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Lake Oswego to Portland transit project

Planning and conservation  ›  Transportation  ›  Lake Oswego to Portland transit

Learn about efforts to develop a transit project that meets future travel demand between Lake Oswego and Portland, supports local and regional land use plans, and garners public acceptance and community support.

Project status

With discussion continuing about ways to improve transit service between Lake Oswego and Portland, Metro is taking steps to advance to the next stage of study, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The Lake Oswego to Portland transit project proposes improvements to existing transit service by extending streetcar on the Willamette Shoreline right of way, Macadam Avenue or parts of both or by enhancing bus service. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will also evaluate a no-build option and take next steps on the idea of creating a trail in the corridor. Download the map of alternatives to be considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and information on the trail refinement below...Go

Lake Oswego to Portland corridor options

On December 13, 2007, the Metro Council approved options to advance for further study in an environmental analysis. The options include enhanced bus, streetcar and no-build alternatives as well as recommendations on actions to advance a bicycle and pedestrian trail in the corridor; work tasks related to refining streetcar alignments through Johns Landing; and steps to secure funding for the environmental analysis.

The project purpose and need statement was revised and adopted by the project advisory committee in October 2005. Download the project purpose and need statement below... Go

Enhanced bus and streetcar alternatives

The enhanced, or rapid transit, bus alternative would operate on Southwest Macadam Avenue and Highway 43. For the streetcar alternative, there are various terminus and alignment options:

• potential streetcar alignments through Johns Landing to include Southwest Macadam Avenue, the Willamette Shoreline railroad right of way or a combination of the two that could include all or part of the Johns Landing Masterplan alignment
• a streetcar to Lake Oswego that would end at the Albertsons or Safeway site
• short terminus options that include a temporary Johns Landing terminus in the vicinity of Southwest Nevada Street en route to an eventual Lake Oswego terminus and a permanent terminus in Johns Landing with no extension to Lake Oswego.

More about the alternatives process and analysis

Environmental analysis

The environmental analysis will be led by Metro beginning in 2009 and concluding in 2010 with the selection of a single Locally Preferred Alternative to be advanced into preliminary engineering and a Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Public participation

The Metro Council decision of December 13, 2007 follows the definition and screening of a broad range of options. Along the way, there were opportunities for public participation beyond the: a community design workshop, small group meetings, project citizen advisory committee meetings, open houses, public hearings, a formal public comment period and presentations to neighborhood and community groups... More

Project newsletters

The most recent newsletter, dated June 2007, provides a project update, descriptions of the transit and trail alternatives that were evaluated in detail and an overview of evaluation results. The first newsletter provides background information and a timeline, outlines the purpose of the analysis and describes the project advisory committee.

Both newsletters are available below.

NEED ASSISTANCE?

Metro transportation planning
503-797-1756
trans@oregonmetro.gov

Files and related materials

Files that are downloadable from this page

• Map of alternatives to be considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 729K Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published May 29, 2008
• Information on the trail refinement 1.1M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published May 29, 2008
• Newsletter: Lake Oswego to Portland transit and trail alternatives analysis, June 2007 1.4M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published June 22, 2007
• Newsletter: Lake Oswego to Portland transit and trail alternatives analysis, April 2006 1.6M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published May 16, 2006
• Purpose and need statement for the Lake Oswego to Portland transit and trail alternatives analysis study 104K Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published November 9, 2005

Related Internet links

• Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society

  (http://OregonElectricRailway.org)