The commission’s advancing of this design option is subject to conditions, the most immediate of which is the OTC directive that, on or before December 1, 2021, ODOT submit a Project Funding Plan discussing how the revised project might be funded. In January 2020, the OTC received a Cost to Complete Report for the project from ODOT. The report found that the original 2017 cost estimate for the project of approximately $500 million was incorrect and that the correct cost estimate as of January 2020 was roughly in the range of $715 million to $795 million. Hybrid 3 would increase that cost estimate to between $1.2 billion and $1.25 billion.
“We are trying to do a number of things at once with this project,” said OTC Chair Robert Van Brocklin. “Reduce Rose Quarter congestion; increase safety and mobility; involve minority business enterprises in constructing the project; and support community interest in covering a larger section of the freeway to increase redevelopment opportunities for Albina. Advancing this visionary project design will require substantial additional funding.”
Among other things, the Hybrid 3 option would involve building a larger cover over I-5 at the Rose Quarter than originally planned, and one capable of supporting buildings. Hybrid 3 would also change the location of various freeway entrance and exit ramps, reconnect the street grid above the highway, make new multimodal infrastructure investments, and add one northbound and one southbound 1.7-mile auxiliary lane from the I-5/I-84 interchange to the Fremont Bridge. These auxiliary lanes are similar to lanes that were constructed on I-205 in 2019. In both cases, they were designed to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion.
The decision by the OTC comes after more than a year of work by the Executive Steering Committee, established by the OTC and chaired by OTC Vice Chair Alando Simpson, as well as community discussions convened through the Historic Albina Advisory Board (HAAB) and other organizations. It also comes at the urging of Governor Kate Brown who, after intensive discussions with local leaders, encouraged approval of the Hybrid 3 option.
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“We are grateful to the Governor and community members for their recommendation on the highway cover options and overall project design,” Simpson said. “It is our duty to ensure that this project stays on schedule and offers the best return on investment of public dollars. Our focus must continue to be on putting a finance plan together to deliver the project, and that will require additional funding from other governmental partners.”
The commission directed ODOT to include specific information in the Funding Plan, including: an estimate of the amount of dedicated funding needed to build the project; a discussion of whether a viable plan to secure that dedicated funding from federal, state, and/or the City of Portland, Metro, Multnomah County, TriMet, and other organizations in Portland is reasonably likely to be authorized and appropriated by July 1, 2023; a one-year extension in that deadline until July 1, 2024 if the funding is likely but is temporarily delayed; a preliminary construction schedule for the project; and a discussion of when congestion pricing on I-5 will be operational and produce revenue.
“The Rose Quarter Improvement Project is a top transportation priority for the state of Oregon as the bottleneck in the Rose Quarter project area impacts the economies of communities across the state,” said Commissioner Sharon Smith. “Although the cost of the project is daunting, ... we will work with the community, our agency partners, the legislature, and the Governor to craft a solution and funding plan.”
“The Rose Quarter Project provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconnect Historic Albina and invest in good paying jobs for a community that has faced so much injustice,” said Historic Albina Advisory Board member John Washington, who is also the Executive Director of the Soul District Business Association. “We must continue to fight to secure funding for this project and ensure that the community’s voice influences the many decisions that lie ahead.” HAAB has endorsed the Hybrid 3 option.
