds will be used to reimburse the agencies for their vital work that was needed to ensure communities across the state can continue to recover from years of severe weather events.

“Oregonians in every corner of the state have faced dangerous storms in recent years, which have taken a heavy toll on the infrastructure they need to move safely,” Merkley said. “State and federal agencies went to work to repair and rebuild the roads and other important infrastructure that powers our communities, and these investments will help cover the cost of their essential efforts. I will keep working to ensure Oregon has the tools needed to recover and become more resilient in the face of future storms while we take on the climate chaos that is intensifying these disasters.”

“From Northeast Oregon to Southwest Oregon and many points in between, natural disasters have slammed communities throughout our state,” Wyden said. “This federal aid will help Oregon cities and counties cover the expenses they incurred recovering from severe storms, floods and more. I’m glad the teamwork with these communities has generated these crucial federal resources, and I’ll keep battling for similar funds when natural disaster strikes anywhere in Oregon.”

The federal investments for Oregon come through nine awards under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FHWA Emergency Relief Program, which helps communities hurt by natural disasters and catastrophic events by prov

The agency announced Friday it is providing $802 million to 36 states, Guam and Puerto Rico to help states repair and rebuild roads and bridges following natural disasters, extreme weather or catastrophic events such as hurricanes, flooding and mudslides.

Details of the federal funding for natural disaster recovery work done in Oregon are as follows:

• $21,363,907 for the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) work to repair damages sustained during severe winter weather in December 2022. The significant rains during this time caused flooding and landslides across the state. One of these landslides threatened to block I-84, and a large portion of a hillside came down and wiped out Highway 101.
• $11,400,451 for ODOT’s infrastructure repairs following the January 2024 ice storm. This significant winter storm covered much of Oregon in ice, causing trees and power lines to come down across roads and damage signs. The same storm dropped several inches of rain in Southern Oregon, causing flooding and landslides.
• $5,842,818 for the U.S. Forest Service’s work to repair roads and culverts deeply damaged in February 2020 during a six-day atmospheric river in and around the Umatilla National Forest. The eventbrought heavy rain and warm temperatures to Northeast Oregon, resulting in heavy snowmelt that caused flooding, debris flows, and unstable slopes.
• $1,439,599 for the Bureau of Land Management’s work to restore its roads and culverts that washed out in Southwest Oregon in December 2023 during an atmospheric river event. The warm temperatures and heavy rain, coupled with melted snow, resulted in abnormally high stream flows, flooding, and washed-out roads and culverts, causing debris flows and downed trees.
• $737,553 for ODOT’s repairs following a series of severe thunderstorms that caused major flooding in Eastern Oregon in June 2023. This flooding occurred in Harney and Malheur counties, causing landslides that closed Highway 20 completely for five days and required significant efforts to clean up and repair the damage.
• $640,977 for the Forest Service’s repairs to damages left by an atmospheric river in Southwest Oregon in December 2022. The downpour continued over roughly a 4-week period. The warm temperatures and heavy rain coupled with melted snow resulted in abnormally high stream flows, flooding, washed out roads, mudslides, and downed trees.
• $631,358 for ODOT’s repairs following a series of storms in early December 2023. The atmospheric rivers brought heavy rain and flooding, causing washouts of several roads and culverts, particularly impacting communities west of the Cascades.
• $600,000 for the Forest Service’s repairs to its roads that sustained section, embankment, and surface losses, as well as culvert damages, when warm, late winter storms gripped Southern Oregon between February and April 2019. This caused heavy snow melt, flooding, and debris flows, as well as multiple slope failures.
• $80,000 for ODOT’s repairs following a series of storms that swept through parts of Central and Eastern Oregon between May and June 2022. During this time, a historic amount of rain dropped and caused flooding. Severe damage was reported on I-84, Hwy 204, and Hwy 26.