In Spring 2018, Council approved the LTIC allocation methodology for select projects for financed improvements. This methodology is consistent with the City’s equity goals, ADA requirements, and adopted neighborhood transportation and stormwater plans.

---

LTIC Public Outreach & Engagement

 

LTIC Public Outreach: What we Heard

- Citywide Benefits
- Stormwater
- Underserved Communities
- Safety
- Protect Low-Income Households
- City Responsibility
- Alternative Standards
- Maintain Gravel Roads
- Traffic Calming

Click here to open the Community Involvement Summary Memo .pdf

---

Allocation Methodology

The LTIC allocation methodology is consistent with the City’s equity goals, ADA requirements, and adopted neighborhood transportation and stormwater plans. It responds to public input, seeks to leverage other available funding sources, and uses the best available data and methods for identifying high-priority transportation and stormwater improvements. The LTIC allocation methodology establishes three fundamental criteria to determine a short list of the highest-priority unimproved local residential street projects to be funded with LTIC are:

The first criteria is Equity. To prioritize improvements are in areas with high concentrations of under-served populations to ensure everyone has access to opportunities necessary to satisfy their essential needs, advance their well-being, and achieve their full potential.

The second criteria is Effectiveness. To prioritize projects that support connectivity and fill critical gaps in the City’s transportation and stormwater infrastructure. Effectiveness for transportation emphasizes connectivity: roadways that can serve as safe, ADA-accessible, multimodal connections to neighborhood parks, schools, transit, and nearby amenities.

The third criteria is Efficiency. To prioritize projects that are consistent with adopted plans, informed by the results of robust community involvement efforts, cognizant of other related CIP improvements occurring in the City, and that make efficient use of limited City resources by leveraging other funds.

---

Street Standards

Council adopted alternate transportation and stormwater standards to be used on select neighborhood streets. Community feedback supported a desired flexibility when addressing safety, mobility and feasibility because not every street needs two sidewalks and a full street standard. 
The LTIC funded projects will use a street standards strategy adopted from the Tryon-Stevens plan to match the best option to the street segment being reviewed. It seeks to streamline this decision-making process by providing a clear flow-chart that identifies when alternative standards would be allowed for all streets. Traffic calming elements will be integrated into all LTIC funded projects.  

The factors considered in this process, include:

- Is it part of the City’s pedestrian or bicycle network?
- Are there environmental constraints?
- Are there obstacles to motor vehicle access?
- Is the street paved to a width of >18 feet?
- Are there visual barriers that present safety concerns?

---

2018 Project Selection

The allocation methodology establishes three long-term guiding principles for project selection driving data based decisions and City need. Decisions on project selection for LTIC funding in 2018 will be based on the following specific metrics for Equity, Effectiveness, and Efficiency:

For the 2018 funding cycle, there were far more streets eligible for LTIC funding after applying the equity and the effectiveness factors. 

What does the allocation methodology look like for the 1^st round of funding?  

1. Equity. Three of the factors from the Transportation System Plan or TSP  process were inlcuded:

• % of low income households,
• % of communities of color and
• % of renters. 

To better identify where these communities are,  block level vs. census track data was used. Map: 2018 Step One: Equity 

2. Effectiveness. Scoring for Neighborhood Access included 4 factors:

(1) safe routes to schools,

(2) bike routes,

(3) pedestrian routes, and

(4) proximity to transit.

Specific metrics for determining stormwater priorities are yet to be determined, awaiting refinement of new spatial datasets for stormwater infrastructure on residential side streets. Stormwater metrics will be added to this analysis as they become available.

Map: 2018 Step Two: Effectiveness

3. Efficiency.  Together with the community, 3 neighborhood street plan areas with multiple miles of unimproved residential side streets that are also high priorities for transportation connectivity, and are located in Census Block Groups with high concentrations of under-served populations —Cully, Division-Midway and Tryon-Stephens—focusing on quiet residential streets.  These plans were unique in that they developed strategies for improving local traffic streets – rather than arterial streets - in single family neighborhoods. 

 

---

TIMELINE

In recognition of the magnitude of stormwater volume that originates from streets, the portion of capital costs for local street improvements related to stormwater management, and the limited availability of LTIC funding relative to the total cost of improving Portland’s unimproved local street network, the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) is partnering with PBOT on LTIC-funded projects. Any BES funding contributions would be directed towards stormwater system benefits.   

This partnership will include a financing structure that will accelerate project timing and provide long-term program certainty and would not require property owner contributions.  By partnering with BES, combining resources citywide rather than geographically segregating pots of money, the City may be able to improve 1.5-3 miles of streets every 10 years.

Once the projects are selected, BES, PBOT and OMF will select the best financing option to accelerate timing and complete approximately $10 million of improvements, using LTIC and BES revenues to pay for the financing.  This funding mechanism will be repeated in future years as sufficient funding is available.

2018 — Project Inventory & Identification. PBOT and BES will identify where, within the LTIC fund budget, to fund missing links in connectivity to enhance the other capital projects occurring in the targeted areas to be considered.

2019 — Affected Neighborhood Feedback. Once Staff apply the allocation methodology and identify proposed 2018-2028 LTIC funded projects within the Cully, Midway Division and Tryon-Stevens boundaries,  the proposals will be reviewed with the respective Neighborhood Coalitions/Associations to solicit feedback before coming to Council with the financing package.

For more information regarding the LTIC Financed Improvements, contact Anne Hill at anne.hill@portlandoregon.gov.