Oregon lawmakers announce $15 million for Warm Springs Commercial Corridor Safety Project on Hwy. 26
Plans include speed reduction, new roundabout, shared-use path
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Oregon U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), and Andrea Salinas (OR-06), announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding nearly $43 million in federal funding from its Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program to projects in Portland, Warm Springs, and Salem.
These federal funds will go towards upgrading roads, railways, and transit systems in these communities.
“Reimagining transportation systems across our state will benefit every Oregonian while creating good-paying jobs in communities that are in desperate need of 21st-century transportation routes,” Merkley said. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this almost $43 million in RAISE grants will create safer, more accessible, more efficient transportation for Oregonians in both urban and rural communities. I supported these projects and am grateful this federal funding is headed to our communities to transform the roadways, rails, trails, and buses that connect us all.”
“Oregon families and small businesses depend on a safe and efficient transportation system to survive and thrive in every corner of our state,” Wyden said. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law I worked to pass, Oregonians are benefiting from investments like this that keep them moving safely, seamlessly and sustainably throughout the state for work and/or leisure.”
“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to pay dividends for Oregonians in terms of sustainability, safety, and economic development,” Blumenauer said. “With these investments, Oregon will continue to lead the way toward a clean, low carbon transportation future.”
“Upgrading infrastructure is a crucial step in addressing the climate crisis,” Bonamici said. “I’m grateful for the funding that will help TriMet continue its important work to transition to zero-emission buses, which are healthier for Oregonians and the environment.”
“I am excited to announce that Salem will be receiving a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation,” Salinas said. “These federal dollars will go toward the planning and redevelopment of the Front Street corridor, which will be vital to improving public safety and growing our economy for the future. As Salem’s Congresswoman, I will keep fighting to deliver the federal funding and resources needed to complete this and other important infrastructure projects in our community.”
The USDOT’s RAISE grant program helps municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects. The three Oregon-based projects funded by the RAISE 2024 grant program are as follows:
- $25,000,000 for TriMet’s Columbia Operations Facility: Building a Regional Zero-Emissions Bus Base in Portland. This project will design and construct a facility to store, fuel, and maintain TriMet's hydrogen fuel cell electric bus fleet.
- $15,000,000 for the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs’ Warm Springs Commercial Corridor Safety Project. This project will design and construct improvements to the U.S. Highway 26 corridor in Warm Springs. Improvements will include speed reduction treatments in downtown Warm Springs, a new roundabout at the intersection of Highway 26 and Paiute Avenue/BIA 3, a shared-use path on both sides of the highway, and access to existing transit stops.
- $2,704,800 for the City of Salem’s Front Street Redevelopment Transportation Corridor Plan. This project will conduct an alternatives analysis and a preliminary engineering study for an approximate 3,700-foot section of Front Street between South Street NE and the Front Street NE Bypass. The project will identify improvements to Front Street to encourage and support redevelopment in the corridor.
The Warm Springs project has been in the works for several years; a report on the Commercial Corridor Safety Plan was released in 2017. Here is a report ODOT provided to lawmakers by the Legislative Fiscal Office to this year's Joint Committee on Ways and Means, seeking authorization to apply for the $15 million grant:
