Portland is facing a critical infrastructure crisis as the city grapples with years of neglect that has left its roads, parks, facilities, and water systems in disrepair.
Among the many issues observed are broken crosswalk lights, tennis courts with uneven asphalt, rusting playground slides, a leaky roof at a fire station, and a public restroom plagued by a rodent infestation.
According to a recent audit conducted by City Auditor Simone Rede, much of Portland’s infrastructure — valued at nearly $75 billion — was constructed over 50 years ago and is now classified as being ‘near or beyond the end of its useful life.’
The audit estimates that the city would require over $1 billion annually to address the needed repairs, reflecting a significant rise in costs over the past few years.
Ten years ago, repairing aging infrastructure was estimated to cost about $300 million; that figure escalated to $500 million in 2019 and has now surged to $1.4 billion as of 2023.
The audit highlights that systematic underinvestment in routine and preventative maintenance has led to a substantial backlog of urgent repairs that the city cannot afford.
In addition to physical deterioration, continued neglect may expose the city to potential lawsuits, environmental damage, and even increased repair costs in the future.
The freshly elected city leaders are now tasked with tackling this pressing issue while preparing to implement significant budget cuts for the current fiscal year, leaving limited options to address the expansive maintenance backlog.
In a new governance model, Portland officials express hope that coordinated efforts can remedy the infrastructure crisis.
Previously, city council members oversaw their respective bureaus and budgets without a centralized strategy for aging infrastructure, often prioritizing new or popular initiatives at the expense of essential maintenance.
District 4 City Councilor Olivia Clark expressed concern that past city councils focused on politically advantageous projects rather than maintaining existing assets.
The new system aims to centralize oversight, placing all city bureaus under the City Administrator’s office to foster a more unified approach to budgetary decisions.
The audit advocates for the City Administrator’s office to develop a streamlined infrastructure repair plan and long-term maintenance strategy lacking under the old governance model.
This change would enable a comprehensive citywide assessment of which projects should be prioritized for repair, rather than having competitive budgets within different bureaus.
As stated in the audit, there is currently no guidance for evaluating funding for various assets, which complicates decision-making.
City Administrator Michael Jordan supports the audit’s proposed changes, recognizing the opportunity for a more strategic management of city assets.
In a letter to Rede, he emphasized the potential for reorganizing the management of the city’s infrastructure into a more coordinated and strategic system.
He has committed to having a new management system operational by late 2027, but some city councilors are pushing for more immediate solutions.
Clark, who heads the city’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, intends to introduce a new ordinance designed to mandate Jordan to create a citywide asset management system, as recommended by the audit.
Clark described this moment as the introduction of ‘an adult in the room,’ referring to the new City Administrator role, which will set consistent standards across all bureaus regarding asset management.
This upcoming ordinance aligns with another proposed by District 1 Councilor Loretta Smith and District 4 Councilor Mitch Green, requiring the transportation bureau to develop a strategy for the repair and maintenance of aging streets and sidewalks.
However, a significant aspect of the discussion remains unaddressed: how to finance these extensive maintenance efforts.
A previous facilities report cited in the audit estimated that maintaining city assets would cost around $10 billion over the next decade.
Clark has suggested the idea of placing a general obligation bond on the ballot in the coming years, which would increase property taxes to fund maintenance.
Despite acknowledging the lack of current support for a new local tax — a sentiment supported by recent polling — she remains hopeful that public attitudes may shift as residents begin to see improvements in issues like homelessness and public safety.
‘We have to show that we’re gonna turn the city around first,’ she remarked, emphasizing the need for visible progress.
In the interim, Clark urges the administrative branch to face what she labels an ‘intergenerational threat’ to Portland.
‘If we keep going in this direction, we’re gonna leave it to our children to deal with these failures,’ she claimed.
Holding a cautiously optimistic view, Clark believes that the new governance structure has the potential to effect meaningful change over time.
image source from：https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/23/audit-proposes-a-fix-to-address-portlands-quickly-deteriorating-infrastructure/
