OTC allocates $412 million in federal transportation funding for Oregon

The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) directed flexible dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill be spent in ways that will make Oregon’s roads, streets and walkways safer and easier to use. 

The 2021 federal infrastructure package allocated $1.2 billion in additional transportation funding for Oregon over the next few years. About $800 million of that spending is directed to specific purposes. The remaining $412 million was not specifically allocated. 

The OTC formally directed the $412 million in flexible funds to be invested in the following ways: 

• $95 million for improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities. 
• $30 million to fund new Safe Routes to Schools projects that make it safer for children to walk or roll to school. 
• $15 million to assist local governments to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions by planning climate-friendly communities. 
• $50 million to transform state-owned arterials in urban areas to reflect their status as community main streets and to make them safer to use for people walking near and traveling on these roads. 
• $50 million to complete several highway and interchange improvements to streamline the movement of goods. 
• $40 million in matching funds to help Oregon compete effectively for billions of dollars in competitive federal grant opportunities that will be awarded in the coming years by the U.S. Department of Transportation. 
• $75 million to repair damaged and unsafe roadways in Oregon. 
• $7 million for business and workforce development to help grow small construction contracting firms and to increase the size and diversity of the construction workforce. 
• $10 million to fund a new mobility program that will work directly with community-based organizations to fund micro-mobility efforts with equity as a central priority of this pilot project. 
• $40 million to fund maintenance and operations activities which have become increasingly underfunded. 

With the commission’s investment decisions, combined with the federal funds directly allocated to other transportation investment categories, Oregon’s share of the federal infrastructure package will be divided as follows: 

• Sustainable and equitable transportation investments – 34 percent. 
• Highway, bridge and other maintenance and repair projects – 36 percent. 
• State and local safety investments – 18 percent. 
• Americans with disabilities improvements – 8 percent. 
• Highway enhancements – 4 percent. 

“With today’s decisions, the Oregon Transportation Commission has directed investments that address some of the critical needs of our transportation system while also approving expenditures in areas focused on a more equitable, safe, resilient and sustainable transportation system,” said OTC Chair Robert Van Brocklin. “We are grateful to our federal delegation for securing this funding.  This isn’t the end of the conversation by any means. We’ll need additional funding to truly build a network that delivers greater safety and resiliency, supports a strong economy, and protects our livability and natural environment. Our actions today are an important step toward reaching that goal.” 

This decision comes after months of public outreach and input. Legislators, mayors, city and county commissioners and members of the public from across the state have testified before the commission, submitted written comments and participated in online open houses sharing their perspectives and the extensive range of investments needs throughout Oregon. 

Many of the comments focused on investing in public and active transportation, preserving road and bridge safety, improving congestion bottlenecks, addressing the needs of urban arterials and ensuring a statewide distribution of funds. 

The OTC provided approval to invest these funds and ODOT staff are determining the details of how they will be distributed. ODOT will provide further details on the process for making specific expenditures in the coming weeks and months.