ODOT Pauses 20 Fiber Projects After Data Center Executive Order

The Oregon Department of Transportation has suspended 20 pending permit applications for fiber-optic cable installations along state highways.

The hold follows an executive order signed by Governor Tina Kotek in September. That order directed state agencies to pause approvals for new leases, easements, and right-of-way permits for data centers located on state land.

State transportation officials are currently reviewing the applications to determine if the projects are specifically tied to data centers. Kevin Glenn, a spokesperson for the agency, stated that officials have limited insight into the full purpose of the projects. He noted that the agency has not set a deadline for the companies to respond to inquiries. Glenn said the timing depends on the proposers.

In an email, Glenn explained that the applications involve installing large amounts of buried broadband or fiber conduit on state right-of-way. This placement, usually along highway shoulders, strongly indicated a potential connection to data centers. The agency asked the companies to describe their projects to clarify this association.

Three companies hold the paused applications: Zayo Group Holdings, Lumen, and Intermountain Infrastructure Group. All three own large-scale fiber networks made of underground cables that connect data centers, cellular providers, and other processing facilities across the West, including Oregon.

Zayo, a Denver-based company, completed a 622-mile long-haul fiber route in 2025. That route connects data centers in Prineville and Umatilla to Reno, Nevada. The transportation department paused nine permits needed by Zayo to lay cables along highways from Morrow to Multnomah counties, and between Wheeler and Clackamas counties.

Lumen, a multinational firm, owns six data centers in Oregon, including locations in Portland, Eugene, and Bandon. The department paused nine permits for Lumen to lay underground cables across Wasco, Umatilla, Baker, Lincoln, Linn, and Malheur counties.

Intermountain Infrastructure Group, based in California, does not own data centers in Oregon. The company has been building a fiber infrastructure corridor across the Pacific Northwest, with completion originally planned for this year. The department paused two permits for Intermountain to expand into Umatilla County.

Representatives for the three companies did not respond to requests for comment over the past two weeks. However, the Data Center Coalition, an industry group, said the pauses were burdensome. Khara Boender, the coalition’s West Coast director of government affairs, said the moves created uncertainty for projects that followed state rules. She stated that pausing agency work midstream sends a concerning signal to companies weighing long-term investment in Oregon.