Senator Maria Cantwell Announces Recovery Funding for Washington Forest Road Maintenance and Ecosystem Restoration

Recovery Package Provides Washington state with funding to improve forest roads and bridges; create jobs

June 03, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that Washington state will receive a share of nearly $24 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the improvement and maintenance of roads within National Forests, as well as ecosystem restoration for fish passage.

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“I applaud the decision to make such a major investment in our national forests,” said Cantwell. “With this investment, we can make roads and bridges safer for visitors, guarantee continued access to forests, and reduce the risk of future damage to roadways. These projects will also benefit our state by creating hundreds of jobs for those in resource dependant communities.”

These projects are slated to receive funding:

Region-wide Road Deferred Maintenance ($9 million) – Improve forest roads in both Washington and Oregon by completing deferred maintenance work on national forest system roads and bridges. Emphasize hazard mitigation, structure replacement, erosion control, drainage system upgrades, and low cost surface drainage systems. Project will be awarded through multiple contracts across the region.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest: Bridge Design and Replacement ($4.86 million) – Replace and repair bridges constructed in the 1940s to 1960s. These bridges are crucial for fire prevention, clean water, forest and wildlife health, and recreation. Will create numerous jobs, especially for those impacted by the loss of logging and mill jobs.

Puget Sound Region: Storm Proofing and Road Decommissioning ($5.59 million) – Storm proof and maintain roads in order to prevent erosion and future damage. Also, decommission roads not longer in use to prevent them from eroding and becoming a source of sediment in streams and rivers. This project will also make timber sales more economically viable and create significant jobs for the community.

Olympic National Forest: Aquatic Species Passage and Road Decommission ($4.5 million) – Decommission no longer used roads, construct new bridges and re-create natural stream channel conditions for fish at road crossings. This will re-establish several miles of spawning and rearing habit for coho, steelhead and cutthroat trout, as well as protect water quality for surrounding streams.

Source: Senator Maria Cantwell