Mark your calendar for this year's OACES Skills Demo and Safety Conference, which will be held at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point, Sept. 10-12.

Registration is now open. More details, including lodging information, an event schedule and instructions on how to register and pay by check are now available on the OACES Skills Demo and Safety Conference 



Click here to view photos and learn more about last year's Skills Demo, including the final rankings for all events.

Earlier this month, the Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) 2024 listening tour made stops in Albany (July 16), and Eugene (July 17), in preparation for the consideration of a new transportation funding package during the 2025 legislative session. Each listening tour stop is expected to include roundtable discussions with local leaders, a site tour, and a public hearing.

The JCT will hold two listening tour meetings in August:

• Coos Bay: Aug. 7
• Medford: Aug. 8
• Ontario: Aug. 28
• Hermiston: Aug. 29

The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) encourages our members to save the date for their area meeting and be prepared to participate on behalf of their county’s local road, bridge, and transportation needs and priorities.

County road project tours and roundtables: The 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. local operations, maintenance, and safety project tours are coordinated by ODOT Region Managers. If your county is a host location please contact your ODOT Region for more information and to coordinate tour stops to visit county projects or facilities that would convey county road needs to the legislature. AOC county members wanting to attend the 2:00-4:00 p.m. local roundtable should contact AOC Legislative Affairs Director Mallorie Roberts before the meeting. ...[Read More]

The National Association of County Engineers (NACE) Board of Directors is seeking your input to help guide and shape the future of the organization. 

NACE is conducting a brief survey to gather your insights and preferences regarding offerings and services. Your feedback will help tailor the association's benefits and programs to better meet needs and enhance the overall member experience. This survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete.

You can access the survey here. The deadline to complete the survey by Friday, Aug. 9.

Please save-the-date for the 2025 OACES Chip Seal Conference, which will be held at the Best Western Hood River, on March 18 and 19.

The primary goal of this conference is to allow county road departments to learn about the latest products and technology, and share best practices and ideas regarding chip sealing. You can learn more about the 2023 conference here.

Please keep an eye on the OACES Conference & Meeting page, as more information about the Chip Seal conference will be added closer to the event.

As part of HB 2017, the transportation funding package passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2017, all Oregon counties and cities are required to submit road and bridge condition information, as well as public road inventory mileage to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) by Feb. 1, 2025. You can begin developing your report by visiting ODOT's Required Infrastructure Reporting for Cities and Counties page.

Pavement and Bridge Condition Reporting

HB 2017 requires all Oregon counties and cities to report the condition of their roads and bridges every two years, or ODOT is statutorily required to withhold your State Highway Fund payments.

For your report, you will need to gather information about the condition of your paved, federal-aid roads. ODOT's HB 2017: Local Government Reporting Instructions page provides information on which roads to report. Keep in mind, you do not have to inspect your bridges because ODOT inspects all bridges and maintains the data, but you will need to add that data to the form.

Click here for a report that lists the bridges in your county and the condition of each bridge. The form to submit your data to ODOT will be available in early December 2024. 

Public Road Inventory Reporting

ODOT is federally mandated to provide an annual report on the certified public road miles for Oregon’s entire road network. This report includes mileage by surface type and jurisdiction rather than pavement condition.

The public road inventory report requires counties and cities to submit changes in mileage, surface type, and jurisdiction for all roads they own. This data is used to determine federal funding allocations. Instructions will be available on ODOT’s Certified Public Road Mileage website after Nov. 15, 2024. 

Recently, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced the availability of at least $196 million for the FY 2023 Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) Grant Program, which is part of the FY23-26 Culvert AOP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

The National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program (Culvert AOP Program) is a competitive grant program that awards grants to eligible entities for projects for the replacement, removal, and repair of culverts or weirs that meaningfully improve or restore fish passage for anadromous fish, which are fish born in freshwater who spend most of their lives in saltwater and migrate back to freshwater to spawn.

The deadline to apply for FY23 funding is September 23, 2024. To apply, please visit grants.gov.

If you have questions or need application assistance please contact Federal Highways Aquatic Organism Passage Coordinator Jen Feola.

The Oregon Community Paths (OCP) Program is ramping up for its next round of funding, and as part of the 2024 solicitation, the OCP team has provided templates for:

1. Project Refinement
2. Construction Pre-Applications.

Both of these templates can be found on the the Oregon Community Paths website prior to the pre-application solicitation period, which begins Thursday, Aug. 1.

Who is eligible to apply for these grants?

Eligible applicants include cities, counties, tribes, school districts or transportation districts, and non-profits that meet certain criteria.

Where is the funding from?

The 2024 solicitation will use federal Transportation Alternatives Program and Oregon Transportation Commission-directed Surface Transportation Block Grant funding. There will not be any state-funded projects awarded in this round.

When are you accepting applications?

• Pre-applications are a required part of the application process and will be accepted Aug. 1 through Sept. 16. OCP will let pre-applicants know if they eligible to submit their application by Sept. 30.
• Applications will be accepted Nov. 1 through January 15, 2025.
• The Oregon Transportation Commission is scheduled to review and approve awards in May 2025.
• Project agreements are planned to be executed in Oct. 2025.

For questions or more information, please contact Oregon Community Paths Program Manager Alan Thompson at 971-375-3903.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has updated its Local Government Funding website to make it easier to search grant opportunities for which your agency may be eligible.

When you visit the site, you can explore grant opportunities and additional resources by key words such as “cities,” “counties,” or “tribes” to find opportunities for which you are eligible to apply.

Before completing your application for a discretionary grant through the USDOT, you should:

• Consider whether your agency has capacity and is prepared to deliver the project within federal timelines. View the following resources to evaluate whether your agency will be able to deliver a project:
• USDOT Project Readiness Checklist for DOT Discretionary Grant Applicants
• ODOT Local Public Agency Federal Aid Project Scoping Checklist (form 734-5293 in the Certification Forms Library).
• NEW!! Determining How a Federally Funded Project Will be Delivered This new tool developed by FHWA and ODOT is designed to help local agencies make informed decisions about delivering federally funded projects (form 734-5440 in the Certification Forms Library).
• Reach out to the ODOT Area Manager or other ODOT contact for your agency’s geographic location before applying for a discretionary grant to discuss ODOT’s ability to assist with project delivery, such as helping expedite environmental review or other project consultative services. Staff capacity may limit ODOT’s ability to assist.

For questions or additional information, please contact FHWA Planning Program Manager Ashley Bryers.

Oregon State University will host an Oregon Land Survey Law Workshop in Corvallis, August 22-23. This comprehensive workshop is designed to equip land surveyors with the essential knowledge of statutes and common law decisions. Perfect for those gearing up for the Oregon Specific Land Surveying Examination, this workshop delves into the legal aspects of the surveying profession.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, Aug. 22 and Friday, Aug. 23
• Location: Owen Hall, Room 110, Oregon State University
• Address: 1501 SW Campus Way, Corvallis, 97331
• Cost: $500 per attendee (space is limited to 24 participants)
• Registration: Click here to register

For questions or more information, please visit the Oregon Land Survey Law Workshop website or contact Conference Chair Chase Simpson

The Environmental Learning Center at Clackamas Community College, in partnership with the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), will offer a Stream Function Assessment Method 2.0 (SFAM) workshop this September.

Course Details

The Stream Function Assessment Method provides a standardized, rapid, function-based method for assessing stream functions statewide. SFAM 2.0, which incorporates recently available data and research to improve standard performance indices for several measures of function, is anticipated to be released this summer and required by DSL this fall. The training team is comprised of DSL staff members who participated in the development of the SFAM assessment methods, and/or reviewed SFAM assessments submitted to DSL.

• Dates:
• Sept. 17 (Tuesday) 9 a.m. – noon | Virtual Classroom
• Sept. 19 (Thursday) 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Field Day in Salem, OR
• Sept. 25 (Wednesday) 9 a.m. – noon | Virtual Classroom
• Location: Virtual & Bush's Pasture Park,
• Address: 890 Mission St. SE, Salem, 97302
• Cost: $780 per attendee

For more information, including how to register for this workshop, please visit the ELC's Stream Function Assessment Method 2.0 webpage or contact Leanne Wells

Innovative solutions can save local government agencies time and money while improving safety and business practices.

To this end, FHWA's Local Aid Support program will present an Innovation Exchange webinar Thursday, Aug. 15, during which Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Centers will discuss some out-of-the-box ways they are addressing issues in their states. The purpose of this webinar is to share information that could help other agencies facing similar challenges.

Featured Speakers

• Nevada LTAP Center: Carrie Brown (Director) and Luis Sibaja

Innovation: The PASER System: gathers data to assist with justifying CIP (Capital Improvement Project) improvements for the roadways.

• Rhode Island LTAP Center: Kathleen Sisson, M. ED., PMP (Director)

Innovation: PPE (personal protective equipment) Program/ Work Zone Safety Kits to encourage increased communication and participation by and from municipalities.

• Alabama LTAP Center: Laurence R. Rilett, PhD (Director)

Innovation: Step-up Alabama, a community engagement program for planning and designing improved pedestrian facilities in historically underserved communities.

Registration is now open and required to participate in the webinar.

If you have any questions about this upcoming webinar, please contact Trinette Ballard at trinette.ballard@dot.gov or CLAS@dot.gov.

Earlier this month, the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) and CityCounty Insurance Services (CIS) hosted a webinar discussing the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson.

The webinar provided an understanding of the opinion, covered implications for cities in Oregon, and discussed what this decision means for future litigation. 

You can view and learn more about the webinar here.

The latest American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Transportation System Preservation Technical Services Program (TSP2) Local Agency Bridge Preservation Group Training was held July 17 and focused on timber bridge maintenance.

The training covered timber bridge maintenance, including common causes for timber deterioration, actions that can be done to help minimize that damage, and different types of repairs that can help extend the life of these bridges. In case you missed the training, a recording is now available through the TSP2 Bridge Preservation Video Library.

• Biden's new $1.8 billion transportation package stars climate projects | Scientific American
• Feds send $15M to Warm Springs highway safety projects | OPB
• Joint Transportation Committee road tour stops in Tillamook | Tillamook Headlight Herald
• Homelessness rules in Oregon may not change much despite Supreme Court decision | OPB
• An active roadmap: Best practices in rural mobility | Smart Growth America
• Historic highway receives funding for final section | Columbia Gorge News
• Oregon to expand the state's network of EV fast chargers | OPB
• New wildlife hazard map will be released with few changes after yearlong makeover | Oregon Capital Insider
• Oregon's transportation system is due for an overhaul next year. Here's what you need to know | OPB
• Gov. Kotek joins I-84 cleanup effort during weekend closure | KPTV
• Interstate Bridge replacement project lands $1.5 billion in new federal funding | KGW
• Draft wildfire hazard maps posted for public comment | ODF

Newsletters of Interest:

• Every Day Counts, Bi-Weekly News -- FHWA
• Innovator, Bi-Monthly News -- FHWA
• Transportation Safety, Monthly News -- ODOT
• The Oregon Examiner, Quarterly News -- OSBEELS
• PLSO News -- PLSO