When lawmakers unveiled the details of House Bill 2025 in early June, the long-awaited transportation funding package earmarked money for “anchor” capital projects. Those included the expansion of Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter, seismic upgrades of the Abernathy/Interstate 205 Bridge, the Newberg-Dundee bypass, and the Center Street Bridge in Salem. The bill’s architects paired that funding with a stream of cash to pay for the agency’s routine operations and maintenance work.
After several versions of the bill, each less expensive than the previous one, failed to gain enough votes to pass, lawmakers adjourned June 27 with the Oregon Department of Transportation’s budget in a deficit position, resulting in the announcement of nearly 500 layoffs set for later this month.
The bill’s failure leaves ODOT in an odd position: It has already banked partial funding for each of the anchor projects, although far less than the agency needs to complete them. It has also received state and federal funds toward the replacement of the Interstate Bridge on Interstate 5 between Portland and Vancouver but, again, far less than enough to cover the project’s estimated $7.5 billion cost…