September 2015
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 3
Bored light rail tunnel proposed as option to Portland Community College
SOUTHWEST CORRIDOR PLAN
By Erik Vidstrand
Southwest Portland Post
Over 50 residents of the West Portland
Park and Far South West Neighborhood
Associations met on August 13 to hear
updates on the Southwest Corridor Plan.
Metro presented their latest findings
based on a recent technical memo. The
new president of Portland Community
College’s Mt. Sylvania Campus, Dr. Lisa
Avery, discussed the college’s role in the
project.
According to Metro’s analysis,
constructing a bored light rail tunnel
connecting PCC Sylvania to the rest of
the system would provide a more efficient
approach than the cut and cover tunnel
previously considered by the steering
committee in July 2015.
“A bored tunnel alignment may provide
the most direct route connecting Barbur
Boulevard and PCC,” said Noelle Dobson,
project spokesperson.
Though light rail transit is twice as
expensive as bus rapid transit, light rail
attracts more riders, according to officials.
“There will still be property and traffic
impacts,” Dobson warned, “but those
impacts would be substantially less than
from a cut and cover tunnel approach.”
Metro identified potentially feasible
alignments for further exploration,
including a long-bored tunnel, a short-
bored tunnel, and enhanced bus service.
The short-bored tunnel would be
approximately 3,000 feet long between
53rd Avenue and Barbur Boulevard and
west of Lesser Road. Hauling activities
from the portal would take place at the
staging area located northwest of Barbur
Boulevard, taking over four years.
The long-bored tunnel alignment is
approximately a mile long that travels
from 53rd Avenue and Barbur Boulevard
to a station located roughly 150 feet below
PCC Sylvania.
Overall construction duration is
estimated to be four-and-a-half years.
While travel time and ridership for each
option has not yet been analyzed, it is
believed the long-bored tunnel would
have the shortest travel time as it is
contains the fewest curves.
Other options include an enhanced
local bus service like the TriMet Line 44
which links the Barbur Transit Center and
PCC Sylvania. Under this option, Line 44
would become a frequent service route
running every 15 minutes all day.
College administrators will present their
vision for future campus development
and community input at the Southwest
Corridor Plan steering committee meeting
in October.
“Even though not many students use
public transportation at the moment,”
Avery said, “faculty and staff are
requesting better ways to reach the
campus through bike routes and other
means.”
An improved pedestrian and bicyclist
connection from a station in the vicinity
of Barbur Boulevard and 53rd Avenue is
proposed.
This segment would include stations on
the campus and in the vicinity of Capitol
Highway and Comus Street near Holly
Farm Park and the Capitol Hill Library.
This route was chosen because it
provides the shortest connection between
Barbur Boulevard and the central campus
and would impact the fewest residences
compared to other streets.
Marcia Leslie, chair of the Far Southwest
Association, said she has heard from a few
neighbors that they would be OK with a
bored tunnel but will have a much better
idea after their neighborhood potluck
schedule for Aug. 29.
“Some still have concerns,” said Leslie.
“One says that her house will be shaken
off its foundation, and another has said he
will probably sell, even though he doesn’t
live directly along 53rd Avenue.”
PCC has remained neutral at the
moment about light rail or bus rapid
transit, and for that fact, any of the other
options.
“Our campus is expanding,” Avery
stated. “As the largest community college
in Oregon, we serve over 33,000 students
with over 1,200 faculty and staff.
“We also open up our campus for
community and cultural events such as
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MAX light rail station at Washington Park taken in September, 2014.
(Photo by Travis Estell, creative commons via Flickr)
pow-wows, film festivals, and dance
troupes.”
West Portland Park president Mike
McNamara announced that a steering
committee has been formed from both
neighborhood associations.
“We will continue to monitor and study
the Southwest Corridor Plan,” he said.
“We have been very happy with Metro.
They have been extremely nice and
appreciate them coming to our meeting.”
Moving sidewalks have also been
talked about which would connect
the station to campus via escalators.
Officials said this option is not considered
feasible due to the half-mile distance to
be traveled.
It also might not fit the neighborhood
character and would create potential
conflicts with driveways and cross street
traffic.
In addition, there are concerns with
maintenance and operational reliability
given the Pacific Northwest climate.
Bus shuttles could connect PCC
Sylvania to the 53rd Avenue station and
the Barbur Transit Center. This option has
relatively low capital costs, but requires
additional operations and maintenance.
In another option, autonomous
vehicles/shuttles would connect PCC
Sylvania to the 53rd Avenue station
and the Barbur Transit Center. The
system would operate on the local street
network.
The technology is very new and is
currently being tested, and changes in
state and local laws may be necessary to
allow for autonomous operation.
A comprehensive environmental
review of the preferred package would
likely begin in 2017 which will encompass
substantial advancement of all designs
including details on roadway widening,
lane conversions, property impacts and
any tunnel construction.
Construction could begin as early as
2021.