Highway 43 is managed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. (Staff file photo)

With the Oregon Department of Transportation facing hundreds of layoffs and funding cuts due to the failure of the Legislature to pass a transportation funding package, the local fallout is yet to fully materialize.

However, ODOT expects people to notice impacts to key services imminently.

“We can say that travelers will begin to see noticeable impacts to road maintenance and safety services as early as this summer. These cuts will impact the quality, safety and reliability of Oregon’s transportation system. We will continue to do the best we can, with the resources we have, to keep people safe,” ODOT Public Affairs official David House said via email.

In Lake Oswego, most roads are owned by the city while a few are owned by Clackamas County. Highway 43, however, is managed by ODOT. Madison Thesing, the Lake Oswego deputy city manager, said that based on conversations with ODOT, the city expects the department to be slower to respond to concerns and provide less ongoing maintenance.

“This could include delays in removing vegetation or pothole repairs, as well as plowing and de-icing during winter,” she said via email.

House added that exact impacts to maintenance activity will be in flux as those who are laid off will have the opportunity to fill other positions based on seniority.

“We will continue to do everything possible to prioritize safety and minimize disruptions, but we ask for your understanding and patience as we work through these unprecedented constraints,” House said.

Outside of maintenance, House said ODOT plans to continue most ongoing construction projects (like the replacement of the Abernethy Bridge near West Linn). However, he added that these projects may be delayed due to staff reductions. The department needs people for traffic control, inspections and project oversight, for instance. This project is expected to be completed in 2026, according to the ODOT website.

Funding for construction projects, House noted, is constrained and often cannot be reallocated toward maintenance.

ODOT also said that it has laid off six people who work in Clackamas County — an associate in engineering, office specialist , transportation maintenance coordinator, 14 transportation maintenance specialists and a transportation operations and maintenance manager. Clackamas County was not yet sure of the implications of these cuts as of Thursday.