METRO NEWS FILE PHOTO
Transit connections to downtown Gresham would be looked at as part of the proposed Powell-Division study.
With federal support for mega transit projects drying up, local leaders are trying to find new ways to develop the region's transit plans minus expensive light rail lines.
The Metro Council is set to sign off on one of those new ideas on Thursday, when it votes on whether to move forward with a study of the Powell-Division transit corridor.
That corridor, identified in the region's most recent transportation plan, stretches from Portland State University and OHSU on the west to Mount Hood Community College on the east. Eyed as an "eds and meds corridor," it could connect high schools, colleges and hospitals to rapid transit.
And the way Metro staff envisions the corridor at the moment, it won't include light rail.
"We are focusing on lean and mean solutions," said Metro corridors planning director Elissa Gertler. "Whether it's the Southwest Corridor or any other corridor, we have a different definition of success.
"Every corridor plan does not necessarily have to end in a giant EIS (environmental study) for light rail. Most corridor plans are not going to end that way for a long time," she said.
Instead, a lengthy bus rapid transit line – a first for the Portland region – could cross the city.
There are a few reasons for the change. Notably, the Portland region's path to success in finding federal funding, the New Starts program, continues to tighten the spigot from D.C., just as costs for new light rail projects skyrocket.
Even if the federal government was doling out cash for the projects, it would be a decade or more before a light rail line could be built in the area.
Metro and the cities, Gertler said, would rather have something running sooner than later.
The two TriMet bus lines along the route are some of the most heavily used in that transit agency's system. About 9,200 people ride the 4-Division/Fessenden bus daily between Gresham and downtown Portland; another 7,800 ride the 9-Powell/Broadway in the same stretch.
So what is bus rapid transit? Its definition varies from place to place. At a minimum, it's relatively frequent buses that can turn red lights green at certain intersections and stop at major points, not every few blocks. Extensive systems have their own lanes and long, low-floor buses that resemble train cars.
And they're relatively inexpensive. A bus rapid transit line that launched this week in Las Vegas cost $45 million to start up, or $3.75 million per mile. The first four miles of Eugene's Emerald Express bus line cost $6.25 million a mile.
Factoring out the costs of the new bridge, the Milwaukie MAX line is forecast to cost more than $180 million per mile. The nearly-completed eastside Portland streetcar extension is projected to cost $43.2 million per mile.
"It's not precluding a bigger, more grandiose vision if at some point that is appropriate," she said. "But the idea is, what are the short-term, cost-effective easy-to-implement, low-overhead solutions? Bus rapid transit might be in that sweet spot."
All this isn't to say that a bus rapid transit project is a done deal. The approval before the Metro Council on Thursday is a sign-off in an effort to get a federal grant to begin what's called an alternatives analysis – what kind of transit could work, and where it could happen.
While that's usually the first step in a lengthy, expensive environmental review, it can also be a standalone product, Gertler said. The analysis on Powell-Division is expected to cost about $1 million.
She said she doesn't expect any work on an analysis to begin for another year.