June 2015
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
Experts provide ‘tunnel therapy’ regarding future light rail alignments
SOUTHWEST CORRIDOR PLAN
Metro councilors Bob Stacey and Craig
Dirksen were on hand to show support
at the Southwest Corridor Plan forum on
May 12. (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand)
By Erik Vidstrand
The Southwest Portland Post
All the stops were pulled out at the
most recent Southwest Corridor Plan
forum held on May 12 at Wilson High
School.
Metro councilors Bob Stacey and
Craig Dirksen were on hand to show
Metro’s support in leading this big
endeavor.
Tunnel expert Isabelle Lamb, from
McMillen Jacobs and Associates, was
brought in from Seattle to provide
“tunnel therapy” addressing fears and
answering technical questions.
Lamb responded to numerous
concerns about mitigation from noise,
dust, traffic, and disruptions that could
last up to three years due to tunnel
construction.
The cities of Tualatin, Tigard, and
Sherwood were represented as were
Oregon and Portland departments of
transportation, TriMet, and Metro staff.
Multiple easels fanned the room
outlining the most recent components
and options. Staff stood at attention next
to each easel responding to comment
after comment.
Maps featured details on each section:
downtown connections; Marquam
Hill and Hillsdale tunnels; Portland
Community College and Barbur
Boulevard alignments; the stations in
Tigard, Beaverton, and Sherwood; and
bus rapid transit basics.
All of this, for the reader’s interest, is
online as well as a comment form that
can be submitted until late June.
The steering committee, made up of
top administrators of each agency, will
decide on whether to continue study
of tunnel alignments to serve South
Portland, Marquam Hill, and Portland
Community College.
In what’s being called the “July
decision,” the much anticipated
outcomes will reveal what types of
funding sources, implementation
timelines, and secondary projects
(roads, bike paths, and sidewalks) will
be determined.
But much of the night involved the
participants sitting with staff at tables
around maps and reviewing factors that
mattered the most to them. In this case,
participants rallied around Marquam
Hill, Portland Community College, and
Hillsdale proposed alignments.
Susan Hanson, from the Oregon
D e p a r t m e n t o f Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n ,
responded to vocal criticism of the
proposed light rail tunnel options.
“We have vetted this entire concept
with a variety of stakeholders including
this community,” Hanson said. “In fact,
high capacity bus transit came out of
these very workshops.”
“We know people are concerned,”
said Hanson. “We can still serve these
areas with or without tunnels. Portland
gets behind transportation and has
shaped one of the finest systems in the
nation.”
The coordinator summed up the next
steps. “The feedback from tonight,”
announced Noelle Dobson, a senior
specialist for Metro, “will be put online
immediately. We urge more people to
comment online until the end of June.”
Editor’s Note: In a May 13 article on
the Southwest Corridor Plan’s website,
Metro staffer Craig Beebe writes, “Mount
Sylvania represents another difficult
decision about how to bring faster transit
to an area with a lot of potential but a lot
of constraints. Come July, the Southwest
Corridor Plan Steering Committee must
decide which options for serving Mount
Sylvania seem more promising for further
study: largely bypassing it with light
rail or bus rapid transit on Barbur
Boulevard, digging a light rail tunnel
under a residential street or weaving bus
rapid transit up Capitol Highway to the
Portland Community College campus.”
Additional information can be found at
www.swcorridorplan.org.
COMMUNITY LIFE
for students, and are available at the
door.
(Continued from Page 8)
and discover resources and information
on healthy homes programs. Free, but
please register online, in the library or
by calling 503-988-5234.
13
Take a hike! The monthly
Southwest Trails walk is set for
Saturday, June 13 and will include
portions of Tryon Creek State Park and
Marshall Park. Meet behind the
bleachers at Wilson High School (Sunset
Blvd. and Capitol Hwy.) and be ready
to go at 9 a.m. Bring a snack and water
and dress for the weather. Well-behaved
dogs are allowed on leash. For more
information, contact Sharon Fekety at
fekety@hevanet.com.
14
Your neighborhood orchestra:
The Jewish Community
Orchestra holds its June concert and
tackles Jacques-Francois Halevy,
Rubenstein, and Tchaikovsky in an
evening of musical magic. Sunday, June
14 at 3 p.m. at the Mittleman Jewish
Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol
Hwy. Affordable tickets start at $5.00
Two-wheel tour: The Tryon Creek
Watershed Council will lead you on
a bicycle tour through Tryon Creek
State Park on Sunday, June 14 from
2 – 5 p.m. The tour will be a fun and
educational ride on bike path and road
lasting approximately eight miles with
many stops along the way. Bring your
bike, helmet, water bottle, and bright
clothing. Meet at Riverdale High School
Parking Lot, 9727 SW Terwilliger Blvd.
For more information, contact Adra
Lobdell at tcwc.volcoord@gmail.com.
20
Clear out the clutter: Recycle
your old electronics safely and
benefit local seniors. Bring your scrap
electronics to the Meals on Wheels
headquarters, 7710 SW 31st Ave., on
Saturday, June 20 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Your trash will be turned into cash to
help feed homebound seniors.
Acceptable items include computers,
DVD/CD players, laptops, keyboards,
and digital cameras. No televisions. For
more information, contact Megan Stuart
at 503-953-8130.
POST A TO Z BUSINESS CARD DIRECTORY 503-244-6933
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Deadline for space reservations is June 19.
The IDEA Today … The SIGN Tomorrow!
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