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West Linn mayor raises Highway 43 jurisdictional-transfer option after Tigard example
Summary
Mayor Bealsdowski introduced the state ODOT jurisdictional transfer advisory committee process and cited Tigard's application (which a committee recommended for $50 million) as a model to explore for Highway 43; council asked staff to monitor the process and flag next steps for possible applications.
Mayor Bealsdowski told the West Linn City Council on March 3 that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) runs a jurisdictional transfer advisory committee that can recommend legislative funding to bring a state highway to a “state of good repair” before a transfer to local ownership. He showed the council an example application from the City of Tigard and a committee report that “unanimously recommends that this transfer in funding in the amount of $50,000,000 to the joint committee on transportation,” and said the committee process might be one route to get major funding for Highway 43.
The mayor said the committee was established by the state legislature and that Tigard’s application included a $50 million recommendation and an Oregon Department of Transportation letter supporting $30 million toward Hall Boulevard contingent on Transportation Commission approval. “So the point of me bringing this up is to kinda introduce this idea … with regard to Highway 43,” he said, asking whether the city should begin exploratory conversations with ODOT and staff. Councilors discussed the potential to gain more local control over improvements and to reduce project costs they believe are higher under ODOT processes; Council president Baumgartner said the transfer process could let the city “have some more control over improvements and the cost of them.”
Councilors asked practical questions about timing and eligibility. The mayor flagged an R1ACT timeline staff previously shared that would open applications in September and close in November 2025 and produce recommendations to the legislature the following year. He asked staff to assess what Vision 43 planning materials might be needed to satisfy transfer requirements (for example, a clear future-use vision for the corridor) and to report back so the city can decide whether to pursue an application. No formal action was taken; staff were asked to continue evaluating the option and report timing and resource needs.
