Nearly 200 maintenance workers could lose their jobs at the Oregon Department of Transportation as the agency scrambles to close a $200 million budget gap, a shortfall that officials warn will accelerate the deterioration of highways and bridges used daily by Washington County commuters.

The cuts would hit ODOT's maintenance and operations branch hardest, eliminating 193 positions and shrinking a third of the state's 80 maintenance crews to five workers or fewer, according to reporting by the Hillsboro News Times and Oregon Capital Chronicle. About 10% of those positions are already vacant. The rest would require layoffs.

"The risk of these cuts is truly tragic for the state in the long term," ODOT chief engineer Tova Peltz told the Oregon Capital Chronicle on July 31.

The budget gap, which applies to the 2027-29 cycle, marks ODOT's fourth consecutive cycle of reductions. It stems largely from inflation and declining gas tax revenue as more Oregonians switch to electric vehicles. The state highway fund has lost roughly 27% of its purchasing power since 1998 after adjusting for inflation, according to KATU.

Local roads already feeling the strain

Hillsboro-area residents got a taste of what deferred maintenance looks like in January, when a landslide on Highway 6 near Gales Creek forced Washington County to declare a state of emergency. The highway closed entirely before crews reopened one lane.

Statewide, landslides affect nearly 500 miles of road, about 7% of Oregon's highway system. ODOT spends $2.5 million a year on landslide mitigation and $18.1 million on landslide-related repairs. Areas prone to slides include the Columbia River Gorge and Cascade Mountain passes, both corridors used by Washington County commuters.

Fewer crews also means slower response to emergencies. This summer, as wildfires scorched a record 2.5 million acres across eastern and central Oregon, ODOT maintenance workers were pulled from routine road work to manage traffic, haul equipment out of fire zones and coordinate evacuations. Peltz said west-side crews were sent east to relieve exhausted workers.

The agency has no dedicated budget for severe-weather response. Instead, it diverts maintenance dollars from routine projects. After the 2020 Labor Day fires, it took five years and a federal emergency declaration for ODOT to get reimbursed.

Voters rejected a fix; now a survey asks what's next

Oregon voters overwhelmingly shot down Measure 120 in the May 2026 primary, with more than 83% rejecting a package that would have raised the gas tax from 40 to 46 cents per gallon and doubled most vehicle registration fees. It was the seventh time Oregonians voted down a gas tax increase.

Lawmakers patched the current budget by shifting $288 million in existing funds, but that money was meant to stretch into the 2027 cycle now facing the $200 million shortfall.

Without new revenue, documents presented to the governor's transportation workgroup warn ODOT may only be able to pave interstate highways starting in 2027.

Gov. Tina Kotek has convened a 12-member "Rebuilding Our Transportation Vision" workgroup to develop funding recommendations for the 2027 legislative session. The group launched a public survey asking Oregonians their top transportation priorities. Local residents can weigh in by 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 at cognitoforms.com/ODOT2/ROTVSurvey or by emailing [email protected]. The workgroup's recommendations are due by the end of 2026.