Haywood County staff gives update on state private roads and bridges program; reimbursement deadline Feb. 28 noted

Garen Bradish, assistant county manager for recovery and resiliency, updated the board on the state’s private roads and bridges rebuilding program established after recent storms.

Bradish said Western North Carolina has more than 6,500 applications and 3,610 projects identified by state evaluation, with an estimated cost to repair those projects reported at roughly $500 million. He described the state’s prioritization categories: Category 1 projects (no emergency access) have been approved for funding; Categories 2–4 depend on remaining funding and site-specific conditions. Bradish warned that Category 2 and 3 homes are not funded at present and could be reclassified only if additional legislative funding becomes available.

Bradish summarized the disaster-recovery funding: $100 million from Disaster Recovery Act Part 1 and further funding in Part 2, including a $25 million reimbursement set-aside; the reimbursement program (up to 50% of documented costs) closes Feb. 28, and the county has been actively notifying applicants. He said Haywood County has 433 applications in the program serving an estimated 2,458 households; the county’s development services office had 44 reimbursement requests processed to date (6 awarded totaling roughly $49,000; 4 denied; remaining applications in process). Across Western North Carolina, Bradish said 236 sites are in process and 51 have been completed; in Haywood County three bridges currently have permits and 19 projects are complete locally.

Bradish urged eligible residents to seek help from development services (257 Paragon Parkway) and volunteer organizations for assistance with appeals or applications, and reminded residents that funds from FEMA or other sources cannot be duplicated through this program. He also cautioned that program funding is finite and additional state legislative appropriation would be required to expand coverage beyond current allocations.

The board and staff reminded residents about the Feb. 28 reimbursement deadline and said county staff will continue weekly coordination with state program administrators.