Oregonian File Photo

The Portland area's next light rail line could be a 12-mile meandering route that planners say could transport about 43,000 people a day between downtown and Bridgeport Village in about a half hour.

The so-called Southwest Corridor has been on planners' mind since at least 2009, but last week Metro and TriMet released the most detailed route yet for the estimated $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion project. The draft Environmental Impact Statement is the latest signal the transit project is inching closer to reality, and it includes more details on what the proposal might mean for Southwest Portland, Tigard and Tualatin than ever before.

Don't Edit

The proposed route, courtesy of Metro

Metro will start receiving public comments on the plan Friday. The public has until July 30 to weigh in. In August, a steering committee of elected officials and transportation leaders will decide on the final route.

If constructed, the first trains would likely roll out in 2027. [FYI, TriMet's estimate included in the map rounds costs down from 2.86 billion, in journalism we round up]

Here’s what you need to know today:

Don't Edit

Barbur versus Naito

One of the biggest decisions planners had to make was on which way the train would leave downtown. The initial plan chooses Barbur Boulevard rather than Naito Parkway, thus saving an estimated $140 million. The plan calls for extending the Green Line from its terminus at Portland State University.

Don't Edit

Tigard Transit Center

The route pushes trains through the downtown Tigard Transit Center and includes a shuttle connecting Portland Community College’s Sylvania campus to two nearby proposed MAX stops.

Don't Edit

Oregonian File Photo

Big changes for the Ross Island Bridge

The light rail line could mean dramatic changes to the western end of the Ross Island Bridge, the workman-like span that carries U.S. 26 across the Willamette River. The idea is the revamped interchange would make the area safer for pedestrians and bicycles, but those details haven’t been ironed out.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Displaced businesses, homes

Any large infrastructure project will mean displacement for some homes and businesses, and the light rail proposal is no different. According to the draft plan, an estimated 80 to 100 residential units will be forced out if the line is constructed, and 100 to 120 businesses will also be displaced along with 1,200 to 1,700 employees. In contrast to previous light rail projects, the Southwest Corridor planners are trying to mitigate gentrification and displacement at the outset.

Metro approved $275,000 in grants to community groups in the proposed light rail area, and a separate upcoming housing bond could include money for affordable housing projects. “We are charting a new path to get ahead of this [displacement] and put policies and programs in place so that doesn’t happen,” Eryn Kehe, a Metro spokeswoman, said in a blog post on the regional government’s website about the housing issue. “It’s new ground. We’re being creative. Nobody’s quite done this before.”

Don't Edit

$1 billion increase

Depending on how the project rolls out, the proposed $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion price tag released last week is nearly $1 billion more expensive than the estimate revealed just two years ago. Officials say the figures included in the draft environmental impact statement are based on 2024 dollars and more accurately reflect the right of way, structures and businesses that must be bought, and the increased real estate costs in the 12-mile area. “We know more about what’s out there than we did before,” said Kehe.

Don't Edit

Oregonian File Photo

Marquam Hill

Plans call for creating a new way for pedestrians to get to Oregon Health & Science University’s Marquam Hill campus from Barbur Boulevard.

Don't Edit

2020 bond plan

Project costs are also going up because planners pushed the timetable back a couple years. There had been discussion of pursuing a transportation bond in 2018 to pay for the light rail project and other pricey transit proposals, but that was scuttled. Now, all signs point toward a 2020 transportation bond measure. Officials are banking on the Federal Transit Administration picking up close to 50 percent of the project cost.

Don't Edit

More than just trains

The project is about more than just light-rail transit. Much needed sidewalk, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements are planned throughout the Barbur Boulevard and Oregon 99W corridor.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Oregonian File Photo

There will be parking

The light rail planners indicate designs for 13 light rail stations and as many as seven park and rides with up to 4,200 parking spaces.

Don't Edit

How to comment

Metro is encouraging people to comment through its website, or by emailing to swcorridordeis@oregonmetro.gov.

Don't Edit

Train color[bonus]

What color will the new line be? Purple? Pink?

Speculation abounds, but that will likely have to wait.

"We don't know the name or the color of the new line at this point in the process," Kehe said.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen