Betterments: Examples of Eligibility

The following examples, listed in the ER Manual, may help protect highway facilities from possible future damage and as a result may be approved:

• Raising roadway grades
• Relocating roadways to higher ground or away from slide-prone areas
• Stabilizing slide areas
• Stabilizing slopes
• Installing riprap
• Lengthening or raising bridges to increase waterway openings
• Deepening channels
• Increasing the size or number of drainage structures
• Replacing culverts or low water crossings with bridges
• Installing seismic retrofits on bridges
• Adding scour protection at bridges
• Adding spur dikes

Each of these items would likely increase the resiliency of a repair and thus may be eligible for ER funding; provided they are economically justified. Develop a Betterment alternative that will be effective in significantly reducing future repair costs. Consult technical specialists as needed to develop a resilient Betterment alternative.

• Is the bridge high and long enough and is the foundation type and depth adequate?
• Is the culvert large enough to pass likely debris, and is inlet and outlet scour protection adequate?
• Are riprap revetments sized correctly and is scour mitigated?
• Is the slide adequately stabilized or is the realignment a sufficient distance from the failure prone area?

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