The Metro Council has approved several major planning efforts to improve connections and offer transportation choices in the Southwest metro corridor. The transportation corridor, or travel demand area, includes Barbur Boulevard and Interstate 5 as the main travel routes from Portland to Tigard and Barbur Boulevard/Highway 99W as the main travel route on to Sherwood.
Metro and its partners will be taking two-phased, holistic approach to analyzing and planning for transportation. The first phase includes planning broadly for auto and freight movement, transit, bicycle and pedestrian access and facilities, land use goals, and employment and housing density. The second phase will focus on examining high capacity transit improvements in the corridor, as Metro Council has approved the corridor as the next regional priority for light rail, commuter rail, rapid streetcar or bus rapid transit expansion.
The corridor was identified as near-term priority under the Regional High Capacity Transit System Plan. Though referred to as the Barbur Boulevard corridor, it is too early in the process to determine where in the general vicinity of Barbur Boulevard that an actual, final high capacity transit alignment would be located.
Since a new high capacity route may not run on Barbur Boulevard itself, Metro has begun to refer to the area as the Southwest metro corridor. There is still a lot of work ahead of to determine the type of high capacity transit (light rail, bus rapid transit, commuter rail or rapid streetcar) and route will work best meet the needs and goals of this corridor.
Southwest metro corridor investment analysis
Metro, Oregon Department of Transportation, TriMet, Multnomah County and the cities of within the corridor will begin the process by confirming the area of study and defining the needs and goals of the corridor. The analysis will most likely begin late this year.
The investment analysis will build on the Regional High Capacity Transit System Plan and lead to an evaluation of different types of transportation and transit solutions. The most promising solutions will advance to further study of environmental, transportation, community and costs benefits and trade-offs, which will be shared for public review and comment.
Throughout the process, project partners will share information with the public, work closely with property owners and interested persons and announce project milestones and opportunities to provide input.
Only after the project partners identify alternatives, study their benefits and trade-offs, and gather input from residents in the corridor will decision-makers determine the final project or projects and the final mode and route that high capacity transit will consist of in the Southwest metro corridor. These decisions could potentially happen in 2014. Construction could begin, at earliest, in 2017.
High capacity transit readiness
The Regional High Capacity Transit System Plan includes a system expansion policy framework to establish corridor readiness. Targets in the framework are designed to ensure successful high capacity transit lines while leveraging regional investments to achieve land use and economic goals that create vibrant communities and meet the challenges of climate change, rising energy costs and population growth.
The Southwest metro corridor meets the system expansion policy targets in:
- transit supportive land use
- community support
- partnership and political leadership
- regional transit network connectivity
- housing needs supportiveness
- financial capacity – capital and operating finance plans
- integrated transportation system development
- ridership – current potential and projected growth.
Southwest metro corridor ridership and cost estimates
- Daily ridership estimate (2035): 38,000
- Increase in corridor transit ridership estimate (2009 to 2035): 12,000
- Estimated annual operating and maintenance cost: $10.4 million (in 2009 dollars)
- Capital cost estimate: $1.93 to $2.31 billion (in 2009 dollars)
Note: Though the mode and alignment of a high capacity transit line in the corridor would be determined through the public involvement and planning process, estimates were calculated based on light rail service for the comparison of corridors during the Regional High Capacity Transit System Plan process.
The Metro Council adopted the Regional High Capacity Transit System Plan in July 2009 for addition to the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan.