Rebuilding roads 1 year after flooding

Colorado is in the midst of one of the largest road rebuilding project in its history a year after devastating floods.

Damage to state and local highways totaled $535 million, while 120 bridges were damaged or destroyed by the floods last September.

The Denver Post reports Sunday (http://dpo.st/1ANzPfB ) that the Colorado Department of Transportation is using $450 million in emergency federal funding to make permanent repairs on 26 projects that total about 115 miles of roadway. Another $100 million comes from a state contingency fund while local governments will contribute 10 percent of the cost of the rebuilding the road.

Officials say they’ve adopted new design standards for roads that take into better account hydrology and local stream flow while including partnerships to better manage rivers.