Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project reaches milestone

The light rail project officially received approval from the Federal Transit Administration to enter Preliminary Engineering (PE) on March 30, 2009. PE approval means TriMet can bring the project design from 10 percent to 30 percent, and that costs related to the design work will be paid for by the project.

Over the course of the next year, TriMet will advance the design of the alignment and station areas, while Metro will draft the Final Environmental Impact Statement.

You can now be notified about meetings specific to the part of the alignment that interests you. Sign up at www.trimet.org/pm.

According to Tr-Met, construction of the light rail line is slated to begin in 2011. The 7.3-mile line connects downtown Portland to Milwaukie and north Clackamas County, and they say it will reduce vehicle miles traveled by as much as 69,000 miles per day region wide. Their studies indicate more than 22,000 households and 85,000 employees will be within walking distance of a station when it opens in 2015.