How we measure a road

Transportation policy isn't just about how many cars we can jam on a road. Safety, accessibility, equity, environmental impact — they all need to be part of the big picture.

The Invest in America Act, a critically important transportation bill passed in the House this month, takes this balanced approach.

Beyond just repairing our roads, it would support modern transportation investments that will create family-wage jobs, reconnect communities, make our streets safer, and combat the climate crisis. And it would support innovative efforts to manage and design streets that are safer and more accessible for other transportation choices like walking, running, and biking.

We don't have to look far to see the potential of this legislation.

I've traveled across Gresham's 181st Avenue and Portland's 82nd Avenue, two transportation corridors that would benefit from this effort to rebuild and renew America.

These aren't just major throughways. These streets are part of the beating heart that East Multnomah County runs on. And if we all do our job, these are streets that can tie the community together rather than be a symbol of neglect.

181st Avenue and 82nd Avenue aren't the only streets in need of investment. Communities across Oregon have critical transportation corridors just like these that need attention.

The good news is that the momentum we're seeing is real.

The work of House Democrats, the Biden administration, and our local partners makes revitalization of these transportation corridors a real possibility.

I could not be more excited to make it a reality.

Courage,

Earl