County transportation briefing: aging roads, bridge program gaps and a one‑year shift for the Earthquake‑Ready Burnside project

County transportation officials briefed the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on the Transportation Division’s capital needs and funding outlook, describing a deteriorating asset base, large funding gaps in a 10‑year needs assessment and an adjusted schedule for the Earthquake‑Ready Burnside Bridge project.

John Hendrickson, county engineer and transportation director, told the board the division manages roughly 270 miles of county roads outside the cities of Portland and Gresham, about 1,690 culverts, 23 small bridges and six large bridges. He said current asset conditions are poor: "Thirty‑six percent of our roads need complete replacement" and the preliminary estimate to keep large bridges operating as they are (excluding Burnside) is about $840 million over the next 20 years.

Deputy director Jessica Berry walked commissioners through a recent needs assessment that modeled five scenarios. The study found a "status‑quo" scenario left a 10‑year funding gap of roughly $63 million and that a full "needs‑met" scenario would increase costs materially — staff reported an estimated funding gap of about $647 million over ten years to meet all identified needs. The assessment also shows tradeoffs among rural road needs, bridge replacements and equity‑focused investments.

Hendrickson and Berry described how revenue is allocated: state highway funds and local gas tax flows are split with the City of Portland and cities that previously received transfers; the remaining funds support county road operations and capital match. The county’s local gas tax revenue has declined (staff cited a drop from about $7.0 million in 2017 to $5.7 million most recently), and staff warned that without a new transportation funding package at the state level the county can expect further declines.

The briefing included an update on the Earthquake‑Ready Burnside Bridge, the division’s largest capital program. Staff said the project has reached 30% design and that work on pricing and an extensive risk assessment is underway. Because of uncertain federal funding and materials costs, staff recommended delaying right‑of‑way purchases and detour construction by one year; the revised schedule shifts detour construction to 2027 and main bridge work to 2028.

Commissioners asked for additional analysis and asked staff to coordinate with state and regional partners. Several commissioners emphasized the importance of prioritizing maintenance and operations funding as revenue streams shift and grant availability changes.

The briefing did not require a vote; staff said they would return with more detailed funding analysis and programming recommendations that tie to the county’s capital planning process.