The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has rejected the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) request for $750 million in funding for the Rose Quarter Freeway Expansion.
ODOT is at least $900 million behind on the plan to expand Interstate 5, which was estimated to cost between $1.5 - 1.9 billion.
In April, the project’s plan to put a cap over the expansion secured a $450 million grant. This made up over half of the project’s available funds at the time.
The Portland City Council approved a $800,000 grant from USDOT in August that went to the expansion project.
A few months later, a key vote from Metro Council laid the groundwork for the first phase of that cap, allowing ODOT to “complete the design and construct the central segment of the cover around Broadway-Weidler to support reconnection for the Albina community,” according to a Metro press release.
ODOT now has a significant budget gap for the Rose Quarter Freeway Expansion and the Interstate Bridge Replacement. The Joint Transportation Commission is working to develop a bailout for ODOT, which says it faces a large funding gap for both operations and capital projects.
Source: Willamette Week, KOIN Portland
