Umatilla County kicks off updated Transportation System Plan alongside Safe Streets for All grant

Umatilla County Commissioners on Feb. 19 received a kickoff presentation for an updated Transportation System Plan (TSP) and a Safe Streets for All (SS4A) action plan, projects funded through the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation programs.

The projects, introduced by Bob Walder, Umatilla County community development director, combine federal SS4A grant funds with a Transportation Growth Management grant administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). Walder said the two efforts were combined because they share tasks and timelines and the combined funding will allow the county to leverage consultant resources.

The consultants leading the work include members of the STV and Kittleson teams; presenters identified themselves as Adrian, Matt and Chris, with Tom, Charlie and Megan also participating. Adrian and the consultant team presented crash maps and data drawn from county records. Commissioners asked for additional analysis on the crash data and further breakdowns to inform interventions.

"We are getting ready to kick off the next phase of our Safe Streets for All action plan, as well as the update to our transportation system plan," Walder said.

Why it matters: county staff said the current TSP is largely out of date and lacks usable information for planning; the update is intended to produce a data-driven plan to prioritize safety investments, help guide future capital projects, and support grant applications.

Key details: - Funding and programs: the project uses SS4A funds from the Federal Highway Administration together with Transportation Growth Management program support administered through DLCD and ODOT. The county said combining funds lets it "homogenize" tasks and better leverage consultant work. - Data and analysis: commissioners asked the consultant team to break crash data down by where involved vehicles are registered (Oregon, Washington, Idaho) to estimate how many crashes involve commuters versus county residents. Commissioners also noted a concentration of severe and fatal crashes on the county's west end and requested more granular, geocoded crash analytics. - Timeline and next steps: Walder said the county will share the slideshow and additional crash datasets with commissioners; the public and commissioners have until the end of the month to submit comments to county staff, who will route them to the consultants. - Technology and strategies: commissioners expressed interest in "new technologies" and nontraditional safety measures; the consultant team said they will include a range of countermeasures and noted that a later presentation could expand on technology options.

Commissioner Schafer said the maps and statistics were useful. "I think the map is great. The statistics are incredible," Schafer said, adding that the sheriff's office and road department should be able to use the analyses.

The consultants and county staff emphasized the importance of an evidence-driven approach. Walder said he expects the updated TSP and SS4A plan to produce "drilled down information that's gonna be incredible" for county planning and safety work.

The presentation concluded with an invitation from staff to review additional crash data and provide written comments to the county team for incorporation into the projects.