The Portland Aerial Tram could eventually have some company on unusual transportation mode island.
Aside from figuring out how to pay for an estimated $2.7 billion light rail line through Southwest Portland to Bridgeport Village, one of the main quandaries facing planners is how to connect riders disembarking trains at Southwest Barbur Boulevard with Oregon Health & Science University and surrounding campuses atop Marquam Hill.
A planned station at Southwest Gibbs Street is likely to be one of the busiest on the 12-mile yet-to-be-named light rail line and figuring out how to get potentially thousands of employees, students and patients from the transit platform to the medical campus some 120 vertical feet above is a logistical challenge.
Options apparently include building a second aerial tram or building a funicular, a cable car that runs up- and downhill on a slope.
If built, the funicular would be a rarity in the United States. TriMet literature cited other railway systems in Slovenia, Edmonton and Deer Crest, Utah, as similar.
According to project documents, the key factors being considered are options that are “safe, accessible, efficient, sensitive to Terwilliger Parkway’s historic context and natural resources, and affordable to build and maintain.”
TriMet said the budget for what it’s tentatively calling the Marquam Hill Connector is $13 million, but all of the options – like the funicular -- being considered cost considerably more than that.
But, like the Aerial Tram, which opened in 2006 to much acclaim despite project overruns, the price tag may not be the overriding factor in the end. The new connection could give the city another tourist attraction in addition to a utilitarian transit mode.
“The Marquam Hill Connector provides an opportunity to create a signature connection that reflects the beauty of its surroundings and inspires civic pride,” according to documents describing the project.
A committee is expected to offer recommendations in early May on the best options for connecting passengers. The light rail project is likely to be one of the cornerstones of a planned 2020 regional transportation package. A final decision on the best transit option is expected May 13.
Roberta Altstadt, a TriMet spokeswoman, said the agency wants to know people think of the four options still being considering.
“We’re encouraging people to visit the online open house at trimet.org/swcorridor/openhouse/ and provide feedback at the end of the page,” she said. “That feedback will help inform the Green Ribbon Committee’s recommendation to the Steering Committee about the type of technology used for the Marquam Hill. There will be several more years of technical work and community engagement to refine the design once the technology is selected.”
The first light rail trains aren’t expected to hit the route until 2027, if funding is secured.
Here’s a breakdown of the options under consideration:
Funicular
Cost: $35 million to $45 million.
Details: It’s a unique system to Portland, so it “could be an attraction,” but would require education for folks new to the device. The project would include a stairway to give people a choice of getting up the hill.
Bridge and Elevator:
Cost: $15 million to $25 million
Details: Less exciting design, but would be “relatively simple, predictable to build and operate.”
Bridge would have to be 254 feet long and elevator tower roughly 108 feet high to reach Terwilliger.
Tunnel and Elevator:
Cost: $55 million to $125 million
Details: This project would be at high risk of cost and schedule overruns and would produce a “challenging environment to make [a] high quality pedestrian experience.”
Aerial Tram
Cost: $50 million to $85 million
Details: Would give “new view opportunities” but may be closer to homes and businesses in the area and require May require “unanticipated” property acquisitions.”
-- Andrew Theen
503-294-4026
@andrewtheen
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