Brooklyn neighborhood would be improved
with TIGER II grant funds.
A partnership between TriMet, Metro, and the cities of Portland and Milwaukie could lead to a series of significant biking and walking improvements along the yet-to-be built Portland to Milwaukie light-rail line. TriMet is the lead applicant in a $13.2 million TIGER II grant request that would include a new multi-use path, a new biking and walking-only bridge in Milwaukie, and several other components along the rail corridor.
The total Portland-Milwaukie light rail project (which got some bad news today with less than expected federal investment) will cost an estimated $1.4 Billion. According to a backgrounder on the project (PDF), the $45.4 million “Portland-Milwaukie Transit Catalyst Project” would take the new MAX rail line “from a state of the art transit corridor to a state of the art multi-modal corridor.”
Lake McTighe, project manager for Metro’s Active Transportation Partnership who’s helping write the grant, says the TriMet project and these multi-modal improvements are a natural fit: “The light-rail transit corridor will already unlock a lot of land-use development. Adding the multi-modal piece bumps that up that much higher.” McTighe says they looked at what TriMet was already planning to do and thought, “What are other elements that we can add and really enhance this project?”
Here’s a breakdown of the five big components of this project:
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Clinton to the River Multi-Use Path
This new path would make a key connection between dense Southeast Portland neighborhoods and the Springwater Corridor/Eastbank Esplanade trails, MAX stations at OMSI, and the future Willamette River Bridge (which will be transit, biking, and walking only).
Relocation of SE Water Ave
The project would re-align SE Water Ave to better accomodate a comfortable and safe mix of freight, biking, walking, and auto traffic.
Oregon Pacific Railroad and Yard Improvements
Relocation of four steam engines and other improvements to this rail yard would create needed right of way to make the SE Water Ave relocation possible.
Renovation of SE Rhine/Lafayette St Non-Motorized Bridge
The current non-motorized bridge on SE Lafayette between SE 18th and 20th is substandard (see photo above). A new bridge would allow for more comfortable crossing by people on foot and on bicycles.
Kellogg Lake Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge
This would be a new bridge connecting downtown Milwaukie with the soon-to-be completed Trolley Trail.
The US DOT has made $600 million available in this second round of TIGER funding. Metro was shut out of active transportation project funding in the last TIGER go-round, but they’ve learned lessons they hope will translate to success this time. The pre-application deadline is today. More on TIGER II here.