COOS BAY, MEDFORD, Ore. — Oregon legislators toured Coos Bay and Medford last week to continue their Statewide Transportation Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour which is aimed at building public understanding of transportation funding challenges and potential funding tools to address those challenges.
“The goal for the tour is to help legislators understand the unique needs of Oregon’s transportation system — and the impacts of insufficient funding — as they gear up for the 2025 legislative session,” the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) said in a press release.
To support the tours, ODOT is working with local transit providers, cities, and counties to show legislators around local roads, bridges, DMV offices and weigh stations, highlighting the various challenges facing transportation agencies across the state.
“During the daytime bus tours, ODOT and local agencies are able to show legislators how funding challenges are already impacting our transportation system, and what this trend could mean for Oregonians in the near future and for decades to come,” ODOT said. “Insufficient and declining transportation funding will affect everything from DMV customer service and routine maintenance (like paving, bridge repairs, litter cleanup, sign replacement, etc.) to inclement weather response and emergency response.”
According to ODOT, the tour of Coos Bay and Medford continued to tell a story of how climate change is creating severe challenges for Oregon roads and bridges — and the communities that rely on them during and after an emergency.
In Coos Bay, the group stopped at an area outside of town to see how a highway is crumbling due to frequent landslides and a lack of budget for long-term fixes and preventive measures. Speakers talked about the frequency of flooding and downed trees and the work it takes for maintenance crews to keep roads open and safe for all travelers.
On the bus, ODOT’s Region Manager for the area and Coos Bay native, Darrin Neavoll, talked about the pride he and his crews take in serving Oregonians and let lawmakers know how he felt about the visit.
“This means a lot to me and to our crews that you are taking time to understand the work they do,” Neavoll said.
According to the release, in Medford, the tour started with a brief presentation about winter maintenance on the Interstate 5 Siskiyou Pass — specifically ODOT’s unique and vital winter tool, the famous “Bulldog” push truck that goes where a tow truck can’t. Siskiyou Pass is the highest pass on I-5 between Canada and Mexico, and a critical north-south route for freight and commerce. When the winter brings snow and ice, ODOT crews work around the clock to keep the pass open. The push truck helps significantly by pushing commercial trucks uphill — around 2,500 per year—to avoid collisions, delays and closures. It is also labor intensive and costly, and current budget realities will impact ODOT’s ability to provide this service soon.
The bus tour also included a stop in the city of Phoenix, just south of Medford, to show legislators how state, county and city officials are working together to help recovery efforts after the devastating Almeda Fire in 2020.
Jeremiah Griffin, ODOT’s district manager for the Medford area, shared how ODOT’s maintenance crews helped with evacuations the day of the fire. He emphasized for legislators that these maintenance crews also live in the area, which meant that on the day of the fire, their loved ones were getting evacuation orders, and their homes and community were in the path of the fire as they were supporting the evacuation efforts. It was an emotional reminder about the people who care for Oregon’s transportation system every day and on the worst days.
The release also noted that following these bus tours, legislators met with other local officials for roundtable conversations and held public hearings to hear from community members. Videos of the public hearings and submitted comments can be found on the Joint Committee on Transportation website.
The tour has six stops to go, with public hearings held in each location. Details for each will be posted to the Oregon Legislative Information Site linked above, under “Meetings.”
- Ontario – Aug. 27
- Hermiston – Aug. 28
- Bend – Sep. 12
- The Dalles – Sep. 13
- Happy Valley – Sep. 28
- Hillsboro – Sep. 29
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
