Stories by Joe Cortright
32 stories
Opinion: Two lies and a truth about Oregon Transportation Finance
Cortright argues ODOT systematically low-balls cost estimates and blames legislators and communities for overruns it caused.
Opinion: Bankrupt – A $3.5 billion Rose Quarter Freeway widening project
Joe Cortright argues ODOT's Rose Quarter project has grown from a $450M approval to a $3. 5B estimate, with a $2B funding gap.
Opinion: Major projects and ODOT’s financial crisis
Joe Cortright tells Oregon Transportation Commission that ODOT's cost management failures, not fuel efficiency, caused its budget crisis.
Opinion: Investment of grade forecasts actually over-estimate future traffic
Investment grade forecasts for SR 520 and Tacoma Narrows both overshot actual traffic — not the reverse.
Opinion: I-5 Bridge replacement project – Tolls will cause massive traffic diversion to I-205
Stantec's investment-grade study projects I-5 traffic dropping from 127,000 to 77,000 vehicles per day once tolls begin.
Opinion: The high cost of hiding – Why IBR’s delayed revenue study is a $15 billion warning sign
IBR delays critical toll revenue analysis until June 2027, hiding financial details until after project approval.
Opinion: Interstate Bridge replacement – the forever project
Joe Cortright argues the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project could bring tolling and traffic disruptions on I-5 through the mid-2040s.
Opinion: IBR falsely blaming inflation
Joe Cortright argues that inflation explains only a small portion of the IBR project’s cost increases and that rising consultant and staff expenses are the primary drivers.
Opinion: IBR’s evasive, misleading and dishonest excuses for higher cost
Joe Cortright argues the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program has withheld detailed cost estimates while offering contradictory explanations for rising costs tied to the I-5 Bridge project.
Opinion: IBR still holding and lying about coming billions in cost overruns
Joe Cortright argues that Interstate Bridge Replacement officials are deliberately delaying the release of an updated cost estimate that he says could push the project toward $10 billion.
Opinion: Why you can’t bribe your way to a low fixed span bridge
Joe Cortright argues that the Coast Guard is unlikely to approve the IBR’s proposed 116-foot fixed span, citing longstanding navigation requirements and past conflicts over river clearance.
Opinion: Interstate Bridge: $273 million on consultants for ‘basically the same project?’
Joe Cortright questions how the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project has spent more than $273 million on consultants for what he calls “basically the same project” as the failed Columbia River Cro…
Opinion: IBR’s problems are much deeper than its leadership
Joe Cortright of City Observatory says Greg Johnson’s departure from the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program won’t fix its systemic issues, calling the IBR a costly repeat of the failed Columbia…
Opinion: A bridge too short, again
Joe Cortright argues the I-5 Bridge replacement faces the same Coast Guard clearance issues that doomed the Columbia River Crossing, risking delays and federal funding.
Opinion: Federal funding for I-5 Bridge replacement project in jeopardy
Latest, Opinion, columns, transportation, Pacific Northwest, Joe Cortright, Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, I-5 Bridge, Columbia River Crossing, federal funding, Coast Guard, Trump Administr…
Opinion: I-5 Bridge replacement falling further behind
Joe Cortright says the I-5 Bridge replacement is more than two years behind schedule, with the Record of Decision now unlikely before April 2026, raising costs and taxpayer concerns.
Opinion: I-5 Bridge replacement costs headed to $10 billion, but don’t tell anyone
Economist Joe Cortright criticizes repeated delays in updated I-5 Bridge cost estimates, warning the project could top $10 billion while officials avoid disclosure.
Opinion: Another delay for higher IBR costs
Joe Cortright warns that repeated postponements in releasing the Interstate Bridge Replacement cost estimate foreshadow a final price exceeding $9 billion and place Oregon and Washington taxpayers…
Opinion: Hiding the growing cost of the Interstate Bridge replacement
Joe Cortright of the City Observatory addresses the rising cost of the Interstate 5 Bridge replacement project.
Opinion: The Interstate Bridge replacement is two years behind schedule
Joe Cortright of the City Observatory reports that the Interstate Bridge project’s Draft SEIS was supposed to be complete in December 2022 — It now won’t be done before December 2024.
Opinion: Why spend $200 million on consultants for “basically the same project”?
Joe Cortright analyzes the nearly $200 million that has already been spent on the proposed Interstate Bridge Replacement Project.
Opinion: It looks like the Interstate Bridge Replacement could cost $9 billion
Just 13 months after raising the price of the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) project by more than 50 percent, the state DOTs say it will cost even more.
Opinion: Diversion – IBR tolls will gridlock I-205
City Observatory’s Joe Cortright warns that Oregon’s tolling plans for the I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) Project, with tolls ranging from $2.80 to $4.30, could trigger a substantial drop…
Opinion: The case against the Interstate Bridge Replacement
City Observatory has carefully studied the proposed Interstate Bridge Replacement project and identified serious flaws which endanger this project.
Showing the 24 most recent of 32.