The agency declined the Oregon Department of Transportation’s request for $750 million to fund the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project.

“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,” according to an article in Roads & Bridges, signaling a shift away from highway expansion as the norm in transportation planning.
The contentious project is over $900 million short of its estimated $1.5 to $1.9 million cost. “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.”
Local environmental and transportation advocates oppose the project, which received a Reconnecting Communities grant earlier this year for its plan to bury the freeway and cover it with cap parks and other usable land, saying it doesn’t fully address the ongoing negative impacts of the interstate on surrounding communities.
FULL STORY: Oregon DOT Denied Funding for Freeway Expansion

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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