Love ’em or strongly dislike ’em, this is our state DOT.
Sensible speed limits are key in creating a people-friendly city.(Photos © J. Maus) In America, there are many unseen barriers to creating a more human-friendly transportation system. Many of them reside in national engineering manuals that were created — and continue to be “updated” — by auto-centric engineers. Other barriers are entrenched in policies and … Read more
This graph shows a modal breakdown of ODOT’s recommendation for how to spend the state’s remaining $101 million dollars in federal stimulus money.(Graphic: J. Maus/BikePortland)
“The OTC also recognizes the need to balance highway needs with other modal needs.”— From a statement released by ODOT today The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC), acting on behalf of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), has announced the application process and more details on how they’ll allocate their remainder of federal stimulus funds. The … Read more
OTC Commissioners: Gail Achterman Michael Nelson Janice Wilson Alan Brown David Lohman See photos/bios below Now that it’s crunch-time for the Oregon Department of Transportation and their Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) to decide on how to spend the infrastructure chunk of our federal stimulus money, I thought you might want to know a little more … Read more
State transportation planners are scrambling to get their “shovel ready” projects in order and they’re waiting eagerly by their inboxes this morning. That’s because any day now, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is expected to release the application forms for what they’re calling “Phase II of the Federal Economic Stimulus”. I spoke with ODOT’s … Read more
Riders will no longer be in the dark on the I-205 bike path.(Photo © J. Maus) On Friday, the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC, a body appointed by Governor Kulongoski) made their final decisions on how to spend $122,592,742 in federal stimulus funds. And, if you remember our report from last week, it seems like their … Read more
“[The OTC showed a] cautious willingness to consider the possibility that local bike, pedestrian and transit projects might just be as “shovel ready” as ODOT’s existing list.” — Bob Stacey, 1000 Friends of Oregon The Governor-appointed Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) was set to make a decision on how Oregon would spend it’s federal economic stimulus … Read more
Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission, Gail Achterman, is in the driver’s seat on how our statespends its federal stimulus money.(Photos © J. Maus) The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) is meeting this morning in Salem to discuss which infrastructure projects will get built with money from America’s recently passed economic stimulus plan. The OTC is … Read more
ODOT wants $2 million to improve illumination on I-205 bike path.(Photo © J. Maus) The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has released their official list of projects to be included in the federal economic stimulus bill that is expected to come together in mid-February The list includes 46 projects throughout the state and a total … Read more
Pavement in limbo due to funding uncertainty.(Photo: Aaron Tarfman) Supporters of a project that would pave the Springwater Trail from SE Rugg Road to Dee Street in Boring are celebrating this morning after news that the Oregon Department of Transportation has put the project on its recommended funding list. The $1.2 million Springwater Trail project … Read more
Libby Tucker [Editor’s note: This is the first article in our new section, BikePortland.org: In-Depth. The main contributor to this section will be Libby Tucker. Ms. Tucker is a freelance reporter whose articles have been published in a myriad of outlets including the Associated Press, MSNBC.com, The Oregonian, and others. She was most recently a … Read more
Margi Lifsey is ODOT’s new Sustainability Program Manager.(Photo courtesy Margi Lifsey) The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has added a new position to their team; a Sustainability Program Manager. The position will be filled by Portland-resident Marjorie (“Margi”) Lifsey. In a statement about the hire, ODOT Chief of Staff Joan Plank said Lifsey will be … Read more