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Active transportation refers to transportation that involves people walking or using a bicycle or other types of nonmotorized, wheeled devices. Along with transit, active transportation is a key element that would classify the , a federally funded transportation project, as a multimodal one. It is also a priority of state and local governments on both sides of the Columbia River that are striving to provide accessible, inclusive, and affordable transportation options for people of all abilities and economic situations.

The Interstate Bridge, across the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver, is neither desirable nor accessible for all active travelers. This is why the IBR program team is working to replace this century-old bridge with a modern, seismically resilient structure that provides safe, equitable and efficient transportation options, including active transportation, high-capacity transit, and motor vehicle travel.

A focal point of the IBR program is equity, and that means emphasizing safety for all travelers through the program area, regardless of how they travel. By creating safer active transportation facilities alongside transit routes and roads, people from all socioeconomic backgrounds have access to efficient and affordable travel options.

Recent research already shows the effects of existing disparities. For example, a 2021 Oregon Department of Transportation and Portland State University analysis titled showed that BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) residents experience a higher rate of pedestrian injury compared to the statewide average and that racial minorities are disproportionately represented in pedestrian traffic fatalities.

The same disproportionate impacts to equity priority communities can be found when considering the impacts of climate change. This is why we are working to shift trips from fossil-fuel-powered vehicles to transit, walking, biking, or rolling by providing attractive and direct active transportation facilities. Doing so will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions locally and improve air quality in program-adjacent communities, thereby promoting healthier lifestyles and health equity.

Accessibility is paramount to an equitable transportation system, particularly when it comes to active transportation. That means creating an inclusive user experience for people at all mobility levels, as well as those facing physical, visual or hearing challenges.

A strong emphasis on multimodal transportation, and active transportation in particular, is expected to provide equitable transportation options that currently do not exist, or are not ideal, thereby addressing the diverse needs of all travelers. Active transportation investments planned for the IBR program will improve safety and connectivity for travelers not only along the Interstate Bridge, but also along east-west streets crossing the interstate in program area neighborhoods.

How, you might ask, do we intend to do that? First, let鈥檚 examine the existing Interstate Bridge. Each span includes a multiuse sidewalk that is barely four feet wide and hangs off the outside of the bridge structure. As active users cross the bridge, they are near high-speed vehicle traffic, exhaust fumes and roadside debris. The narrow sidewalk does not permit walkers, cyclists or wheelchair users to comfortably pass each other. By contrast, the replacement bridge will feature a shared-use path that will be wide enough for two-way travel for bicyclists and pedestrians and be separated from vehicle traffic by a barrier.

The IBR active transportation component will improve connectivity to existing active transportation facilities, as well as transit routes throughout the program area. We intend to improve the existing shared-use path that currently runs from the Expo Center Transit Station to Hayden Island, while also connecting existing paths, sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of the river.

While it is still too early to tell exactly what these new facilities will look like, or what shape they will take, we do know they will be designed using best practices and following current jurisdictional standards that have been adopted by our program partners, including the cities of Portland and Vancouver. In addition, the program team is studying ways to incorporate area history and culture into the physical design elements, including bridge aesthetics, artwork and other amenities.

We are also striving to preserve and enhance natural features, focusing on views both from and toward the new bridge, while working within the constraints of the bridge structure to maintain structural integrity and safety.

Active transportation works in tandem with high-capacity transit service as part of a multimodal corridor. Our planned transit investments are being designed to interact and connect with new or improved transit stations at Expo Center, Hayden Island and in downtown Vancouver with new light rail and bus-on-shoulder service providing cross-river travel options that currently do not exist.

Providing safe and comfortable active transportation routes benefits everyone. It benefits travelers who do not have access to a car or who prefer to walk, bike or roll instead of drive. And by reducing demand for driving, everyone benefits from better air quality and reduced pollution.

Finally, active transportation provides an equitable mobility option for all community members, particularly those who may struggle with the financial burden of automobile ownership.

Details on the location of the new or improved active transportation facilities being studied by the IBR program team will be included in the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement set to be published later this year. When that happens, stakeholders will be able to provide feedback on the active transportation improvements.

In the meantime, please join us for our next equity roundtable, 鈥淧athways to Active Transportation: Strategies and Solutions,鈥� from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21. This virtual event will explore how the IBR program team is pursuing multimodal transportation infrastructure investments through the inclusion of accessible active transportation (bike/walk/roll) facilities. Panelists will discuss their experiences and approaches that support active transportation planning. Then a Q&A session with the audience will follow. To learn more, go to www.interstatebridge.org/calendar.

Natalie Owen is the active transportation lead for the Interstate Bridge Replacement program. Contact her at 503-897-9218 (Oregon) or 360-859-0494 (Washington) or [email protected].

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither the author nor the 红桃视频 guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.