Sept. 18, 2026

For more information, contact Matt Noble 503-779-9868

The final recommended list of rail, marine, and air transportation projects for the 2026 Connect Oregon grant opportunity is live!

View the recommended project list PDF online.

 

The program’s Final Review Committee met Sept. 8 to rank the submitted projects. They recommended 12 projects for funding and selected two runners up from a total of 35 applications.

The 35 applications requested a collective $79 million for their projects, but the program only has about $30 million available for this grant opportunity, due to a one-time funding redirection earlier this year.

ODOT will submit the recommended list to the Oregon Transportation Commission for a final decision at the commission’s December 2026 meeting.  

There’s still time to comment on the Connect Oregon 2026 projects

You have until Sept. 25, 2026 to submit comments about any of the 35 projects. You may do so at a virtual meeting next week or by email. View the full list on the Connect Oregon webpage.

How to comment at the virtual public meeting Sept. 22

• ODOT will hold a virtual public meeting 10-11 a.m. Sept. 22 on Microsoft Teams to hear comments about the submitted projects.
• You do not need to register to join the meeting or comment. Join the meeting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 22.
• People who email ODOT with their intent to comment will get to speak first, in order their emails were received. Email your intent to comment to John Boren, Freight Program Manager.

How to comment via email

• Review the submitted project applications and submit your comments by email to John Boren, Freight Program Manager by Sept. 25.

Meetings are open to everyone. If you need an accommodation to join the meeting, contact John Boren or call Oregon Relay at 7-1-1 at least 72 hours before the meeting. 

More information about the program

Since its creation in 2005, the Connect Oregon Grant Program has supported 240 projects that improve Oregon’s non-highway transportation infrastructure. Funding for this program now comes from the “light vehicle dealer privilege tax” in the 2017 state transportation funding law. ODOT can't legally use this funding for road maintenance or agency operations.