An influential panel that controls federal transportation spending across the Portland area has unanimously endorsed new strategies designed to make the most of $23 million in Regional Flexible Funds.
The Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, a committee comprised of 17 elected officials and transportation agency leaders, on Thursday approved recommendations made by a citizen task force that advised on how to revamp the program.
Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette, who chairs JPACT and also chaired the citizen task force, praised the group’s effort and recommendations.
"Everyone worked extremely hard," Collette said at the JPACT meeting. "This report is really a gift to the region."
The recommendations call for building fewer, more complete active transportation projects, rather than the scattered, piecemeal approach that metro area policymakers have often used. The old approach helped many communities across the region with small sidewalk, trail and pedestrian improvements, but didn’t address travel needs comprehensively.
The task force also called for a variety of approaches for freight improvements, expected to comprise about 25 percent of the program’s spending. Freight priorities include: system improvements, such as improved signal timing; construction of targeted capital improvements, such as curbs that accommodate large trucks; development of plans for larger-scale projects, such as blueprints for widening intersections in preparation for future construction dollars.
The Flexible Funds program comes up every two years, and JPACT often struggles to find a good process to prioritize the spending. Tensions sometimes run high, as the money is allocated through a competitive process and needs far exceed the available funds. This time, officials said they feel the process is off to a better, more collaborative start than in the past.
"As a general rule, this is a great outcome," said Bill Wyatt, executive director of the Port of Portland and a member of JPACT.
At the meeting Thursday morning, task force members presented the recommendation and took questions from JPACT members. Stephen Gomez, chair of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and a former Nike vice president, presented the recommendations on active transportation. Steve Ganiere, operations manager for Alliance Packaging in Beaverton, discussed the freight priorities.
"We’re confident that this will result in great active transportation projects that get people moving without cars," Gomez said.
A staff report on the program also showed how Metro intends to address the needs of minorities, people with disabilities and other underserved communities. At JPACT’s request, Metro staff last fall formed a working group of citizens to advise on the topic.
From that outreach came an approach that will attempt to use the most recent data available to identify underserved communities, the services crucial to everyday living and gaps in mass transit service. That information, along with safety and other data, will help prioritize projects.
Clackamas County Chair Lynn Peterson praised the new method.
"This is a much more holistic way to look at this," she said.
After the vote, JPACT members applauded.