Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project, United States of America

The 7.3-mile Portland to Milwaukie light railway transit project in the US state of Oregon is being undertaken by Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Oregon's public transportation authority.

The railway line will connect Portland State University (PSU) in the downtown, inner South-East Portland, Oak Grove in North Clackamas County and Milwaukie.

In September 2009, the City of Portland, Metro, the City of Milwaukie and Clackamas County and TriMet began to consider a light train service to meet the growing transit needs in the Milwaukie / Oregon City corridors and the Interstate 205.

The project received approval for final design from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in March 2011. It is expected to be completed in 2012. The line is expected to carry about 22,765 to 25,500 people on weekdays by 2030.

The project is estimated to cost about $1.49bn. About 50% of the cost will be funded by the federal government and the remaining by the local governments. Construction of the project is expected to create 14,000 jobs and about $573m in personal earnings in construction-related economic activities.

Line routes

TriMet currently operates Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) light rail services in Portland. It connects downtown Portland with Blue Line (connecting Gresham, the City Center and Hillsboro); Green Line (connecting PSU, City Center and Clackamas); Red Line (connecting Beaverton, City Center and Portland International Airport); and the Yellow Line (connecting PSU, City Center and the Expo Center).

The line will be an extension of the existing MAX green and yellow lines in the south from the PSU. It will span over the Willamette River via the bridge from future South Waterfront campus at SW Moody Ave to OMSI. The line will then run south from OMSI through inner Southeast Portland and Milwaukie. It will finally reach the north of Clackamas County.

Portland to Milwaukie light rail project

Analysis of the proposed station areas of the project was conducted between 2007 and 2008. Planning and preliminary engineering was completed between 2009 and 2010. Several alternatives proposed by public and jurisdictional partners were examined for the end points, station locations and track and bridge alignments. In July 2008, a locally preferred alternative (LPA) was selected for the Portland-Milwaukie light railway line route.

The preliminary engineering phase for the proposed stations design was completed in March 2010. Detailed planning will be continued along with the project's final design. The final environmental impact statement (FEIS) was published in October 2010. As of March 2011, the design of the project was about 30% complete. It includes planning and design of the trackway, Portland-Milwaukie light rail bridge and the stations.

The LPA route includes two new stations on the western side of the river, eight new stations on the east side of the river and a south terminus at Oak Grove.

The proposed stations on the route in Portland will be located at SW Lincoln Street Station, South Waterfront Station, OMSI Station, SE Clinton St Station, SE Rhine Station, SE Holgate Blvd Station, SE Bybee Blvd Station and SE Tacoma St Station. A SE Harold Station has also been planned for the future.

The stations in Milwaukie include Downtown Milwaukie / SE 21st Ave Station and Park Ave Station. The stations will have park and ride facilities.

Portland-Milwaukie light railway bridge

The main aspect of the project will be the Portland-Milwaukie light railway bridge over the Willamette River. The Willamette River Bridge Advisory Committee (WRBAC) considered proposals for the bridge between July 2008 and February 2009. A four-pier cable-stayed bridge was selected by the WRBAC for the river overcrossing in May 2009.

The 1,720ft long bridge will measure 180ft from pier cap to top. It will carry the Portland-Milwaukie line trains; bus lines 19, 17 and 9; 14ft cyclist paths connecting regional bike routes and the city; two greenway paths for pedestrians and also support future streetcars. The bridge will be the first of its kind to be built across Willamette in the past 35 years.

Construction

Work is expected to begin on the project in July 2011, with in-water constructions for the bridge, which is currently in the final design phase. Project construction will be completed between 2011 and 2014. The bridge and the services are scheduled to open in 2015.