PORT ANGELES — Clallam County will charge Peter to pay Paul, so to speak, so Paul can make sure Peter isn’t being overcharged.
If you can understand that much, you’ve grasped the fundamentals of federal funding for road improvements.
Here’s how the process went Monday:
County public works officials asked county commissioners’ approval to seek increased federal funds for the Blue Waters Bridge project.
The money will pay for replacing the span on Marmot Loop over the east fork of Siebert Creek with a 42-foot-long, 20-foot wide culvert.
The project cost, originally pegged at $597,000, has risen to $616,000.
Included in the additional money being sought from the federal government is $4,500 — up from $1,500 — that Clallam County must pay to the state Department of Transportation.
That’s what the state has charged the county to review the Blue Waters project and guarantee that the federal funds are being spent properly to begin with.
Standard procedure
It’s standard operating procedure, said Public Works Director Craig Jacobs.
Many road projects are conceived long before they are funded. Preliminary construction estimates may be greatly inflated by rising costs of materials and fuel, not to mention real estate values.
All federal funds for road improvements are administered through the state transportation department, he explained.
