Want to dig deeper? These maps and reports have been gathered for residents who want to know more about the project's decisions this spring.
Staff recommendation
On April 4, planners released their recommendations that the steering committee select light rail for the corridor, and end study of a light rail tunnel to serve PCC Sylvania, focusing instead on alternative surface options to improve access to campus.
This document contains the reasoning and details behind that recommendation.
Mode decision
This spring, the steering committee will decide whether to advance light rail or bus rapid transit between Portland, Tigard and Tualatin. Here are key documents that help explain and inform that choice.
Mode comparison memo
Deciding between light rail and bus rapid transit is a big milestone for the Southwest Corridor project. This comprehensive memo provides a comparison of the various benefits and tradeoffs between the two modes.
Bus rapid transit explainer
Bus rapid transit is a new kind of transit in the Portland region, and it can take different forms depending on a community's needs and characteristics. This document gives a summary of what a bus rapid transit system might look like in the Southwest Corridor.
Public opinion summary: December 2015
In December, Metro asked the public what questions they have regarding light rail and bus rapid transit, and also got preliminary feedback on their preferred choice of mode. Here is a quick summary document that highlights what Metro heard back. A more comprehensive public opinion survey runs through February 5.
Frequently asked questions
Also in that poll, Metro asked for your questions about the differences between light rail and bus rapid transit in the Southwest Corridor. Here are answers to some of the top questions we heard. For even more, visit this story
PCC service
The second big decision for the steering committee this spring is which options to continue studying for connecting a light rail or bus rapid transit line to Portland Community College's Sylvania campus. Here are some documents that explain the options they'll consider.
PCC connection options memo
Improving transit service to the PCC Sylvania campus is an important goal of the Southwest Corridor project. If high capacity transit does not directly serve the campus there are many other ways to improve transit service. This technical memo outlines those possible Sylvania campus transit enhancements, including new direct branded service bus lines and a PCC bus hub.
PCC connection options: summary
This is a more concise analysis of each of the options for serving PCC with better transit.
PCC connection options technical memo
This document contains technical analysis of the different options to improve access to PCC.
Key issues memo: PCC Sylvania area
This May 2015 memo provides detail on the high capacity transit options to serve the Mt. Sylvania area. Note that subsequent documents provide more recent information on light rail tunnel options being considered, but this document is still the best place to get detail on how bus rapid transit could directly serve the PCC Sylvania campus.
PCC Sylvania light rail connection options
In July 2015 the steering committee directed staff to explore if there were other light rail tunnel options that would be less disruptive than the cut-and-cover tunnel under consideration at that time. Use this report to learn about two additional bored tunnel options that have been developed, and how they compare with the original cut-and-cover tunnel option.
Mt. Sylvania outreach summary, October 2015
From July through October 2015, project staff met and talked face-to-face with the residents at neighborhood and PCC events, and conducted online surveys of neighbors and PCC stakeholders. Read a summary of the public’s input here.
Want more?
Visit the Southwest Corridor project library for all the key documents dating back to the beginning of the project. Go to the library