"We have people that need to get home and to work. We can't wait for bureaucracy to work," Boulder County transportation director George Gerstle said. "The money will have to catch up to that."
Statewide, it likely will cost $475 million to mend flood-damaged county, state and U.S. roads and bridges. The U.S. Senate and House helped ease worries about meeting that budget Monday by voting to lift a $100 million cap on Federal Highway Administration disaster money.
Gov. John Hickenlooper asked Congress to raise the ceiling to $500 million, as was done for states hit by Hurricane Sandy last year.
Colorado has so far received a $35 million federal grant for repair work. Another $100 million was released from the state transportation contingency fund.
