Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive

The Portland area's next light rail line will run largely down the center of Southwest Barbur Boulevard on a meandering 12-mile route between downtown and Bridgeport Village in Tigard.

A steering committee comprising metro area elected officials and transportation leaders voted Monday on the official route for the proposed transit line. Project leaders had also considered a route along Interstate 5.

The decision came after the Metro regional government released its preferred route in June for the project, estimated to cost $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion. Metro this week said it received more than 1,000 comments on its draft Environmental Impact Statement since June.

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Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Planners said the project will not result in fewer travel lanes on Barbur.

The so-called Southwest Corridor Plan is about more than just light-rail transit, though planners estimate the new TriMet line would draw up to 43,000 passengers a day. The project would create miles of continuous bike lanes and sidewalks on Barbur stretching until Southwest 60th Avenue.

The project is far from approved, but Monday’s vote marks a significant step. Metro’s council will vote to adopt the plan this fall.

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Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive

The corridor is expected to be one of the big-ticket items in a 2020 metrowide transportation bond package. Regional transportation leaders want the federal government to pay for nearly 50 percent of the project cost, but the Trump administration is not doling out federal funds for transit projects at the same rate as previous presidencies, so that’s far from a done deal.

If approved, the first trains could roll out by 2027.

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Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Here's what else you should know now:

- Viaducts: The steering committee recommended replacing the Newberry and Vermont Street viaducts, two 1934-era bridges that pose a safety risk for bicyclists and pedestrians because they are so narrow. According to metro documents, two new bridges will be constructed with four travel lanes, the light rail tracks, and bike and pedestrian facilities. The Oregon Department of Transportation would chip in money to replace the bridges, which would be separate from the total project cost.

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The end of the line at Bridgeport Village (Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive)

- Busway: The project would include a roughly 1-mile “transitway” for buses stretching from downtown Portland to Southwest Gibbs Street on Barbur. This will speed up buses between downtown and Hillsdale.

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This synagogue along SW Barbur Boulevard was recently purchased by TriMet (Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive)

- Why not Naito?: Project leaders preferred routing the train down Barbur from the outset because it would displace fewer residents and businesses and would have fewer impacts on “potentially protected historic resources.”

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Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive

- Stations: The plan calls for 13 stops along the route and 7 park and rides, including a station near SW 70th Avenue.

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The current route to PCC-Sylvania runs along this road (Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive)

- Ross Island, OHSU and PCC-Sylvania: Several key aspects of the plan remain unfinished. Planners are calling for a redesigned bridgehead at the western edge of the Ross Island Bridge, a connection from Barbur to Marquam Hill and the region’s medical and health offices there, and a shuttle service to PCC-Sylvania’s campus.

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Here's a map of the full route

Click here for the full map.

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-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen