Flood-Ruined Road Threatens Pocketbooks Cost Of Repair: $170,000; Federal Aid To Mullan: $13,000

MULLAN, Idaho The February floods turned Mullan’s Second Street from a road to a river.

Swollen Mill Creek jumped out of a concrete canal and gushed under the street, ripping loose a sewer line. The water heaved a manhole cover 6 feet in the air on a geyser of water. Much of the gravel supporting the road washed away.

Today, parts of Second Street look like wrinkled tin foil, the asphalt rippled and twisted.

“It’s bad, but it’s passable,” said Chuck Reitz, a city councilman in the town of 821 people.

City engineers say fixing the ruined street will cost about $170,000. The city must tear up about 1,300 feet of roadway to fill in the washed-out roadbed, then repave.

But Reitz said federal flood aid to the city totaled only about $13,000.

The city’s seeking grants and other aid, but it’s likely that homeowners along the street will pick up most of the tab.

In a month, Reitz said, the city will hold hearings on whether to form a “local improvement district” of Second Street homeowners.

The city figures about 68 homeowners may end up paying $2,500 to $3,000 each. The good news - sort of - is that low-income people may qualify for state aid to pay that bill. And any homeowner can spread the payments over 20 years.

Reitz said some residents are unhappy at the prospect of paying for street repairs, but the city has no choice.

“We just don’t have that money in this town,” he said.

Reitz said the city will save the old asphalt to re-melt it, and is seeking county and federal money to pay for repairs to the canal.

After jouncing over Second Street’s wrinkles for several months now, some residents seem resigned about paying to smooth it out.

“It’s the roughest street in town,” said Evelyn Smith. “If that’s the only way of paying for it, that money needs to come from somewhere.”

Others are wondering how they would come up with the money.

“Oh my God,” said Eileen Valenti. “I think that’s horrible that we’d have to pay that much to fix the street. We’re senior citizens on a fixed income.”

The only alternative to a local improvement district, Reitz said, is for the city to use the $4,250 per year it gets from Idaho’s new 4 cent gas tax hike. At that rate, it would take decades to pave Second Street.

, DataTimes