Policy direction
After a three-year discussion with the community to identify the region’s most urgent transportation needs, four investment priorities emerged in development of the 2018 Regional Transportation Plan. The 2022-24 regional flexible funds allocation policy direction used the Regional Transportation Plan investment policies and also built upon previous regional flexible funding policy established by JPACT and the Metro Council. Projects funded through the 2022-24 funding cycle aligned with the four primary Regional Transportation Plan investment priorities:
- equity: reduce disparities and barriers faced by communities of color, people in poverty, and people with low English proficiency
- safety: reduce fatal and severe injury crashes, particularly focusing on the High Crash Corridor network and equity focus areas identified in the Regional Transportation Plan
- climate: expand transit, complete regional active transportation networks, and leverage emerging technology to meet Climate Smart Strategy policies
- congestion: manage congestion and travel demand through low-cost, high value solutions.
Funds were used for the following project categories:
- active transportation, or improvements for walking, biking and access to transit
- arterial expansion, improvements and reconstruction
- throughway expansion
- high-capacity transit expansion
- transportation system management and operations
- regional travel options
- transit oriented development.
Total estimated funding
The 2022-24 regional flexible funds cycle followed the same two-step framework the region had followed since the 2014-15 allocation cycle. The framework was adopted to ensure the region is investing in the system in accordance with Regional Transportation Plan direction and the regional flexible funding objectives.
Step 1: Regional commitments | ~$102 million
- Transit and project development bond commitment: ~$69 million
- Region-wide program investments, planning: ~$33 million
- One-time strategic investments: ~$350,000
Step 2: Capital investments | ~$43 million
- Active transportation and complete streets: ~$32 million
- Regional freight and economic development initiatives: ~$11 million
Total funding for 2022-24 regional flexible funds cycle: ~$145 million
Step 2 funding application information
Of the total available funding in Step 2, 75% of funds were directed to projects in the active transportation and complete streets category. The other 25% of funds were directed to projects in the regional freight and economic development initiatives category.
Active transporation and complete streets
For this category, recommended approaches for developing projects included:
- Improvements concentrated geographically in a travel corridor/area or portion thereof
- Project design considered guidance found in Chapter 9 of the Regional Active Transportation Plan
- Merged portions of several planned projects and several project types (bike, trail, pedestrian, transit stops) into a unified corridor/area wide project
- Project development allowed as an eligible activity for funding to address project readiness issues or as part of a strategy to phase implementation of projects.
Regional freight and economic development initiatives
For this category, recommended approaches for developing projects with a construction focus included:
- system management on arterial freight routes
- small capital projects.
For this category, recommended approaches for developing projects with a planning/strategy development focus included:
- project development for specific arterial freight routes
- consideration/development of regional strategies to invest in transportation improvements.