Northeast Area Commission on Transportation meets Thursday in La Grande
Union County roads, freight and transit funding will be on the table July 9 in La Grande, where ODOT will brief NEACT on safety and Connect Oregon.
The Northeast Area Commission on Transportation meets July 9 in La Grande. The session runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the Oregon Department of Transportation Region 5 Headquarters, 3012 Island Ave., with a Teams option also available.
It includes two presentations, one on the Transportation Safety Action Plan and another on Connect Oregon projects, along with regional updates, local projects, construction updates and city, county, tribal, transit, RST, bike, pedestrian and freight reports. A Business STIF Application Review sub-committee is also on the schedule, and public comments are welcome at any time during the meeting.
Mary McGowan, ODOT senior transportation planner, is listed for the Transportation Safety Action Plan presentation. The 2026 plan is meant to guide decisions and investments that reduce crashes and eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Oregon roads. Before 2020, Oregon averaged 448 traffic deaths and 1,739 serious injuries a year, while from 2021 to 2023 the average climbed to 596 deaths and 3,172 serious injuries annually.
The 2026 Connect Oregon grant opportunity closed March 27, 2026. In March, the Oregon Legislature redirected $42 million from the program to help address ODOT’s budget gap for the 2025-2027 cycle, a move intended to avoid 470 layoffs and deep service reductions.
The commission has 20 voting members, including representatives from counties, cities, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, at-large seats, transit, bike and pedestrian interests, freight, and the ODOT Region 5 area manager. Its meetings are scheduled bi-monthly on the first Thursday of the month at the Region 5 headquarters, and the commission exists to give local governments, the private sector and ODOT a place to coordinate long-range transportation issues and recommend regional priorities to the Oregon Transportation Commission.
ODOT Region 5 covers Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Baker, Grant, Harney and Malheur counties. The agenda lists the next meeting for Sept. 3, 2026, with a note questioning whether that date should change because it falls on the Thursday of Labor Day weekend.
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