A committee of elected officials and transportation agency leaders from across the Portland metropolitan area is expected to vote on $23 million in transportation projects Thursday.
The 11 proposed projects include $2 million for Portland Bike Share, a system of bike rentals, $5.1 million for a Sherwood project that would expand the Tonquin Trail-Cedar Creek Greenway trails, $2.9 million for a Milwaukie project that would connect the Springwater and Trolley trails and $3.4 million for transit and bike connections in East Portland. Freight projects include $2.4 million for the Around the Horn project in North Portland’s St. Johns area and $790,000 for high tech improvements in the Clackamas area.
The 17-member Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation is expected to discuss and vote on the projects at its meeting at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at the Metro Council Chamber. The Metro Council is expected to vote on the package Dec. 15, but cannot amend it after JPACT votes.
Known as the Regional Flexible Funds, the program comprises about 4 percent of transportation spending across the region, but attracts attention because the region has wide discretion in how it spends the money. In the last 15 years, it has paid for about half the trails spending across the region.
The program for the two year cycle in 2014-15 also includes $47 million for a variety of regionwide programs, including $26 million to help pay for light rail construction, $6 million for assistance for transit oriented development and $3 million for high-tech road system improvements.