ST. HELENS, Update, Oct. 29: The city has extended the survey deadline to Friday, Nov. 13, according to a city email sent Thursday. The original deadline was Oct. 30.
St. Helens residents have until Friday, Oct. 30, to answer an anonymous survey that will help shape the city’s update of its 20-year transportation plan, the city said in a news release Oct. 16.
The city is updating its Transportation System Plan, or TSP, which documents the current transportation system, including vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, freight and transit networks, and sets goals and identifies projects for present and future needs.
A project website for the update includes a project timeline, a comment map and the survey. The survey asks residents to rank how they would prioritize existing plan goals, which travel improvements they feel are most important, and how they feel about the safety, ease of use and barriers to walking, biking, public transit and roads in St. Helens.
On the interactive comment map, residents can add markers to a map of St. Helens and comment on specific locations where they have concerns about walking, biking, transit, driving and safety. City staff will review the survey results.
The plan helps the city prioritize transportation improvements, document system deficiencies, investigate future funding opportunities and provide planning solutions. Transportation system plans are required under Oregon land use laws, and they allow the city to qualify for state, federal and regional grants and transportation funding, according to the release.
St. Helens adopted its previous plan in August 2011. The update is paid for by a $301,900 Transportation and Growth Management Program grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation and a city in-kind match of $34,544. It is expected to be complete by the end of 2027.
How to take part
The survey is open through Friday, Oct. 30, and responses are anonymous. The address of the project website, with the survey and the comment map, is printed in the city’s news release.
Questions about the update go to St. Helens Engineer II Alex Bird at abird@sthelensoregon.gov. Questions about the news release go to Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.