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State of the System - Project Delivery


Project Delivery

We manage hundreds of construction projects of various sizes and in various stages of development, but they all help keep travelers moving safely and efficiently across the system. Some examples of the work we do:

Statewide project actively in planning, design or construction: 638 Projects Statewide. 50 in the project planning phase, 418 in project design phase, 170 in construction phase.
  • Improving intersections with new lighting, better crosswalks and signals, and other safety enhancements.
  • Repairing bridge structures and retrofitting them to be more resilient to earthquakes.
  • Repaving road and bridge surfaces, replacing guardrails, and adding rumble strips to road centerlines and shoulders.
  • Filling in sidewalk gaps, adding bike lanes, and building new multi-use paths.
  • Improving transit service by widening interstate shoulders to allow buses to use them in heavy traffic.
  • Easing traffic congestion by adding auxiliary lanes, improving on-and-off ramps, and building roundabouts.
  • Replacing culverts to keep water from damaging our roads.


Learn more about ongoing projects through the Transportation Project Tacker at the bottom of the page.

Chart Source: ODOT Transportation Project Tracker, updated 10/2024

We're taking action to better estimate project costs and timelines

Three to five years before a project starts, ODOT estimates the total cost of the project in order to program/reserve funds. Project components and the type of design are identified (e.g., traffic signal at an intersection, and a buffered bike lane) but not developed (less than 5% of design work is completed). Project costs sometimes change once additional design work and environmental analysis are done.

To improve estimates, we are:

  • Developing a process for a 10 Year Rolling Investment Strategy to better plan for future investments, including;
    • Programming closer to the time the project starts. (1-2 years out)
    • Getting further into design (closer to 30%) before programming and obtaining a better understanding of permitting and risk mitigation requirements.
  • Monetizing risks in estimates.
  • Putting in place more project controls.
    • Establishing formalized quarterly project and program reports to identify potential project trends and risk mitigation strategies early.

ODOT construction staff manage projects within their allotted budget

Once projects enter the construction phase, we construct and deliver most projects on-time and on-budget. 

As we improve and align project estimating with project delivery, on-time and on-budget performance should be more accurate from project programming through completion, not just construction through completion.

We are working to improve our project delivery, but we face significant hurdles

  • Many factors impact on-time and on-budget delivery:
    • Cost of materials and fuels 
    • Community support
    • Other unforeseen issues (e.g., unanticipated geological features, archeological finds, environmental impacts)
  • ODOT plans for average inflation and risks when estimating costs. However, material costs can fluctuate from year to year and even quarter to quarter. Over the past few years:
    • Fuel costs have gone up 67% 
    • Asphalt and cement material costs are up 50% 
    • The cost of steel has increased by 59% 
A stacked line chart showing the fluctuation of fuel, steel and asphalt costs between 2021 and 2023. Source: ODOT Project Controls Office, Updated 04/2024

Investments benefit disadvantaged communities

We remain committed to investing funds into regions with low-income populations, communities of color, and areas identified with equity disparities throughout Oregon.

2024-2027 Statewide funded project in areas with medium or high equity disparity: 38.65% High Equity Disparity areas are places where predictors of social vulnerability overlap to show potential levels of inequity. Updated 04/2024

Transportation Project Tracker

Click Map to view all project on a map. Projects are denoted on the map with dots and lines. Larger dots indicate multiple projects in the area. Lines indicate corridor projects.

Visit our Project Delivery website to learn more
project delivery link button - click to visit 



To submit a question or comment:

Ask ODOT button - Click to visit the Ask ODOT form 
 




2024 Efforts Underway


 
  • Assessing our full portfolio of work to identify cost risk and align processes with our budgetary limitations.
  • Using more and better data to make more accurate project cost estimates.
  • Using project management software to collect and track data to measure and inform outcomes.
  • Ensuring community outreach goals by using the Community Engagement Tookit.
  • Working to meet statewide Disadvantaged Business Enterprises contracting targets through construction.