Groundbreaking on First Gas Tax Funded Repair Project

Portland may not start collecting revenue from a new gas tax until January but they have already started spending the money. Groundbreaking was held Monday on the first street repair project that will be funded by the new tax.

City officials were at Southeast 104th Avenue and Bush Street where work got underway to excavate a portion of the street that had collapsed.

The project is part of The Fixing Our Streets program that's being created with the passage of a ten-cent gas tax that was approved in May. The city estimates it will raise $64 million over the next four years.

"This groundbreaking is one of my proudest moments as transportation commissioner." said Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick. "For the past 30 years, Portland hasn’t made the investments necessary to keep up with basic road maintenance and street repair."

Photo courtesy Portland Bureau of Transportation