91ÊÓƵ

A steering committee voted Monday to for the Southwest Corridor proposed to run between downtown Portland and Tualatin.

Over the past seven years, project planners have identified more than 60 potential routes through the southwest part of the metro area as part of the . The steering committee finally settled on the option that would send green-line trains along an extended southern route using Southwest Barbur Boulevard instead of Naito Parkway.

The recommended plan also calls for construction of bike lanes and sidewalks along Barbur Boulevard between downtown Portland and Southwest 60th Avenue.

This option also would see the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation replace the Newberry and Vermont viaducts, which are not built to current code, according to Metro.

The proposed 12-mile light-rail route would run through the middle of Barbur Boulevard, and would not reduce vehicle travel lanes.

In Tigard, the committee-approved route would travel south along Southwest 70th Avenue until reaching Elmhurst Street. From there, it would head west, cross over Oregon Route 217 and run east of Hall Boulevard. The route would then travel next to existing Westside Express Service train tracks until splitting off to arrive at Bridgeport Village in Tualatin.

The light-rail plan is part of the larger Southwest Corridor Plan that includes improving roadways and more. Projects already completed include the Tualatin River Greenway, a new crosswalk on Barbur Boulevard at Alice Street, and infrastructure to serve a new TriMet bus line reaching Tualatin and Sherwood.

Estimated project costs currently are running between $2.6 billion and $2.9 billion, and are based on estimates for 2024, according to Metro.

The new route would send trains through the downtown Tigard Transit Center. A shuttle would connect Portland Community College‘s Sylvania campus to two proposed MAX stations nearby. In addition, the western end of the Ross Island Bridge would need to be revamped to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.

According to the draft plan, an estimated 80 to 100 residential units would be displaced if the route were built as proposed. Also, 100 to 120 businesses would be at risk of displacement.