track on N. Williams as part of $7
million in bike projects next year.
(Photo © J. Maus)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is fleshing out a list of bicycle projects worth an estimated $7 million they hope to roll out between July 2010 and June 2011 (FY 2011). That amount — a mix of local and federal sources — is a substantial increase compared to previous years.
The list (download PDF here) includes $2.5 million in revenue from state and local sources and $4.57 million from federal sources. PBOT’s Mark Lear had a draft of the list at the City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting last week and he’s sent us an updated version.
“Hopefully this is the beginning of a sustained increase in both local and federal funding. It represents a massive increase in funding over the last few years.”
— Mark Lear, PBOT
Lear says the list is a summary of projects he and PBOT staff have identified for next year’s capital budget. The list is part of the budget process that dictates all City bureaus must have their capital budgets submitted by December. Having a list of bike projects in mind prior to budget season is nothing new for PBOT, but this year is a bit different for several reasons.
FY 2011 will be the first year PBOT has had what Lear refers to as “significant new revenue” thanks to a new law passed by the legislature (H.B. 2001) that increases the gas tax (for first time since the 1990s) and vehicle registration fees. According to John Rist in PBOT’s budget office, the bureau will receive $14 million in revenue from H.B. 2001 in the next fiscal year. Of that $14 million, $1 million is slated to be spent on bicycle capital projects.
Another new source of local revenue is Mayor Sam Adams’ “Affordable Transportation Fund” which went into effect this year. Adams carved $500,000 out of Utility Franchise Fees (fees paid by utility companies to operate in the public right-of-way) to help pay for new bike infrastructure.
HAWK signals, like this one
at 41st and Burnside, at a cost
of $150,000 each.
Rounding out the local revenue streams are $330,000 from the Community and School Transportation Safety Partnership fund (which comes from traffic fine revenue) and an estimated $670,000 that PBOT cobbles together from a number of sources including the Bureau of Environmental Services (through their “Green Streets” program), TriMet, the Portland Development Commission (through Urban Renewal Areas), and ODOT.
The $2.5 million from state and local sources is a major increase from previous years, and when coupled with a similar uptick in bike spending from federal sources, FY 2011 is shaping up to be a banner year for bike projects.
Among the projects identified for funding next fiscal year are:
- 15 more miles of bike boulevards (PBOT has 15 miles planned for each of the next four years) coming to SE 87th, NE Holman, NE Klickitat, SW Illinois-Vermont, N Central, and others
- Six new crossing treatments, including three HAWK signals, and three Rapid Flash Beacons (a new type of crossing treatment not currently used in Portland)
- Several “missing links” projects including the NE 12th Ave. overcrossing of I-84
- Two new cycle tracks: One on N. Williams and one whose location is TBD
- A buffered bike lane on NE Glisan
- The 50s Bikeway (a 4.4 mile project on 52nd and 53rd from NE Tillamook to SE Woodstock)
- A cycle track on NE Cully Blvd
Lear says both the funding levels and the projects could be subject to change during the budget hearing process and depending on what happens with the adoption of the Portland Bicycle Plan. But he adds that “Hopefully this is the beginning of a sustained increase in both local and federal funding. It represents a massive increase in funding over the last few years.”
You can download the project list here (PDF, 86kb) We’ll have more information on individual projects as plans and designs materialize.