THOMPSON ANNOUNCES $2 MILLION IN DOT EMERGENCY FUNDS FOR EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY
Funds will help pay for repairs on damaged roads and bridges
NAPA, C.A. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced $2 million in Emergency Relief funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to help the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and local agencies cover repair costs for infrastructure damaged by the August 24th earthquake.
"This earthquake severely damaged a lot of our infrastructure and these funds will go a long way towards helping our community recover," said Thompson. "I will continue working with the DOT and all federal agencies to make sure our district gets the emergency resources we need to rebuild and recover."
Caltrans has identified numerous locations with damage to bridges and roadways, with preliminary cost estimates already totaling at least $10 million at this time. The earthquake caused widespread surface cracking on roadways, such as S.R. 121 north of the Sonoma/Napa County line at Cuttings Wharf, and significant stress to joints on bridges, including the Napa River Bridge on S.R. 29.
All bridges are safe and open to traffic. The state's primary focus is determining whether bridge joints should be repaired or replaced.
On Sunday, August 24th, a magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck the Napa and Solano County area at approximately 3:20 a.m. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter was three miles from American Canyon, six miles from Napa, and eight miles from Sonoma.
The earthquake was the largest to hit the Bay Area in 25 years. Governor Brown has declared a State of Emergency.
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
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