Implementing a TSP extends well beyond the adoption date, requiring actions by the jurisdiction, facility, and service providers.
Seeing projects through
Seeing planned projects through to construction requires several development steps. Prior to construction, additional permits and coordination with government agencies may be required where projects impact resource lands or environmentally sensitive areas.
Tracking your results
TSPs offer direction over a long planning period, and their relevance can wane over time. It is important to periodically assess how well the TSP predicted transportation needs and whether developments (such as changes in land use, availability of funding sources, or advances in technology) change priorities.
Modal and refinement plans can play a role in implementing a local TSP. Modal plans provide more detailed information regarding a specific transportation mode than what was included in the adopted TSP. The Transportation Planning Rule allows for an applicable plan to be incorporated by reference (in whole or in part) into a TSP (OAR 660-012-0010(2)). A modal plan must be consistent with, and can implement, the adopted TSP. Mass transit, transportation, airport, and port districts must prepare and adopt plans for transportation facilities and services they provide and these plans must be adequate to implement a local TSP (OAR 660-012-0015(6)). Refinement Plans provide detailed information related to a facility. Refinement plans are necessary when a transportation need exists, but the mode, function, and general location of a transportation improvement have not been determined, and a range of alternatives must be considered before identifying a specific project or projects. As described Step 7: TSP Documentation – Other Elements, a refinement plan may be necessary to implement a TSP recommendation.
The transportation funding program identifies which projects, programs, or services developed in the TSP process will be funded based on existing and anticipated revenue sources and the projected costs of proposed projects and programs (See Step 6: Funding Program). The outcome of the funding program is a preferred list of transportation projects/programs. Jurisdictions can select projects from this list to include in their local capital improvement plans or programs. Typically, these are short-range plans (usually four to 10 years) that identify capital projects and that allocation of capital funds as approved by the jurisdiction’s elected officials.
The Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP, is ODOT’s capital improvement program for state and federally funded projects. Local projects on state highways or other projects that require state or federal funding must be selected and approved in the STIP before they can be constructed. Information on the STIP development and project selection processes can be found on the STIP website.
If a TSP project is federally or regionally significant and is located within a Metropolitan Planning Organization area, it needs to be programmed for inclusion in a Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. All Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Programs are all incorporated by reference into the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Information on Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program project selection procedures, including timelines and criteria, can be accessed through the respective Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Project development includes determining the precise location, alignment, and preliminary design of transportation facilities or improvements authorized in a TSP. The Transportation Planning Rule requires each jurisdiction to adopt land use regulations to implement its TSP. Depending on the nature of the transportation improvement, additional land use decision-making may or may not be required prior to construction. Section-0045 (1) of the Transportation Planning Rule lists improvements that, under ordinary circumstances, need not be subject to land use regulations. It also identifies types of improvements that will require further land use decision-making. Additional land use decision-making typically is required where the facility or improvement impacts farm or forest lands, Goal 5 resources, floodways or other hazard areas, estuarine or coastal shoreland areas, or the Willamette River Greenway. For these improvements, local governments must provide a review and approval process that is consistent with Transportation Planning Rule Section-0050 (Transportation Project Development).
Cities and counties should continuously monitor opportunities arising from innovations in transportation technology, demand for evolving mobility needs, and the impact these have on investment priorities. While the TSP is a plan for conditions 20 or more years into the future, it cannot anticipate all advances in technology or their impact on the way people travel within and to a jurisdiction. Examples of potential advances include:
- alternative fuel sources that influence the cost of driving and operating transit service
- autonomous vehicle technology that impacts the safety and efficiency of roadways
- electric-assisted bicycles and other wheeled mobility devices that reduce topography and distance barriers of travel for non-motorized road users