The Mineral Bottom Road will be restored in time for at least part of next year's tourist season, Utah Rep. Jim Matheson announced Monday. The Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief of Federally Owned Roads office informed Matheson that the project is eligible for federal emergency road funding, and a request for funding to repair the road has been approved, Matheson said.

That request for funding was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration by the Moab office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in September. Mineral Bottom Road, which ends near an area called Horsethief Point, provides boat access to the Green River and access north to the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park. Several sections of the road were completely washed out by heavy rains on Aug. 19.

How soon in the 2011 tourist season the work will be completed depends on specific site measurements and geotechnical information necessary to establish a design approach

The BLM analysis estimated that the road closure will cost county businesses approximately $4.9 million in lost sales revenues and could result in the loss of 87 jobs. The study also concluded that $1.9 million in income will be lost because of the foregone sales and jobs, and $319,000 in state and local tax receipts will be lost every year the road is closed.

The BLM study estimated the cost of repair will be about $1.9 million. The actual cost is yet to be determined.

The Mineral Bottom Road is owned by the BLM and maintained by Grand County under a long-standing agreement.