Portland's transportation system is facing some serious challenges. Sam is setting out on a new path as he works to address them.

ASSESSING THE ISSUES

Sam has just about a year under his belt now in his new job as the Commissioner-in-charge of the Portland Office of Transportation. Over this past year, Sam and his staff have been taking a hard look at the state that Portland's transportation system is in. And to be frank, it is a pretty dreary picture that is coming into focus.

Our population is booming, putting more demand on an already aging system. Our maintenance backlog is not getting any smaller, while the money available for regular maintenance is falling annually. Each year for the past 5 years, PDOT has had to cut its budget.

This decline in PDOT's resources is happening for many reasons. For one, we are receiving less and less gas tax revenue from the state. Portland is a net donor of gas tax proceeds to the rest of the state; for every dollar Portlanders pay in gas taxes, only a fraction of that stays in the city- much of it subsidizes less populous parts of the state. And as those less populous parts of the state grow, they are taking more out of the state's pooled gas tax revenues, which Portland disporportionately contributes to.

Also, each year, inflation eats about one cent of every gas tax dollar collected. Since we have not raised the gas tax in Oregon for over 10 years, this adds up. And asphalt prices are skyrocketing. Add in higher fuel and healthcare costs, and you can understand why it is hard to maintain the fleet of cars and workers necessary to satisfy all of the needs of maintaining the system.

Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of what is looming in our transportation future, let's say we only address a portion of our entire backlog (which is currently growing).

If all we did was take care of the overdue maintenance on the following list of city transportation assets:

• All Arterial Streets (the large, higher-traffic, non-residential streets)
• 20% of our Sidewalk Corners
• All Bridges rated "Poor"
• 50% of the Signal Hardware
• 5% of the Street Lights
• Our Highest-priority Safety Projects (which focus on the 40 intersections with the highest crash rates)

We would be looking at a 5-Year Total of $216,879,516 - or, about $43,375,903 each year for five years. To put this in perspective, PDOT's overall annual budget is a little under $200 million.

NEW CHALLENGES NEED NEW STRATEGIES.

Clearly, we can't simply keep following the current course and hope that things get better. The status quo is not tenable nor sustainable, so Sam is attacking the problems with some strategies that are not in the normal playbook.

First, though, he is doing the no-brainers to make sure that the money that PDOT does has is being spent as effectively as possible: going through PDOT's budget with a fine-tooth comb to find every efficiency that may exist within the bureau, setting out clear priorities for the limited budget, and looking at the organization's functionality as a whole. In response to the recent reports by the Auditor's Office which focus on the city's pavement practices, Sam has put together a task force that will address all of the issues outlined by the Auditor and have solutions in place within 60 days of the reports' release.

PDOT is also undertaking a sophisticated "asset management" strategy, which will make sure that with the limited funds we have, PDOT invests in the right assets at the right time, to get the most bang for the taxpayers' buck.

Next, he has begun working with his counterparts in other parts of the state to take a look at the issue of unstable transportation funding, which is really a problem state-wide. Meeting with elected officials at the state, local, and regional level, he is working with other localities facing similar problems in an effort to win more funding from the state level.

Lastly, he is asking the Portland City Council for so-called "one-time funds." Soon, the city council will be making decisions on how to allocate roughly $14 million in unforeseen tax revenues.

While there are a lot of needs, Sam will push hard for one-time money to go to Portland's transportation needs.

NOT A BLANK CHECK

PDOT will not be asking Council for a blank check, however. Sam is lobbying for a specific list of projects that are based on a few priorities and the best data available to PDOT. Sam has put together group of focused and strategic projects that will target Portland's most pressing needs.

Each project Sam will seek funding for will advance one of three main Goals: 1) safety, 2) maintenance, 3) smart, strategic investments (paying for things now that will only get more costly in the future).

SAFETY

Sam's number-one priority as Commissioner-in-Charge of Transportation is safety. The projects that Sam is advancing are focused on Portland's 40 most dangerous and deadly intersections, and employing our most cost-effective engineering, education, and enforcement solutions. For instance, a $40,000 pedestrian island will cut the pedestrian collision rate by 40%, on average. For some corridors, such as SE 82nd and SE 122nd, where there are numerous hits and multiple deaths each year, these are a smart investment.

PDOT has compiled all of its data on serious injury collisions -for all modes, cars, bikes and peds- and mapped them to give people an idea of how concentrated these collision hotspots really are. (For instance, just 4% of Portland's intersections account for fully two-thirds [66%] of all pedestrian fatalities in the city.)

MAINTENANCE

We are focusing PDOT's funds on Portland's main arterials and taking our emphasis off of neighborhood streets. Making these decisions is tough- but prioritization is necessary in this budgetary environment. We expect this to help address and work through the maintenance backlog on our major streets that currently exists.

We are also seeking funds to assist low-income residents upgrade and pave unimproved, gravel streets. Unpaved streets are a persistent maintenance problem that will be at least partially addressed with this program.

We've already planned and secured a funding commitment from Council to enact a city-wide sweep of all of Portland's streets that will fill every pothole, neighborhood by neighborhood, in the city. This will improve the life of the roads and is a smart investment, especially when we are de-emphasizing neighborhood streets to focus on our main roads.

We have taken pains to make sure that we are asking for the most cost effective engineering, enforcement, and education improvements, that these projects are data-driven, and that the projects are equitably distributed across the city.

Below, you will find data Sam has presented to state legislators, city council members, and others. It includes maps, a list of the specific projects that we are advancing, and information about PDOT's budget. Take a look, and let us know what you think.

Did we forget an intersection that you think is key? Do you agree with our overall priorities? Any other observations, thoughts or feelings? Take a look and comment below. We appreciate your feedback.

EMAIL

Your Email: *

Your Name: *

Send To: *

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.

Message Subject: (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from CommissionerSam.com

Message Body: (Your Name) thought you would like to see the CommissionerSam.com web site.

Your Personal Message: *