BikePortland

Oregon Senate confirms ODOT director who says freeway widening is a climate change strategy

It’s official.

Kristopher “Kris” Strickler was confirmed by the Oregon Senate last month to become the leader of the Oregon Department of Transportation. Strickler was picked and vetted for the position by the Oregon Transportation Commission, (the Governor-appointed body that oversees ODOT) who offered him the director position back in September.

Beyond activist circles, Strickler — a fan of freeway expansions who once managed the failed Columbia River Crossing project for Washington’s DOT — was anything but a controversial pick. His confirmation was a formality. Even so, given the importance of his position, I thought it worthwhile to share his confirmation hearing — in particular an exchange with a legislator around how ODOT will address climate change.

On November 19th, Strickler sat down in front of the five-member Senate Interim Committee On Rules and Executive Appointments.

Screen Shot 2019-12-04 at 9.48.41 AM — A beautiful thing.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Screen Shot 2019-12-03 at 3.47.54 PM — Behold the future of bus travel in Portland.

The City of Portland has just released its vision for a new system of faster, more frequent bus service. The Rose Lane Vision debuted tonight to coincide with the first of three public open houses.

The Oregon Transportation Commission has reached a crossroads when it comes to the I-5 Rose Quarter megaproject.

The governing body of the Oregon Department of Transportation is poised to make a decision later this month about whether to drive ahead with the estimated $500 million project or whether to hit the brakes and perform a more thorough assessment of its environmental impacts.

Thus far, ODOT’s analysis of the project’s potential impact to the earth and to our community has been severely lacking. And that’s not just according to activists who oppose the project. Back in April, Metro’s senior planner described ODOT’s work on the project “inadequate and potentially misleading.”

In August, ODOT hinted that they’d heed the groundswell of community leaders and voices calling for a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of the National Environmental Protection Act process they’re mandated to comply with. To date, ODOT has completed only an Environmental Assessment (EA) which is a less robust process.

As a decision from the OTC gets closer, pressure to slow down and do the EIS is building.

Another cycling company has decided to pull up its Portland roots.

Parts and accessories distributor Cyclone Bicycle Supply will close its warehouse in Clackamas and offices in southwest Portland before the end of this year. The company is planning a warehouse liquidation sale December 13th and 14th.

Cyclone launched in Portland in 2003 as a small distributor serving bike dealers in the Pacific Northwest. By 2015 the company had grown to 3,000 dealers nationwide thanks to the rise of online sales and their purchase of an east coast distributor. Around that same time Cyclone doubled its Clackamas warehouse space from 50,000 to 100,000 square feet.