For years, Jefferson County road crews have made hard choices — which bridge repair can wait another season, which stretch of deteriorating pavement gets patched one more year. That calculus is changing. Jefferson County Public Works has secured more than $28.5 million in state and federal grants over the past two years, giving the department a rare chance to tackle a backlog of infrastructure improvements across the county.
Transportation Director Matt Powlison called it the largest infusion of outside funding he has seen in his eight years with the county. Without grant support, the department operates on roughly $2.5 million per year for all road and bridge needs across more than 600 miles of county-maintained roads.
“Bridge and road safety, transportation safety is a priority all the time,” Powlison said. “We’re doing the best we can to keep our signs, our guardrails, our roads in as good a condition as we can. What this funding does is just allows us to do even more.”
Five Major Projects
The grant funding is directed toward five main projects spread across the county, with a focus on aging bridge structures and road safety improvements. Among the projects is the Bear Drive Bridge, a structure that has exceeded its useful service life and is due for replacement. The Oregon Department of Transportation conducts regular structural inspections to identify when bridges and roads reach critical thresholds.
“ODOT really lets us know when different components are failing,” Powlison said. “Which is very helpful, because the last thing we want is somebody to have an injury or something happen because they go over a bridge and we don’t know that it’s in poor condition.”
Bridges typically have a service life of around 75 years before needing full replacement, while road surfaces generally need repaving every 20 years, Powlison said. The county’s roads serve a wide rural geography stretching from Madras through Culver, Metolius, and Ashwood, connecting farms, ranches, and remote communities to the county seat.
Planning Years Ahead
The success didn’t happen overnight. Jefferson County Commissioner Kelly Simmelink noted that the department plans its needs and potential projects years in advance, positioning itself to compete for grant funding when opportunities arise.
“I’m incredibly proud of Matt and his team and what they’ve been able to get both federally and from the state for much-needed repairs and safety concerns,” Simmelink said. “They are world-class in what they do.”
The funding came from a combination of state programs through ODOT and federal transportation grants, Simmelink said. Jefferson County, like many rural Oregon counties, faces persistent pressure to maintain aging infrastructure with limited local tax revenue, making outside grants essential to keep pace with safety needs.
What It Means for Residents
For Jefferson County residents, the practical impact will be improved road safety on routes that see daily use by commuters, agricultural haulers, school buses, and emergency vehicles. Bridge replacements alone can take years to permit and construct, meaning projects funded now will improve conditions through the decade.
The Public Works department plans to begin work on the highest-priority projects as funding agreements are finalized and design work moves forward. Residents can expect updates through the Jefferson County website at jeffco.net as individual projects advance to construction.