To save $4 million a year, Portland officials will stop paving streets (full article)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation, preparing to cut $16 million from its upcoming budget, proposes to stop repaving major roads for the next five years. That would save $4.4 million a year but would add to Portland's growing backlog of streets needing repair...

Still, the repaving cutback isn't new. On average, Portland has trimmed $1.5 million a year from its paving budget for the past five, bureau spokeswoman Cheryl Kuck said. The city stopped repaving residential roads in 2009, for example.

Meanwhile, in other news...

Portland officials approve fee to expand light rail and street cars (full article)

The Portland City Council has approved a plan to raise several million dollars for a new light rail line and a few other transportation projects.

The transportation bureau estimates the fees would generate $5 million for the new Portland-Milwaukie MAX line, and about $5.5 million for a streetcar project. Another $4.2 million would be spent on other projects.

The city is short on transportation funding, but wants the new light rail line to link four important places: OHSU and Portland State on the West side, and Portland Community College and the science museum on the East Side...