Voters approved a second phase of the popular transportation program by 77% in 2020
Transportation Commissioner Mingus Mapps announced he will ask voters to approve a third phase of the Fixing Our Streets program in 2024. He met with PBOT Director Millicent Williams, at left, and PBOT Maintenance Operations Group Director Jody Yates to see crews work on a gravel street on Friday. Photo by Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).
(Dec. 15, 2023) Portland Transportation Commissioner Mingus Mapps announced today that he will bring a third round of the popular Fixing Our Streets program to the City Council in January, for referral to voters on the May 21 ballot.
If voters renew Fixing Our Streets in 2024, the 10-cent gas tax would generate an estimated $70.5 million over four years.
PBOT's proposal allocates these funds in three areas:
- Smoother Streets Projects, $23.5 million: paving busy streets, neighborhood greenways and residential streets.
- Safer Streets Projects, $23.5 million: building safety improvements on busy streets and residential streets, as well as Safe Routes to School.
- Community Street Services, $23.5 million: filling potholes, maintenance for traffic signals and street lighting; funding for Portland Gravel Street Service, base repairs, upgrading bike lanes by replacing temporary infrastructure with harder, more permanent materials; making intersections safer for pedestrians and more accessible for people with disabilities; funding to continue PBOT's hotline for responding to traffic safety concerns for the public and funding for speed bumps on residential streets.
For full details, see the Fixing Our Streets DRAFT Proposal (2024-2028) that was posted on the PBOT website today.
"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."
Commissioner Mapps and PBOT Director Millicent Williams toured a Portland Gravel Street Service work site today on Southwest Arnold Street to get a firsthand look at the work funded by Fixing Our Streets.
"This neighborhood street is just one example of how Fixing Our Streets makes a difference all over Portland," Director Williams said. "Across the city you can see the impact of Fixing Our Streets as it improves our streets and makes it safer for Portlanders of all ages to walk, bike, and roll to where they want to go."
PBOT Maintenance Operations Group Director Jody Yates shows how crews use a road grader for the Portland Gravel Streets Service, as Transportation Commissioner Mapps and PBOT Director Williams tour a job site before making a big announcement on Friday. Photo by Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).
The Fixing Our Streets program was created in 2016, when 53% of Portland voters approved a 10-cent gas tax for four years, establishing the city's first local source of funding for critical transportation needs like Safe Routes to School, maintenance of gravel streets and paving and safety improvements on streets across Portland.
To make sure freight contributes to the program, the City Council approves a heavy vehicle use tax along with each four-year round of the gas tax.
Fixing Our Streets has a history of strong support from Portland voters. In 2016, voters created the program, with 53% voting in support. In 2020, voters approved Fixing Our Streets with 77% approval.
Learn more about the Fixing Our Streets Program:
- Watch video of parents speaking about the importance of Safe Routes to School as they walk to Earl Boyles Elementary in East Portland on a sidewalk built by Fixing Our Streets, accompanied by Commissioner Mapps and Director Williams.
- See the Fixing Our Streets DRAFT Proposal (2024-2028) on the PBOT website.
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward of the city’s transportation system and a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage, and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides access and mobility. Learn more at portland.gov/transportation