Projects of an emergent nature may be funded through the rural arterial program as authorized by chapter 36.79 RCW. An emergent project is defined as a project whose need the county was unable to anticipate at the time the six-year program of the county was developed. Emergency work to temporarily restore a county road for the short-term use of the traveling public is not eligible for funding as an emergent project; however, a project to permanently repair a county road after an emergency may be considered for funding if the proposed project meets all other requirements of the rural arterial program.

To be eligible for emergent project approval, the project shall be evaluated by the county road administration board grant programs engineer, with the participation of the county engineer, on the same point system as all other projects within the region. The proposed emergent project must rank at or above the regional funding cutoff line on the current array based upon one hundred percent of the current estimated regional allocation as determined by the county road administration board.