Transportation Planning in Portland, Oregon

[Paul Berg]

`
The transportation planning process in the Portland Oregon Metro Area is
as follows:

1. Study it.

2. Study it some more.

3. Conclude that auto-friendly improvements are too expensive regardless
of cost.

4. Offer a transit/bike/density "alternative" that is often more
expensive then the auto based solution.

5a. Quickly acquire creative financing, design, and build the
transit/bike/density project with little-to-no public involvement

-or-

5b. Do nothing. Blame global warming, Bush, 9/11, etc.

6. Conduct another study because its been too long since the last one.

7. Go to step 1

`

[g***@yahoo.com]

Post by Paul Berg
`
The transportation planning process in the Portland Oregon Metro Area is
1. Study it.
2. Study it some more.
3. Conclude that auto-friendly improvements are too expensive regardless
of cost.

Except that road projects happen on a regular basis. Witness the
rebuilding of highway 26 from the tunnels westward that is still having
some finishing touches put on it. Or the I-205 widening project? The
removal of the wooden overpass and fairly complete makeover of the whole
I-5 / Terwilleger / 99W tangle? The rebuilding of the Sauvie Island
bridge? The rebuilding of the Ross Island Bridge? The I-205 restoration
work done between Division Street and Clackamas? The complete rebuilding
of Sunnyside Road eastward from a 2 lane country road to 6 lane highway?
The complete and ongoing reconstruction of Molalla Avenue and Beavercreek
Road in Oregon City? The widening of Interstate 5 north of Lombard? The
reconstrutive work on I-84 east of 122nd? The rebuilding of 99E in
Milwaukie including the new section through downtown, plus several years
ago rebuilding the 99E / 224 interchange and adding lanes all the way
north to the county line? The ongoing effort right now to rebuild the 99E
overpass where it splits into Grand and ML King Jr.? The rebuilding of
the St. John's Bridge? The rebuilding of the Broadway bridge? The
construction work done on the Morrison Bridge several years ago? The
construction of the new overpass off of Interstate Avenue to serve the
industrial area just south of the Albina railroad yard? The rebuilding of
the I-205 / Columbia Blvd / Lobmard interchange? Replacing all of the
remaining cobblestone streets in northwest Portland with asphalt (at
least, all the ones I used to know of are now gone). Completely
rebuilding 92nd Avenue between Powell and Holgate?

All of those, if I remember right, were pretty much done in the last 8
years or so. Those are just the ones I remember because I got tangled up
in the traffic from them.

This does not include a host of local roads that were built to serve new
housing projects. At least one Oregon City developer managed to get
pissed off at OC for running out of money and not being able to build the
roads into his housing project.

No, these projects don't happen as fast as they should. Considering the
beating our roads take due to weather and snow tires, plus the vast areas
of the state that have a high road miles to population ratio, plus the
fact that people haven't approved a gas tax increase for some 14 years,
this should not be too surprising.

If you want roads to drive on, you need to be willing to pay for them.