FTA OKs TriMet
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefPortland, Ore.’s TriMet said Tuesday the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has approved its planned 7.3-mile MAX light rail transit extension to suburban Milwaukie. The approval moves the project into final design phase, which will last about a year.
“This approval means that the region’s top transit priority stays on schedule as it moves closer to construction,” TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane said in a statement.
The $1.49 billion project would extend MAX line from the current terminus of the MAX Green and Yellow lines at Portland State University to South Waterfront, Southeast Portland, Milwaukie, and Park Avenue in Clackamas County. A bridge over the Willamette River designed for LRT use is part of the plan.
TriMet says it anticipates signing a contract with the federal government for its commitment to fund 50% of the project. The new line is scheduled to open in late 2015.
