$2 million in fed, state aid for landslide fix

YAKIMA — About $2 million in federal and state money is being made available for new road construction and flood control after portions of a highway were wiped out by a landslide in central Washington.

The federal government is releasing $1 million in emergency relief to accelerate construction of a new section of road that likely will be the permanent route for State Route 410 around the massive Oct. 11 slide that blocked the road and dammed the Naches River.

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Republican Rep. Doc Hastings announced the federal funding Monday.

The landslide demolished a half-mile of the highway about 15 miles west of Naches. It also destroyed at least two homes and changed the course of the Naches River, causing flooding.

Yakima County engineer Gary Ekstedt tells the Yakima Herald-Republic that the county also will receive $1 million in low-interest loans from the state Public Works Trust Fund.

Yakima County is trying to create a new channel for the river that will contain expected high flows this winter.

Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, www.yakima-herald.com