Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

This content was published: January 11, 2016. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

PCC is a big focus of Southwest Corridor Plan

Photos and Story by

CommitteeListens1

The Southwest Corridor Steering Committee, made up of city councilors and mayors from affected jurisdictions in Southwest Portland as well as state transportation leaders, listened to testimony provided by PCC staff and students at its monthly hearing on Monday, Jan. 11 at Beaverton City Hall. The meeting featured staff reports on progress analyzing alternative connection options to the Sylvania Campus and recommendations on mode and light rail tunnel alignment to the campus.

There are lots of things to hammer out as the committee takes input. Staff from Metro and TriMet showed proposals on the footprint of the new corridor through Tigard and Tualatin via Barbur Boulevard, and what modes of transportation it will use, such as Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail Transit. In addition, they are mulling how to serve the campus – through a tram, BRT, or a LRT tunnel. Essentially, the Southwest Corridor Plan would create a new mass transportation corridor in Southwest Portland and surrounding cities, connecting this region with downtown Portland through a mix of mass transit, roadway, bicycle and pedestrian solutions.

“PCC is an important partner and we know that,” said TriMet’s Dave Unsworth to the committee. “We’ll have more discussions with PCC.”

At its next meeting on Feb. 29, the group plans to discuss whether or not light rail should be extended to PCC’s Sylvania Campus.

About James Hill

James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »