National wildlife refuge roads to receive $10 million

Road repairs in eight of America’s national wildlife refuges can begin, thanks to $10 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced April 2.

“These roads are an important part of the national highway system,” said LaHood. “The improvements made possible by these ARRA funds will create jobs and make these national treasures more accessible and safer for Americans to visit.”

The $10 million is the full amount of ARRA funding dedicated to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Refuge Roads Program. ARRA funds became available with President Barack Obama’s authorization on March 3.

The projects to receive the ARRA funding are:

• Santee National Wildlife Refuge, in Clarendon County, S.C., will receive more than $2 million to repair Center Road, a key access point serving thousands of motorists annually. The refuge is home to endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker, the bald eagle and the American alligator, and is a major wintering area for ducks, geese and numerous neo-tropical migratory birds;
• Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge, located 75 miles northwest of Nashville, Tenn., will receive $1 million to upgrade Routes 12, 102, 104 and 105. The refuge, which receives 45,000 visitors annually, is a feeding and resting area for migratory birds and a habitat for wintering waterfowl;
• Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, from eight miles south of Kenmare, N.D., to the Canadian border, will receive $945,000 to repair Lower Lake Road Route 11. The refuge, a key habitat for ducks and several protected wetlands, received nearly 30,000 visitors last year;
• The J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge, located in Bottineau and McHenry Counties, N.D., will receive $1.2 million to rebuild Scenic Auto Tour Route 12. The refuge, home to numerous waterfowl and migratory birds, received nearly 30,000 visitors last year;
• Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, near Alamosa, Colo., will receive $1 million to repair its Auto Tour Route. The route allowed 10,000 visitors last year to enjoy the refuge’s many waterfowl, including herons and white-faced ibis, and other protected species;
• Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, near Sherwood, Ore., will receive $820,000 to pave an entrance road and parking lot. The refuge received more than 75,000 visitors last year;
• Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge in Hyde County, N.C., will receive $840,000 to repair two canal bridges, and resurface Lake Landing Road. The refuge had 90,000 visitors last year;
• Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Noxubee, Oktibbeha and Winston Counties, Miss., will receive nearly $2.2 million to resurface Brooksville Road. The refuge, which is home to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, had nearly 190,000 visitors last year; and
• The refuges, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provide critical habitat for birds and wildlife. The FHWA and the USFWS jointly administer over 4,800 miles of public roads that provide access to the National Wildlife Refuge System.