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Public witnesses tell commission major projects 'routinely' outstrip estimates; urge stronger cost controls
Summary
In public comment, Joe Courtright said ODOT major projects often double or triple in cost and cited the Abernathy and I‑205 programs as examples, urging closer commission oversight and better project cost forecasting; commissioners flagged a related audit.
During the public comment period Joe Courtright, director of the Citi Observatory, told commissioners that ODOT's budget crisis stems from ‘‘systemic inability to accurately forecast and manage the cost of major projects’’ and urged new scrutiny of cost estimating. "Major ODOT projects routinely run double or triple their original estimated costs," Courtright said, adding that several listed projects—including the Abernathy and an I‑205 phase—have ballooned into multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar liabilities.
Commissioners responded by pointing to an internal audit on construction cost estimating on the consent agenda and asked staff to provide an overview in August. Vice Chair Beyer and Commissioner Chang both raised the mandatory per‑mile usage charge implementation and the audit accountability report as items needing close attention; staff told the commission the audit would be brought forward for discussion during the August meeting cycle.
