老夫子传媒

漏 2024 | 老夫子传媒
Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6301 | 800.782.6191
Listen | Discover | Engage a service of Southern Oregon University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Oregon governor asks Legislature for more ODOT funding as winter weather arrives

A plow with the Oregon Department of Transportation works the roads in the Cascades in Douglas County on Feb. 13, 2023. ODOT has said it will decrease some winter road maintenance due to a decline in revenue.
Courtesy of ODOT
A plow with the Oregon Department of Transportation works the roads in the Cascades in Douglas County on Feb. 13, 2023. ODOT has said it will decrease some winter road maintenance due to a decline in revenue.

As parts of Oregon begin seeing their first heavy snowfall of the season, state officials are looking for new ways to fund winter road maintenance across the state.

Gov. Tina Kotek told reporters during on Tuesday that her office is seeking $19 million in one-time funding to help the Oregon Department of Transportation meet winter maintenance needs this winter. The money would fund additional overtime and new equipment, she said.

The agency announced earlier this year it would reduce some winter road maintenance, such as plowing or deicing roads, in the face of massive budget deficits.

The agency has said it鈥檚 seeing decreased revenue from the state gas tax, and also is grappling with the increased price of deicing products.

ODOT has said that increased purchases of electric and fuel-efficient vehicles are partially behind the revenue decrease.

Officials from ODOT they will work on 鈥渇ocusing (their) efforts on work with the biggest outcomes for the most people.鈥

The governor said a larger conversation around transportation funding will come in 2025, and that this funding will meet the need for this winter only.

鈥淲e have to make sure that we can do what we can to make sure our roads are safe,鈥 Kotek said. 鈥淚 want to be clear, there are dollars now to do most of the highway maintenance during the winter, but we do have some gaps.鈥

ODOT has created for different regions of Oregon, showing how the agency is prioritizing certain roadways as snow conditions begin.

Copyright 2023 Oregon Public Broadcasting