Milwaukie reviews draft transportation maps, weighs ODOT transfer and grant options

Milwaukie officials reviewed draft Transportation System Plan (TSP) maps at a June 17 work session, asking the City Council for gaps and corrections before a public engagement push and a fall prioritization that will convert projects into a funded list.

The session, led by Planning Manager Laura Weigel, focused on pedestrian, bicycle, transit, roadway and freight classifications and a consolidated project list staff says will be prioritized later. Weigel told the council: “Did we get the projects right? Are we missing anything?” as staff urged members to identify omissions ahead of community workshops and an online Engage Milwaukie survey launching the next day.

Why it matters: the TSP will guide Milwaukie’s capital-improvement choices, local grant applications and coordination with state and regional agencies. Councilors sought clarity on which legacy projects carried forward from the 2007 plan, how the draft treats high‑priority pedestrian routes and bikeways, where smaller “spot” projects could be funded from the capital-improvement program (CIP), and whether the city should pursue jurisdictional transfer of state-owned Highway 99 to gain local control and compete for larger ODOT grant pools.

Most immediate items and staff guidance

• Project list vs. prioritization: staff emphasized the packet contained an inclusive project inventory, not a ranked priority list. Ryan Beyer, a consultant on the project, said the maps and project descriptions are intentionally specific enough for cost estimating but flexible for later engineering: “These maps are not perfect. They're not gonna be perfect because we're still talking to people,” and staff will…