By: Lindsey O'Brien//January 11, 2012//
Lindsey O'Brien//January 11, 2012//
Lake Oswego City Councilor Bill Tierney announced on Tuesday that he is withdrawing support for a proposed extension of Portland’s streetcar line into the city, essentially halting plans for the full project.
Tierney was the swing vote in a vote last April that moved plans forward, so his reversal puts the city council on the same side as opponents to the streetcar project, which most recently was estimated at around $208 million.
鈥淭he dust hasn’t even settled from last night’s discussion in Lake Oswego, so I’m not sure that anyone knows what all of the implications are,鈥 said Doug Obletz of , which manages construction and operation for and has been studying a future extension to Lake Oswego.
Councilor Sally Moncrieff, who supported the project in the past, also expressed doubts about moving forward with the streetcar extension now. The majority of Lake Oswego residents oppose the project, as well, according to a survey conducted by , last November.

While the full extension might be off the table, Portland City Councilors have also expressed interest in a shorter, $70 million option headed toward Lake Oswego but ending at Southwest Nevada Street, just past the south end of Willamette Park. That option has already won neighborhood support, according to Obletz.
鈥淚 think Portland City Council made it clear that they wanted that option studied, and it’s fair to say that there is pretty much unanimous support for the streetcar in the John’s Landing neighborhood,鈥 Obletz said.
The final report regarding the 鈥渕inimum operable segment鈥 is expected to come out next week.
鈥淭hese big transportation projects are challenging in the best of times, and these are not the best of times,鈥 Obletz said. 鈥淲e’ve got this report coming out, which is a good chance to clean up misperceptions of the project, and outlines a less expensive, faster option. It will provide data for people to consider a shorter project if that’s what they want to do.鈥