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Officials warn deferred preservation will increase costs and isolate communities
Summary
Maintenance and preservation leads said declining funding will worsen pavement and bridge conditions, increase emergency response times and turn cheaper repairs into much more expensive rebuilds — counties estimate gaps nearing $834M and cities $600M.
Anthony Castaneda and ODOT staff told the working group that deferred preservation has cascading costs: small repairs (chip seals) become full rebuilds when the subbase fails. Castaneda said counties estimate an $834 million gap and cities $600 million, and that letting roads degrade increases per‑mile repair costs from roughly $40,000 to about $630,000.
ODOT staff emphasized that fewer crews and declining conditions will lengthen closures and slow emergency response; slides and landslides (example: US‑26 closures) can isolate communities without adequate funding for rapid repairs. Subgroup members urged clearer public mapping of which roads and services would be downgraded under no‑new‑revenue scenarios so citizens and lawmakers can see tangible trade‑offs.
The subgroup recommended the working group prioritize preservation to avoid cost escalation and to define a base level of service for maintenance before dedicating funds to new major projects.
