From Metro:

On Tuesday, February 13, 2007, beginning at 5:30 p.m., the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and the Metro Council will hear public testimony on the draft final list of transportation priorities for the flexible funding portion of the 2008-11 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP). The hearing will be held in the Metro Council Chamber, 600 NE Grand Avenue, Portland. (Take Tri-Met bus route 6 or take MAX to the Oregon Convention Center stop.)

To ensure the accuracy of your testimony, please bring a written version of your testimony. Make sure your contact information and affiliation (if any) are included. Alternatively, you may complete a testimony form at the hearing. You may also submit your testimony by email, US mail, fax, or over the website as long as it is received after the final draft list is released and before midnight on February 13. This hearing will be taped for later cable access viewing (time at yet to be determined).

A draft final list of funding recommendations is scheduled to be released on February 3, 2007. View the list at www.metro-region.org and click on “Transportation Priorities 2008-11” in the left navigation menu. Then look for the link toward the bottom of the Transportation Priorities main page.

Approximately $45 million—about 4% of funding available in the region—is available during the 2008-11 funding cycle. Jurisdictions and transportation agencies submitted 66 projects for funding consideration, totaling $132 million in funding requests. To help narrow the list to more closely match available funds, a public comment period on the “first-cut” list of funding recommendations was held from October 13–December 1, 2006. The public comments together with cost considerations and technical criteria will help JPACT and Metro staff to develop a draft final list of funding recommendations. Final action is scheduled for March, pending state compliance and air-quality-conformity determinations.

For technical questions about the transportation priorities process, programs or projects, call Ted Leybold, MTIP project manager, 503-797-1759. For questions about public involvement, call Pat Emmerson, 503-797-1551.