Regional Flexible Funding Allocation Step 1A. 1 Bond

Share your feedback on bond funding for transit projects in the Portland Metro region

A family of four people depart a TriMet bus. They are carrying bags of groceries and smiling.

Funding transit projects in the Portland Metro region

Metro is seeking input on a bond that would help fund transit projects proposed by cities and counties throughout the Metro region. The bond is being considered as part of a larger process called the Regional Flexible Funding Allocation (RFFA) . Regional flexible funds are money from the federal government that can be used for a wide range of transportation projects. Regional flexible funds are just one source of the region's transportation funding and are less than five percent of the total funding spent on transportation around the region.

In July, regional decision-makers will award funding to eligible projects for the 2028-30 Regional Flexible Funding Allocation. That award will include a decision about the bond.

It’s a challenging decision. The eligible projects have requested more bond funding than is available. Keep reading to learn more about how a bond is used to fund transportation and details about the projects that have been proposed for this bond. Then, share your input.

A green transit bus stopped at a gray and green bus station from the Division Transit Project. Five people are exiting the bus, facing away from the station. The bus station has tall glass walls, green beams, and a glass roof for shelter as well as three small gray benches, a trash can, and a black digital screen showing arrival times. A large, tall metal sign with blue and green stripes identifies the transit station as a Frequent Express (FX) bus rapid transit line.

What are the region’s priorities for the bond?

Early in the 2028-30 Regional Flexible Funds Allocation process, Metro’s Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and the Metro Council agreed to a set of priorities and guidelines described in the 2028-30 RFFA program direction .

Projects nominated for the new Step 1A. 1 project bond must qualify for at least one of three transit project categories:

Capital Investment Grant (CIG) projects are large transit capital projects that leverage other federal grant funds.
First and last mile to transit and/or safe access to transit projects help people use transit by building sidewalks and bike lanes, safer street crossings and corner ramps for accessibility.
Transit vehicle priority projects give buses dedicated space on the road or use traffic signal technology to speed up transit in slowdown areas.

Proposed Regional Flexible Fund Step 1A.1 Bond

The five projects that are candidates for the bond funds requested a total of $120 million. This exceeds the amount of bond funding available so the bond cannot fund every project at the level requested.

Decision-makers are considering awarding up to $88.5 million dollars through the Step 1A.1 bond. The current proposal includes the five projects with funding amounts listed in the table below. All these projects will need additional funding outside the RFFA process.

To view the full table, use the scroll bar at the bottom.

Project	Transit project category	Sponsoring agency	Amount requested	Proposed Step 1A. 1 funding
Tualatin Valley Highway Transit Project	Capital Investment Grant	TriMet	$30 million	$28 million
82nd Avenue Transit Project	Capital Investment Grant	TriMet	$30 million	$28 million
Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge	First/Last Mile and Transit Vehicle Priority	Multnomah County	$25 million	$10 million
Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension	Capital Investment Grant	City of Portland	$20 million	$10 million
Sunrise Gateway Corridor Project	First/Last Mile and Safe Access to Transit	Clackamas County	$15 million	$10-$12.5 million
Total amount			$120 million	$86-$88.5 million

What informs the decision to bond?

Decision-makers have a lot to consider when funding transportation projects. The proposed bond presents both opportunities and challenges for investing in the region’s transportation system.

Opportunities	Challenges
Build sooner: Borrowing funds to design and build projects allows the region to meet urgent transportation needs sooner.	Pay back over time: Bonding against future federal funds means there will be less Regional Flexible Funding available for in future years while the region pays off the bond debt.
Leverage other funding: The bond funds may enable the region to access significant federal funds by providing local match funding.	Funding uncertainty: Changes at the federal level may reduce or eliminate existing transportation grant programs that these projects plan to use.
Regional support: The bond allows the region to advance transit projects in the region’s three counties that address a variety of local and regional needs.	Limited resources: The bond will support all five projects and leverage federal and/or state funds, but each project will still need more local funding as well.

Learn more about the projects

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The map shows the locally preferred alternative (LPA) recommended by the TV Highway Steering Committee. A green line shows proposed transit route between Beaverton and Forest Grove and small circles indicate the general location of 85 stations with the names of cross-streets. The top section shows the western portion of the TV Highway corridor, and the bottom section shows the eastern portion. The map includes a legend showing the recommended transit mode, route, and general station locations.

A visualization of the 82nd Avenue corridor featuring improvements from the Building a Better 82nd Avenue Project. This design includes two travel lanes on each side, with the outside lanes painted red and marked for buses and right turns only and a center turn lane for left turns. Trees line the sidewalk where people are walking and seated on benches.

Illustration of the view from the proposed Burnside Bridge with a view of the inverted Y tower and cables. Railings separate the cars and a bus in the vehicle lanes from people walking and biking on the sidewalks on each side of the bridge.

Share your feedback

Decision-makers want to hear from you. Now that you’ve learned more about the proposed Regional Flexible Fund Step 1A.1 bond proposal and the projects, tell us what you think.

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If you have additional questions about Regional Flexible Funding, please contact us by phone at ( 503)-797-1757 or by email at transportation@oregonmetro.gov

Visit the Regional Flexible Funds website at https://www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/2028-30-regional-flexible-funding-allocation