Southwest Corridor Plan to integrate investments in land use and transportation
Metro has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to study the best ways to improve transit in the Southwest corridor between downtown Portland and Sherwood. The Alternatives Analysis grant is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's livability initiative. Oregon's congressional delegation has supported Metro's efforts to fund this project.
The study will determine what mode of transit - light rail, commuter rail, rapid streetcar or bus rapid transit - would best meet the area's future travel needs. The corridor, identified as a near-term priority under Metro's Regional High Capacity Transit System Plan, shows the greatest ridership potential in the region.
The Southwest Corridor Plan pulls together multiple efforts along the Barbur Boulevard/Highway 99W and Interstate 5 transportation corridors. The plan will coordinate: local land use plans that support livable communities; a corridor refinement plan to examine the function, mode and general location of transportation improvements; and the transit Alternatives Analysis to define the best mode and alignment of transit to serve the corridor. The plan is a partnership between Metro, TriMet, Washington County, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and the cities of Portland, Tigard, Tualatin, Sherwood and King City.
Integrated land use and transportation planning builds on local community aspirations and promotes economic development. It also helps support job retention and expansion as part of Metro's Community Investment Strategy. That strategy calls for an integrated federal, state, regional and local investment approach, aimed both at maintaining existing public structures and community assets and at supporting targeted new investments, to accommodate anticipated population and employment growth in ways that support the prosperity and livability of our region.
"Projects that result from the Southwest Corridor Plan will leverage past investments in our transportation system, make it easier to get around and improve access to jobs, homes, schools and services," said Metro Council President Carlotta Collette. "This is a comprehensive effort to make communities in the area even more livable and sustainable."
Metro, the regional government, crosses city limits and county lines to build a resilient economy, keep nature close by and respond to a changing climate. Representing a diverse population of 1.5 million people in 25 cities and three counties, Metro's directly elected council gives voters a voice in decisions about how the region grows and communities prosper.