SW Neighborhoods, Inc.

Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner Sam Adams will co-host a public Neighborhood Town Hall meeting to discuss a draft proposal developed in collaboration with the 60-person “Safe, Sound and Green Streets” Stakeholder Committee.

The City of Portland and Multnomah County are partnering to find solutions to Portland’s bridge and street maintenance and safety transportation problems - including the Willamette River bridges such as the Sellwood Bridge - and to develop local transportation funding options.

There is a backlog of projects, and with a growing population, there is more demand being placed on the transportation system.

Given the current transportation funding situation, the money does not exist to adequately address these issues. In order to cover the funding gap, it would take a seventeen-cent increase in statewide gas taxes, which is unlikely to happen in the immediate future.

Oregon’s last gas tax increase occurred in 1993 and the Portland metro region receives only forty-six-cents out of each dollar paid through gas taxes and vehicle registration fees.
The good news is that something can be done at the local level to help improve the system and ensure its health. The town hall meeting will provide residents an opportunity to review the proposal developed in collaboration with the “Safe, Sound and Green Streets” Stakeholder Committee, discuss proposed projects that address safety, paving, and bridge needs, and learn about a possible local funding package to deliver the projects.

For more information on the Town Hall meetings, or for general information, contact Mark Lear at 503-823-7604 or Roland Chlapowski at 503-823-1123. Or visit www.SafeandSoundStreets.com.

Mark Lear at 503-823-7604 or Roland Chlapowski at 503-823-1123. Or visit www.SafeandSoundStreets.com.