Transportation and Infrastructure
Now, with Congress and the White House focused on transportation and infrastructure, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — a Democrat who represents all of Washington County in the U.S. House of Representatives — is asking for $4 million to go toward safety improvements along Highway 8. Bonamici hopes to have that funding included in the bipartisan Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which Congress is expected to take up and pass this year.
"I'm going to do all I can to advocate for this project," Bonamici told Pamplin Media Group on Thursday, June 3, after meeting with community leaders and representatives from the Oregon Department of Transportation in Aloha.
Bonamici proposed nearly $10 million in projects in the 1st Congressional District. She sought funds for landslide mitigation in Astoria, money for Hillsboro's water system project, funds to renovate the Japan Institute Building in Portland, money for a nonprofit incubator development project in Beaverton, funds to buy a defibrillator for the Banks Fire District and money to set up a small-business center in St. Helens.
"There's a tremendous need in our community and I was very pleased to advance these projects," Bonamici said, adding they would not only benefit Clatsop County, but the whole region. "We really looked for projects that need federal investment, are good for the region, create jobs, address public safety, the climate and other issues that are important to our region as well."
The Newberg-Dundee bypass may receive a much-needed financial boost this year, with federal money potentially in the offing, thanks to Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. The longtime representative of Oregon's 1st District submitted an $8 million earmark request for the bypass in Congress's upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill. The money would go toward construction of bypasses connecting with Highway 219 near Newberg's southern city limits.
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici recommended nine transportation projects in NW Oregon receive federal funding as part of the surface transportation reauthorization expected to advance later this year.
The nine Member Designated Projects selected by the Congresswoman are listed here in alphabetical order:
The Beaverton City Council is making its pitch to U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Beaverton Democrat, to receive federal dollars for a "downtown loop." In a letter to Bonamici, the City Council describes the loop project as a "safer, more accessible multimodal transportation system that removes barriers to critical services and housing, reducing carbon emissions and supporting diverse underserved communities."
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici and Kurt Schrader said today that 31 Oregon counties will receive about $39.3 million in Secure Rural Schools (SRS) payments for schools, roads, law enforcement and other essential services.
OCEAN EYED: Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Bill Posey (R-Fla.) are calling on the Biden administration to include at least $10 billion in the next coronavirus recovery package for coastal restoration and resilience projects, citing the potential for healthy coastal ecosystems to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The lawmakers suggest projects like blue carbon sequestration; natural infrastructure; and the restoration of habitat to help threatened or endangered species. They also call on the administration to establish an Advanced Research Project Agency–Ocean.