The Oregon Transportation Commission approved $46 million in new funding for multimodal transportation projects at their May meeting. The funding is part of Connect Oregon, an initiative established by the 2005 state legislature to invest in non-highway modes of transportation.
For this current round of Connect Oregon grants, ODOT originally received 51 applications for funding. The projects went through a rigorous, multi-step review process. The review process included evaluations by ODOT staff, ODOT economists and Business Oregon Regional Development officers, Regional Solutions Teams, statewide modal committees, Area Commissions on Transportation, and the final review committee.
ODOT ranked the projects based on a number of factors:
- Access to jobs/labor
- Reduced transportation costs
- Economic benefits to state
- Critical link for system
- Readiness
- Required match
- Useful life
- Proximity to mining aggregate
- Geographic mix
- Equity
- Climate/GHG impacts
“I appreciate the work that’s gone into this,” said Commission Chair Bob Van Brocklin. “There have been a lot of stages, a lot of communication, and a lot of opportunities to be heard.”
Projects in our metro that received funds are:
Medford Airport East Side Heavy Duty Aircraft Apron Expansion- $2,500,000
Prospect State Airport – Runway Reconstruction and Electrical Improvements- $1,693,200
For the six previous rounds of Connect Oregon funding, the OTC funded 221 projects, with a total leverage of non-Connect Oregon funds of $605 million. All but five of those projects are complete, with the remaining projects at various stages of design and construction.
Courtesy of ODOT
