The Federal Highway Administration has approved $6.5 million in quick release funds for highway repairs in southwest Colorado. The money will help the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) start fixing roads damaged by severe flooding last week before winter arrives.

The funds will go toward immediate repairs on US Highway 160, US 550 and Colorado Highway 151. All three highways had significant structural damage during historical rainfall from October 22 through October 25. The repairs will support work needed to restore roadway capacity before winter.

The money is the first part of CDOT's request for federal emergency relief. That request estimates about $65 million in damage to federal-aid roadways. The Transportation Commission has also approved $5 million from its contingency funds.

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"I'm glad that the Federal Highway Administration has approved our request for immediate assistance to repair roads and highways that have been severely damaged by this storm before the winter weather makes it harder to do this work. Coloradans, businesses, and emergency responders rely on these roads to get where they need to go and move goods across the state. We have resources on the ground now working around the clock to open damaged roads and highways, and this funding means our crews can start right away clearing debris and repaving roads," said Governor Polis.

"We are grateful to FHWA for acting so quickly and for their partnership," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "Southwest Colorado depends on these highways to move people, goods and emergency services. This funding means crews can start rebuilding now and restore safe and normal traffic patterns while the weather still lets us do the work. Under the best of circumstances, winter is a challenging time of year for both the traveling public and our highway maintainers who work around the clock to keep challenging mountain terrain safe. Restoring functionality to critical routes like US 550 and US 160 as quickly as possible is imperative."

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"We are so appreciative of the support and rapid engagement from our federal partners," said Transportation Commissioner Barbara McLachlan. "Just days ago, CDOT submitted an emergency relief request to the Federal Highway Administration which included quick release funds to help get us back up and running before winter. Combined with the $5 million that the Transportation Commission approved from our contingency funds, these dollars will help us do just that. This is an example of partnership at work."

The Federal Highway Administration is working closely with CDOT to finish repairs as soon as possible. The funding will help restore travel for residents who rely on these highways for their jobs and businesses.

The $65 million damage figure is a preliminary estimate. High water has limited full inspections of bridges and other structures. CDOT expects to provide a more accurate and complete estimate in eight to 10 weeks. More funding requests will follow as assessments continue.