Emergency Transportation Routes Phase 1

Regional Emergency Transportation Routes (ETRs) are defined as priority routes targeted during an emergency for rapid damage assessment and debris-clearance. They are used to facilitate life-saving and life-sustaining response activities, including the transport of first responders (e.g., police, fire and emergency medical services), fuel, essential supplies and patients.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

In 2019-2021, the RDPO and Metro partnered to update the designated Regional ETRs for the five-county Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Region, which includes Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah and Washington counties in Oregon and Clark County in Washington. This is considered Phase 1 of the Regional ETR project. Before that, the last update occurred in 2006.

The Regional ETR project was identified in Metro’s 2018 Regional Transportation Plan as a necessary step to better integrate transportation with planning for resiliency, recovery, and emergency response. Funding for the project is provided by the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is managed by the RDPO.  

PROJECT GROUNDWORK

In Spring 2019, the Transportation Research and Education Center at PSU conducted a study to capture best practices for establishing emergency transportation routes in other regions, both within the US and internationally. They reviewed the policy frameworks that influenced the update of our regional ETRs. Read TREC’s findings and recommendations for the ETR project work group.

PHASE 1 (2019-2021)

Phase 1 ran from 2019-2021. See below for information about the project timeline, methodology, and partner involvement.

LARGE FORMAT MAPS

TABLES

Detailed Regional Emergency Transportation Route data charts are available for download. They have been formatted for ease of use by local jurisdictions:

2021 DISSEMINATION EVENT

The Regional Emergency Transportation Route (RETR) Update team hosted a 90-minute dissemination event and Q&A on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 to provide partners with an overview of the RETR Update results as well as feedback from the 2021 regional review period. Team members introduced partners to the robust GIS data, tables, and charts that will enable regional emergency managers, transportation planners, and GIS analysts to put the RETR data layers to use.

METHODOLOGY

TIMELINE

The project Methodology outlines criteria across three dimensions to identify the best regional routes for emergency response during a seismic event, and a six-step approach to validate the updated Regional Emergency Transportation Routes. The dimensions include:

1. Connectivity and Access: Assess RETR connectivity and access to regional assets and from state to local routes

2. Route Resilience: Assess resilience of RETR infrastructure to multiple natural hazards

3. Community and Equity: Assess RETRs for access to vulnerable and isolated communities

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PROJECT WORK GROUP

The following entities were actively engaged as core planning stakeholders during Phase 1:

  • RDPO

  • Metro

  • Portland State University (PSU) TREC

  • Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)

  • Washington Department of Transportation

  • Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI)

  • TriMet

  • Clackamas County Disaster Management

  • Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA)

  • Columbia County Emergency Management

  • Columbia County Public Works

  • Multnomah County Emergency Management

  • Multnomah County Transportation Division

  • Portland Bureau of Emergency Management

  • Portland Bureau of Transportation

  • Washington County Emergency Management Cooperative (EMC)

  • Washington County Operations and Maintenance

CONSULTING TEAM

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP

  • Thuy Tu, Thuy Tu Consulting

  • Allison Pyrch, Salus Resilience

GIS MANAGEMENT AND MAPPING

  • Jed Roberts, FLO Analytics

  • Erica McCormick, Cascade GIS & Consulting

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