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Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project

Planning and conservation  ›  Transportation and land use projects  ›  Lake Oswego to Portland transit

Learn about efforts to develop a transit project that meets future travel demand between Lake Oswego and Portland, supports local and regional land use plans, and garners public acceptance and community support.

Locally Preferred Alternative recommendation

On Feb. 28, 2011, the Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project Steering Committee made its recommendation for the streetcar as its preferred alternative to proceed for further study.
Download the recommendation (6M PDF)

The committee, made up of elected and appointed officials from each of the project jurisdictions, based its recommendation on recommendations from the community advisory committee who also supports the streetcar alternative, the project management group who advocates streetcar as best meeting the project purpose and need, and the nearly 500 public comments received by the project between Dec. 3, 2010 and Jan. 31, 2011.

Public comments strongly support investment in the corridor and more comments favored streetcar than enhanced bus or no-build, but a number of people still oppose streetcar, primarily due to its significant capital cost in times when there are many funding needs.

Public comment report

Public comment was accepted during the 60-day comment period, Dec. 3, 2010, to Jan. 31, 2011, during which residents offered nearly 500 comments on the impacts and benefits of the alternatives.. Find out what residents said about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. More

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

On Dec. 3, 2010, the Federal Transit Administration, Metro and TriMet issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, studying the potential benefits and impacts of three alternatives in the corridor. The environmental analysis examines the full range of direct, indirect and cumulative effects of the alternatives... More

Alternatives

The project includes three alternatives:

No-build option

The study examines existing transit services and facilities and only those transit and highway improvements that are deemed achievable within financially constrained resources by the year 2035. This alternative is also used as a basis for comparison for the enhanced bus service and streetcar alternatives.

Enhanced bus service

The study includes an evaluation of potential bus improvements and transportation systems management techniques to benefit bus service between Portland and Lake Oswego. The enhanced bus service alternative would include frequent bus service between Oregon City and downtown Portland along Highway 43 with connections to the Lake Oswego transit center located on Southwest Fourth Avenue between A and B streets. The enhanced bus service would have fewer stops than a normal local bus service – similar in number to the streetcar alternative, more frequent service than the current TriMet Line 35, and a 300-space park and ride facility near the Lake Oswego Albertsons.

During the alternatives analysis for the corridor, more intensive capital improvements for a version of bus rapid transit, such as queue jump lanes at intersections, were evaluated for the corridor. These improvements are not a reasonable option due to community access impacts and the potential need to acquire private property.

Streetcar

The study evaluates streetcar operation between Portland and Lake Oswego, where the line would terminate near Albertsons. Park and ride facilities would be located at the terminus (300 spaces) and in Foothills (100 spaces). The streetcar alternative looks at potential operation in the Willamette Shore Line right of way and design options where it may leave the right of way in in some areas.

During the alternatives analysis, streetcar running entirely on Highway 43 was dropped from study due to safety concerns. A minimum operable segment to the Sellwood Bridge is also being considered.

At the same time through a parallel process, steps will be identified to advance a trail in the corridor. Download the map of alternatives to be considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and information on the trail refinement below...Go

Potential timeline (updated July 8, 2010)

A transit solution could open by 2017.

2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Complete Draft Environmental Impact Statement and develop Locally Preferred Alternative	Begin preliminary engineering and Final Environmental Impact Statement			Final design	Begin construction		Open enhanced bus or streetcar service

Project partners

The environmental analysis is a joint effort by Metro, TriMet, the cities of Lake Oswego and Portland, Clackamas and Multnomah counties, Portland Streetcar Inc. and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Work will begin in the summer of 2009 and conclude in 2010 with the selection of a single Locally Preferred Alternative to be advanced into preliminary engineering and a Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Public participation and decision-making process

Learn more about public participation in the Lake Oswego to Portland transit project and the committees involved in the decision-making process. More

Files and related materials

• Steering committee Locally Preferred Alternative recommendation 6.0M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published February 28, 2011
• Map of alternatives to be considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, updated December 2009 4.8M Adobe Acrobat PDF
• Information on the trail refinement 1.1M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published May 29, 2008
• Portland Streetcar Inc. Locally Preferred Alternative resolution, March 2011 921K Adobe Acrobat PDF
• Letter to Metro Council President Hughes from Mayors Hoffman and Adams, June 16, 2011 562K Adobe Acrobat PDF
• Metro Council President Hughes response to Mayors Hoffman and Adams, July 7, 2011 74K Adobe Acrobat PDF