91ÊÓƵ

Two Portland-area transit projects will receive a total of nearly $125 million in funding from the Federal Transit Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced.

The funding includes $99.99 million for an extension and improvements to TriMet‘s MAX Red Line and $24.9 million for a 10-mile C-TRAN bus rapid transit line through Vancouver, Washington. The projects are among 12 nationwide selected to receive a total of $891 million via the FTA’s Capital Investments Grants program.

The MAX improvement project, named A Better Red, will extend MAX Red Line service west from the Beaverton Transit Center to the Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport station. Also, a second track will be added near the Gateway Transit Center and Portland International Airport; that upgrade is expected to improve reliability of Green Line and Blue Line trains that share the same tracks.

The project’s design and environmental review phase is expected to last through early next year. Construction is expected to commence in spring 2021 and last through 2024. The total project cost is $206 million, including six new light-rail vehicles to accommodate increased service. TriMet will cover the remainder of the project cost, with contributions from Metro and the Port of Portland.

C-TRAN’s Mill Plain BRT is a $49.86 million project that will provide bus rapid transit from downtown Vancouver to east Vancouver. The bus line will span 10 miles and include 21 stations at key locations including Clark College, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and Columbia Tech Center.

The line’s seven buses will travel east from downtown along West Evergreen Boulevard before crossing Interstate 5 and proceeding slightly north to Fort Vancouver. From there, buses will travel along East Mill Plain Boulevard until the line terminates at a new transit center near Southeast 184th Avenue.

About $21 million in C-TRAN capital funds and $4.2 million in Federal Highway Administration flexible funds will cover the remainder of the project cost. Construction is expected to begin by next year, and service is scheduled to begin in October 2022.