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In mid-August, during a two-day workshop in Enterprise, the
Oregon Transportation Commission participated in an in-depth discussion around non-highway
and local government programs, two of the six funding categories for the
2021-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
ODOT staff presented their recommendations on how to target
funding within these two categories.
“Formerly, we lumped non-highway and local programs into a
category we called ‘Off the top.’ By separating this into specific categories we
will achieve greater clarity and transparency on program funding,” said Travis
Brouwer, ODOT assistant director.
ODOT recommended that the Commission keep the local government
program structure the same with some proposed minor amendments to the funding
levels, including boosting funds for the Transportation and Growth Management
Program that has been flat for years.
ODOT recommended that the Commission structure the non-highway
category differently than in the 2018-2021 STIP. Within this category, there
are specific funds for public transportation, on-road bike and pedestrian
projects funded from the State Highway Fund, and non-highway funding the
Commission has discretion on how to allocate. ODOT recommended the Commission
target this discretionary non-highway funding into programs including:
- Safe Routes to School education;
- Transportation Options;
- Non-Highway Leverage — a category for adding
non-highway elements to existing STIP projects;
- Off-road trails;
- Americans With Disability Act compliant
infrastructure;
- Bus replacements.
A couple of months ago, ODOT asked its region managers what
their needs are at the local level for investments into the STIP. A key finding
is that regions need a funding category that they can use to add non-highway
elements like bike lanes or separated paths to STIP projects to meet
communities’ needs.
After discussions concluded on the local government and
non-highway programs, the Commission asked questions and provided feedback on
the proposed categories.
“I think as we talk
about how to allocate the money that is available for non-highway projects, it
would be useful to have the same kind of framework we’ve used in our investment
strategy,” said Commissioner Lohman. The investment strategy developed by the
Commission leading into the 2017 legislative session included both the gap
between existing funding and need, and a recommendation on a reasonable funding
level to make improvements.
ODOT staff will now begin to flesh out different funding
scenarios based on the Commission’s feedback. The department will come back in
September to show how the condition of the transportation system will fare with
the additional funding from House Bill 2017 and talk about different options
and conceptual funding scenarios around the development of the 2021-2024 STIP.
For more information, see the memo
to the OTC on STIP development or watch the video of the meeting.
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