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Metro staffers have been working for years to determine how to connect Southwest Portland to the southwest suburbs, and they want your input.

The steering committee working on a Southwest Corridor plan to improve transportation options between Portland, Tigard, Tualatin, Sherwood and other parts of Washington County will gather public input during the next 18 months to help formulate a preferred plan for improvements over the next two decades to serve pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and transit riders.

鈥淲e’re not only looking at (light rail) options,鈥� said Malu Wilkinson, Metro‘s investment areas manager. 鈥淥ne mode isn’t going to solve all the transportation problems in the area.鈥�

On Jan. 5, Metro 鈥� the regional governing body for land use and development 鈥� released a draft plan outlining seven focus areas between Southwest Portland and the Sherwood area that are being considered for transportation upgrades to roadways, increased TriMet service and improved pedestrian/bicycle routes.

鈥淏arbur Boulevard isn’t a very safe bike route, but it’s the flattest and the most-used,鈥� said Noelle Dobson, Metro’s senior public affairs specialist. 鈥淩ight now we’re having conversations with neighborhood associations, schools and individual jurisdictions to have the opportunity to hear all voices, not just those in Portland.鈥�

Metro has partnered with stakeholders from Beaverton, Durham, King City, Portland, Sherwood, Tigard, Washington County, Oregon Department of Transportation and TriMet to determine which congested roads need the most relief, where bicyclist and pedestrian routes need improvement and how to meet the region’s public transit demands.

Some road, bicycle and pedestrian improvements are under way, but Wilkinson said high-capacity transit options are still in the early planning stages and likely won’t see development for 10-plus years.

鈥淭he steering committee is working on this in three chunks,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淏y summer 2015 we will make some major alignment choices in terms of location, and by December we’d like to be having preliminary discussions about the mode. In April or May of 2016 the steering committee should be ready to give its recommendation.鈥�

Wilkinson said one of the first decisions that project partners are considering is how to best connect transit modes to Marquam Hill 鈥� home to major employers Oregon Health & Science University, the Shriners Hospital for Children and the VA Medical Center 鈥� and whether digging a tunnel for light rail is a viable option.

鈥淲e’re determining whether serving Marquam Hill directly with a tunnel is the best use of funding because it’s an expensive method,鈥� Dobson said. 鈥淓ven though the light rail won’t be built for 10, 15, 20 years, there are decisions that need to be made in the process that will be influential.鈥�

In November the steering committee introduced a draft report outlining areas where industrial, commercial, mixed-use and high-density residential development would likely occur. The committee based its recommendations on potential light rail routes on that report. Any light rail development would be in partnership with the communities served, Wilkinson said.

鈥淭here is the highest potential for industrial development in the Tualatin and Sherwood areas,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淏oth of those communities are focusing on creating better transportation for their workers, and Tigard pushed very hard to be a priority area for light rail consideration.鈥�

Planning for potential Southwest Corridor high-capacity transit is too preliminary for Metro to predict project costs, but Wilkinson said they would seek federal assistance to offset some of the cost.

Funding for local improvements to roads, bike paths and walkways would be determined following agreement among stakeholders as to prioritization of areas.

鈥淭here’s money out there locally,鈥� Dobson said. 鈥淚t’s not like we’d need to raise the money, but there needs to be a consensus and commitment on where the money should go.鈥�

To learn more about the effort, visit www.swcorridorplan.org.