Portland / Vancouver I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership

What did the Portland/Vancouver I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership do and why?
The Task Force completed the follow steps to develop the strategic plan. At each step they consulted with the Community Forum and hosted a series of public meetings to gather public input before making final decisions.

Adopted a Problem, Vision and Values Statement for the Corridor
Established Criteria to Evaluate Options for the Corridor
Identified a Range of Improvement and Demand Management Packages to be Designed and Evaluated
Designed and Evaluated the Packages
Identified Promising Strategies and Developed Draft Recommendations
Adopted Final Recommendations in a Final Strategic Plan

Why was it done?
The states of Washington and Oregon initiated this project in response to recommendations of a bi-state leadership committee. The committee considered the problem of growing congestion on the highway and rail systems in 1999. They recommended the region undertake a public process to develop a strategic plan for the I-5 corridor based on the following findings:

Interstate 5 is the primary economic lifeline on the West Coast.
In the Portland/Vancouver region the most economically significant segment of I-5 is in North Portland and Vancouver where the freeway intersects with the Columbia River.
At the river, the interstate connects with two transcontinental railroads, international shipping through the ports of Portland and Vancouver, and with important industrial land in both states.
Without attention, future congestion in this important corridor threatens the livability and economic promise of the Portland/Vancouver region.
No single strategy will solve the problems in the corridor. Highway and transit improvements, plus better traffic management, and rail improvements will all be needed to a keep up with the mobility needs in the corridor.
Addressing the transportation problems in the corridor will be costly. Most improvements cannot be fully funded with existing transportation funds. A variety of innovative funding strategies will need to be explored.

Who conducted this study?
This effort is sponsored by the Oregon and Washington Departments of Transportation with funding from the Federal Highway Administration. ODOT and WSDOT are working in partnership with the other transportation agencies in the corridor including the cities of Vancouver and Portland, Metro and the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, the ports of Vancouver and Portland, TriMet and CTRAN, and Clark and Multnomah Counties.