In 2017, when the Oregon Legislature authorized a modest highway widening project on I-5 just north of the I-84 intersection, it was expected to improve travel speeds and reduce traffic accidents. The estimated construction cost was $500 million-$700 million. By 2021, the project had morphed into a social justice and real estate development scheme, with […]
Over the next four weeks, the Oregon legislature will decide whether to make a down payment of $1 billion to replace the I-5 Interstate Bridge connecting Portland with Vancouver. The total cost of the bridge is unknown, but is estimated to be around $6 billion. The legislature should reject this allocation, and shut down planning […]
In 2017, when the Oregon Legislature authorized a modest highway widening project on I-5 just north of the I-84 intersection, it was expected to improve travel speeds and reduce traffic accidents. The estimated construction cost was $500 million-$700 million. By 2021, the project had morphed into a social justice and real estate development scheme, with […]
If the Oregon Department of Transportation has its way, Portland-area freeways won’t be free for much longer. Tolling is coming to Oregon, and it’s coming in about two years. ODOT’s current plan is to toll all lanes of I-5 and I-205 from just south of Wilsonville to all the way across the Columbia River. If […]
In spite of record revenue, Clackamas County Commissioner Sonya Fischer knowingly approved unsustainable budgets in 2017 and 2018, leaving the taxpayers at least $12 million upside down. Managing a &1 billion budget is the most important aspect of the job, and she failed miserably. She’s on the May ballot, and is facing accountability from frustrated […]
Land use regulations in Oregon are adversely impacting the state’s residents and economy. A quick glance at recent news headlines reveals as much. OPB reports that the Oregon Department of Transportation cannot repair key portions of Highway 101 along the Oregon coast due to a land use regulation that prohibits the fortification of highway infrastructure […]
As 2022 approaches, State transportation planners are working feverishly to implement a plan for charging drivers to use existing highways. The rates will automatically increase at times when congestion increases. Many drivers will be diverted onto neighborhood streets. Their plan is to receive permanent approval to toll any Federal Highway in Oregon. The millions collected […]
Last month, the Metro Council voted to send a regional payroll tax to the November ballot. The rationale for the new $250-million-a-year tax is primarily to help fund a 12-mile light rail extension from Portland to Bridgeport Village in Tigard. It will also pay for a smattering of minor transportation projects throughout the region, but […]
The Oregon Department of Transportation recently published its Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Oregon Passenger Rail Project, which plans to expand and improve passenger rail service between Eugene and Portland and increase Amtrak Cascades rail service from two to six round trips per day. Out of two potential build alternatives—Alternative 1, […]
Oregonians have a proud tradition of giving back to distinguished or disadvantaged members of society. Businesses have broken barriers to provide better service to groups like seniors, veterans, new families, and vulnerable people, by offering discounted rates or donating services for a worthy cause. In one particular and familiar industry, however, the state will not […]
