Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Under Construction

   

Portland, a city that seems to be under constant construction, is working to create another bridge that connects the east and west sides of the Willamette river.The new Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project will connect Portland State University to inner Southeast Portland, Milwaukie, and North Clackamas County with the addition of 7.3 miles of new track. “MAX service on the alignment is scheduled to begin in 2015. By 2030, this light rail line will carry up to an average of 22,765 to 25,500 weekday rides, and there will be approximately 22,000 households and 85,000 employees within walking distance of Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail,” according to Trimet.  Transit users benefit economically by choosing to utilize the light rail. According to the American Public Transit Association (APTA), a Portland resident who chooses public transit saves $10,313 a year, based on a per gallon gas price of $3.43.

From a public health perspective the new light rail has the potential to, “connect neighborhoods, encourage walking and cycling and create engaging public spaces where people want to be,” says Trimet. It could also potentially bring “transit to under-served communities,” which would in turn create access to more job opportunities for the people within these neighborhoods. This project can already boast about its creation of “3,104 on-site construction jobs since construction began in April 2011…” and “1,134 professional and technical jobs since March of 2009, when the project entered Preliminary Engineering,” according to the Economic Benefits Report. This project will result in fewer cars on the road and increased strength of our transit system, but does not come without some concern from the community.

For example, one of the biggest issues that the community has with this bridge is that it is displacing local businesses and properties. “The project will require more than 100 properties, including many businesses, to be bought out to make way for tracks and stations. No other line in the Portland area has had as many displacements,” according to a report put out by Oregon Live. There is also some concern with how the changing climate will affect water levels. During high water periods the vessels from American Waterways will not safely be able to pass underneath."I don't think they've adequately factored in climate change," said Shane St. Cr, operator of Scovare Yachts.

Weighing the pros and cons listed above, you may begin to see why The Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project is a point of contention. The addition of the new track will reduce our carbon footprint by increasing ridership and decreasing automobile traffic on our mainline roads, but it will come at the cost of displacement of local businesses as well as poor planning for high-water levels, which could effectively obstruct water-way traffic. The ultimate goal of this project is to design a way to increase access to public transit in the Portland Metro area.

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