BikePortland

ODOT modifies I-5 expansion plans to prevent Esplanade impacts

North Vancouver Ave approaching Weidler.

(A few of the different lane types in the central city. Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Screen Shot 2020-11-11 at 9.34.55 AM — Congressional colleagues Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Earl Blumenauer at a digital town hall event last month.

After Trump won in 2016, Portland Congressman Earl Blumenauer told us he was both appalled yet assured. He said the presidential election was “grim” but that wins for transit and other issues he cares about gave him hope. At the 2017 National Bike Summit just three months after Trump moved into the White House, Blumenauer said cycling might be one way for America to heal its divisions.

Fast forward to 2020 and a Democrat is headed back to the White House. I spoke with Blumenauer on the phone this morning to hear his perspective on the last four years and what might lie ahead. I’ve edited our conversation below for clarity and brevity.

Screen Shot 2020-11-10 at 10.12.36 AM — The arch pieces were constructed off-site and are now being moved into place.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland/BikePortland)

Even without official acknowledgement by the Trump Administration, President-elect Joe Biden is already moving towards the White House. Fresh off declarations of his win finally coming on Friday, he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have begun their transition process in earnest.

In our little corner of the internet, the buzz is about who Biden will pick to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation and what transportation policy might look like in the next four years.

The buzz is especially intense in Portland because one of the names being floated as possible DOT pick is Congressman Earl Blumenauer, the former Portland city commissioner who’s represented the best cycling city in America for the past 24 years. On Saturday, Politico included Blumenauer as the most likely pick after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who most people see as the frontrunner.