“A lack of transparency in ODOT’s cost assumptions has continued to hamper partner decision-making ability.”
— Letter signed by leaders of City of Portland, Metro, and Multonomah County
The honeymoon is already over.
After Oregon Governor Kate Brown stepped in to lay out a major compromise on the controversial I-5 Rose Quarter project earlier this week, it appeared as though the Oregon Department of Transportation could breathe a little easier.
But negotiations and demands from key partners have already begun in earnest — making it clear that while chances of stopping the project have plummeted, there remain major hurdles for ODOT to clear before it breaks ground.
Widening I-5 near the Moda Center is the state’s top transportation priority and ODOT has dreamt about it for many years. They’ve also faced stiff opposition to the plan from nearly every corner. Anti-freeway activists don’t want any expansion (“auxiliary lanes” or otherwise), Albina neighborhood activists want the project to restore the neighborhood that ODOT (and others) decimated with development decades ago, and elected officials are scared to seem overly supportive of such a complicated and controversial plan that comes with (at least) an $800 million price tag.
That’s why Governor Brown’s support for the project and consensus-building, compromise plan for the freeway covers announced on Tuesday was such a big deal. It gave ODOT life and much-needed momentum to push the project forward. A perception of inevitability is imperative for these mega-projects.
However, 48 hours after this gentle nudge from the Governor, the project still faces major hurdles and the support it needs from electeds and key community partners could still prove elusive.
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On Thursday, Portland Bureau of Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, and Metro President Lynn Peterson sent a three-page letter (PDF) to Governor Brown outlining their demands. And last night on Twitter, Albina Vision Trust Board Member Rukaiyah Adams made it clear that while her group is now willing to return to ODOT’s table, not everything is hunky-dory.
“This is not the finish line, it is not even the starting line.”
— Rukaiyah Adams, Albina Vision Trust Board Member, on Twitter last night
In their letter, the leaders of the county, city and Metro expressed gratitude to the Governor for forging a consensus on the highway cover plans that they said, “Creates a shift from a freeway space, to a restored neighborhood place.” But it said ODOT would enjoy their support only under certain conditions. They’ve set out a list of technical considerations for the Hybrid 3 highway cover design endorsed by the Governor’s agreement.
They want promises from ODOT to shift the southbound I-5 off-ramp further north to reduce impacts of highway traffic on streets, and they want the I-5 centerline to be moved east and eight feet slashed off the width of the inner shoulder to improve turning movements of highway ramps. Other conditions include an agreement that PBOT engineers can re-evaluate surface street impacts like traffic circulation, signal timing, and bicycling, transit and walking facilities. They’re also asking ODOT to take Rose Quarter event traffic into greater consideration.
In addition, the letter calls attention to several elements of the project that are still unresolved and require “immediate action”. The three leaders want:
an official “framework agreement” from ODOT that will transfer governance of the development on top of the new highway covers directly to the “Black community”. Not only do they want this community to be in charge of the cap development, they are calling for independent monitoring and reporting of all commitments and investments made as part of the agreement (this is necessary because no one at the table trusts ODOT);
more assurances on congestion pricing. The letter calls on ODOT to start a dynamic pricing program to manage traffic and that puts any additional revenue toward alternatives to driving and toward toll subsidies for low-income people. “Such a program would transform how I-5 functions,” reads the letter. They also demand that an equitable congestion pricing plan for I-5 is in place before the project opens. (Note they say before the project opens, not before it breaks ground.);
intergovernmental agreements with all three regional jurisdictions (Metro, City of Portland, and Multnomah County). The letter says ODOT has not been transparent on cost assumptions. “The agreements will need to clearly outline the project governance structure, approach to ensure cost transparency, regulatory requirements, and project decision-making.”;
buildable highway covers. The elected leaders want a written promise from ODOT and the Oregon Transportation Commission that the nearly eight acres of new buildable land atop the covers will accommodate building heights of up to five stories (as envisioned by the Independent Cover Analysis (ICA) team, an independent group working for the project’s Executive Steering Committee).
to move Harriet Tubman School or come up with a plan to mitigate air pollution near it.
While this letter gives ODOT a lot to think about, Rukaiyah Adams with Albina Vision Trust also remains skeptical of the project. When Adams was tagged on Twitter about the project last night, she said the possibility that the highway covers are value-engineered out of the project is a “serious concern”. “As are other hustles,” Adams continued. “Shortening the cap, limiting its buildable capacity, etc. This is not the finish line, it is not even the starting line. We could use your help.”
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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