(The Center Square) – Cost estimates for emergency repairs in the city of Bellingham – nearly $2 million – highlight the financial impact recent heavy rains and subsequent flooding have had on public infrastructure.
For most of December, Western Washington residents have been hit by storms triggering widespread flooding, landslides, and power outages, with some areas receiving more than 10 inches of rain in 72 hours. Rivers including the Skagit and Snohomish reached flood stage, forcing major road closures, including Interstate 90.
In Bellingham, portions of Woburn Street and Hannegan Road required immediate closures due to damages, with emergency repairs totaling approximately $1.8 million.
Bellingham Public Works Communications and Outreach Coordinator Connor Harron told The Center Square the emergency repairs cost an estimated $700,000 for Woburn Street and $1.1 million for Hannegan Road.
“These are preliminary estimates, and final costs may change as invoices are reviewed and finalized,” Harron noted.
Public Works expects to have more precise figures available within the next four to six weeks.
A major culvert failure caused by heavy rainfall closed Hannegan Road between Bakerview Road and Van Wyck Road last month. The damaged culvert – located approximately 25 feet below the roadway – required crews to install a new culvert and reroute Baker Creek into that structure to stabilize the site and allow the road to reopen on a temporary basis.
Hannegan road reopened from Dec. 24 through Dec. 28, but additional construction resumed on Dec. 29 for two days to complete a longer-term temporary repair.
Hannegan Road, as of Dec. 31 is fully reopened to traffic. Planning for a full culvert replacement is ongoing.
Woburn Street required repairs to a critical underground pipe before rebuilding the roadway. The $700,000 in repairs successfully addressed the issue and fully paved the street, which is now open to traffic.
At the Whatcom County level, County Executive Satpal Sidhu signed an executive order on Dec. 29 that waives permitting fees related to emergency repairs resulting from the recent flooding.
Per Sidhu’s order, Whatcom County will suspend emergency repair permit fees that are related to flood damage provided permit requests are initiated between Dec. 9, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2026. Natural resource Notification of Activity fee and suspend On-Site Sewage permit fees related to flood damage will also be waived as part of the executive order.
The $1.8 million in repair costs for the two roads make up 51% of the $3.5 million in total disaster relief funding Gov. Bob Ferguson unlocked as part of his disaster declaration, although the funding is eligible for homeowners and not jurisdictions.
Ferguson’s Disaster Cash Assistance Program provided $1 million for direct aid to Washingtonians impacted by the flooding. The funds were fully depleted six days later after assisting more than 2,000 households, according to WA.gov, the official, central portal for state government.
