Washington County awarded $5.8 million in FLAP funding

About $5.8 million in Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) funding has been awarded to Washington County for maintenance of about five miles of road surrounding Henry Hagg Lake.

Washington County Departments of Land Use & Transportation (LUT) and Facilities and Parks Services Division staff worked collaboratively on the funding application for maintenance and repairs to West Shore Drive, one of the Hagg Lake perimeter roads which was been impacted by landslides. Washington County will contribute about $5.7 million toward the total project cost of $11.5 million. Work will include repairing several major slides, replacing aged guardrail and culverts, and resurfacing the road.

Washington County stopped regular maintenance of the lake's perimeter roads about 10 years ago. At that time, agencies were considering raising Scoggins Dam by as much as 40 feet, which would have flooded a significant portion of the lake's perimeter roads, to meet future water needs. Plans to raise the dam have been significantly scaled back, so it now makes sense to invest in much-needed road repairs.

"Investing scarce maintenance dollars on roads that were likely to be under water didn't make good sense," said Andrew Singelakis, LUT director. "But now that has changed, and we've got some extensive - and expensive - repairs to complete. This is a good example of what happens when roads aren't regularly maintained. The longer roads go without maintenance, the more expensive they are to repair."

"We are thankful to the Federal Highway Administration for this really good news," said Andy Duyck, chair of the Board of Commissioners. "This roadway provides access for residents of an important rural community as well as for nearly one million visitors every year to Scoggins Valley Park and Hagg Lake. This is a much-needed investment that will provide for safe access to the park and surrounding community that would have been a real challenge without this federal support."

FLAP funding is awarded to provide access to federal lands. The program supplements state and local resources for public roads, transit systems, and other transportation facilities, with an emphasis on high-use recreation sites and economic generators.

Washington County is committed to planning, building and maintaining a great transportation system, ensuring the safety of all roadway users, and operating the County roadway system in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.

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