Lack of money may keep Oregon transportation projects in neutral

Money keeps people moving - literally. Roads, bridges and public transportation rely on a steady stream of revenue to keep people on the go.

But in Oregon, funding allocated to transportation doesn't have the buying power it had over a decade ago. And with more street repair work scheduled

"Next year will be the peak for (bridge repair)," Dave Thompson, field operations manager for the Oregon Department of Transport- ation, said. In the past four years, the amount needed for bridge repairs has doubled, from $350 million to $750 million per year.

"If (these bridges) were people, we'd be throwing retirement parties for them," Thompson said.

The reinforced concrete bridges, some of which are 60 years old, need replacement because of their age and overall quality. But the state still has to scramble to fund transportation projects, resulting in a game of catch-up.

"There's always a funding crunch," Thompson said. "We're behind, and we're continuing to fall behind."

He blames the gas tax, which hasn't increased since 1993. But that's not the only problem.

Oregon ranks lowest out of all western states in total automobile- related taxes. And ODOT doesn't expect this to change in 2008.

Adding to the funding crunch are cost increases, which have outpaced inflation and ramped up expenditures exponentially in the past decade. From 1993 to 2006, excavation costs increased 134 percent, gasoline prices rose 99 percent and structural concrete climbed 97 percent.

Asphalt will cost an additional $800,000 in 2008, if PDOT purchases the same amount needed in 2007, according to Steve Townsend, city engineer for the Portland Department of Transportation.

In Portland, money problems have stalled transportation projects and spurred debate about whether it would be prudent to accentuate the city's portion of the state gas tax with its own increase.

The city has to come up with revenue-generating alternatives as part of the Safe, Sound and Green Streets initiative, which is intended to address long-standing transportation maintenance issues, says Cheryl Kuck, communications director for PDOT. Multnomah County faces a $485 million shortfall for its own bridge maintenance.

Within PDOT, there is no shortage of hope for the program.

"(In 2008) Safe, Sound and Green Streets will generate the revenue that will address the funding problems," Kuck said.

More recently, however, money concerns have created problems for a number of long-delayed projects. The four-year-old Division Streetscape Project, which will move forward in spring 2008, has been delayed in the past due to a $2 million budget gap.

The problem, officials say, is that it is nearly impossible to plan for all possible negative externalities.

"If you can predict what the costs are going to be, then sign us up," Townsend said.

Along with challenges, 2008 is expected to bring added exposure to public transportation - both nationally and locally. Plans to expand the streetcar to Lake Oswego and the eastside are progressing. But even these plans rely on hefty grants from the federal government. The $150 million streetcar expansion will need to shore up about $75 million from a Small Start program.

Rick Gustafson, president of Portland Streetcar, says despite the streetcar's success, receiving funding from the federal government is not a simple task.

"They know streetcars are out here, they know what the benefits are, but the Federal Transit Administration is still apprehensive to fund," Gustafson said, adding he sees the administration's walls crumbling to the needs of the streetcar in the coming year.

And the Portland Development Commission will continue its risk assessment of the eastside streetcar expansion project in 2008. The purpose of the risk assessment is to make sure that money is not misspent down the road, says PDC's construction services manager Dave Obern.

Construction on that project is slated for 2009.

With an active year ahead, and with transportation construction coffers dwindling, hope fuels the future - the hope that funding woes do not stall maintenance, public transportation or construction projects.

"There's a real hope that all of this will be successful," Kuck said. "Safety projects just can't get done with the current budget."

Credit: Tyler Graf