Oregon's roads and highway system are so dilapidated that the state and counties are struggling to keep up, lawmakers say

Oregon's 36 counties will need more than $800 million more per year to maintain roads and bridges, according to a new study from the Association of Oregon Counties.

The study, presented to the Legislature's Joint Transportation Committee, comes as lawmakers begin crafting a multibillion-dollar transportation package in the coming months. The Oregon Department of Transportation said this summer that it needed an additional $1.8 billion annually just to keep up with maintenance — not to mention funding big-ticket projects like a replacement bridge on Interstate 5 connecting Oregon and Washington connects.

Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale and co-chair of the joint committee, briefly summarized the main issue in a meeting last week.

“Our transportation system is old,” he said.

The highway system built in the 1950s and 1960s has essentially outlived its useful life, Gorsek added, and Oregon has not kept pace with the maintenance and replacement of roads, bridges and machinery such as snow plows and graders.

Lawmakers saw the troubled road system firsthand on a 12-stop transportation tour this summer. Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, said the tour made it clear that local governments are struggling to keep up.

“Cities and counties have made significant adjustments, and they expect to be in the process of adapting,” he said.

Counties are responsible for most of the state's road network – nearly 27,000 miles of roads and more than 3,400 bridges, about half of all bridges in the state. Next is the federal government with more than 25,000 miles, followed by cities with more than 11,000 miles of roads and the state with nearly 8,000 miles.

Most county bridges were built in the 1950s and 1960s, and more than 1,000 of them are so dilapidated that heavy trucks can no longer drive on them. This is a particularly acute problem in agricultural areas, where farmers have to take different routes to transport their crops, and in forests, where trucks are used during forest fires.

Delayed maintenance of roads and bridges leads to more expensive replacement projects later. ODOT officials estimate that every dollar spent on preventative maintenance and minor repairs, such as: B. Surface treatments for rock chip sealing, is equivalent to about $8 to $12 spent on rebuilding a dilapidated road.

“Many county roads built over a half-century ago failed (due to) poor condition and were not originally built to modern standards,” said Brian Worley, county road program manager for the Association of Oregon Counties.

Oregon counties are left with about $834 million in annual needs for roads and bridges, and the association's report warned that expected revenue would not cover even the most basic maintenance needs.

The state highway fund, the primary source of money for state and local roads, cannot keep up with increased costs. Revenue from the state's 40-cent-per-gallon gas tax fluctuates as more Oregonians drive fuel-efficient cars or electric vehicles: The average driver now uses nearly a quarter less fuel than a decade ago and pays about $40 less per year the gas taxes.

The fees paid to the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Department do not always cover the costs of administering the services, let alone provide additional revenue. And the weight-mile taxes levied on commercial truck drivers are uncertain—truck drivers are now suing the state because they are being overcharged.

Under current law, the state keeps 50% of the highway fund, 30% goes to counties and 20% goes to cities.

The counties also receive road funding from the federal government. For more than a century, the U.S. Forest Service has paid local governments a portion of logging revenues from county national forests to maintain roads and schools. However, these payments fell sharply as deforestation slowed in the 1990s.

Congress responded by passing the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, which was intended to compensate counties for lost timber revenue. But without action from Congress, this share of road funding is expected to continue to decline.

Large districts have other sources of funding. Multnomah and Washington counties both have statewide gasoline taxes — 3 cents in Multnomah and 1 cent in Washington — and Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties impose county registration fees on vehicles.

– Julia Shumway, Oregon Capital Chronicle

The Oregon Capital ChronicleFounded in 2021, is a nonprofit news organization focused on Oregon state government, politics and politics.