North by Northwest Connector

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

The Northwest Oregon Transit Alliance (NWOTA) is a partnership of five rural transit agencies in northwestern Oregon. The Connector project is the partnership’s collaborative effort to enhance the long-term livability and economic vitality of the rural communities it serves by increasing transit use, while helping these communities preserve their unique character. This landmark Oregon project serves as a model for other communities throughout the nation.Funded by a $3.5 million US Department of Energy (DOE) General Innovation Fund grant, this project aims to increase transit use by commuters and visitors in northwestern Oregon by better connecting these communities on the Oregon Coast to the I-5 corridor; improving service and removing transit barriers between the counties; and coordinating route, schedule, and fare structures. By implementing these steps, NWOTA hopes to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and promote rural community sustainability. Through this project, NWOTA has begun to brand and market a regionalized transit system, use transit as an engine for economic development, and explore private-public partnerships for sustainable funding. The partners are working with employers to improve commuter service, coastal businesses and tourism providers to improve access, communities to mitigate parking and congestion, and Tribes to collaborate on service and funding strategies.