June 2020
Meet your Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee members
ODOT’s Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee works to prioritize equity and mobility in designing the state’s regional toll program.
Committee members participate in a reception on May 27 to build relationships.
The Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee has
15 members — some appointed by ODOT’s director and others selected through an open application process — who bring a spectrum of equity and mobility experiences and perspectives.
We selected members using a collaborative process between states, cities and counties. To start, we asked local agencies in Clackamas, Washington, Multnomah and Clark counties, as well as the City of Vancouver and Portland, for their advice on who should represent their communities. For transit and ride services representation, we asked TriMet, Ride Connection, CTRAN and SMART to identify members with equity and mobility experience. Then, to add experience in active transportation, racial equity, social equity and large business, we invited regional partners to offer recommendations. County coordinating committees and their technical staff in Clackamas, Washington and East Multnomah counties contributed, as did nearly 20 non-profit organizations in the Portland metro area.
We designated three at-large committee members through an open application process. Our project team reviewed more than 40 applications using a blind review system. They selected top candidates on diversity and equity criteria, including: commitment to, and experience in, supporting or advocating for equitable processes and outcomes; experience with the transportation system in the Portland metro area and/or Southwest Washington; and, interest in participating on the committee. From the original pool, the project team created a “short list” of five candidates; we named three of them to serve at-large.
Abe Moland
| Clackamas County Health and Transportation
|
Amanda Garcia-Snell
| Washington County Community Engagement
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Bill Baumann
| Human Services Council
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Diana Avelos Leos
| League of United Latin American Citizen
Latino Youth Conference
|
Dr. Philip Wu
| Oregon Environmental Council
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Dwight Brashear
| SMART
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Eduardo Ramos
| At-large member
City of Tigard |
Fabian Hidalgo Guerrero
| Causa
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Germaine Flentory
| Beyond Black/Play, Grow, Learn
|
Ismael Armenta
| At-large member
Oregon Walks
|
James Paulson
| WorkSystems Inc Board
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John Gardner
| TriMet
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Kari Schlosshauer
| At-large member
Safe Routes Partnership
|
Michael Espinoza
| Portland Bureau of Transportation
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Park Woodworth
| Ride Connection
|
Alando Simpson, Oregon Transportation Commission Vice Chair, serves as the EMAC liaison.
Phil Ditzler, Federal Highway Administration, serves as an ex-officio member.
The committee will advise the Oregon Transportation Commission and ODOT on strategies for toll projects planned on I-5 and I-205, during the NEPA process. In that capacity, members will offer guidance in solving problems with the regional transportation network and work to benefit historically and currently underserved and underrepresented communities.
Christine Moses, facilitator/change-manager and Chief Executive Officer for Buffalo Cloud Consulting, LLC, facilitates the Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee.
Christine Moses, Chief Executive Officer for Buffalo Cloud Consulting, LLC, facilitates committee meetings. She describes herself as a community builder, change manager, and facilitator who believes everyone should win.
As a facilitator/change-manager, Christine helps people understand each other so they can find solutions to their social justice, equity, inclusion, communications, and strategic planning issues. Her expertise in bringing people together will be critical to support the committee as they address complex issues for the I-205 and I-5 toll projects.
"I firmly believe that when we address our equity issues and create inclusive education systems and workplaces, everything else falls into place," said Christine.
Committee members participated in an
online reception May 27 to meet and build relationships with one another. The first committee meeting is scheduled for June 29. Due to recent events in our local community and nationally surrounding systemic racism, we are dedicating the space to a Listening Session.
This listening session will be held from 5:30-8:00pm. All meetings are open to the public.
Community leaders work with communities of color, immigrants and refugees to advise ODOT
Community leaders will advise ODOT on the barriers and impacts of tolling.
ODOT collaborates with the Community Engagement Liaisons Program to hire community liaisons. The liaisons recruit community members to boost culturally-specific and authentic public participation in our work. Liaisons work all over Oregon and Washington, but the majority reside in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
Led by small business owner Ping Khaw, program liaisons think about ways to overcome barriers while exploring opportunities to form deeper connections with communities. As liaisons help us bridge cultural gaps, the collaboration enriches the public participation experience and provides communities with information.
Liaisons from underserved communities such as African, Latinx, Asian, Arabic and Slavic help identify specific ethno-cultural and language communities within the project area for the I-205 and I-5 toll projects team. These partnerships support and stimulate meaningful dialogue about the project while advancing these communities’ interests.
In community... from a distance
I-205 and I-5 toll projects team adapts to community involvement in the age of COVID-19.
Toll project team members met with scouts from West Linn May 1.
The next generation of travelers will shape traffic patterns through the greater Portland area for decades to come. So on May 1, the I-205 and I-5 toll projects team conducted a virtual meeting with the West Linn Scouts to give them an overview of tolling.
We used Zoom to reach out to the 12- to 17-year olds, who asked lots of great questions, including how tolling might affect their families, what it might mean for driving to school in the future, and how future traffic might affect their ability to ride a bike to school.
Also in May, we hosted a webinar for regional partner agency staff representing local governments throughout the region. Then, we kicked off June with a webinar for the ODOT Region 1 Area Commission on Transportation.
While COVID-19 makes community outreach more challenging, we are grateful to have technology solutions that allow us to continue providing virtual briefings to local governments and communities.
To see a list of recent and future toll briefings, visit our
calendar. To request a webinar, email the project team at
oregontolling@odot.state.or.us.
We look forward to the time when we can gather again in person. Until then, we’ll see you online! ODOT follows Governor Kate Brown’s executive order on public gatherings to ensure the safety of everyone who participates. Would your organization like a virtual briefing? Send us an email at
oregontolling@odot.state.or.us.
Watch for announcements for how ODOT’s commitment to slowing the spread of COVID-19 will affect summer engagement.
Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee UpdateNew committee will develop equitable mobility strategies
Rush hour congestion along I-5 in Portland.
Last month, we began forming an Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee. The committee will advise ODOT on how tolling on the I-205 and I-5 freeways, in combination with other strategies, can benefit populations that have historically been underserved and underrepresented by transportation projects.
EMAC members will represent a variety of equity and mobility interests and perspectives in the Portland metro area and Southwest Washington including:
- Transportation options and access.
- Transportation affordability.
- Environmental justice for historically underrepresented and underserved communities.
EMAC members will work together through 2022 to consider needs and opportunities for achieving community equity and mobility outcomes associated with the I-205 and I-5 Toll Projects National Environmental Policy Act processes. The committee will provide input to the Oregon Transportation Commission and ODOT as they decide how to implement tolls on I-205 and I-5.
The committee’s first meeting will be held in June.
We look forward to when we can see you in person, until then, we look forward to seeing you online. We are following Governor Kate Brown’s executive order on public gatherings and working to ensure sure our engagement opportunities are safe. Watch for announcements for how ODOT’s commitment to slowing the spread of COVID-19 will affect summer engagement.
I-205 Public Engagement: Coming this Summer
Learn and share feedback about the environmental review process
Community member participating in an Open House for the Value Pricing Feasibility Study in 2018
This summer, we will launch a public comment period for the I-205 Toll Project. This 45-day public comment period is an important part of the federally-required National Environmental Policy Act environmental review process that will examine different alternatives of where tolls would start and end on I-205 and how well they would achieve the project objectives to raise revenue and manage congestion. We want to hear from you at the start of the environmental review about the project's purpose and what we should consider as the project moves forward.
Throughout the public comment period, we will host activities to share information and hear your ideas. These activities will include events and online venues where you can ask questions, offer feedback, and learn about:
- Current plans and next steps.
- How modern tolling systems work.
- The program's approach to equity.
Your feedback will help us determine which toll alternatives to study in the next steps of the I-205 Toll Project environmental review process.
Community Briefings
Learn more and share feedback on toll projects
Throughout winter 2019 and spring 2020, the project team met with elected officials and policy committees to share information, hear feedback, and answer questions about the I-205 and I-5 Toll Projects. Digital tools allow us to continue these presentations until the risks associated with COVID-19 have subsided. Visit the calendar to see our schedule.
Would your organization, committee or council like to receive a project briefing too? Let us know by sending an email to the project team.
Transportation experts participate digitally in a workshop in April 2020. They will inform the I-205 and I-5 Toll Projects.
Regional Agencies Share Expertise through Working Groups
Transit and traffic modeling experts inform toll projects
Transportation experts meet at a kick-off workshop in February 2020. They will inform the I-205 and I-5 Toll Projects.
To shape the I-5 and I-205 Toll Projects, we are joined by transportation experts from across the region who serve on two technical groups: the Transit Multimodal Working Group and the Regional Modeling Group. Members of these two groups come from cities, counties, public transportation service providers and other public agencies across the region, giving us insights on how tolls could affect specific jurisdictions and the people who live or work there. They are sharing their expertise to broaden our understanding of opportunities, benefits and risks as we move forward.
The Transit Multimodal Working Group shares expertise and detailed information on current, planned and potential future transit service and active transportation networks. The group also provides input on how to best measure the potential effects of tolling on these travel modes as well as what elements can be incorporated into the Toll Projects to support multi-modal travel options. The Regional Modeling Group provides technical input on the approach to modeling for the Toll Projects, especially on the different modeling tools available to evaluate and compare Toll Project options.
These technical working groups inform our approach to the federally-required NEPA environmental review process. The NEPA process will evaluate different scenarios (referred to as alternatives) to consider where tolls will start and end on I-205 and how well they will achieve the project objectives to raise revenue and manage congestion.
The groups met for the first time, jointly, in February, and the Regional Modeling Group met on its own last month through a digital platform. Workshops continue over the next 18 to 24 months to address performance measures, project strategies and agencies concerns. Participants serve as a two-way link between their agency and ODOT, giving us local information on existing conditions and planned projects, voicing ideas and questions, as well as serving as a conduit of information about the Toll Projects back to their home agencies.
Stay tuned as the groups continue to take shape in the months ahead.
Apply for at-large positions to develop equitable mobility strategies
We are forming an Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee (EMAC) to advise on how tolling on I-5 and I-205 freeways, in combination with other strategies, can include benefits for populations that have historically been underserved and underrepresented by transportation projects.
Advice will be provided to the Oregon Transportation Commission and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). In providing input to the OTC, the Committee shall consider needs and opportunties for achieving community mobility and equity priorities as part of the NEPA process for tolling implementation.
The EMAC will be composed of about 15 members who represent a variety of mobility and equity interests and perspectives in the Portland metro area and Southwest Washington. Three to five of these members will be at-large positions filled through an application process. Other committee members will be appointed. Funding for time and travel may be available by request. The committee will meet between 15 to 20 times through 2022. Accessibility resources, including interpretation, will be provided as requested.
At-large members will be selected to represent a community of interest. These members will be asked to share information between the EMAC and the community they represent. In addition to seeking diversity on the EMAC respective to geography, demographics, and current interests, the committee will strive for representation from those with knowledge of historically underserved and underrepresented communities.
Interested in representing your community? Apply online. All applications must be received by May 1. The first EMAC meeting is expected to occur in May or June 2020.
ODOT is committed to slowing the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Meetings of the newly formed EMAC will follow guidance of Governor Kate Brown and public health officials. ODOT encourages all public meeting participants to follow proper safety precautions and social distancing recommendations. Options for alternative meeting schedules and formats will be considered if needed.
Learn more and share feedback on tolling projects
Throughout the year, we've been meeting with elected officials and policy committees to share information, hear feedback and answer questions about the I-5 and I-205 Tolling Projects. Digital tools will allow us to continue these presentations until the risks associated with COVID-19 have subsided. Visit the calendar to see our schedule. Would your organization, committee or council like to receive a project briefing too? Let us know by sending an email to the project team.
Later this year, we will host events and launch interactive digital platforms to allow visitors to learn more about the I-5 and I-205 Tolling Projects and provide input. These events and online platforms will present information and provide opportunities for community members to ask questions and offer feedback. Through these platforms, you can learn more about:
Current plans and next steps
How modern tolling systems work
The program's approach to equity
Watch for announcements!
ODOT is committed to slowing the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Public events and meetings will follow guidance of Governor Kate Brown and public health officials. ODOT encourages all public meeting participants to follow proper safety precautions and social distancing recommendations. Options for alternative meeting schedules and formats will be considered.
Provide input through April 24
In early March, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) launched an online survey to learn about when, why and how often drivers use I-205 near the Abernethy Bridge and to evaluate drivers’ willingness to pay a toll to save travel time.
Since then, social distancing guidelines implemented as a result of Governor Kate Brown’s Executive Order 20-12 have affected travel patterns on I-205 and throughout the region. ODOT will pause the “I-205 Travel Preference Survey” and resume it later in 2020. If the survey were to be conducted as planned, recent changes in travel patterns could affect the data that is collected, making it less robust for planning and financial analyses.
The survey will remain available until April 24. This will allow interested individuals to complete the survey and give ODOT information about travel patterns during the COVID-19 emergency. Before this pause, ODOT had planned to mail postcards to a sample of residents in Oregon and Southwest Washington to notify them of the survey and encourage them to respond. ODOT will delay sending these postcards until fall 2020 (target date).
This survey delay will not negatively impact the study of tolling on I-205. The survey results are intended primarily to inform decision-making for toll rates. The results are also used to help determine alternatives for the design of the tolling system and the locations where the toll will be collected. ODOT will conduct initial analyses of these alternatives using results from previous surveys and will refine these analyses once the travel preference survey is restarted and completed.
By delaying the collection of additional data, ODOT will have survey responses from before, during and after travel conditions were impacted by social distancing. This will help the agency better understand travel patterns and how they relate to tolling.
ODOT to form new Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee
Apply now for at-large positions to develop mobility strategies that benefit historically underserved communities
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is forming an Equity and Mobility Advisory Committee (EMAC) to advise on how tolling Oregon’s freeway system, in combination with other transportation strategies, can include benefits for populations that have historically been underserved by transportation projects.
The EMAC will also support the development of an equity framework to be used for the I-5 and I-205 Tolling Projects and for other state tolling locations that may be evaluated in the future. Advice will be provided to the Oregon Transportation Commission and Oregon Department of Transportation.
The EMAC will be composed of about 15 members who represent a variety of mobility and equity interests and perspectives in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Three to five of these members will be at-large positions filled through an application process. Other committee members will be appointed. Funding for time and travel may be available by request. The committee will meet about eight to ten times and will conclude in early 2021. Accessibility resources, including interpretation, will be provided as requested.
At-large members will be selected to represent a community of interest. These members will be asked to share information between the EMAC and the community they represent. In addition to seeking diversity on the EMAC respective to geography, demographics, and current interests, the committee will strive for representation from those with knowledge of historically underserved communities.
Interested in representing your community? Apply online or call (503) 837-3536 to request a paper application. All applications must be received by April 17.
ODOT is committed to slowing the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Meetings of the newly formed EMAC will follow guidance of Governor Kate Brown and public health officials. ODOT encourages all public meeting participants to follow proper safety precautions and social distancing recommendations. Options for alternative meeting schedules and formats will be considered if needed.
We Need Your Help to Improve Travel on I-205
Postcards mailed to residents with online survey link
As part of a comprehensive approach to manage traffic congestion and raise revenue for bottleneck relief projects, we need current data on how drivers use I-205.
ODOT is conducting an online “Travel Preference Survey”, a research instrument that asks users when, why and how often they use I-205 near the Abernethy Bridge and evaluates users’ willingness to pay a toll to save travel time. Results will be used to study the potential effects of tolling on I-205.
For the results of this survey to be representative of I-205 drivers, we need your help!
Your opinion is important. The more people who respond to the survey, the more precise the results will be. Participants who complete the survey can enter for a chance to win a $100 cash gift card.
We sent postcards with a link to complete the survey online to a random sample of residents in Oregon and Southwest Washington. If you have received one of these postcards, please take the survey following the instructions provided.
If you did not receive a postcard, you can still take the survey and share your thoughts by clicking the button below.
We will conduct another survey in the future to gather this information about I-5.
Learn and give input online about the I-5 and I-205 Tolling Projects this spring
This spring, ODOT will host a virtual educational event and launch an educational website about the Tolling Program. The online platforms will present information about the I-5 and I-205 Tolling Projects and will provide opportunities for community members to ask questions and offer feedback. Specifically, these engagement opportunities will go into more detail in the following topic areas:
- Current plans and next steps
- How modern tolling systems work
- The program's approach to equity
ODOT has decided to rely on digital tools to engage the community on the Tolling Program until the risks associated with COVID-19 are reduced.
Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
I-5 and I-205 tolling projects move forward with equity and community mobility as essential elements
Extensive opportunities to provide public input
Beginning this spring, ODOT will conduct an environmental review of tolling options for Interstate 205 and conduct additional planning work to define the start and end points of tolling on Interstate 5. You will have opportunities to provide input during this work.
With the help of stakeholders and partner agencies, we have identified three equity and mobility priorities for tolling projects:
- Improved public transit and other travel options
- Options for people with low incomes and historically disadvantaged people who depend on the freeways
- Strategies to support neighborhood safety and mobility
These priorities were recommended by a policy advisory committee, endorsed by the Oregon Transportation Commission and included in
an application to the Federal Highway Administration to study tolling on I-5 and I-205.
Extensive opportunities to provide input will be available as both projects progress. As project alternatives are developed and evaluated for I-5 and I-205, We will work with regional partners, neighborhoods, and community-based organizations to develop community mobility and equity priorities and strategies that will help advance the projects. The results of this work will be shared with stakeholders through public events and online surveys as the projects are being developed.
Region 1 Area Commission on Transportation discusses decision process and public engagement for tolling
The Region 1 ACT will advise the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) and ODOT staff on tolling projects.
At the February Region 1 ACT meeting, OTC chair Bob Van Brocklin said the OTC is proceeding with tolling projects knowing there is much to learn from the technical analysis, agency partners and the public.
“We can’t predict tonight what the package will look like. We are committed to becoming educated before we decide what to do,” said Van Brocklin.
The Region 1 ACT discussed several topics related to tolling, including:
- The importance of coordination with other regional projects
- Fairness to low-income drivers
- Timing for when tolling will begin
- Current diversion and potential travel pattern changes
- The role the Region 1 ACT will serve to help community conversations
- The need for broad public engagement
- The need for improved public transit and other transportation options
The next meeting occurs April 6 in Cascade Locks and is open to the public.
We need your help to improve travel on I-205
Postcards will be mailed to residents with online survey link
As part of a comprehensive approach to reduce traffic congestion and raise revenue for bottleneck relief projects, we need current data on how drivers use I-205.
This winter ODOT will conduct an online “Travel Preference Survey” that asks drivers why and when they travel on I-205. Results will be used to study the effects of tolling the freeway.
For the results of this survey to be representative of I-205 drivers, we will need your help!
Your opinion is important. The more people who respond to the survey, the more precise the results will be. We will send postcards to residents in the seven-county region with information to complete the survey online. If you receive one of these postcards, please take the survey following the instructions provided.
If you do not receive a postcard, you will be able to take the survey and share your thoughts by accessing the project website in the coming weeks.
We will conduct another survey in the future to gather this information about travel on I-5.
Why is Oregon tolling?
In 2017, the Oregon Legislature approved House Bill 2017 which committed hundreds of millions of dollars in projects to address congestion and improve the transportation system in the region and statewide. HB 2017 funded bottleneck relief highway projects, freight rail, improvements to transit and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The bill also directed the Oregon Transportation Commission to pursue and implement congestion pricing, also known as variable rate tolls, on I-5 and I-205 in the Portland Metro region to provide additional traffic management tools to further manage congestion.
During the 2018 Feasibility Analysis, regional stakeholders, agency partners, and the public explored multiple options for variable rate tolling. This resulted in the identification by the Oregon Transportation Commission of two projects for further evaluation:
- I-5 along a seven-mile stretch through central Portland approximately between N Going/Alberta Street to SW Multnomah Boulevard, the exact end points still to be determined.
- I-205 between Stafford Road and OR 213, on or near the Abernethy Bridge, the exact location still to be determined.
ODOT submitted an application in December 2018 to toll these two routes to raise money for transportation improvements and reduce congestion, as required by HB 2017. In early 2019, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) responded to the Oregon Transportation Commission’s application to toll I-5 between Going Street and Multnomah Boulevard and I-205 at or near the Abernethy Bridge.
FHWA’s letter provides a basis for ODOT to move into the next phase of work. It lays out responses to key questions and describes what ODOT will need to do in order to secure federal approval for tolling these two sections of the Interstate. ODOT will continue working closely with FHWA to move tolling forward.
The locations for tolling that were advanced by the OTC reflect the
recommendation of a 24-member Policy Advisory Committee which met to evaluate the technical analysis and public input from a Value Pricing Feasibility Analysis from November 2017 to June 2018.
The OTC accepted the PAC recommendation in August 2018. It served as the basis for a draft application for OTC approval in December 2018. At this meeting, the five-member commission voted unanimously to accept the draft and submit a final application to the Federal Highway Administration by the end of 2018, as mandated by HB2017.
The next phase of work will include in-depth planning, traffic and revenue analysis, environmental review, and extensive public engagement. This analysis will focus on concerns raised frequently during the feasibility analysis phase of the project, including understanding impacts to low income and historically marginalized communities, needed improvements to mass transit services and other travel options and minimizing negative diversion impacts to neighborhood streets. ODOT will be launching this work in the near future. This phase is expected to take several years due to the rigor of the analysis and the extensive public engagement required.
Application to FHWA
In 2017, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2017, known as “Keep Oregon Moving.” This bill committed billions of dollars in projects that will address our congestion problem and improve the transportation system in the region and statewide. HB 2017 funded bottleneck relief highway projects, freight rail, and transportation options, including improvements to transit, biking and walking facilities and service. The Legislature also directed the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) to pursue and implement tolling on I-5 and I-205 in the Portland Metro region to help manage traffic congestion. A 2018 feasibility analysis, which included both technical analysis and public input, determined that tolling could help manage congestion and raise revenue on I-5 and I-205.