×

$10M federal grant announced for flood repairs

HOUGHTON — Houghton, Gogebic and Menominee counties have received $10 million in federal funds for repairing and reconstructing roads damaged in the Father’s Day flood.

The funds can be used on federal aid highways damaged in the flood.

“As the recovery process continues for Gogebic, Houghton, and Menominee counties, these DOT funds will help ensure that the affected counties have the resources necessary to continue moving forward,” U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman said in a release.

Houghton County and its communities are still searching for matching funds to make use of the obligated funds, said Road Engineer Kevin Harju.

For Houghton County, $22.5 million has been obligated for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) repairs, with another $20 million for local roads coming through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) system.

“All those obligations, especially through Federal Highway, require a 20% match, which means the road commission has to come up with $4.5 million to even utilize those funds,” he said.

In two weeks, Harju and representatives from municipalities in Houghton County will meet with state legislators to discuss how match money can be made available. There’s a need for $6 million locally, Harju said.

“Without those match dollars, you can’t use those federal funds,” he said. “It’s been a struggle for all the agencies in the county.”

Some large projects will go out to bid in the next couple of months. About $6 million of repairs are slated for Old Mill Hill Road, with another $4 million for Cole’s Creek Road and $2 million in projects around Hubbell and Tamarack City. Work will also be done on Coal Dock Road.

A series of smaller projects are also slated throughout the county.

Of $40 million in flood damage to county roads, only $20 million has been repaired so far.. With the delays in finding local matching funds, final repairs probably won’t come until 2021, Harju said.

He asked residents to be patient.

“It’s a long process in securing the funding, and when you’ve secured the funding, getting reimbursed for it so you can pay the contractors needed for the repairs,” he said.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today