Small towns receive an allotment to improve roads and more
By Paul Hall on Wednesday, October 27th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
EASTERN OREGON – (Information provided by ODOT)Small cities around the state are receiving $5.1 million in funding after the Small City Allotment Advisory Committee unanimously approved the latest round of recommendations in the 2022 Small City Allotment program. ODOT Director Kris Strickler finalized the selection with his approval.
Region 5 Boardman $100,000 Burns $100,000 Echo $100,000 Elgin $100,000 Greenhorn $85,900 Halfway $100,000 Jordan Valley $50,000 Lexington $100,000 Mt. Vernon $100,000 North Powder $75,000 Richland $100,000 Sumpter $100,000 Union $100,000 Weston $100,000
‘We received 92 applications requesting $9,032,850 and were able to award 53 projects totaling $5,135,900.00,” Strickler said in reviewing and approving the committee’s recommendation.
Approved projects include things like replacing 18 non-compliant curb ramps along with pavement preservation in Durham; adding curb, gutters, sidewalks, bike lanes, and curb ramps on selected roads in Scio; and rebuilding roads to match existing curb lines while paving the full width of the road, including shoulders, in Maupin.
Oregon’s historic transportation funding package, Keep Oregon Moving from the 2017 Oregon Legislature, created the Small City Allotment program to help communities fix local roads. The program receives $5 million each year and includes any cost savings from previous years rolled into the distribution formula. Recipient cities must have less than 5,000 population and project selection includes on-site visits. To include as many cities as possible, no matching funds are required.
Programs like the Small City Allotment help ODOT in its efforts to build and support a modern transportation system, one of three top priorities in the agency’s 2021 – 2023 Strategic Action Plan.
