Monmouth studies 20-year transportation plan that prioritizes multimodal projects amid constrained funding

Monmouth city staff and consultant DKS Associates presented an updated Transportation System Plan (TSP) on Nov. 4 that lays out a 20-year multimodal project list, proposed design standards and a financially constrained implementation program.

Russ Cooper, city staff, said the TSP is intended to modernize street cross-sections, improve multimodal connectivity and guide transportation investments consistent with statewide planning Goal 12. The plan uses a local population projection that grows Monmouth from about 11,110 in 2020 to an anticipated 16,527 by 2045 (an annual growth rate used in regional modeling of roughly 1.95 percent).

The project universe includes roughly 90 projects — 14 street extensions, 10 intersection improvements, 41 bicycle/pedestrian projects, six transit upgrades and 19 urban upgrade projects — with estimated total construction costs of about $173.8 million. Staff and the consultant narrowed that to a financially constrained list of projects worth about $14.6 million based on anticipated revenues and prioritization criteria.

Key standards changes flagged in the TSP include revised cross-sections that add planter strips and sidewalks, a shift in some local right-of-way widths from 60 to 56 feet, and changes to driveway and access spacing and traffic-impact analysis thresholds. Cooper said these standards are designed to slow traffic, improve pedestrian safety and provide space for stormwater-quality features.

Anthony Bridal of DKS Associates described the technical memos behind the TSP (goals and objectives; existing and future conditions; project identification; and the financially constrained program). He said some intersections are projected to underperform by the 2045 horizon under current growth assumptions, but that the TSP emphasizes demand-management strategies — transit, bike and pedestrian investment and alternative commute options — rather than large roadway expansions.

Councilors raised multiple questions during discussion: the role of ODOT-owned facilities such as Highway 99 in town, how reduced right-of-way widths will affect on-street parking, whether bicycle facilities should be routed off Main Street onto quieter secondary collectors, how the plan will mesh with the recent changes to development code and parking policy, and whether the plan should include a stronger marketing and outreach component to increase bike/ped utilization. Staff said code amendments that implement the TSP will be drafted and brought to the planning commission and council, and recommended providing a concise executive summary to the public ahead of hearings.

Next steps: Staff expects to finalize code amendments and ordinance language in several weeks, present items to the planning commission for public hearing, and once recommended bring them back for council public hearing and adoption — with early January identified as a realistic target for hearings. Councilors generally supported moving the plan toward hearings while requesting a streamlined public summary and attention to bicycle connectivity and some identified intersections.