Portland - Milwaukie Light Rail (PMLR) | Completed

[MarkDaMan]

And the fun begins!


TriMet sues Clackamas County to ensure commitments to Portland-Milwaukie light rail
Molly Harbarger, The Oregonian
on March 07, 2013 at 3:30 PM, updated March 07, 2013 at 3:32 PM

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamasc..._county_t.html

TriMet filed a lawsuit today to force Clackamas County to follow through on its commitments to the Portland-Milwaukie light rail project.

The transportation agency says the county has delayed final project property acquisitions and $1.3 million in road and signal improvements that could impede the project. TriMet claims that the county is breaking its contracts with TriMet by not letting construction of the line continue as previously agreed.

...

[bvpcvm]

Great. And then, when it costs TriMet unanticipated millions to prosecute this case, the Tea Party hillbillies will turn around and claim that this proves that government can't ever build anything on time and on budget.

[tworivers]

TriMet sues Clackamas County

DEEPLY satisfying.

[bvpcvm]

One thing I keep hearing - there are currently 349 comments on the OLive article - is this fantasy that TriMet could just stop the line at Tacoma Blvd. But as I understand it this is pretty much wishful thinking on the part of the Ludlow/Smith crowd: just as Clackamas County is bound by the contracts it's signed, so TriMet is bound by its funding agreement with the feds to build the whole thing (isn't that what "minimum operable segment" is all about?). Is that correct?

[tworivers]

I mostly feel embarrassed for the Clackastanis, particularly when I read stories like this.

"We're trying to ask them. That's all we did," new Chairman John Ludlow said. "We asked them to look at it as a possibility, and they come back with a threatening letter, really." Junior High level politics of the goofiest order. John and Tootie grab their pitchforks and go to war against Portland Creep!

[tworivers]

bvpcvm: Is that correct?

I'm fairly certain that that is indeed correct. I suspect that this is cut and dried -- the contracts have been signed, the funding agreements are all in place, the line is well under construction. If I was the mayor (probably lucky that I'm not), I'd be looking at ways to make Clackamas County understand/admit just how dependent they are on Portland, in SO MANY WAYS. I'd have them back at the table begging for mercy in no time.

[RED_PDXer]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

One thing I keep hearing - there are currently 349 comments on the OLive article - is this fantasy that TriMet could just stop the line at Tacoma Blvd. But as I understand it this is pretty much wishful thinking on the part of the Ludlow/Smith crowd: just as Clackamas County is bound by the contracts it's signed, so TriMet is bound by its funding agreement with the feds to build the whole thing (isn't that what "minimum operable segment" is all about?). Is that correct?

That's super correct. These teabillies don't understand anything about contracts, commitments, federal grants, environmental review processes, or the like. This project has been around since 2002 as part of the South Corridor project. It wasn't until the tea party in 2009 that crazy became part of our political landscape and made this their lightning rod issue.

[Nunya]

TriMet sues Clackamas County over PMLR
http://djcoregon.com/news/2013/03/12...nty-over-pmlr/

Behind a paywall but a few snipppets to get a little flavor of the stupid:

....Last Friday, TriMet filed a lawsuit against Clackamas County to require it to follow through on its remaining obligations to the PMLR project – a 7.3-mile-long MAX line that is now 35 percent complete. The suit follows correspondence from the county that casts doubt on whether it will continue to support the project. TriMet contends the county has no choice.....

....“Though we are not certain what the outcome of the vote will be, there is a potential that our voters may not support elements of the project necessary to advance the project all the way to Park Ave.,” wrote John Ludlow, chairman of the board of commissioners on behalf of the board, to TriMet in a letter dated Feb. 5. “Therefore we ask that you carefully consider any and all alternatives that terminate the project north of Park Ave., either in Milwaukie or at Tacoma Street.”

The problem, TriMet argues, is Clackamas County already signed an intergovernmental agreement in 2010 pledging its support to the project; the county has since paid approximately $19.9 million toward the $1.49 billion effort. What remains is approximately $1.3 million in road improvements and small property transfers necessary for construction.....

[dubu]

clackamas county and clark county are screwd

[cab]

I do think this will be the last lightrail project. The loonies with the help of the Oregonian have changed the narrative. Its going to be too hard to get enough people on board to do anything new. This might not be a bad thing. I think switching our resources to inner-city movement could pay more dividends. If the surrounding area doesnt want to grow up, than so be it. PDX can start moving on without the anchor of ignorance.

[bvpcvm]

i think you're right about this being the last LRT line, at least for a while. however, if numerous articles in the atlantic/cities are correct, the outer suburbs will really start to take a hit anyway once the baby boomers have to start moving to retirement homes; perhaps then not having built LRT out to all the exurbs will seem prescient. (otoh that line out to tigard would sure be nice to have)

[65MAX]

No, this is not the last light rail line to be built. The same hand-wringing and doomsday predictions were in full force after the defeat of the South-North project in '98. 15 years later, we now have the Airport line, the Interstate line and the Clackamas line with the Milwaukie line almost half way completed. This tea party anti-everything spurt has already grown weary and most people see right through the crazy. The comment board on the O-live site is not an accurate reflection of how real Portlanders (including suburban Portlanders) feel about light rail.

Tigard especially has been extremely pro-light rail for years and has already prepared HCT station area plans for 7 separate medium-high density neighborhoods within their city limits. They're already primed and ready to receive MAX into their city. They're not going to be satisfied with a watered down BRT concept when every other part of the metro area has MAX service.

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by 65MAX

No, this is not the last light rail line to be built. The same hand-wringing and doomsday predictions were in full force after the defeat of the South-North project in '98. 15 years later, we now have the Airport line, the Interstate line and the Clackamas line with the Milwaukie line almost half way completed. This tea party anti-everything spurt has already grown weary and most people see right through the crazy. The comment board on the O-live site is not an accurate reflection of how real Portlanders (including suburban Portlanders) feel about light rail.

Tigard especially has been extremely pro-light rail for years and has already prepared HCT station area plans for 7 separate medium-high density neighborhoods within their city limits. They're already primed and ready to receive MAX into their city. They're not going to be satisfied with a watered down BRT concept when every other part of the metro area has MAX service.

I agree. There's also the planned expansion of the Yellow Line if the CRC happens to be built. I remember that in the not too distant past, Forest Grove hinted about an extension of the Blue Line.

[65MAX]

Right.

Also, OC and Gladstone have been eager to get MAX service for years. The Orange line to Oak Grove was the most difficult and horrendously expensive part of that alignment. But there's a reason Metro wanted to get it all the way to Park Ave now. That's because the remaining 4-5 miles into downtown OC is the easiest stretch of light rail so far... completely at-grade, no structures (except a short bridge over the Clackamas River), no property acquisitions, and all existing ROW along a very wide McLoughlin Blvd. It would be a tiny fraction of the cost of the current Orange line construction and very easy to assemble the 50% local matching funds. Despite the noisy teabagger dead-enders, I'd bet we see an extension there with the next decade.

[dubu]

wouldnt you have to elovate it to get it in the middle of the highway and out of it to main street to the transit center in oc? if you didnt need to do that then you wouldnt need a light rail bridge, the cars could drive where the tracks are for a little bit.

[65MAX]

No, you don't need to elevate it to cross into the middle of McLoughlin just south of Park Ave. Just a signalized crossing of the SB traffic lanes. For the Clackamas River crossing, either the current bridge would need to be widened so there's no net loss of auto traffic lanes, or more likely, a new separate bridge (actually more like an overpass than a bridge) off to the side of the existing bridge.

[dubu]

or you could have it under the bridge.

[65MAX]

????

Under the existing Clackamas River bridge? That bridge is barely 500 feet long. Freeway overpasses are longer than that. It's also at-grade. Why would you tunnel down to go under that bridge? Especially since it would require completely rebuilding the perfectly fine existing bridge for no reason.

[maccoinnich]

Where would you end it in Oregon City? Downtown? And how would you get it there after the Clackamas River? Along McLoughlin?

[dubu]

underground from the oc transit center to the clackamas river.

in 30 years that could happen