Skagit County will return 2017 CRAB funds for Francis Road, seeks waiver and new funding

Tom Weller, Skagit County’s county engineer, told the Board of County Commissioners on March 2 that the county will ask the County Road Administration Board to terminate reimbursement for Francis Road Section 1 and to waive payback for expenses already incurred.

“It’s a project that we have had under design since 2015,” Weller said, describing the project’s history and a 2017 CRAB award of $900,000. He said construction work completed in 2021 was followed by permitting delays and changes in permitting requirements that are outside county control and have pushed construction farther into the future.

Weller said the county spent about $60,000 of the original CRAB award and that staff have asked CRAB for extensions but now plan a “clean slate” approach: return the original award, request a waiver so the county is not required to repay the $60,000, and resubmit for new CRAB funding and Highway Safety Improvement Program (FHWA HSIP) funds. “This time we’re asking for $2,500,000,” he said, and the county expects permitting to be resolved in time to construct the project in 2028.

A commissioner moved to approve the public-works miscellaneous item authorizing a letter to Jane Walz, Executive Director of the County Road Administration Board, regarding termination of RATA reimbursement for Francis Road, Section 1 (wrap project number 2900Fifteen-zero1); the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Why it matters: returning the original CRAB award and seeking entirely new funding is intended to preserve the county’s ability to secure larger construction dollars later without triggering a repayment obligation now. County staff said they have been in contact with CRAB during the past nine months and that CRAB staff are supportive of the request.

Next steps: County staff will send the termination and waiver letters to the County Road Administration Board and pursue CRAB and FHWA HSIP funding applications, with construction targeted for 2028 contingent on environmental permits and funding awards.