SE 172nd Avenue/ SE 190th Drive Corridor Management Plan

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

As communities expand on a daily basis, counties are continually dealing with increases in population. Often, the transportation infrastructure in these areas cannot keep up with the increase in population, as the construction of a new road or public transportation track requires a great deal of time and money. Clackamas County, which serves the rural suburbs of Portland, Oregon, began a management plan to prepare the region for an anticipated increase in population. Currently, there is a very weak north-to-south transportation route for these booming suburbs. Clackamas County launched their SE 172nd Ave / SE 190th Drive Corridor Management Plan to prepare a north-to-south transportation project for the region. The county knew that construction and implementation would not begin for a number of years due to budgetary constraints, so they initiated a collaborative effort with communities that exist in the affected corridor. Starting with town hall meetings, the county sought to increase dialogue with the community to determine the best route to take in order to prepare plans for an environmentally conscious, efficient, affordable, and beneficial north-to-south roadway. The community was heavily involved with the plan, as the county hosted a number of community workshops, online tutorials, and open house events. Statistical analysis presented during the dialogue phase indicated the time-frame that the county had to plan and construct the roadway. The county expects the area to be heavily urbanized by 2035. To prepare, the county, in cooperation with the local communities, has determined that construction should begin sometime around 2016. The $2 million cost of this project covered planning, research, modeling, mapping, public involvement, web and social media, publications and personnel. However, this project was an excellent and relatively rare example of planning a major roadway in advance of urban levels of development with a substantial input from the residents of the area. By taking the time and resources to work with government partners, the business and development community and the public, the county now has a generally accepted, understood and approved plan to provided needed transportation connectivity in this rapidly-growing portion of the Portland metropolitan area.