TriMet News

Portland Metro’s transit authority, TriMet, has been very busy building a world class transit system. To date they have built or are building the following:

53km Blue Line opened in 1986
41km Red Line opened in 2001
11.5km Yellow Line opened in 2004
22.7km Green Line will open in 2009

At the same time, they are building a streetcar system that has been in a state of constant expansion since 2001.

Well, to top that TriMet has recently finished a document called a "Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS)" this November for their federally funded Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project which is slated to open in 2015. One of the interesting components of this project is a multi-use transit bridge that will cross the Willamette River. The bridge will carry light rail, buses, pedestrians, and cyclists. The private automobile will not be allowed on the bridge. This is some very progressive thinking, and it’s a great example of governments working together. The whole project will cost approximately $1.4 billion. The US federal government's share is expected to range from $710 to $850 million, $250 million is coming from the Oregon State Lottery Bonds, and the rest should be coming from local governments. Anyway, I suggest that you check out their website on this project.

The Orange line is the new Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail

The Green line will open in 2009