Want to dig deeper? These maps and reports have been gathered for residents who want to know more about the project in time for the Jan. 11 project steering committee meeting.
Alignment Maps: Downtown Tigard and Tigard Triangle
These five maps show the five possible routes (or “alignments”) on the table for the Downtown Tigard and Tigard Triangle segment of light rail or bus rapid transit in the Southwest Corridor. Use these to learn the basic facts and reasoning behind the various alignment options, as well as their possible impacts on traffic and the surrounding area. In December, the steering committee will decide which of these options to continue studying and which to drop.
Shared Investment Strategy Map
The Southwest Corridor is about more than a single line of high-capacity transit – it’s about providing many options. Here is a map of some of the multimodal transportation improvement projects in the Tigard and Tualatin area that are part of the Southwest Corridor Shared Investment Strategy, which links together 81 transportation improvement projects through the corridor. The Southwest Corridor project is developing a coordinated approach to funding and building a reliable, safe network for the region’s residents to walk, bike, take transit or drive to where they need to go.
Highway 217 crossing options
No matter which light rail or bus rapid transit alignment is selected in Tigard, the Southwest Corridor project will require building a new crossing over Highway 217 between downtown Tigard and the Tigard Triangle. However, there are many options for the types and locations of that bridge. Some options would put people biking, walking, taking transit and driving on the same bridge; other options include a separate bridge for cars. Use this map and brief summary to gain a basic understanding of how each option may work.
Central Barbur High Capacity Transit alignment options
An important decision to be made regarding the Southwest Corridor is its alignment through Southwest Portland. Should it run on Barbur Boulevard or adjacent to Interstate 5? Which of those alignments costs the most? Saves the most time? Has the most intersections to cross? Both options will continue to be studied through the project’s federal study next year. This document gives a basic summary of the various benefits, costs and complexities of several options.
Terminus options map
The location of the southern end of the Southwest Corridor's light rail or bus rapid transit line – its "terminus" – will have an impact on the surrounding area’s traffic, commerce and activity. It will also affect the travel time and ridership of transit lines running out of it. This map shows the seven options being considered for the Southwest Corridor’s terminus, as well as the factors that will be considered as the project steering committee moves towards deciding which options to continue studying.
Key Issues: Tigard
This 62-page document packs in a lot of information, but it provides the deepest examination of the Southwest Corridor project’s various alignment options and mode choices in the Tigard Triangle, Downtown Tigard and SE Tigard, as well as the projected costs and benefits each could have. It compiles a series of side-by-side comparisons, evaluations and impact studies that have been conducted thus far, so that regional stakeholders and interested residents can be informed and have a chance to provide feedback in time for December’s steering committee meeting. The Executive Summary pulls key information from this document to give a broad overview of the topics discussed, useful for those who are looking for a softer introduction to the Southwest Corridor along with its design and financial aspects.
Key Issues: Tualatin
This document lays out the high capacity transit options to serve the area from Bridgeport Village to Downtown Tualatin, as well as considerations about selecting Downtown Tualatin as a potential terminus local for the alignment. If the steering committee decides in December to remove a Downtown Tualatin terminus from consideration, these high capacity transit alignment options would also be removed from further consideration. The memo compares the two possible options and looks at factors such as transit performance, mobility, cost estimates and engineering complexity.
Staff recommendations for Jan. 11 meeting
This document contains the project staff's analysis and recommendations for the steering committee's Jan.11 meeting, including which route options to advance for serving downtown Tigard and the Central Barbur area, and for the line's southern terminus. The document also contains summaries of public input and discussion of the benefits and costs of each route and terminus option.
Note: This story has been updated to reflect the rescheduling of the Southwest Corridor steering committee originally scheduled on Dec. 14.