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WSDOT outlines storm damage, emergency repairs and funding path after atmospheric‑river events
Summary
WSDOT emergency and regional leaders told the Transportation Committee that December atmospheric‑river storms closed dozens of sites, produced an initial damage estimate of about $30 million and triggered emergency work while officials pursue FHWA and FEMA funding and necessary environmental clearances.
John Himel, emergency and security program manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation, told the House Transportation Committee that WSDOT activated regional and statewide emergency teams in response to December atmospheric‑river storms and used WebEOC to track infrastructure status.
"We activated on December 9 and we deactivated on the nineteenth," Himel said, noting the State Emergency Operations Center was active Dec. 8 through Jan. 2. He said WSDOT’s initial statewide damage survey identified roughly 73 potentially FHWA‑eligible sites and produced an initial damage estimate of about $30,000,000.
Himel described the federal emergency‑relief process: WSDOT surveys sites to determine whether statewide damage to Fed‑Aid eligible roads exceeds the FHWA threshold (>$700,000 total and $5,000 minimum per site), requests a governor’s proclamation or presidential declaration, sends a letter of intent to FHWA, and submits…
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