Albany Begins Transportation Plan Update for Roads, Transit and Walkability

Albany has begun its first full Transportation System Plan update since 2010, starting a process that could influence road, transit, walking and biking priorities for the next 20 years.

The City of Albany says the update began in July 2026 in partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation and Kittelson & Associates, Inc. The process is anticipated to take 18 to 20 months, with adoption expected in spring 2028.

What the update will do

A Transportation System Plan, or TSP, is a long-range planning document used to guide transportation investment over a 20-year horizon. It helps a city evaluate transportation needs, establish goals and identify potential projects and programs for different travel modes.

For Albany, that framework may address streets and intersections, transit access, sidewalks, crossings, bicycle connections, freight movement and neighborhood access. It can help shape future policy and investment decisions, but it is not a construction schedule or a guarantee that every project identified will be built.

Albany’s current TSP was adopted by the City Council on February 24, 2010. The city later amended it in 2011, 2013 and 2015. The update gives officials and residents an opportunity to reconsider transportation needs as the city responds to housing, development, commuting, business access and changing travel patterns.

Why the early stage matters

The city says the updated plan will be informed by Albany’s Strategic Plan and by engagement with city, county, regional and state agencies, transit providers, organizations that support walking and bicycling, and a wide range of community members.

Oregon Department of Transportation guidance describes community engagement as a core part of transportation-system-plan updates. The guidance identifies residents, businesses, transportation providers, property owners, community organizations and traditionally underserved groups as important participants in the planning process. That guidance provides general planning context; it does not establish Albany’s final meeting schedule or engagement format.

For Albany residents, useful feedback will likely be specific and location-based: a difficult crossing, a missing sidewalk, a recurring safety concern, a transit-access problem, a bicycle connection that ends abruptly, freight conflicts or congestion near a growing neighborhood. Businesses can raise concerns about deliveries, customer access and employee commuting. Parents, older adults, renters, people with disabilities and residents who do not drive may see transportation gaps that are less visible from behind the wheel.

The regional connection

Albany’s plan will fit into a broader regional transportation structure. The Albany Area Metropolitan Planning Organization includes Albany, Jefferson, Millersburg and Tangent, along with Linn and Benton counties and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

AAMPO coordinates regional transportation planning, policy and funding. That means some transportation questions affecting Albany may also involve neighboring communities, county governments or state facilities.

How to follow the process

As of July 28, 2026, the city’s TSP page lists July 7, 2026, as the date of the kickoff meeting. Future meetings are listed as coming soon, and the project-document section does not yet contain the update’s new materials.

Residents can sign up for project notifications through the city. The city says notifications will be sent ahead of public meetings and when new documents are available for review.

The update remains at an early stage. As the city posts materials, residents should watch for information about existing conditions, draft goals and priorities, possible solutions, potential projects and funding recommendations. Those materials will provide additional opportunities to offer feedback before the plan reaches the anticipated spring 2028 adoption process.

People who want to participate should begin tracking the city’s Transportation System Plan page now rather than wait for a final draft. Specific future meeting dates and documents have not yet been posted.

Sources

• City of Albany Transportation System Plan Update
• ODOT Community Engagement Plan guidance
• Albany Area Metropolitan Planning Organization