The Data & Analysis program develops tools and interprets data to help ODOT understand what it will take to reach our agency and statewide goals on climate change. Here, you will find additional information about how our innovative approach to tools and data are used to support agency decisions, partnerships and track progress toward ODOT’s climate goals.
Decision Support
Statewide Strategy for GHG Reduction
ODOT's
VisionEval model supported the two-year, statewide collaborative effort to develop Oregon’s guiding document for reducing transportation greenhouse gas emissions, the
2013 Statewide Transportation Strategy (STS). The STS quantifies a mix of actions needed to achieve the state’s required emission reductions. This effort applied the
award-winning VisionEval strategic planning model, originally developed at ODOT, which has been adopted and applied by the Federal Highway Administration and several transportation agencies across the United States. In 2023, ODOT and partners released the
Oregon Transportation Emissions website, which used VisionEval to track greenhouse gas emissions reduction progress relative to the STS roadmap.
Transportation Investment Funding
ODOT now considers greenhouse gas emissions in project funding decisions. Early in the process when project details are limited, we use a new “climate lens” to evaluate the climate impacts of projects under different funding scenarios. This gives decision-makers a clearer picture of climate impacts, and helps invest funding wisely. Applying our new climate lens tool has yielded positive outcomes: funding to active transportation and public transit was doubled in the 2024-2027 budget cycle. Over the long term, the lens will continue to be used to identify and prioritize which specific projects are funded in ODOT’s multi-year funding program, the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, and monitor to projects as they naturally change and evolve over time. The lens was applied to ODOT’s share of transportation funding from the 2021 federal infrastructure bill.
STIP 2024-27 Oregon Transportation Commission funding scenarios (report and appendix). Greenhouse Gas Evaluation of the 2024-27 STIP (report and handout). Metropolitan Scenario Planning for GHG Reduction
ODOT provides support to local agencies for testing and envisioning the climate impacts of various future scenarios, using a metropolitan version of the VisionEval model. Users can assess how well existing local plans work to reach the region’s GHG emission reduction targets and other community goals. It also supports regions in identifying more ambitious policies, strategies and near-term actions to reduce emissions.
Toolkit Expansion
ODOT co-led a multi-agency effort to identify data and analysis gaps for GHG mitigation reporting in Oregon. The
resulting report recommends a dozen strategies to be completed over the next five years to meet those needs. These include tools and data that support state, regional and local scale reporting. For example, completing these efforts will enable reporting on GHG reduction progress in long-range transportation plans across the state not just those areas required to do air quality monitoring, and improve reporting of GHG from freight not just passenger vehicles, and collect new data on the GHG impacts of emerging shared modes like car services, as well as shared bike and scooter programs.
Tracking Progress
Monitoring progress on GHG emissions reductions and supportive actions helps ODOT track goals and steer resources effectively. This includes pursuing good data looking at both overall metrics and progress on the strategies that will get us there. Future work will track progress on climate change adaptation efforts, as well as construction and maintenance emissions from ODOT activities.
ODOT released the 2018 STS Monitoring Report (available upon request), providing information about GHG reduction progress. The 2022 release of the
Oregon Transportation Emissions website encapsulates our greenhouse gas emissions reduction roadmap more interactively, and allows us to share progress more frequently and include supporting data.
ODOT added a greenhouse gas emissions page to the 2020 annual
Portland Region Traffic Performance Report. It reflects analysis based on real-time speed data to assess the GHG emissions from the Portland highway system, including the GHG impact of highway congestion.