An ODOT employee and a towing company employee work on the removal of a pickup on a guardrail on Interstate 5 in 2017. (AP Photo/Albany Democrat-Herald, Mark Ylen, Democrat-Herald)

Gov. Tina Kotek should call legislators back to Salem for a special session on transportation funding.

Legislators went home from the 2025 session with unfinished business. The Oregon Department of Transportation has said it has an annual funding gap of $1.8 billion.

Legislators didn’t fill it.

There has to be some truth to the $1.8 billion, even if you are suspicious of it. The gas tax is not going to work as a long-term solution to pay for roads and more. Oregon has been erratic about transportation fees and taxes keeping up with inflation. And there is inflation.

What if the Oregon Department of Transportation lays off hundreds of employees?

What if ODOT cuts back on plowing in the winter?

What if ODOT cuts back on road maintenance?

What if ODOT responds more slowly to clearing debris, getting to accidents and cutting brush and trees on the side of the road?

Those things may happen, because the Legislature did not make a transportation funding package happen. Some have said there were votes in the Legislature to pass a slight increase in the state gas tax of 3 cents a gallon and raising some fees. We won’t know, because legislators adjourned before they needed to adjourn. It would have raised about $2 billion over the next 10 years.

We aren’t going to dwell again on the reasons why the transportation funding failed. Legislators need to start planning to come back. In many cases for a special session, the legislation is prepared in advance and passage is mostly a formality. We aren’t so sure that’s what this one will look like.

We emailed a few legislators on Wednesday and asked them what they thought should happen next. State Sen. Anthony Broadman, D-Bend, was the only one who responded by Monday morning. So, here is most of what he wrote:

“My perspective has always been pretty simple: show me the budget for operating and maintaining an affordable, safe, and resilient transportation system. Then let’s fund it. With vehicles getting more fuel efficient, gas tax revenues that fund our transportation system are shrinking every year. That leaves us with a math problem we can’t ignore.

At the end of the session, the transportation proposal on the table would have put Oregonians in the range of what folks pay in places like Montana, Nevada and Utah. For me, that’s a fair deal if it means my employees can get to work on time without popping a tire in a pothole. It’s worth it if my three kids can get to school safely. It’s worth it if my wife can make it to the hospital, even when it snows, so the kids she treats can get the care they need. It’s worth it to keep supply chains moving, so we can build more housing and support rural industries. It’s worth it to support police and fire personnel who need a working transportation system to keep all of us safe.

Out here in the middle of the state, we feel the effects of a crumbling transportation system more than most. Our communities are growing, our needs are urgent, and the state must step up. I’m committed to holding ODOT accountable and making sure Central Oregon isn’t left behind.  We can deliver a system that works. And we must. If the governor calls a special session, I’ll be ready to help lead the effort to deliver the safe, reliable transportation system Oregonians deserve. This is too important to walk away from.”

We agree.