It cannot be overstated: Urban capacity expansion projects are the *worst* way to invest in freight movement. They cost 10x more per mile than rural and suburban bypass projects, and almost all of the benefit is soaked up by commuters.
The Oregonian@oregonian.com · yesterdayThe Portland project’s funding gap raises questions about whether it will proceed as planned. https://mrf.lu/2ZXPL
“the vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon” means: they murdered a man and don't even have the thinnest excuse
'The target of the law is people sometimes referred to as “neighborhood defenders,” who developers and pro-housing lawmakers say unnecessarily delay homebuilding by flooding local government public hearings when they don’t want a development in their backyard.'
Oregon law ending public hearings for most new housing is ‘blatantly unconstitutional,’ lawyer says
An Oregon law, effective July 1, limits public input and appeals on most new housing developments. West Linn neighbors are lawyering up.
oregonlive.com
Curious how much of this is just fees catching up with inflation. Wages are up 25-30 percent since 2019, meaning budgets for all these services are too. Wish we had a competent newspaper that would dig into obvious questions like this.
Portland’s cost of living is ballooning as city tax, fee increases pile up. Residents feel the pain
City lawmakers have created new fees for streets, hiked the arts tax and increased utility rates while a 75% parks levy increase took effect earlier this year.
oregonlive.com
LOL @ survey of 600 individuals that just happens to include a major proponent of an anti-tax measure. Are we supposed to believe this is a representative survey? Also seems to be no attempt to establish a baseline. Per a simple google search, 1/3 of Americans plan to move in a 5-year timeframe.
40%-plus of Portland residents are considering moving. Here’s why
A new poll shows 36% of metro area respondents and 41% of Portlanders are thinking about leaving in the next five years. 62% cite taxes as a primary motivator.
oregonlive.com
Honolulu's new W line is everything bus improvement projects should be. It reduced Waikiki-Airport travel times from 60 min to 37 min and Waikiki to downtown from 30 min to 15 min. Peak hour frequency is 10 min, off-peak is 15 min, doubling previous frequency. Stops are ~1/2 mile apart.
With a Central Eastside MAX link, MAX travel times could be reduced by ~7 min E-W and ~17 min N-S. It would require about 1.5 miles of elevated rail and a new transit bridge over the river. If a 1/2 mile extension of the Robertson tunnel is added, the E-W time savings could be ~10 min.
Glad Vancouver City Council is giving this some attention. No good reason to trim the light rail scope. The reasoning seems to be that the current plans show the Evergreen station elevated above I-5, and if that section of I-5 isn't being built then neither can the station.
Vancouver City Council could vote to oppose shorter I-5 light rail route
Planned light rail stops were reduced from two to one, with light rail terminating at the Vancouver waterfront.
opb.org
I think, for once, the Oregonian has this right. It's shocking that despite our supposedly progressive tax structure, low- and middle-income households have some of the highest tax rates in the country.
Editorial: A baby step forward for Portland City Council
The Portland City Council is poised to adopt an ordinance broadening a business license tax exemption, the editorial board writes. While that is a welcome step forward, city councilors will need to ta...
oregonlive.com
Dear Lord this thing is a monstrosity. Probably for the best since a tasteful addition might end up lasting. Bulldozing this cancerous tumor will be an easy call.
Trump’s Ballroom Design Has Barely Been Scrutinized (Gift Article)
Fake windows and a stairway to nowhere: Three months that could change the White House for generations.
nytimes.com
Nice to see the Line 24 reroute is being implemented. Should meaningfully improve NE - NW trip times.
March ’26 Transit Service Changes
Service reductions and schedule adjustments starting Sunday, March 1.
trimet.org
Dunphy channeling Jane Jacobs: "We are never going to hire enough police officers to make Hawthorne Blvd feel safe at midnight in the way that a concert getting out at midnight and a crowd of people being on the sidewalk and walking to bars and restaurants [can]."
Just bizarre that because immigration agents now dress like soldiers, actual soldiers have to wear hi-viz vests to avoid confusion
Olga Nesterova@onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 6mo agoMinnesota National Guard members have arrived at a federal building and were directed to distribute donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate to anti-ICE protesters. Guard members were issued reflective vests so they would not be mistaken for federal agents.
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti. "Please get the truth out about our son."
Commissioner Baker bringing the heat following the IBR presentation at today's OTC meeting: I see this word “sequencing”. It’s starting to pop up. The plan, internally, would be we spend the amount of money that we have allocated right now, and then we come back for more,
Feels like a lifetime ago that we impeached a President for extortion
With a little bit of creativity, HB2017's promised freeway improvements could be delivered immediately for just the cost of paint and a bit of asphalt. It would look something like this. The promised improvements were: - Address Rose Quarter congestion - Improve north-south vehicle flow
OTC votes 4-0 in support of Rose Quarter "Option 4" put forward by Albina Vision Trust. Option calls for discussion over next 3-4 months between ODOT, AVT, and partners to find a consensus set of investments that would split the $167 million on hand equally between highway and community aspects.
Recommendation from the 2005 Freeway Loop Study: "Complete Master Plan Before Major Investment." (Maybe we should do that?)
Interesting and revealing exchange at today's OTC meeting regarding the Salem Center Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project. At issue: The authorization of an additional ~$100 million to cover project cost increases. Commissioner Chang starts it off well:
The reasoning given here for ruling out highway cover width reduction makes no sense. Shoulders are routinely used as temporary travel lanes during construction. A cap designed for three lanes and standard shoulders in each direction would have adequate width for four temporary lanes on one side.
The wholesomest thing I've read in a long time. Wendell Berry and Nick Offerman hanging out drinking bourbon makes me so happy
What Wendell Berry Taught Me
After dreaming about performing the works of the acclaimed author for decades, Nick Offerman finally got his shot—and realized he wasn’t worthy
outsideonline.com
Apropos of the IBR project's presentation to the Portland City Council Transportation Committee next week: A thread. About half of the IBR's planned $7.5B budget is dedicated to replacing the current bridge and building the necessary approaches, including the SR-14 interchange.
One reason for the high cost of the Rose Quarter project is that it has essentially been designed by committee. Pieces have been added, taken away, and moved around. Whenever this is done, the other pieces are all iterated to accommodate the change. But there's little evidence that big-picture
