|
PORTLAND, ORE -- Members of the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) convened a public hearing in Portland last night on the Metro Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP). The hearing provided Congressman David Wu another opportunity to voice his support for widening Highway 217 and other projects crucial to economic development and quality of life for residents of the First Congressional District. Congressman Wu is concerned Highway 217 will not receive an adequate level of funding to improve commute times for both residents and businesses.
"The cost of congestion on commerce, safety, and livability presents us with an urgent need to invest in the economic viability of the region. One of the most effective ways to address that need is by responsibly using public funds to improve Highway 217," said Congressman Wu. "It is essential that the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro, Washington County, and the cities and counties of the Portland Metropolitan region whose businesses and citizens depend on Highway 217 continue to work together to find a suitable, long-term funding solution for this critical piece of infrastructure."
JPACT is a 17-member committee of elected officials and representatives that make recommendations to the Metro Council on transportation needs in this region. MTIP is an allocation of funds divided among various regional transportation projects. The discussion last night centered on how the funding would be divided.
In the coming days, JPACT will send its final decision to Metro Council as to how the funding will be spent.
The full text of Congressman Wu's statement follows below.
STATEMENT OF CONGRESSMAN DAVID WU BEFORE THE JOINT POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
FEBRUARY 13, 2007
Thank you, JPACT and Metro Council members, for allowing me to submit this statement.
The current and future state of Oregon's economic health will be threatened if the appropriate and necessary improvements to modernize Interstate 5, Highway 217, or Highway 26 are ignored. In the next twenty years, Oregon's Department of Transportation (ODOT) estimates traffic on Highways 217 and 26 will increase by about two-thirds. The Highway 217 Policy Advisory Committee's Highway 217 Corridor study reports that today's peak hours of congestion will nearly triple, from 2.5 hours to 8 hours, by 2025.
The cost of congestion on commerce, safety, and livability presents us with an urgent need to invest in the economic viability of the Portland Metropolitan Region. One of the most effective ways to address that need is by responsibly using public funds to improve Highway 217.
By adding capacity, improving safety, and restoring traffic mobility to Highway 217, we make a responsible investment in an area that has provided significant, long-term economic benefit to the entire state of Oregon. By addressing the needs of this economic engine by reducing traffic congestion and improving the flow of commerce, the state and the region will see a tremendous return on its investment.
I have worked hard in Congress with my colleagues Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Congressman Peter DeFazio, Congressman Brian Baird, and Congresswoman Darlene Hooley to secure necessary funds to support transportation improvements and new projects in the region, and I will continue to do so.
Today, I urge you to support funding through MTIP for the Highway 217: Beaverton-Hillsdale to Allen Interchange. These funds will allow for the Environmental Assessment and preliminary engineering for a critical section of Highway 217 from Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway to Allen Boulevard. This project will take steps towards increasing safety and traffic flow on one of the most dangerous and congested portions of Highway 217.
But in addition to funding this crucial project through the MTIP, I continue to urge all of the regional partners to recognize the economic benefits that this critical artery provides to the entire region.
Businesses and residents in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Clark Counties that move goods and commute daily to and from Washington County depend on this aging and increasingly congested and unsafe highway.
It is essential that ODOT, Metro, Washington County, and the cities and counties of the Portland Metropolitan region whose businesses and citizens depend on Highway 217 continue to work together to find a suitable, long-term funding solution for this critical piece of infrastructure.
Thank you again for allowing me the time to provide this statement. I look forward to working with all of the regional partners on securing funding for improvements to Highway 217.
###
|
