6 • The Southwest Portland Post
NEWS
May 2016
Frogs croak, neighbors sweat, staff recommends light rail over bus rapid transit
SOUTHWEST CORRIDOR PLAN
By Erik Vidstrand
The Southwest Portland Post
So much for a rapid bus line along
Southwest Barbur Boulevard or a
tunnel to Portland Community College.
These two components were recently
nixed by project staff members who
have been studying the Southwest
Corridor Plan since 2012.
But the elected officials, who make
up the steering committee, have the
final say and will vote on the staff’s
recommendations in May. A recent
planning meeting was held at the
Southwest Community Center on
April 6 with about half of the steering
committee present. Metro staff presented
their recent recommendations on the
Southwest Corridor Plan.
Community members were crammed
in a tiny room while frogs croaked
outside and doors were propped open
on the warmest night of the year.
B a s e d o n d i re c t i o n f ro m t h e
committee, technical analysis, and
input from community and business
groups including the general public,
staff proposed light rail as the preferred
high capacity transit mode and to
eliminate the light rail tunnel alignment
to PCC Sylvania.
They suggested exploring and
refining alternative options to get to the
college campus. According to Metro,
growth ridership beyond 2035 could be
accommodated by a MAX train but not
with the bus rapid transit. Busses would
also impact vehicular traffic through
the corridor.
Light rail would be faster, more
reliable, and more cost-effective to
operate but not necessarily to build.
There was clear public response for
light rail rather than busses.
As for the tunnel, ridership would
not justify the cost of its construction.
There would be more neighborhood
and traffic impacts with a tunnel.
“Future investment on the Sylvania
campus in response to an on-campus
station is unclear,” replied Metro project
manager Chris Ford.
“While other options that connect
the campus to light rail would be
outperformed by a tunnel,” Ford
said, “the option would improve
convenience, ridership, and travel times
at a much lower construction cost.”
The higher cost of the tunnel would
also preclude funding for pedestrian,
bike, and roadway projects that would
connect to the major arteries according
to Metro.
Staff presented additional solutions
which include new bus lines with
no transfers, a TriMet shuttle, and
increasing the Line 44 and 78 schedules.
Some kind of mechanized transport
such as a funicular or aerial tram was
also discussed. Would the tram have
community impacts as well such as the
ability to view into private gardens and
windows from above?
Brief public comment was then
welcomed. First up was Linda Degman,
director of the bond program at PCC.
“We are excited about the various
transit options,” Degman testified,
“but disappointed that there won’t be
a direct access with a tunnel. Students
won’t get out of cars to sit on buses.”
According to a 2011 online survey
administered to students, staff, and
faculty, over 70 percent drive alone to
the campus.
Next testimony up was Chris who
only gave his first name. He explained
how Metro is operating in a 20th
century mode. He described self-
driving Google cars that could act as
An aeriel tram is being considered to transport faculty and students from the light rail
station at Southwest 53rd Avenue and Barbur Boulevard up to the PCC Sylvania campus.
(Photo courtesy OHSU)
shuttles to and from campus as well as
other areas in the corridor.
“This is not some kind of science
fiction fantasy,” he said. “By the
time this project is done in 2025, the
technology you are now using will be
outdated. Google has already logged
1.5 million Google car miles.”
Jim Howell, a retired engineer,
provided a little history of the project
to date. “First, this project was going
to serve OHSU, drop down to Hillsdale
and perhaps run under Multnomah
Village. This is no longer the case. You
pulled Tualatin out and now are going
to drop PCC,” he went on. “And still
it’s a $2 billion project!”
John Gibbon, land use chair for the
Southwest neighborhood coalition,
questioned how extreme winter
weather will affect the rail service.
Roger Averbeck, SWNI transportation
chair, questioned the timelines.
Malu Wilkinson, project coordinator,
explained the investment strategy in
2013 had extensive engagement with a
long list of stakeholders.
Noelle Dobson, project spokesperson,
said that all the reports were online
and invited the participants to engage
with staff. Maybe it was the heat or
the cramped room, but participants
decided to mingle and look at maps
and reports and ask their questions
individually instead of sitting around
more tables.
The steering committee will be
meeting on May 9 from 9-11 a.m. at
the Tigard Town Hall. In June, the
committee is expected to approve a
“preferred package” of potential transit
alignments for a federal environment
impact review. For more information,
visit www.swcorridorplan.gov.
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