Commissioner Mapps charts out plan for fixing Portland streets

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Commissioner Mingus Mapps, who heads the Portland Bureau of Transportation, is charting out a course for continuing to fix the city's streets.

Should his plan be approved by voters, it would use a gas tax for repairing things like potholes, improving safe routes to school and keeping traffic and street lights in good shape.

It’s all part of Mapps’ proposed third phase of PBOT’s Fixing Our Streets program, a ballot measure that was previously approved by Portland voters in 2016 and 2020.

Like the first two phases, the renewed Fixing Our Streets program would enact the gas tax to generate funds for the improvements over four years. The plan has been outlined by PBOT, will be brought to City Council in January, and — should it be approved — referred to voters for a May 21 ballot.

If voters approve the third phase of the Fixing Our Streets program in 2024, the 10-cent gas tax would generate an estimated $70.5 million for the four-year period, PBOT said. The funds would break down into three main focus areas, with each one receiving $23.5 million:

Smoother Streets Projects — paving busy and residential streets as well as neighborhood greenways.

Safer Streets Projects — busy and residential streets and Safe Routes to School would all see safety improvements built on them.

Community Street Services — improving intersection safety for pedestrians and people with disabilities, maintenance repair for street lights and signals, filling potholes, Portland Gravel Street Service funding, upgrades to bike lanes to make the infrastructure more permanent, funding of speed bumps on residential streets, funding for PBOT’s traffic safety response hotline, and more.

"We need Fixing Our Streets to help address critical maintenance needs such as paving our streets and filling potholes," Commissioner Mapps said. "We need Fixing Our Streets to address safety needs that can save lives, like funding Safe Routes to School improvements and retrofitting and enhancing bike lanes. That's why I'm so excited to bring this program to City Council next month. I am confident and hopeful that they will strongly endorse this and send it to voters for the May election."

On Friday, Mapps observed the kind of repair work that would continue with the third phase of the Fixing Our Streets program by touring a Portland Gravel Street Service worksite on Southwest Arnold Street with PBOT Director Millicent Williams. In order to make these kinds of repairs, a heavy vehicle use tax must also be approved by City Council coinciding with each four-year round of the gas tax, PBOT said.

Over the years, Portlanders’ support for the Fixing Our Streets program has improved, with 53% voting in support in 2016 and 77% approving its renewal in 2020.