Portland: Mecca of city planning

Construction will begin this summer on the Eastside Loop streetcar corridor, spanning 3.3 miles. The line will run across the Broadway Bridge from Downtown Portland and along McLoughlin Boulevard. It will end at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and then return on Grand Avenue, back toward downtown.

Eastside Loop

Construction will begin this summer on the Eastside Loop streetcar corridor, spanning 3.3 miles. The line will run across the Broadway Bridge from Downtown Portland and along McLoughlin Boulevard. It will end at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and then return on Grand Avenue, back toward downtown.

The project is approved by the Federal Transit Administration and is funded in part by federal grants and local funding. The Eastside Loop is a $125 million project.

“The increase in accessibility not only to OMSI but [to] all the surrounding businesses will be a huge asset to the ongoing Eastside Waterfront Revitalization,” said Lee Dawson, communication director at OMSI.

Construction will be done in three-block increments, with each section taking about three weeks to complete, said Patrick Sweeney, project manager for the Portland Streetcar System Concept Plan.

Ultimately, the new loop will improve circulation throughout the east and west sides of Downtown Portland, opening up more business, shopping, living, dining and commuting opportunities for Portlanders.

Future streetcar planning

“Portland is known worldwide for its progressive land use policies,” Sweeney said.

The SSCP is a 20- to 50-year plan covering six “concept corridors” which have been decided based on the best ways to interconnect the city and areas, as well as where major business and population growth are expected in the future.

The project is in the very beginning stages of development and the city is currently accepting comments during the mandatory 45-day public comment period. The comment period ends Aug. 14.

“I came [to Portland] to experience the planning mystique: It’s like going to mecca,” Sweeney said, who has been working for the City of Portland for two and a half years.

The city plans to make Portland more accessible to pedestrians, promoting a more sustainable transportation system.

United Streetcar, LLC, based in Clackamas, manufactures Portland streetcars.

PSU perspective

The new streetcar system, along with light rail expansion, will allow easy access for students to commute to campus.

“I think it’s great they are putting in more funding for mass transit development,” said Emily Thompson, a junior psychology major at PSU. Thompson lives in Southeast Portland and can’t wait for the new max and streetcars to open up.

“I’m glad they are expanding to the east side, I think a lot of people will use it,” Thompson said.