Feds Sending Emergency Funds to Napa to Cover Road, Bridge Repairs
The federal government is sending $2 million in emergency road funds to the California Department of Transportation and local governments to help begin immediate repairs to roads and bridges damaged by the earthquake Sunday in the Napa Valley.
“The Department of Transportation is making a down payment on our commitment to get assistance to the California residents hit hardest by Sunday’s earthquake,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.
DOT will do everything it can to get roads and bridges fixed “so people can once again get to work, school, medical appointments and other places they need to go,” Foxx said in a statement released Aug. 25.
According to Foxx and the Federal Highway Administration, Caltrans’ preliminary cost estimate for repairs is at least $10 million.
The 6.0 magnitude earthquake caused widespread surface cracking on roadways, such as state Route 121 north of the Sonoma/Napa County line at Cuttings Wharf, and significant stress to joints on bridges, including the Napa River Bridge on SR 29, the DOT statement said.
Caltrans told Transport Topics that, despite the damage in some areas, all roads and bridges are open and safe for travel, that temporary repairs have been done and that plans are being laid for permanent repair work.
“The state’s primary focus is determining whether bridge joints should be repaired or replaced, FHWA said.
“The FHWA will work with Caltrans until all repairs are made and every damaged road and bridge is fully repaired,” acting Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau said. “Safety is our top priority, and we will do whatever we can to help California recover from this event.”
Funds from FHWA’s Emergency Relief Program, which provides aide after natural disasters, will reimburse Caltrans and local governments for work done immediately after the early morning quake, DOT said.
