PORTLAND, Ore. — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will be in the Portland metro area on Friday, meeting with Oregon and Washington leaders to discuss infrastructure challenges and opportunities for improvement.
According to Department of Transportation press officials, Secretary Buttigieg will start the day in Washougal, meeting with U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez.
Cantwell's office said that the visit will center around a $40.48 million railroad crossing elimination grant she secured from DOT to create a 32nd Street underpass.
“Washougal is home to the busiest BNSF railroad line in the entire State of Washington. On an average day, 45 trains shut down the intersection at Evergreen Way and 32nd Street, causing blocked traffic, hindered access to the waterfront, and slower response times for emergency services," Cantwell said in a statement. "For a growing community like Washougal – where a recent port expansion is expected to generate 360 new jobs, $21.6 million in wages, and $60 million in private investment – being cut in half by a railroad is just not tenable. I look forward to showing Secretary Buttigieg just how crucial this federal investment is for Washougal’s future.”
From Washougal, Buttigieg will head down to Portland, meeting with Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Gov. Tina Kotek and local leaders at the Portland Community College Southeast Campus on 82nd Avenue. They're expected to deliver remarks at the college before boarding a TriMet bus to travel along 82nd for a narrated tour.
"The tour will highlight the challenges and opportunities for 82nd Avenue, as well as efforts to bring greater engagement and investment to the corridor," Blumenauer's office said in a statement. "Tour narrators will acknowledge how historic inequities have shaped the street as we see it today. They will also describe a vision for a thriving business and residential corridor — along with the need for safety improvements, affordable housing, and more."
Last June, the city of Portland took control of a 7-mile stretch of 82nd Avenue from the Oregon Department of Transportation, promising improvements to the "orphan highway" funded in part by the state. Some of those changes have already begun.
Buttigieg and the Oregon delegation are expected to meet with members of the media near the Portland International Airport before returning to PCC Southeast.
