From Portland Afoot

Area of proposed future high-capacity transit route. Map courtesy Metro.

The Southwest Corridor Plan, which includes the Barbur Concept Plan within the Portland city limits, is a plan to overhaul land use between Portland's central city and Sherwood, including Tigard, Tualatin and King City, including a possible MAX, bus rapid transit or improved bus line.

[edit] Timeline for proposals and changes

[edit] Strategy agreement by mid-2013

As of summer 2012, Metro and the other plan partners are determining the scope of the project -- identifying the specific problems it seeks to solve -- and looking to develop a shared investment strategy that can be agreed on by the city, county, regional and state agencies involved. The partners aim for the agencies to commit to implementation strategy by mid-2013. After that, Metro spokesman Patrick McKinney said in June 2012, the plan partners expect to enact the strategy, with things like policy updates, changes in local transit, construction of new sidewalks, water runoff improvements, re-timing traffic lights and an environmental impact statement if necessary.

In June and July 2012, residents and other stakeholders are asked to participate in an online open house on the plan's website. Feedback from the open house, including its questionnaire, will provide final ideas for projects on the wide range of projects list, some suggestions for projects that should be prioritized as early opportunities and inform the screening process that will move the wide range of ideas to a narrowed list of projects for further analysis.

Beginning in August 2012, Metro's Cliff Higgins estimated, "there should be a better picture of what transit improvements -- whether light rail, bus rapid transit or frequent service bus lines -- are in the mix to move forward."

[edit] Improved mass transit possible within 10 years

McKinney estimated at the time that a light-rail line, if selected for the corridor, might be completed in the early 2020s. A bus rapid transit line might be completed a few years sooner, and an improved frequent service bus line sooner still. But he emphasized that at this stage of the process, these options are just ideas, with no decision or even full conversation about any of these or other ideas for the corridor having taken place.

[edit] Connection to bikesharing debate

In August 2011, the Portland Bureau of Transportation cited the future Southwest Corridor Plan as a reason not to invest in immediate safety improvements along SW Barbur Boulevard, despite calls by Upstream Public Health and the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition to prioritize these improvements over a downtown-based bikesharing system.

"The future of SW Barbur Boulevard itself is uncertain," the city said via a news release. "Led by Metro, the Portland region is beginning the Southwest Corridor Plan which will identify options for High Capacity Transit (possibly including light rail) in the I-5, Barbur and Highway 99 corridor. The Oregon Department of Transportation, which manages Barbur, is also looking at the long-term needs of trucks, automobiles, buses, bicycles and pedestrians. This information will be used to inform the plan. To ensure that these improvements would be permanent, the Bureau of Transportation is waiting for completion of the initial phase of planning.

"The Mayor has asked that PBOT work with ODOT to identify elements of the Barbur Streetscape Plan that can be implemented and be compatible with the future Southwest Corridor Plan. 'Once these elements are identified, I have directed PDOT to prepare design plans and seek other funding opportunities to construct the improvements in this seven-block section of Barbur Boulevard,' Mayor Adams said."

[edit] External links

• description of Barbur Concept Plan by the City of Portland
• website about the Southwest Corridor Plan by Metro
• Metro's factsheet on the southwest corridor
• Tigard High Capacity Transit Plan from the city of Tigard