Oregon Department of Transportation

Maintaining our transportation system is something most people can agree governments should do. But governments across the US are cutting back on maintenance. Why is that? Watch this video to learn how transportation agencies are grappling with flattening and declining fuels tax revenues, increasing inflation, and legal restrictions on available funding. It also outlines possible solutions to better maintain our transportation system and keep travelers safe. As Oregon lawmakers explore solutions, they are also seeking community guidance as they plan a 2025 transportation package. How would you like Oregon to maintain a safe, accessible and reliable multimodal transportation system for years to come? Today, the Oregon Legislature's Joint Committee on Transportation is kicking off their 12-stop Transportation Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour in Portland. To learn more about this tour check out this release from the joint committee: https://bit.ly/4c6djr7

Get an inside look into how the Corvallis Airport used Connect Oregon funds to create award-winning smooth landings. We're proud to support multimodal projects like this through the state-funded Connect Oregon program - aimed at improving non-highway connections so Oregonians, visitors and businesses have choices in transportation. Watch for the latest round of projects receiving funds, coming later in 2024! #Aviation #ConnectOregon #Transportation #OregonDOT

Oregon lawmakers are seeking community guidance as they plan a 2025 transportation package. The public is invited to testify on July 17 at the Eugene meeting, the fourth stop of the 12-stop Transportation Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour. How would you like Oregon to maintain a safe, accessible and reliable multimodal transportation system for years to come? Can't make this event? Don't worry, the tour is coming to a community near you!

Oregon lawmakers are seeking community guidance as they plan a 2025 transportation package. The public is invited to testify on July 16 at the Albany meeting, the third stop of the 12-stop Transportation Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour. How would you like Oregon to maintain a safe, accessible and reliable multimodal transportation system for years to come? Can't make this event? Don't worry, the tour is coming to a community near you!

In late May, a team comprised of task leader Bob Sallinger, peregrine biologist, and assisting ODOT biologists, visited the newest residents of the #AbernethyBridge - three female peregrine chicks known as eyases. These amazing birds of prey typically nest on high cliff ledges but will substitute with tall human-made structures like the Abernethy Bridge, which is currently under construction to be replaced as part of our I-205 Improvements project. On this day, we captured a banding operation that allows the group to track their growth and progress. Extreme bird watching? Not exactly. Unlikely as it may seem, ODOT has actually played an important role in #peregrine recovery in Oregon. Once nearly extinct due to the use of pesticide DDT, by 1970, there were no peregrines nesting east of the Mississippi, with only a handful in the western United States, and none known to be nesting in Oregon. DDT was banned in 1972 and peregrines were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Twenty years later in 1993, peregrines first appeared on the #FremontBridge - with only 23 pairs known to be nesting across the entire state. ODOT committed to protecting the falcons, creating partnerships to research best strategies for managing these majestic birds. Our work with Bob Sallinger has spanned the last three decades, and today, our partnerships continue with the Audubon Society, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), USDA Forest Service, and Mason, Bruce & Girard, Inc. (MB&G). Together, we've employed an active management strategy to research, monitor and carefully schedule bridge maintenance and construction that avoids disturbing falcons - even performing removal and captive rearing of eggs or young when serious disturbances could not be avoided. Once peregrines establish a nest site, they tend to stay there generation after generation. Protection of these sites therefore, has helped aid in their recovery - and happily, these falcons were delisted from the federal ESA in 1999 - deemed to have been recovered. Today, peregrines nest on many of our bridges including the Fremont, St. Johns, Interstate, Astoria-Megler, etc. Some sites, such as the Fremont and St. Johns bridges have been the most productive in the state! Ever since the mid-1990s, biologists have assisted with the banding of eyases. Banding occurs at a precise window in the birds development to ensure the falcons are not harmed in the process. We're proud to announce that all three of these females looked very healthy! Major construction at this site hasn't deterred nesting, thanks to strategies in place that encourage the falcons to nest on piers where construction activity is low. Eyases typically attempt to fly between 38-42 days of age, staying with their parents throughout most of the summer before dispersing. We expect these young females are already soaring over the Willamette, and we're happy to have been their loving home so far!

The freshly paved summit of #McKenziePass opens to all on July 4! Beloved by many, you'll be able to experience the freedom of the open road tomorrow morning with fresh, smooth pavement. 🇺🇸 The pass remained closed while crews paved the narrow and winding section of road between the winter gate and the summit on the east side of the pass. Funding from a Federal Lands Access Program grant is improving the highway from the junction with U.S. 20 in #Sisters to the summit at #DeeWrightObservatory. Improvement grants like this are critical to low-traffic volume roads like McKenzie Pass. While the paving between the winter gate and the summit on the east side is complete, paving will now move below the snow gate on the east side. This section of highway is wider, so crews will flag traffic through one lane while paving the other. Expect some delays while this work continues. After the paving is done, crews will stripe and sign the road. Project work should be complete by late August. If you plan to drive on this winding road, please keep lookout for cyclists and pedestrians, as this is a popular scenic route for many types of road users. Vehicles longer than 35 feet are prohibited from using the highway due to its sharp, narrow curves. Every year, we close McKenzie Pass from November to mid-June. Weather conditions, logistics and cost make it impractical to maintain for travel year around. When we close the road, it is closed to everyone and is not maintained. We do not open it early for cyclists or pedestrians. Even after the snow melts each spring, our crews have a lot of work to do before the road is safe for travel. Each winter trees come down and heavy rain and snow move rocks and debris onto the road. All of this is cleaned up and the pavement is patched before we open. Take a look at these pictures to see what it takes to open the pass every year.

Join us in congratulating Stephen Chaffee, who recently completed our Graduate Program! For the past year, Stephen advanced his knowledge in load rating, inspection and bridge preservation through rotational opportunities. Stephen was recently promoted into a Bridge Engineering Assistant role with our Engineering & Technical Services Branch's Bridge Preservation Unit in Salem. Way to go! Interested in learning more about ODOT's Graduate Program? https://bit.ly/3Nf2nxF Find ODOT Graduate Program positions: https://bit.ly/41yC1wq #OregonDOT #EngineerGraduates #TransportationJobs #Engineering

We’re nearly at the end of the second funding round for our Community Charging Rebates Program, and the response has been electric! ⚡ As of June 17, we've allocated nearly all the available funding for this round. This program offers rebates for "Level 2" EV charging projects at multi family homes, workplaces, and publicly accessible parking areas throughout Oregon - helping support the development of Oregon's EV infrastructure. The rebates range from $3,500 - $5,500 per charging port or up to 75% of eligible project costs, whichever is less. There's just under $270,000 left for eligible projects, and applications are coming in fast. This funding round closes July 3, 2024, or as soon as the available funding is fully reserved. Eligible businesses, nonprofits, public entities, Tribes, EV service providers, and owners of multifamily home complexes may apply. So, if you’re thinking about applying, act soon! Visit our program page to find what you need to apply, learn more about the program and start your application: https://lnkd.in/ggUSHRYD

Oregon lawmakers are coming to Tillamook next Tuesday, June 18 for their next stop on the Statewide Transportation Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour. The goal of the tour is to help legislators understand the unique needs of Oregonians and the challenges we face in maintaining a safe, accessible and reliable transportation system across the state. In Tillamook, we are working with the local transit agency and city officials to facilitate a tour of the area for legislators. We plan to show them where we are facing worsening challenges due to diverse geography and climate change. For example, this heavily forested coastal area often experiences heavy rains that lead to rock and mudslides, highway sinkholes and flooding. Our crews need to respond quickly to these incidents in order to get roads open and make sure people get to their destinations safely. Lawmakers are seeking community guidance while they plan a 2025 transportation package, and the public is invited to testify on June 18 at the Tillamook meeting.

Join us in congratulating Regan Campbell, who recently completed our Graduate Program after 11 months with the Region 2 Traffic Unit. Regan was recently promoted into a Bridge Engineering Assistant role with our Engineering & Technical Services Branch's Bridge Operations Unit in Salem. Way to go! Interested in learning more about ODOT's Graduate Program? https://bit.ly/3Nf2nxF Find ODOT Graduate Program positions: https://bit.ly/41yC1wq #OregonDOT #EngineerGraduates #TransportationJobs #Engineering