Oregon Department of Transportation: Difference between revisions

Oregon Department of Transportation
Agency overview
Formed	1969
Preceding agencies	Oregon State Highway Commission; Oregon State Highway Department;
Jurisdiction	Oregon
Headquarters	355 Capitol Street NE, Salem, Oregon 97301-3871
Agency executive	Kris Strickler, Director;
Parent agency	Oregon Transportation Commission
Website	oregon.gov/ODOT

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The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969.^[1] It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Department which, along with the Oregon State Highway Commission, was created by an act of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1913.^[2] It works closely with the five-member Oregon Transportation Commission (the modern name of the Highway Commission) in managing the state's transportation systems.

The Oregon Transportation Commission, formerly the Oregon State Highway Commission, is a five-member governor-appointed government agency that manages the state highways and other transportation in the U.S. state of Oregon, in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Inception[edit]

The first State Highway Commission was created on August 12, 1913, and was composed of Governor Oswald West, Secretary of State Ben W. Olcott and Treasurer Thomas B. Kay. On January 12, 1915, James Withycombe became Governor and replaced Oswald West on the commission. The 1917 Oregon Legislative Assembly redesigned the State Highway Commission, with citizens appointed to replace the elected officials.

The new commissioners held their first meeting on March 6, and the commission was then known as the Oregon Highway Division. As Oregon's transportation needs started to grow, the division expanded and, in 1919, it employed their first State Bridge Engineer, Conde McCullough.

Events[edit]

By 1920, Oregon had 620 miles (998 km) of paved roads and 297.2 miles (478.3 km) of plank roads for a population of 783,389 and, by 1932, the work that had been started on the Oregon Coast Highway (also known as U.S. Route 101) in 1914 was completed, except for five bridges, which meant greater responsibility for the division.^[3]^[4] This work was complete when the construction of the bridges over the Yaquina, Alsea, Siuslaw, and Umpqua rivers and Coos Bay were completed, closing the last gaps in the highway. By 1940, the highway division was managing more than 7,000 miles (11,300 km) of state, market and country roads in Oregon, with nearly 5,000 miles (8,000 km) being hard-surfaced.

In 2018, the city government of Portland, Oregon and ODOT entered into an intergovernmental agreement in which the Portland city government takes over the cleanups of transient camps on ODOT right-of-way in select locations in Portland in exchange for payments from ODOT.^[5]^[6]

In 2019, ODOT installed boulders at five locations in Portland to deter transient camps around the freeways. The installations have received support from neighbors while criticized by homeless advocacy groups.^[7]

Exploding whale incident[edit]

On November 12, 1970, the department was tasked with disposing of a dead sperm whale that washed ashore on the beach near Florence. The department exploded the dead whale using half a ton of dynamite to blast it off the beach. Pieces of dead whale went everywhere including the beach, bystanders, a parking lot and a park, severely damaging at least one car.^[8] Willamette Week reports "The decision to publicly dynamite an enormous mammal has become one of Oregon's all-time most bizarre moments."^[8]

This became known as the "exploding whale incident".^[9]

Directors[edit]

John Fulton — July 1, 1969 – December 31, 1970
George Baldwin — January 1, 1971 – June 30, 1971
Sam Haley — July 1, 1971 – July 8, 1973
George Baldwin — July 9, 1973 – April 30, 1976
Bob Burco — May 1, 1976 – January 8, 1979
Fred Klaboe — January 9, 1979 – December 31, 1981
Fred Miller — January 1, 1982 – February 16, 1987
Bob Bothman — February 17, 1987 – June 30, 1991
Don Forbes — July 1, 1991 – 1995
Grace Crunican — 1996 – 2001
Bruce Warner — 2001 – 2005
Matthew Garrett — December 19, 2005 – June 30, 2019
Kris Strickler — September 2019 – Present

Slogans[edit]

1913 - "Get Oregon Out of the Mud"^[10]
1957 - "Building Oregon Thru Better Highways"
1958 - "Oregon Freeways...Symbol of 2nd Century Progress"
1961 - "Freeways are Easier"
1967 - "Fifty Years of Building Better Highways in Oregon" (not technically correct; the department was formed in 1913)
1978 - "Keep Oregon Green and in the Black"
1986 - "ODOT on the Move"
2006 - "The way to go!"

References[edit]

^ History of ODOT
^ Department of Transportation: Agency History, Oregon Blue Book.
^ "Background Brief on Roads and Highways" (PDF). Oregon State Legislature. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
^ Places, Oregon; Manning, Clyde E.; Minor, Rick (2019). "Building the Oregon Coast Highway: An Oral History of the 1931–1932 Work Camp at the Cape Creek Bridge, Lane County, Oregon". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 120 (1): 102–123. doi:10.5403/oregonhistq.120.1.0102. ISSN 0030-4727.
^ Sparling, Zane. "ODOT to pay Portland for homeless camp clean-ups". Retrieved 2020-07-23.
^ Harbarger, Molly (2018-12-20). "Portland taking over homeless camp cleanups for ODOT". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
^ Kruzman, Kruzman (2019-07-04). "Portland's homeless campers face new obstacle: piles of boulders". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
^ ^a ^b June, Sophia (October 3, 2016). "There Is Now Better Footage of That Time Oregon Blew Up a Whale With Dynamite". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
^ "Exploding Whale Memorial Park to Honour Blubber That Was Blown to Bits in US 50 Years Ago". News18. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
^ Business Services History Center Archived 2012-01-02 at the Wayback Machine

External links[edit]

[History_of_ODOT-1] History of ODOT

[2] Department of Transportation: Agency History, Oregon Blue Book.

[3] "Background Brief on Roads and Highways" (PDF). Oregon State Legislature. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.

[4] Places, Oregon; Manning, Clyde E.; Minor, Rick (2019). "Building the Oregon Coast Highway: An Oral History of the 1931–1932 Work Camp at the Cape Creek Bridge, Lane County, Oregon". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 120 (1): 102–123. doi:10.5403/oregonhistq.120.1.0102. ISSN 0030-4727.

[5] Sparling, Zane. "ODOT to pay Portland for homeless camp clean-ups". Retrieved 2020-07-23.

[6] Harbarger, Molly (2018-12-20). "Portland taking over homeless camp cleanups for ODOT". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-07-23.

[7] Kruzman, Kruzman (2019-07-04). "Portland's homeless campers face new obstacle: piles of boulders". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-07-23.

[:0-8] June, Sophia (October 3, 2016). "There Is Now Better Footage of That Time Oregon Blew Up a Whale With Dynamite". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2020-07-23.

[9] "Exploding Whale Memorial Park to Honour Blubber That Was Blown to Bits in US 50 Years Ago". News18. Retrieved 2020-07-23.

[dothisto-10] Business Services History Center Archived 2012-01-02 at the Wayback Machine

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Department of the state government of Oregon, United States}}
-{{primary sources|date=December 2009}}
-{{Infobox Government agency
+{{Infobox government agency
 |agency_name     = Oregon Department of Transportation
 |logo            = Oregon Department of Transportation (logo).svg
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 |superseding     =
 |jurisdiction    = [[Oregon]]
-|headquarters    = [[Salem, Oregon]]
+|headquarters    = 355 Capitol Street NE, [[Salem, Oregon]] 97301-3871
 |employees       =
 |budget          =
-|chief1_name     = Matthew Garrett
+|chief1_name     = Kris Strickler
 |chief1_position = Director
 |chief2_name     =
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 |child5_agency   =
 |child6_agency   =
-|website         = [http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT www.oregon.gov/ODOT]
+|website         = {{URL|http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT|oregon.gov/ODOT}}
 |footnotes       =
+|chief3_name=|chief3_position=|chief4_name=|chief4_position=|chief5_name=|chief5_position=|chief6_name=|chief6_position=|chief7_name=|chief7_position=|chief8_name=|chief8_position=|chief9_name=|chief9_position=|parent_department=}}
-}}
-The '''Oregon Department of Transportation''' ('''ODOT''') is a [[Ministry (government department)|department]] of the [[Government of Oregon|state government]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]]  responsible for systems of [[transport]]ation. It was first established in 1969.<ref name="History of ODOT">[http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/About/Pages/History.aspx History of ODOT]</ref> It had been preceded by the '''Oregon State Highway Department''' which, along with the Oregon State Highway Commission, was created by an act of the [[Oregon Legislative Assembly]] in 1913.<ref>[https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/records/agency/Documents/transportation-history.pdf Department of Transportation: Agency History], Oregon Blue Book.</ref> It works closely with the five-member Oregon Transportation Commission (the modern name of the Highway Commission) in managing the state's transportation systems.
+The '''Oregon Department of Transportation''' ('''ODOT''') is a [[Ministry (government department)|department]] of the [[Government of Oregon|state government]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]] responsible for systems of [[transport]]ation. It was first established in 1969.<ref name="History of ODOT">[http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/About/Pages/History.aspx History of ODOT]</ref> It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Department which, along with the Oregon State Highway Commission, was created by an act of the [[Oregon Legislative Assembly]] in 1913.<ref>[http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/RecordView/7589689 Department of Transportation: Agency History], Oregon Blue Book.</ref> It works closely with the five-member Oregon Transportation Commission (the modern name of the Highway Commission) in managing the state's transportation systems.
-The '''Oregon Transportation Commission''', formerly the '''Oregon State Highway Commission''', is a five-member governor-appointed [[government agency]] that manages the [[state highway]]s and other transportation in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]], in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation.
+The Oregon Transportation Commission, formerly the Oregon State Highway Commission, is a five-member governor-appointed [[government agency]] that manages the [[state highway]]s and other transportation in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Oregon]], in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation.
 ==Inception==
 [[File:Oregon Transportation Building April 2009 (3466679688).jpg|thumb|right|ODOT headquarters in Salem]]
 [[File:Incident response truck (31669177345).jpg|thumb|right|Incident response truck in Salem]]
+[[File:Odot boulder.jpg|thumb|Transient camp deterrent boulders installed by ODOT in 2019 at [[Portland, Oregon]] ]]
 The first State Highway Commission was created on August 12, 1913, and was composed of [[Governor of Oregon|Governor]] [[Oswald West]], [[Oregon Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Ben W. Olcott]] and [[Treasurer of Oregon|Treasurer]] [[Thomas B. Kay]]. On January 12, 1915, [[James Withycombe]] became Governor and replaced Oswald West on the commission. The 1917 [[Oregon Legislative Assembly]] redesigned the State Highway Commission, with citizens appointed to replace the elected officials.
 The new commissioners held their first meeting on March 6, and the commission was then known as the Oregon Highway Division. As Oregon's transportation needs started to grow, the division expanded and, in 1919, it employed their first State Bridge Engineer, [[Conde McCullough]].
-==Achievements==
+==Events==
-By 1920, Oregon had {{convert|620|mi|km|0}} of paved roads and {{convert|297.2|mi|km|1}} of [[plank road]]s for a population of 783,389 and, by 1932, the work that had been started on the [[Oregon Coast Highway]] (also known as [[U.S. Route 101 in Oregon|U.S. Route 101]]) in 1914 was completed, except for five bridges, which meant greater responsibility for the division. This work was complete when the construction of the bridges over the [[Yaquina River|Yaquina]], [[Alsea River|Alsea]], [[Siuslaw River|Siuslaw]], and [[Umpqua River|Umpqua]] rivers and [[Coos Bay]] were completed, closing the last gaps in the highway. By 1940, the highway division was managing more than {{convert|7000|mi|km|-2}} of state, market and country roads in Oregon, with nearly {{convert|5000|mi|km|-2}} being hard-surfaced.
+By 1920, Oregon had {{convert|620|mi|km|0}} of paved roads and {{convert|297.2|mi|km|1}} of [[plank road]]s for a population of 783,389 and, by 1932, the work that had been started on the [[Oregon Coast Highway]] (also known as [[U.S. Route 101 in Oregon|U.S. Route 101]]) in 1914 was completed, except for five bridges, which meant greater responsibility for the division.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Background Brief on Roads and Highways |url=https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lpro/Publications/RoadsAndHighways.pdf#page=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330050401/https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lpro/Publications/RoadsAndHighways.pdf |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |access-date=July 27, 2023 |website=Oregon State Legislature}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Places |first=Oregon |last2=Manning |first2=Clyde E. |last3=Minor |first3=Rick |date=2019 |title=Building the Oregon Coast Highway: An Oral History of the 1931–1932 Work Camp at the Cape Creek Bridge, Lane County, Oregon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5403/oregonhistq.120.1.0102 |journal=Oregon Historical Quarterly |volume=120 |issue=1 |pages=102–123 |doi=10.5403/oregonhistq.120.1.0102 |issn=0030-4727}}</ref> This work was complete when the construction of the bridges over the [[Yaquina River|Yaquina]], [[Alsea River|Alsea]], [[Siuslaw River|Siuslaw]], and [[Umpqua River|Umpqua]] rivers and [[Coos Bay]] were completed, closing the last gaps in the highway. By 1940, the highway division was managing more than {{convert|7000|mi|km|-2}} of state, market and country roads in Oregon, with nearly {{convert|5000|mi|km|-2}} being hard-surfaced.
 [[File:ODOT Regions.png|thumb|ODOT Highway Division Regions]]
+In 2018, the city government of [[Portland, Oregon]] and ODOT entered into an intergovernmental agreement in which the Portland city government takes over the cleanups of transient camps on ODOT right-of-way in select locations in Portland in exchange for payments from ODOT.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sparling|first=Zane|title=ODOT to pay Portland for homeless camp clean-ups|url=https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/415474-317551-odot-to-pay-portland-for-homeless-camp-clean-ups|access-date=2020-07-23|language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Harbarger|first=Molly|date=2018-12-20|title=Portland taking over homeless camp cleanups for ODOT|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2018/12/portland-taking-over-homeless-camp-cleanups-for-odot.html|access-date=2020-07-23|website=oregonlive|language=en}}</ref>
-In 2007, the department entered into an agreement with [[Aurigo Software]], who used its capital project management application to automate the  $2.5 billion OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program.<ref name="TI">{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/external/display.jsp?mode=details&id=28594#.V6Ggz_krLIU|title=Making Project Management for the Construction Industry Easy –Aurigo Masterworks (Capital Project Management Software)|publisher=''The Telegraph'' (India)|date=13 October 2011|accessdate=29 September 2016}}</ref>
+In 2019, ODOT installed boulders at five locations in Portland to deter transient camps around the freeways. The installations have received support from neighbors while criticized by homeless advocacy groups.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kruzman|first=Kruzman|date=2019-07-04|title=Portland’s homeless campers face new obstacle: piles of boulders|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2019/07/homeless-campers-face-a-new-obstacle-along-portland-roadways-giant-piles-of-boulders.html|access-date=2020-07-23|website=oregonlive|language=en}}</ref>
-==Unusual events==
-Several unusual events occurred in the department's history. In 1958, the division changed its slogan to the unintentionally funny "Oregon Freeways...Symbol of 2nd Century Progress"<ref name=dothisto/><!-- Pure gold! Any idea what the intended meaning was? --> and in 1967 ODOT celebrated its 50th anniversary, even though it was by then fifty-four years old. On November 12, 1970, the department gained notoriety after they attempted to dispose of a rotting beached [[sperm whale]] by using half a ton of dynamite to blast it off the beach, as one might remove a boulder. They were given responsibility for this task because Oregon beaches were designated as highways when the division was initially formed. This became known as the "[[exploding whale]] incident".
+==Exploding whale incident==
+On November 12, 1970, the department was tasked with disposing of a dead [[sperm whale]] that washed ashore on the beach near [[Florence, Oregon|Florence]]. The department exploded the dead whale using half a ton of dynamite to blast it off the beach. Pieces of dead whale went everywhere including the beach, bystanders, a parking lot and a park, severely damaging at least one car.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=June|first=Sophia|date=October 3, 2016|title=There Is Now Better Footage of That Time Oregon Blew Up a Whale With Dynamite|url=https://www.wweek.com/culture/2016/09/06/there-is-now-better-footage-of-that-time-oregon-blew-up-a-whale-with-dynamite/|access-date=2020-07-23|website=Willamette Week|language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[Willamette Week]]'' reports "The decision to publicly dynamite an enormous mammal has become one of Oregon's all-time most bizarre moments."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=June|first=Sophia|date=October 3, 2016|title=There Is Now Better Footage of That Time Oregon Blew Up a Whale With Dynamite|url=https://www.wweek.com/culture/2016/09/06/there-is-now-better-footage-of-that-time-oregon-blew-up-a-whale-with-dynamite/|access-date=2020-07-23|website=Willamette Week|language=en-US}}</ref>
+This became known as the "[[Exploding_whale#Sperm whale explosion by George Thornton of the Florence-Oregon whale|exploding whale]] incident".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Exploding Whale Memorial Park to Honour Blubber That Was Blown to Bits in US 50 Years Ago|url=https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/exploding-whale-memorial-park-oregon-florence-2681459.html|access-date=2020-07-23|website=News18}}</ref>
 ==Directors==
+{{unsourced section|date=August 2021}}
 {{div col|colwidth=30em}}
 * John Fulton &mdash; July 1, 1969 &ndash; December 31, 1970
@@ Line 66: / Line 72: @@
 * Bruce Warner &mdash; 2001 &ndash; 2005
 * Matthew Garrett &mdash; December 19, 2005 &ndash; June 30, 2019
+* Kris Strickler &mdash; September 2019 &ndash; Present
 {{div col end}}
+==Slogans==
-==State Highway Engineers==
+* 1913 - "Get Oregon Out of the Mud"<ref name="dothisto">[http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/BSS/historycenter.shtml Business Services History Center<!--Bot-generated title-->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102213332/http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/BSS/historycenter.shtml|date=2012-01-02}}</ref>
-{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
+* 1957 - "Building Oregon Thru Better Highways"
-* H.L. Bowlby &mdash; June 3, 1913 &ndash; March 31, 1915
+* 1958 - "Oregon Freeways...Symbol of 2nd Century Progress"
-* E. I. Cantine* &mdash; April 1, 1915 &ndash; May 21, 1915
+* 1961 - "Freeways are Easier"
-* John L. Lewis &mdash; May 22, 1915 &ndash; August 27, 1915
+* 1967 - "Fifty Years of Building Better Highways in Oregon" (not technically correct; the department was formed in 1913)
-* E. I. Cantine* &mdash; August 28, 1915 &ndash; January 19, 1916
+* 1978 - "Keep Oregon Green and in the Black"
-* John L. Lewis &mdash; January 20, 1916 &ndash; April 10, 1917
+* 1986 - "ODOT on the Move"
-* Herbert Nunn &mdash; April 10, 1917 &ndash; March 31, 1923
+* 2006 - "The way to go!"
-* Roy A. Klein &mdash; April 1, 1923 &ndash; February 28, 1932
-* R.H. Baldock &mdash; March 1, 1932 &ndash; August 15, 1956
-* W.C. Williams &mdash; August 16, 1956 &ndash; November 30, 1961
-* Forrest Cooper &mdash; November 30, 1961 &ndash; June 30, 1970
-* R.L. "Rod" Porter &mdash; July 1, 1970 &ndash; December 31, 1971
-* Tom Edwards &mdash; January 1, 1972 &ndash; December 31, 1972
-* I. Fred Klaboe &mdash; January 1, 1973 &ndash; May 31, 1976
-* H. Scott Coulter &mdash; June 1, 1976 &ndash; August 4, 1985
-* Lawrence W. Rulien &mdash; September 9, 1985 &ndash; January 1, 1988
-* Don Forbes &mdash; February 22, 1988 &ndash; January 31, 1992
-* Bill Anhorn &mdash; February 1, 1992 &ndash; 1993
-* Ken Husby &mdash; 1993 &ndash; 1997
-* Tom Lulay &mdash; 1997 &ndash; 2001
-* Cathy Nelson &mdash; 2001 &ndash; 2013
-* Tom Lauer &mdash; 2013 &ndash; 2017
-* Steve Cooley &mdash; 2018 &ndash; present
-{{div col end}}
-==Slogans<ref name=dothisto>[http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/BSS/historycenter.shtml Business Services History Center<!--Bot-generated title-->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102213332/http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/BSS/historycenter.shtml |date=2012-01-02 }}</ref>==
-* '''1913''' - "Get Oregon Out of the Mud"
-* '''1957''' - "Building Oregon Thru Better Highways"
-* '''1958''' - "Oregon Freeways...Symbol of 2nd Century Progress"
-* '''1961''' - "Freeways are Easier"
-* '''1967''' - "Fifty Years of Building Better Highways in Oregon" (not technically correct; the department was formed in 1913)
-* '''1978''' - "Keep Oregon Green and in the Black"
-* '''1986''' - "ODOT on the Move"
-* '''2006''' - "The way to go!"
 ==See also==
 * [[Glenn Jackson]], an influential twenty-year member of the commission
 * [[Oregon Department of Aviation]]
+* [[State highways in Oregon]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 112: / Line 94: @@
 ==External links==
+{{commons category}}
-*{{commons-inline|Category:Oregon Department of Transportation|Oregon Department of Transportation}}
+*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD5sPgV61bw&feature=youtu.be&t=161 Exploding whale video on YouTube, linked from Willamette Week news article]
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061215211852/http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/SSB/Museum2.shtml Oregon Department of Transportation Museum online]
 * [https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Get-Involved/Pages/OTC_Main.aspx Oregon Transportation Commission]
 {{U.S. State Departments of Transportation}}
+{{authority control}}
 [[Category:1913 establishments in Oregon]]
+[[Category:Motor vehicle registration agencies]]
 [[Category:State agencies of Oregon|Transportation, Oregon Department of]]
 [[Category:State departments of transportation of the United States]]
 [[Category:Transportation in Oregon]]
-[[Category:Motor vehicle registration agencies]]