Metro and partners were awarded $4 million to advance community-centered investments on 82nd Avenue and Tualatin Valley Highway (TV Highway), thanks to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)’s Reconnecting Communities Grant Pilot Program. The funding will support existing projects along the corridors by bolstering efforts for community-led planning.
"Thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, investments along 82nd Avenue and Tualatin Valley Highway will connect more people to housing, jobs, education, parks and services," said Metro Council president Lynn Peterson. "Both projects will help the people and businesses along these corridors create economically vibrant and safe communities with the benefits of these planned transportation investments.”
USDOT awarded $2 million each for the Reconnecting 82nd Avenue Community Planning Study and TV Highway Community Connections Plan – plans that will help connect diverse communities along the corridors to jobs, education, economic opportunity, and more.
As several key infrastructure projects on 82nd Avenue move forward, including Metro and TriMet’s 82nd Avenue transit project, the Community Planning Study will support community-led engagement that informs economic and career opportunities, affordable housing, vibrant public spaces, and green infrastructure to clean air and lower temperatures during hot summers.
"The Reconnecting 82nd Avenue Community Planning Study will help ensure that planning for the future of the corridor is equitable and community-centered,” said Duncan Hwang, a Metro councilor. “We're thrilled that this funding from USDOT will help build a plan that will stabilize communities and businesses, prevent displacement and make sure these investments are experienced by the people who live there now.”
Currently, Metro and TriMet are planning for bus rapid transit along TV Highway – a 16-mile corridor that links communities in Washington County, including some of the region’s most racially and ethnically diverse communities and major employment hubs. The TV Highway Community Connections Plan will provide strategies for inclusive community engagement, planning and implementation of equitable development strategies and investments in community placemaking and bus-rapid transit.
“This funding for the Tualatin Valley Highway Community Connections Plan represents a transformative opportunity for the communities we serve along this vital corridor,” said Nuhamin Eiden, Interim Executive Director at Unite Oregon, a member of the steering committee for the TV Highway Equity Coalition (TEC).
“Investing in equitable engagement and development strategies ensures that the voices of the most impacted communities, most of whom have been historically excluded, shape the future of their neighborhoods. By prioritizing placemaking and sustainable transit solutions like bus-rapid transit, this initiative will create a more connected, resilient and thriving ecosystem for communities, providing better access to jobs, housing, and essential services while preserving the unique character of the area and minimizing the potential impact of displacement and gentrification.”
“Having reliable and sustainable access to transportation is essential for residents and small businesses in any community to thrive,” said Sen. Ron Wyden in a recent press release. “I applaud this funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I fought for which will improve transportation efficiency and community safety in and around Portland. And I will continue to advocate for more resources for infrastructure projects across Oregon.”
Learn more about the 82nd Avenue transit project
Learn more about the Tualatin Valley Highway transit project