San Juan County will receive up to $5.5 million for a major road project on the south of San Juan Island, Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, announced today. The federal dollars from the Federal Lands Access Program will cover more than 80 percent of the total cost of the realignment of 6,000 feet of Cattle Point Road away from an eroding bluff.

“This is a big win over a decade in the making,” Larsen said. “With these dollars, we will now make sure that this critical road will be protected from coastal erosion, allowing residents and visitors alike continued access to beautiful Cattle Point. I thank the Department of Transportation for their attention to this project, and congratulate all the leaders in San Juan County who made this happen.”

Cattle Point Road is the only vehicle accessible route to the Cattle Point area, which is home to 270 residents and includes portions of the San Juan Island National Historic Park and the newly established San Juan Islands National Monument. Erosion of a coastal bluff threatens a portion of the road. County officials estimate that by 2026, the road will be within two feet of the bluff. The realignment project will move 6,000 feet of the road 300 feet to the north of the bluff.

Larsen has worked with San Juan County and federal agencies on the project for more than a decade. Larsen sent a letter of support for the project in 2011 and sought a Congressional appropriation for the project in 2009.

More information on the Cattle Point Road project is available here: https://www.wfl.fha.dot.gov/projects/wa/cattlepoint/.