PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — According to a report from the city of Portland, fixing the street maintenance backlog would cost $118.7 million for 10 years, or nearly $1.2 billion.
Since plans for a Portland street fee have been scrapped and the state didn’t step up with a statewide transportation package, what is being done to fix Portland’s streets?
“The solution can’t just come from City Hall, it has to have support outside the building – so we’re having some conversations with interested folks about, is there something that can have broad based support,” Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick told KOIN 6 News.
He, along with Mayor Charlie Hales, pushed a street fee, but it fell apart due to lack of support.
KOIN 6 News also asked Hales about the future of Portland’s streets. His spokesperson said they’re not in a hurry to try to push something through again, and said the mayor is still confident in the state, as House Speaker Tina Kotek told him a statewide funding package is a priority.
“We’re not giving up, and I look forward to continuing the work to develop the statewide transportation package our citizens and our businesses need in order to thrive,” Kotek told KOIN 6 News in a statement.
Novick said a lot of the same options from last year are still on the table. That includes a street fee, a gas tax, a progressive income tax, even a sales tax.
