With a light rail network now reaching 60 miles, the Portland region is ready to explore its next regional transit options.
A "sponsored" post by Metro is running on The Oregonian's website. The post provides an overview of two large planning efforts currently underway in the region.
The first, the Southwest Corridor Plan, which will combine the efforts of the corridor's seven cities, Metro, TriMet and ODOT "to decide whether to continue studying a transit line from downtown Portland to Tigard and possibly Tualatin." Moreover, "[t]hey'll also decide whether to extend the MAX light rail network into the corridor or use something called Bus Rapid Transit, which uses high-tech buses, sometimes in their own travel lanes, to provide faster, more reliable transit service."
The second planning effort will focus its efforts toward the eastern side of the region, where the Powell-Division Transit and Development Project is in need of a final route for bus rapid transit line that will connect Portland State University, Oregon Health and Science University, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and two community colleges. That line is targeted for a 2020 opening date.
Echoing a tweet by Jarrett Walker, it's hard to digest all this big planning news without wondering why Metro has to sponsor a post about the transportation future of the city. Everything included in the post seems like news the Oregonian should find a better way to report, given its importance and value to residents of the region and the damaging perception of news reported in advertorial fashion.
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