ODOT issues annual report on efforts to bring nearly 26,000 curb ramps into ADA compliance

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- ODOT says it is improving the accessibility of Oregon’s transportation system for all users by bringing nearly 26,000 curb ramps on the statewide transportation system into current American with Disabilities Act compliance.

These improvements mean increased safety and more seamless access for people using mobility devices, parents with strollers, pedestrians and people on bikes and skateboards.

“Every Oregonian deserves access to a safe and reliable transportation system and for too long that hasn’t been a reality for many of our most vulnerable travelers,” said Mac Lynde, Division Administrator for the Delivery and Operations Division at ODOT. “With funding now lined up, we’re going to transform our transportation system to make it accessible for every user.”

What Improvement Looks Like

Constructing or remediating a curb ramp requires many steps and people to achieve full ADA compliance. For example:

• Designing curb ramps to fit the location using national best practices and guidance from the U.S. Access Board.
• Removing barriers in existing curb ramps like the size of the lip from the street to the curb ramp entrance.
• Making the slope on the ramp less steep and creating more room to maneuver.
• Ensuring inspection values (percent of slope, width, truncated domes, etc.) are within the acceptable range for a compliant ramp.

ADA improvements will sometimes be integrated into larger, multifunctional transportation investment projects and sometimes will be stand-alone single function ADA curb ramp improvements. 

As we make these improvements across the state, ODOT makes every effort to minimize community impacts such as closures and detours. We want to get it right the first time, so we don’t have to disrupt the same community twice.

2022 ADA Settlement Agreement Annual Report

On Friday, ODOT released the 2022 ADA Settlement Agreement Annual Report. Since 2017, ODOT has made steady progress toward meeting the terms of the settlement agreement with the Association of Oregon Centers for Independent Living. The first step ODOT took was to immediately create a dedicated ADA Delivery Program to reflect our commitment to a safe, equitable and accessible transportation system for all users.

Moving Forward

2022 was a pivotal year for ODOT’s ADA Delivery Program. Not only did the program realize an 88% uptick in curb ramp remediation from previous years, but in September the Oregon Transportation Commission approved a transformational $1 billion increase in funds dedicated to curb ramp construction.

ODOT estimates the total cost of ADA curb ramp replacement projects (from 2017 through 2032) to be just over $1.4 billion.

The additional $1 billion in program funding will supplement the $427 million in funding already committed for 2017-2024. This additional funding includes the reallocation of up to $100 million in federal funds for 2022-2027, $600 million in proceeds from bonds, and $300 million from the next two STIP cycles. The funding infusion allows the ADA Delivery Program to significantly increase the volume of curb ramp replacement projects.

Program Improvement Highlights

Throughout the program’s implementation phase, we’ve gained considerable knowledge about responding to the needs of people with disabilities. With our new knowledge, we changed many business practices. Since 2017, we:

• Created an ADA Delivery Program with dedicated budget and staff.
• Put a new system in place to receive and address barriers on the state system (comments, questions, concerns and request form).
• Appointed representatives in each region who receive and resolve ADA system barriers.
• Sent engineers out into the field to meet with people in the community who have a disability to see firsthand the barriers and issues they encounter navigating the transportation system.
• Established new procedures to streamline processes like right of way, environmental clearances and design exceptions.
• Trained over 1,000 staff and consultants on ADA curb ramp inspection and construction requirements.
• Set up and delivered 10 internal ADA Awareness Training sessions taught by our accessibility consultant and our Office of Equity and Civil Rights.
• Accepted proposals from private sector firms to act as an owner’s representative to expedite design and contracting processes and right-size curb ramp projects to expand the universe of contractors accepting this work.
• Continued outreach to communities, local partners and impacted and interested parties.

2022 Report Highlights

• As of Dec. 31, 2022, ODOT has determined 6,176 curb ramps in the 2017 settlement agreement curb ramp inventory are now compliant.
• Inspection forms for an additional 1,443 curb ramps that were constructed in 2022 have been submitted, but due to the time it takes to complete the quality assurance and quality control on the inspection forms, they will not count toward our 2022 curb ramp remediation goals, but instead will be added to the total we complete in 2023.
• While ODOT’s five-year total of 6,176 remediated curb ramps did not reach the 30% milestone of curb ramp remediation we anticipated, we continue to make progress to increase production through expanded funding and staffing changes.
• ODOT received 88 inquiries through the Comments, Questions, Concerns or Requests process. This is ODOT’s dedicated process to review and respond to possible system barriers as reported by the public. Of those 88 inquiries, 67% were resolved, 11% are in remediation, 6% require a long-term fix, 5% are not ODOT related, 5% had no response from submitter, 3% were withdrawn by submitter and 3% are being investigated for issues and options.
• ODOT continues to provide information, training and guidance to staff and consultant staff statewide on its temporary pedestrian access route policy. The training provided to certified local public agencies is now available as a video presentation on ODOT’s website.
• ODOT continued to provide education and outreach on its ADA program to various interested parties and worked with the accessibility consultant, Cole and Associates, to develop and deliver an ADA Education and Awareness training to ODOT staff.

Read the full 2022 ADA Settlement Agreement Annual Report on our website or to find out about ADA projects in your community.