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Regional flexible funding

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Learn about the process for allocating regional flexible funds for transportation projects and programs in the region.

Regional flexible fund program

Metro manages the regional flexible fund program whereby the Metro Council and the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation select transportation programs and projects for federal flexible funds. Flexible funds, though they comprise only about 4 percent of the transportation investment in our region, attract considerable interest because they may be spent on a greater variety of transportation projects than can most federal transportation funds.

Regional flexible funds come from two different federal grant programs: the Surface Transportation Program and the Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality Program. The regional flexible fund allocation process identifies which projects in the Regional Transportation Plan will receive funding. Regional flexible funds are allocated every two years.More about the RTP

Project and program applications may be nominated by jurisdictions, transportation or transit agencies within the metropolitan region. These funds can be spent on a number of different types of improvements, except local street construction. Also, projects must be listed in the Regional Transportation Plan or subsequently added if not already listed.  

2014-15 flexible funds allocation

In July 2010, JPACT decided how to divide this round of flexible funds among two areas: Active Transportation and Complete Streets and Green Economy and Freight Initiatives. The committee asked that a task force advise on how to make the most of the $24 million. It also called for a working group to advise on how the program can address environmental justice concerns. The task force's recommendations have been documented in a report that JPACT and Metro Council approved in February. The working group helped identify transportation needs and priorities in Environmental Justice and underserved communities and helped refine the methodology used for analytical mapping. 

Region-wide programs

JPACT established funding levels for region-wide programs prior to the local project nomination process began. Detailed descriptions are available for viewing by downloading the 2014-15 RFFA project and program descriptions document below. Here are the funded region-wide programs

• Transit Oriented Development
• High Capacity Transit
• Transportation Systems Management and Operations
• Regional Travel Options
• Regional Planning (MPO, Corridor)

Local process for nominating projects

Each sub-region developed their own process for selecting projects for funding consideration. Each project sponsor completed a nomination narrative in August. This information was used as the basis for soliciting comments from the public on how well the projects are expected to meet community needs. Next, Metro staff shared the public comments with project sponsors to help them refine their projects prior to the final decision in December. This process marks the first time Metro has used a colloborative model for allocating regional flexible funds.

Maps and analysis

Composite maps produced from the equity analysis are available for downloading below and show demographics, relative access to services, and the level of biking, walking and transit access in the region. The full documentation of the methodology used for the mapping and analysis process is available for viewing below. There is also a memorandum with an evaluation of the investment benefits of the 2014-15 RFFA projects that includes maps that may be helpful in understanding where investments are being made in the region. Download the Transportation Equity Analysis and Investment Benefits Memo below for more information.

• Data used in the transportation equity analysis and additional maps are available on Metro's FTP site: ftp://ftp.oregonmetro.gov/dist/tran/rffa.

Need assistance?

Transportation planning
503-797-1750 | 503-797-1930 fax
trans@oregonmetro.gov

RFFA project and program information

Project and program information for the regional flexible fund allocation process

• 2014-15 RFFA project and program descriptions 292K Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published December 14, 2011
• 2014-15 RFFA Transportation Equity Analysis 79.7M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published March 1, 2012
• 2014-15 RFFA investment benefits 39.0M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published December 22, 2011
• 2014-15 project nomination process guidelines 476K Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published April 4, 2011
• 2014-15 RFFA Task Force Report 205K Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published January 13, 2011
• Map: demographic composite 6.7M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published September 15, 2011
• Map: essential services composite 10.9M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published September 15, 2011
• Map: mobility composite 7.2M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published September 15, 2011
• Map: disability 1.6M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published September 15, 2011
• Map: bike and pedestrian crash locations 7.6M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published September 15, 2011
• 2010-13 approved project list 11K Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published May 7, 2010