Oregon Goes Big in Transportation Funding Requests

"The regional government, in a priority list officials will vote on Thursday, is asking for federal money for more than six dozen projects, ranging from the Columbia River Crossing to new TriMet buses. Also included are a new Sellwood Bridge, a parking structure at a Gresham transit center, a Columbia River dredging project, multiple bike trails, and fixes for snarled traffic at the juncture of I-205 and I-5, Tualatin-Sherwood Road and many other spots."

"Nothing guarantees Congress will fund projects on the list when it appropriates 2010 transportation money and authorizes the six-year federal transportation bill later this year."

"But Metro and its partners are using the funding process to not only push local projects but also to influence federal transportation priorities. The Portland region now judges transportation improvements as involving much more than how quickly we commute from Point A to Point B, and its leaders believe the rest of the country ought to do the same."