Rose Quarter Improvement Project's $450 million in federal grants in question, ODOT says
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Hundreds of millions of dollars of federal grant money set aside for the Rose Quarter Improvement Project is now in question after the recent passage of President Donald Trump's spending and tax bill, officials said.
Federal grants totaling $450 million was originally awarded to the project, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. However, now over $400 million of that amount could be at risk of being rescinded, officials said, though ODOT is still trying to clarify this with the Federal Highway Administration.
The money was promised as part of the Reconnecting Community and Neighborhoods program for restorative projects for infrastructure across the nation.
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With Congress' approval of Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' that federal grant money could be at risk of being eliminated, according to Rose Gerber, a spokesperson for ODOT's Rose Quarter Project.
The Rose Quarter Improvement Project aims to make safety and congestion improvements in Oregon's busiest bottleneck, Gerber said. That grant money, specifically, was earmarked for building a highway cover and central core, adding an auxiliary lane and shoulder from I-405 to the Morrison Bridge exit and extending an auxiliary lane and shoulder under the highway cover, among other project elements.
'This portion of the project design is at the heart of ODOT's commitment to addressing the negative economic and social impact due to the construction of I-5 in the early 1960s,' Gerber said.
Some Oregon state dollars have been secured for the project to complete needed bridge work and stormwater facilities near I-405, which would set the stage for the larger aspects of the construction project to take place, ODOT said.
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'Of the $450 million granted to the project, $37.5 million for design and utility relocation has been obligated for spending for the project,' Gerber said.
That $37.5 million portion of the federal grants is effectively 'protected from rescission,' she said.
The transportation agency is still in the process of analyzing and understanding the impact of the recently passed federal spending bill, which was signed into law on July 4.
Gerber said ODOT is 'committed to this project' and will continue working with local and federal partners in the coming weeks to carve a path forward.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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