The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) broke ground on the first phase of the I-5 Rose Quarter project this week—an event nearly a decade in the making. But the occasion commenced without fanfare. Even after years of buildup for the project, ODOT didn’t hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark its official start, nor did the agency publicize the groundbreaking on social media.

In January, when ODOT initially publicized its plans to begin construction on the Rose Quarter project, the agency announced plans for a “community groundbreaking celebration.” But the tone has changed since then. Rose Quarter project spokesperson Rose Gerber told the Mercury that ODOT made the decision to hold off on a groundbreaking ceremony in light of the agency’s current funding crisis, though she said th

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