PORTLAND, Ore. -- Four years before an Interstate highway bridge collapsed in Minnesota, Oregon took on more than $1 billion in debt to repair its bridges, an initiative that jibed with the new governor's penchant for using public dollars to boost employment.

The Broadway Bridge in downtown Portland. (ODOT Photo)

"I'm going to get you guys more jobs," Gov. Ted Kulongoski told construction workers in 2003 as he inspected cracking bridges.

The work is about half done, and officials of the Oregon Department of Transportation say the projected completion date is December 2012.

A 2003 state study said that unless repairs were undertaken, large trucks couldn't use a third of the state's 660 bridges by the end of the decade.

So, with little controversy, the Legislature approved nearly $2.5 billion in highway work -- two-thirds to repair bridges carrying traffic on major interstate, U.S. and state highways. Vehicle registration and title fees are to repay the debt.

David Thompson of the transportation department says that with the bridge-repair package in place, Oregon officials didn't feel the need to scramble after the collapse of the eight-lane Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River in 2007.

But, like other states, Oregon had bridges checked for dangerous conditions, and changed inspection procedures to put more emphasis on gussets, the steel plates that hold bridge components together, Thompson said.

According to figures Oregon provided to The Associated Press for a nationwide survey of the 20 busiest bridges in each state rated as structurally deficient, six in Oregon are considered fixed and three partially fixed. As in other states, most of the busiest bridges are due for more work. "Structurally deficient" doesn't mean the bridges are in imminent danger of collapse, just that they need work.

Oregon started bridge repairs on less-busy highways, often in rural areas or small towns. The idea was to prepare those bridges for additional pressure once repairs were under way on the busy interstate bridges and some traffic sought alternate routes.

One bridge project that was not part of the bond bill sticks out, partly for safety reasons.

The Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River connecting Portland and Vancouver, Wash., has been described as vulnerable to earthquakes, ultimately supported by Douglas fir trees stuck in mud. Opponents of a new bridge say there are as many as 30 bridges in worse shape along the freeway's West Coast spine.

 More: I-5 Bridge plan moving forward

The effort to replace the Portland-Vancouver bridge focuses mainly on relieving a choke point for freight trucks and commuters, however. The outcome is likely to be a recommendation for a new 12-lane, $4.2 billion span that would also carry light-rail mass transit, bikes and pedestrians, with drivers likely paying tolls.

Kulongoski, in a speech Wednesday, said he's not finished pushing for transportation building projects.

He outlined strategies for reducing the total number of miles that Oregonians drive, considering a wider range of alternatives for finding the least costly ways to meet transportation goals, and encouraging efficient vehicles that contributing less greenhouse gases. He said sometimes construction projects are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by relieving traffic chokepoints.

 Also: Bridge repair work nationwide

"Our transportation infrastructure is woefully outdated," he said. "That means a 'no-build' approach is simply not an option."