Metro Council, advisory committee adopt 25-year blueprint for region’s transportation plan
News release: June 10, 2010
Contact: Karen Kane 503-797-1942, Karen.Kane@oregonmetro.gov
The Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation and the Metro Council have each unanimously adopted the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan. The RTP is a 25-year blueprint for how the region invests federal, state, local and regional transportation dollars in a way that supports jobs, promotes safety, protects clean air, enhances neighborhoods and provides more affordable options for getting around the region and meeting everyday needs.
Four years in the making, work on the RTP involved extensive collaboration among several government agencies, including Metro, the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Port of Portland, TriMet and local cities and counties. The plan also reflects considerable input and guidance provided by citizens, businesses and advocacy organizations at various stages throughout its development.
The RTP ties transportation investments to land use and community development goals, and supports compact, urban communities and employment centers.
A few of the highlights of the RTP include:
- record levels of investment in transit, bicycle and walking facilities
- a first-ever Climate Change Action Plan to address the right mix of policies and investments necessary to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
- an updated High Capacity Transit Plan that lays out a set of priorities for expansion of bus and light rail service throughout the region
- a Regional Freight Plan that outlines investments to support traded-sector jobs and reduce congestion
- the first comprehensive plan for transportation systems management and operations to make the most of investments already made in the transportation network
- ambitious performances measures and a monitoring system to evaluate how well the region's transportation investments meet those performance measures.
The plan will be submitted to the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation for review and approval, which is anticipated before the end of the year. Metro will then work with local governments to update their local transportation system plans to conform to the policy direction and goals for the RTP.
Though the RTP is a 25-year plan, it will be updated periodically over that time. The next update of the RTP will begin in 2012. More information about the RTP can be found online at www.oregonmetro.gov/rtp.
Metro, the regional government that serves 1.5 million people who live in the 25 cities and three counties of the Portland metropolitan area, provides planning and other services that protect the nature and livability of our region.
Related Links
Regional Transportation Plan
Learn about the Regional Transportation Plan, the Portland metropolitan area's blueprint for a multi-modal transportation system.