Oregon counties, including Wasco County stand to gain badly needed revenue from the recently released framework for the Oregon Transportation Re-Investment Package (TRIP). This long-term investment will bring critical funding for safety upgrades, bridge replacements, and deferred maintenance across the state — with meaningful impacts.
Wasco County’s road network includes critical routes for agriculture and farm to market hauling, recreation, emergency response, federal land access, etc. These diverse uses make dependable infrastructure vital to our local economy, public safety, and quality of life.
The TRIP framework proposes investing 90% of this new revenue towards safety, operations, and maintenance across Oregon’s shared transportation system. Of that new revenue, 50% is dedicated to cities and counties.
Counties and cities maintain the majority of Oregon’s transportation network, responsible for 55% of all roads and more than 80% of non-federal roads.
Wasco County owns and maintains 660 road miles and 65 bridges. This includes almost 100 miles in poor or fair condition, 8 structurally deficient bridges in poor condition and 17 heavy-truck-weight restricted bridges.
Over the last 30 years, the federal government has significantly reduced funding for Oregon’s rural roads. In 2006, Wasco County received close to $1.9 million and now will only receive $121 thousand. The federal Secure Rural Schools Act, which provides federal funding to formerly timber revenue-reliant counties, has not been reauthorized.
Without Congressional action, Oregon counties will lose over $30 million in federal funding statewide.
Facing challenges from inflation, declining fuel consumption, reductions in federal funding, and limited local revenue raising options, counties across Oregon have had to postpone crucial safety upgrades and routine maintenance, leading to a decline in road quality and safety.
Currently, Wasco County has many unmet maintenance needs, including pavement preservation, bridge rehabilitation, gravel road grading, and several important projects such as the Five Mile-Steele Road repair, Tygh Valley-Wamic safety improvements, and the Three Mile intersection reconstruction to name just a few.
The TRIP framework is a necessary and timely solution. It preserves the 30% share of State Highway Funds for counties while modernizing revenue sources and stabilizing long-term funding. These investments will help ensure that every Oregonian — including those in Wasco County — has access to safe roads, reliable bridges, and wellmaintained infrastructure for years to come. ###