Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Flood Mitigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Crisfield to apply for up to $25 million federal BUILD grant to raise roads for flood protection
Summary
City staff told the Crisfield mayor and council they will apply for a US DOT BUILD grant of up to $25 million to raise key roads as part of a phased flood-mitigation plan; council approved the request and asked staff to attempt to include North Harbor Drive if feasible.
Crisfield officials voted Jan. 14 to seek federal help to raise streets that staff say form a barrier against recurring nuisance flooding.
City project manager Jennifer described a U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD application that would seek up to $25,000,000 to fund a phase of the Southern and Northern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project. She said the proposal would raise segments of South Somerset, Paul Highway and Bird Road, and that Crisfield would not be required to provide a local match in the town’s case. “This is a heavy lift application in general because it’s a federal application,” Jennifer said, noting the application deadline is Feb. 24 and that the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center may assist with the benefit-cost analysis.
The council debated whether to try to add North/Norris Harbor Drive to the application. One council member said Norris Harbor is likely the most expensive road to fix and urged trying to include it if the cap allows. Jennifer and other staff said the BUILD cap is $25 million and that fitting additional roads into that total would be tight; she noted North Harbor’s subtotal on a spreadsheet was about $4.7 million. The council asked staff to attempt to include Norris/North Harbor Drive if doing so would not prevent funding for the highest-priority segments.
Council approved putting the application forward by voice vote and asked staff to continue coordinating with county and state partners; staff cautioned that State Highway Administration concurrence will be necessary for roads the state owns. The motion as approved charged staff with preparing the application and exploring whether North/Norris Harbor Drive can be fit into the proposal.
What happens next: staff will complete the application materials and submit them before the Feb. 24 deadline; the council asked staff to report back if adding North/Norris Harbor materially changes the project budget or scope.
