ConnectOregon Program for Funding Multimodal Transportation Projects

In 2005, the Oregon legislature passed a transportation funding law providing $100 million of state lottery bonding revenues to invest in aviation, marine, rail, and transit infrastructure through a multimodal transportation fund. Known as ConnectOregon, the program focuses on improving connections among roads and other modes to integrate components of the transportation system better, improve the flow of commerce, and reduce delays. Of the $100 million, a minimum of $15 million will be distributed to each of five regions established in the legislation, with the remaining $25 million allocated competitively across regions. A total of 103 applications were submitted for funding. Before the applications were reviewed by regional and modal review groups, staff from the Oregon Department of Transportation reviewed the applications for completeness, and a consultant team reviewed the applications for technical feasibility. A consensus committee reviewed the regional and modal review group recommendations and developed a consensus recommendation to the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC). On July 19, 2006, OTC approved 43 projects totaling just under $100 million to enter negotiations for funding.