Because TriMet and the City of Portland won’t do more to prevent people from driving cars on 82nd Avenue in the future, a $320 million transit upgrade might not be enough to significantly improve bus service.
TriMet 82nd Avenue Transit Project will bring their high-capacity FX bus service to 10 miles of 82nd Avenue between Clackamas Town Center and northeast Portland. To speed up service on the busiest bus corridor in the state, they’ll consolidate stops, improve stations, make safer pedestrian connections, update signals, and more. But even with these investments, “It may be harder for buses to stay on schedule as traffic congestion grows in the future,” TriMet says.
That’s largely because project leaders feel they must maintain ample access for car drivers, instead of devoting more space to more efficient lanes for buses and bikes. Since bicycle access on 82nd has already been ruled out, and the political support does not appear to exist for reducing automobile access, TriMet is now exploring additional investments they say will be needed to keep buses moving.
TriMet released an online open house today that asks the public to weigh in on three options under consideration:
- Option One – “Some BAT Lanes”: Three miles of new transit-priority, a.k.a. “business access to transit” BAT lanes (see graphic below), in each direction.
- Option Two – “More BAT Lanes”: Seven miles of BAT lanes in each direction.
- Option Three – Intersection Widening: Widening 82nd Ave at three intersections — Powell, Holgate, and Foster — to make room for more transit lanes. (Note that the widening is being considered because they aren’t willing to reduce driving lanes beyond what’s already proposed.)
TriMet hasn’t revealed pricing for each option, but Option One would be the cheapest. Option Two, More BAT Lanes, would be at least twice the cost of Option One. And the intersection widening proposal would cost four times as much as Option One.
TriMet says these new options “could exceed project funding” and will require more study and analysis before moving forward.
Take the short survey online and/or visit an in-person open house scheduled for Wednesday, April 23rd from 4-6:30 pm at PCC Southeast.
