The Southwest Corridor Plan Steering Committee meets Monday to begin hearing what staff from Metro and other project partners found in six months of study on key questions regarding high capacity transit options and related roadway, bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the corridor.
The meeting will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 8 at the Tigard Public Services Building, 8777 SW Burnham Street.
At the meeting, the committee will hear public testimony and review a proposed 18-month work plan that lays out when certain discussions and decisions will be brought to local stakeholders and the steering committee.
In June, the committee – elected and appointed officials from seven cities, Washington County, ODOT, TriMet and Metro – directed project staff to spend additional time researching several key questions about the Southwest Corridor Plan. The committee decided to hold off starting a federal environmental review pending further study of these questions, many of which concerned high capacity transit.
The plan is intended to improve mobility for residents and workers in the fast-growing corridor, stretching from southwest Portland to Sherwood. Roads and transit systems in the area are congested and unreliable, while many people lack safe and comfortable ways to walk or bicycle in their communities.
The plan coordinates transportation projects in the Southwest Corridor, helping to spur private investment that meets local communities’ adopted land use goals – an approach called the Shared Investment Strategy.
This summer and fall, project partners engaged community and business leaders for in-depth conversations to better understand what it will take to make the Southwest Corridor Plan successful. Stakeholders were clear: they are highly invested in the future of their communities and demand solutions to the significant transportation challenges in the Southwest Corridor.
The steering committee meeting next week kicks off a new 18-month round of outreach, technical review and local deliberations to narrow the options on the table for the plan.
Project partners hope to develop a top recommendation by spring 2016 that identifies a preferred mode (light rail or bus rapid transit) and alignment for a future high capacity transit project connecting Portland, Tigard and Tualatin, as well as associated roadway, bicycle and pedestrian improvements throughout the corridor. Then project partners may begin a streamlined environmental impact assessment.
Updates: Exploring key questions
Over the last six months, the plan's partners have continued in-depth analysis of the key questions raised by the steering committee in June. These include:
Tie-in to downtown Portland transit mall
Planners from Metro and other plan partners have reviewed potential engineering for eight alignment options to tie high capacity transit -- either bus rapid transit or light rail -- into the existing downtown transit system from Southwest Barbur Boulevard or Southwest Naito Parkway. Staff considered factors such as traffic and transit capacity analyses, transit operations, the pedestrian environment, bicycle facilities, right of way impacts, potential impacts to vehicles accessing Interstate 405, compatibility with the potential Ross Island bridgehead modifications and capacity to accommodate potential future roadway, bicycle and pedestrian projects.
Five technical workshops were conducted in August and September to facilitate discussions among all project partners. In early 2015, plan staff will present to the steering committee viable options recommended for continued study.
Transit tunnels
Planners have assessed benefits and tradeoffs between tunnel and non-tunnel options for light rail or bus rapid transit alignments to access Marquam Hill and Hillsdale. The team has also developed preliminary construction costs and a preliminary list of potential impacts. Information from the tunnel analysis will inform future discussions of tradeoffs and stakeholder recommendations if underground tunnel options proceed for future study. Staff will present findings in early 2015.
Branch service to Tigard and Tualatin
Planners have prepared forecasting data to evaluate branch service between Tigard and Tualatin, in which the alignment would branch off near Highway 217 and transit vehicles would alternate between traveling to either Tigard or Tualatin. Local jurisdictions were engaged to provide input on benefits and tradeoffs of branch service. In early 2015, the steering committee will review the staff recommendation for a viable branch service option.
Barbur Boulevard and Interstate 5-adjacent alignment options
Current potential high capacity transit alignments include running adjacent to Interstate 5 or in the center of Southwest Barbur Boulevard, as well as hybrid options that would operate on portions both adjacent to I-5 and on Barbur. Staff from the plan's partners have developed preliminary capital cost estimates, assessed travel times and potential property impacts, and refined design concepts that include lane diagrams and bicycle/pedestrian improvements on Barbur. This information will help the steering committee and other stakeholders more fully consider the impacts and tradeoffs of a possible hybrid option.
Service to PCC Sylvania
Portland Community College's Sylvania Campus is a major destination in the Southwest Corridor, but reaching it with high capacity transit presents some challenges. Over the summer, planners evaluated transit performance and station usage to assess tradeoffs of direct service via high capacity transit service to PCC compared to serving the campus via an improved local bus connection from Barbur Boulevard. Project partners continue to meet with PCC and neighborhood stakeholders to explore the pros and cons of direct high capacity service and other future multimodal access improvements.
Finance strategy
Staff from the plan partners are developing a preliminary assessment of potential project costs to better understand how much different alternatives could cost. Public and private partners are exploring potential funding strategies and timing for a future package of transit, roadway, bicycle and pedestrian projects. This information will help decision-makers better understand the suite of projects to study further.
Keep up with the Southwest Corridor Plan
Whether you live, work or travel through the Southwest Corridor, keep up with the plan's progress to learn more about opportunities to share your ideas and hopes for the area's future.
Click here to visit the Southwest Corridor webpage