Portland Region Westside Freight Access Study
ODOT and Washington County received a $10 million TIGER grant to implement recommendations.
Quick Facts
Study focused on the outbound movement of goods from the Portland region’s westside computer and electronics (C&E) manufacturers to the freight consolidation area at Portland International Airport (PDX)
Found that freight movement between the westside C&E cluster and the PDX freight consolidation area depends on two routes: 1) US 26 to I-405 north to I-5 north, and 2) Cornelius Pass Road to US 30, heading east on the St. Johns Bridge to Columbia Boulevard
Results
Identify how C&E goods move through the region and what near-term transportation improvements could be made to significantly increase the speed, efficiency, and reliability of shipments, leading to economic growth and job creation for the region
Identified groundbreaking, low-cost strategies that will clearly benefit the westside C&E freight movement and can be implemented in a short timeframe; strategies include:
Provide enhanced traveler information at key points along freight routes that alerts drivers of incidents and reduces non-recurring delays
Modify select US 26 on-ramps to allow freight to bypass ramp meter queues
Increase response and clearing capacity of traffic incidents on the key US 26/I-405/I-5 freight route to reduce non-recurring congestion impacts
Our Work
Interviewed industry manufacturers and their freight forwarders and carriers
Through interviews, found that “all bets are off”after 2:00 p.m. regarding the reliability of the US 26/I-405/I-5 corridor and that Cornelius Pass Road/US 30 becomes the de facto route in the afternoon
Analyzed travel time data confirming that Cornelius Pass Road/US 30 is significantly more reliable in the midday and p.m. hours, meaning that the westside C&E industry is heavily dependent on a steep and winding rural road with known deficiencies
Determined that these issues will inhibit the region from reaching the Greater Portland Export Initiative’s goal of doubling exports by 2017
—Susie Lahsene, Manager of Transportation and Land Use PolicyDKS provided exemplary service on this unique, challenging endeavor that applied freight stakeholder feedback to drive this dynamic project, while remaining flexible and dynamically responding to evolving analysis needs and meeting schedules. As such, it is my pleasure to provide this testament to the quality of their work and involvement in this project.
Port of Portland