SEATTLE — Washington state will fund repairs to the Upper Hoh Road, which washed out late last year.
“Heavy rains washed out part of the road in December and the road has been closed ever since,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said during a press conference in Seattle on Thursday. “Officials from Jefferson County have requested federal funding for emergency funds. Those funds have not come through at this point.”
Ferguson said the repairs will take three to four weeks once the funding and permits are in place.
“In other words, we need to move quickly,” he said.
Jefferson County Public Works Director Monte Reinders said he hopes the road will be open in May.
Olympic National Park Deputy Superintendent Kevin Killian said during Monday’s Jefferson County Commissioners meeting that the park would be ready to staff the Hoh visitor area when the road is opened.
Funds will come from an economic development strategic reserve account, a state Department of Commerce funding source, Ferguson said.
“It can only be used by the governor and only for very specific purposes, supporting Washington’s economy, including protecting jobs,” he said. “The law requires that if the governor is utilizing that fund that that funding must be accompanied by private investments.”
Because the Hoh Rainforest is a significant economic driver for Peninsula economies, the road repair qualifies for the funding stream. It falls under RCW 43.330.250, which defines what the money can be used for and specifies public infrastructure needed to support and sustain business operations.
The requirement of private matching funds was relayed to Jefferson and Clallam county officials as well as those from the city of Forks during a Zoom meeting on Saturday.
“I’m really pleased to mention the community responded enthusiastically and that’s to put it mildly,” Ferguson said.
“In less than 72 hours, more than 100 donors stepped up to contribute more than $27,000. I understand the smallest donation was $5 and the largest was about $5,000.”
A press release following the conference named several of the private donors: Olympic Lodging donated $5,000, Miller Tree Inn $1,000, Forks Outfitters $1,000 and Hoh Valley Cabins $1,000.
Ferguson said the private funds were legally necessary to unlock the funds needed to repair the road. The repair, including permits, is expected to cost $650,000. Funds from the Department of Commerce will make up the balance beyond the private match, roughly $623,000.
“We will continue to seek federal emergency funds,” Ferguson said.
He added it makes sense to use state funding because the repair is time-sensitive ahead of the tourism season.
If federal dollars are received, they can be used to pay back the economic development strategic reserve account, Ferguson said.
Ferguson said he signed an amendment to include Jefferson and Clallam counties in former Gov. Jay Inslee’s January federal major disaster declaration. The declaration was made following a November bomb cyclone event.
The state Department of Transportation has done significant research and believes the storm likely caused erosion, contributing to the washout of the Upper Hoh Road, Ferguson said.
“The economic impact of the Olympic National Park, with the Hoh as its crown jewel, is substantial,” Jefferson County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour said Thursday.
Tourists spent more than $444 million in Jefferson and Clallam counties in 2023, generating nearly $39 million in state and federal taxes, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
An economic impact report published by Olympic National Park stated tourist spending supported 2,990 jobs in the area.
Eisenhour said 450,000 people came to Jefferson County to visit the Hoh in 2024.
She added the environmental health of the region depends on the Hoh Rainforest, and the Hoh River watershed is culturally significant to the Hoh Tribe.
Eisenhour said that, in her more than 40 years on the Olympic Peninsula, she has spent a lot of time in the Hoh Rainforest.
Repairing the Upper Hoh Road opens the beauty to the world, she said. It is a vital access route for visitors and residents of the Olympic Peninsula, she added.
Eisenhour requested that attendees close their eyes as she shared a reflection on the Hoh Rainforest.
“Imagine emerald moss draping ancient trees,” she said. “Have you been there? Can you see it? Can you smell it? A symphony of birds sing, their songs echoing off the stout trunks of old growth trees. The soft distant drizzle nourishes this unique ecosystem. All those things are going on around you.
“If you’ve been there, you know the Hoh is a place where time slows down, where the sheer abundance of life leaves you breathless. If you’be yet to visit, we are restoring that opportunity.”
Along with Ferguson, state Rep. Adam Bernbaum, D-Port Angeles, Eisenhour and Tom Vogl, CEO of the Mountaineers, which hosted the conference, addressed the media.
Also in attendance were Jefferson County Commissioner Heather Dudley-Nollette and Clallam County Commissioner Mike French.
Representatives from The Nature Conservancy, Olympic Park Advocates, Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, Surfrider Foundation, Washington’s National Park Fund and Washington Trails Association were present as well, Ferguson said.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
