City Observatory

Surveys show Oregonians want roads repaired, not expanded, and that they don’t trust ODOT to provide value.

What City Observatory Did This Week Another exploding whale: The I-205 Abernethy Bridge will now cost at least $885 million, more than three and half times to $248 million pricetag that ODOT sold the project with in 2018.

The cost of the I-205 Abernethy Bridge, approved in 2018, based on a cost estimate of $248 million, has just reached $885 million.

What City Observatory Did This Week The Rose Quarter freeway widening sucks . . . sucks up all the transportation money in Portland for the forseeable future.

The largely un-funded $3.5 billion I-5 Rose Quarter Project will suck up all of the available revenue for transportation improvements in Portland, likely for decades to come.

City Observatory welcomes this guest commentary from Ethan Seltzer.

What City Observatory Did This Week A phony success story from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Oxford Economics, a UK-based consulting firm, has prepared its annual ranking of the 1,000 cities worldwide in its Global Cities Index.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is in financial crisis, and is routinely hiding the major cause of its fiscal problems: the exploding cost of major highway expansion projects.

ODOT has proclaimed a Salem area I-5 widening project a “success” because it is coming in at a cost of $55 million.

What City Observatory Did This Week Oregon DOT: First, third, and nearly worst.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT’) has a big management problem: huge cost overruns on highway mega-projects.

Here are two facts that the members of the Governor’s Transportation Vision Task Force ought to have top of mind as they contemplate recommendations for addressing the state’s transportation future.

For years, its been obvious that the Oregon Department of Transportation’s greenhouse gas reduction strategy–which hinges on a 20 percent reduction in per capita driving–was an epic failure.

Here’s our new, updated list of the most expensive highway projects in the US.

Two lies about how Oregon plans for major projects are crippling any effort at reform.

What City Observatory Did This Week Carmaggdon does a no show in Portland.

Once again, a predicted Carmaggedon is a no show.

Testimony of Joe Cortright Oregon Senate Committee on Commerce and General Government September 8, 2026 Thank you, Chair Meek.

What City Observatory Did This Week Carmaggedon is coming.

It’s coming, It’s coming: Carmaggedon!

IBR officials finally admnit that the project’s Environmental Impact Statement is two years late.

What City Observatory Did This Week What $2 billion in R&D investments says about Oregon’s business climate.

It’s time to bury the phony doom-loop narratives about Oregon’s economy that have been paraded in the media over the past year.

What City Observatory Did This Week Oregon’s transportation finance system is in crisis, and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s leadership is essentially playing a game of “extend and pretend” with the multi-billion dollar projects that are bankrup…

Oregon’s transportation finance system is in crisis, and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s leadership is essentially playing a game of “extend and pretend” with the multi-billion dollar projects that are bankrupting the agency.

What City Observatory Did This Week Bankrupt: The cost of the I-5 Rose Quarter freeway widening has exploded to $3.5 billion, making the second highest cost highway project (per mile) in the nation.

The Oregon Department of Transportation’s systematic mismanagement and deception have turned Portland’s I-5 Rose Quarter freeway widening project into a fiscal black hole.

What City Observatory Did This Week Portland’s Advanced Seminar on Sports Economics.