OAR 660-012-0035: Evaluation and Selection of Transportation System Alternatives

(1) The TSP shall be based upon evaluation of potential impacts of system alternatives that can reasonably be expected to meet the identified transportation needs in a safe manner and at a reasonable cost with available technology. The following shall be evaluated as components of system alternatives: (a) Improvements to existing facilities or services; (b) New facilities and services, including different modes or combinations of modes that could reasonably meet identified transportation needs; (c) Transportation system management measures; (d) Demand management measures; and (e) A no-build system alternative required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 or other laws. (2) The following standards shall be used to evaluate and select alternatives: (a) The transportation system shall support urban and rural development by providing types and levels of transportation facilities and services appropriate to serve the land uses identified in the acknowledged comprehensive plan; (b) The transportation system shall be consistent with state and federal standards for protection of air, land and water quality including the State Implementation Plan under the Federal Clean Air Act and the State Water Quality Management Plan; (c) The transportation system shall minimize adverse economic, social, environmental, and energy consequences; (d) The transportation system shall minimize conflicts and facilitate connections between modes of transportation; and (e) The transportation system shall avoid principal reliance on any one mode of transportation by increasing transportation choices to reduce principal reliance on the automobile. (3) Where existing and committed transportation facilities and services have adequate capacity to support the land uses in the acknowledged comprehensive plan, the local government shall not be required to evaluate alternatives as provided in this rule. (4) Transportation uses or improvements listed in OAR 660-012-0065(3)(d) to (g) and (o) and located in an urban fringe may be included in a TSP only if the project identified in the transportation system plan as described in section (6) of this rule, will not significantly reduce peak hour travel time for the route as determined pursuant to section (5) of this rule, or the jurisdiction determines that the following alternatives cannot reasonably satisfy the purpose of the improvement project: (a) Improvements to transportation facilities and services within the urban growth boundary; (b) Transportation system management measures that do not significantly increase capacity; or (c) Transportation demand management measures. The jurisdiction needs only to consider alternatives that are safe and effective, consistent with applicable standards and that can be implemented at a reasonable cost using available technology. (5) A project significantly reduces peak hour travel time when, based on recent data, the time to travel the route is reduced more than 15 percent during weekday peak hour conditions over the length of the route located within the urban fringe. For purposes of measuring travel time, a route shall be identified by the predominant traffic flows in the project area. (6) A “transportation improvement project” described in section (4) of this rule: (a) Is intended to solve all of the reasonably foreseeable transportation problems within a general geographic location, within the planning period; and (b) Has utility as an independent transportation project.