Got the next great transportation idea?
Rod Stevens, Oregon Dept. of Transportation
We'd love to hear from you.
ODOT's Office of Innovation develops strategic, innovative projects that enhance Oregon's multi-modal transportation system. We seek new partners, technologies and developers that can lead to transportation system-level change and improve mobility for Oregonians around the state.
Current work
Oregon’s Road Usage Charge Program is leading the nation with the first operational per-mile charging system, called OReGO. ODOT began exploring road charging in 2001 as an alternative way to fund transportation projects as the fuels tax becomes unsustainable.
Automated vehicles use sensors and computer systems to drive themselves, either partially or entirely.
Connected vehicles are expanding mobility options and have the potential to increase safety.
The Oregon Innovative Partnerships Program develops partnerships with private entities and units of government that will expedite project delivery, maximize innovation in project development and leverage public funding with private resources.
To become a project of the Office of Innovation, the Oregon Transportation Commission must make a formal finding that doing so will “…have the potential to accelerate cost-effective delivery and promote innovative approaches to carrying out the project.”
We invite private sector companies to work with us in the earlier stages of projects, rather than go through a traditional design-bid-build protocol. That's because the Office of Innovation selects projects based on overall value instead of lowest bid. We can even conduct direct negotiations with private firms in certain circumstances.
ODOT uses the Innovative Partnerships Program to investigate and pursue a variety of projects, from privately financed toll roads and electric vehicle fast charge stations to fiber optic infrastructure and high-speed passenger trains. This way, ODOT can respond nimbly to transportation improvement opportunities as they arise.