AOI has been heavily involved in transportation issues for decades. Active in the legislative process at all levels, AOI has initiated or backed every significant funding effort for decades, and an AOI Board member even headed the committee that reformed the way ODOT operates. 

In the legislature, AOI carries the message that transportation is one of the top priorities for the business community. AOI spends hundreds of hours with legislators, including the Chairs of both the Senate and House Transportation Committees, Republican and Democratic leadership of both houses, and the Governor’s Office advocating major reform and funding increases in our transportation system.  

In 2007 AOI, along with a broad coalition of business groups, actively supported a major transportation initiative to fund new infrastructure to relieve congestion.  Although the initiative did not pass, shortly thereafter the Governor announced that transportation will be a priority for the next session; therefore, the effort laid the groundwork for 2009 legislation.    

AOI actively and successfully supported both ConnectOregon I and II which dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars for intermodal infrastructure improvements (connection between air, rail and water transportation). 

AOI actively and successfully supported the Oregon Transportation Improvement Act two sessions ago.  It is the largest transportation funding act in the history of the state, and Oregon is now rebuilding decaying bridges and roads across Oregon.   

The AOI Foundation helped fund a major congestion study to provide hard data to legislators about the increasing costs of congestion and will continue to do so for the rest of the state.  

AOI has consistently and successfully lobbied for state funding of the deepening of the Columbia River Channel to allow for more and larger ships to import and export products of all types.   

Most recently, in October of 2007 the AOI Board met and, in response to members’ concerns, directed that AOI take further action and form a work group to find solutions for additional serious transportation issues, beginning with rail transport.  AOI will also be actively working with interim groups to develop legislation for the 2009 session.