Open houses invite feedback on transit priority concepts for the 82nd Avenue Transit Project; online event open now, in-person event Wednesday, April 23

TriMet is holding open houses on the 82nd Avenue Transit Project this month, and we want to hear from you! The purpose of the open houses is to learn how you feel about tools we are considering for speeding up buses and moving them around traffic.

The 82nd Avenue Transit Project will improve travel times while providing better connections to jobs, schools, shopping, services and other destinations for those who live, work and move through the 82nd Avenue corridor. It lays the groundwork for TriMet's next FX - Frequent Express - bus line. This will bring better, faster service with higher-capacity buses to 10 miles of 82nd Avenue, between Clackamas Town Center and the Cully neighborhood of Northeast Portland.

Fewer delays keep buses on time

TriMet has already incorporated features into the design for the 82nd Avenue Transit Project that are expected to speed up bus trips by up to 20%. These features include consolidating existing stops, building up curbs for easier boarding, using bigger buses with boarding at all three doors and allowing bikes on board, to eliminate delays caused by loading. We'll also use transit-signal priority for the project, where buses and signals communicate to give buses the go-ahead first.

Even with these improvements, it may be harder for buses to stay on schedule as traffic congestion grows. The open houses will explore other transit-priority tools to keep buses moving, including bus lanes in key locations.

Visit trimet.org/82nd to review the plans, weigh potential outcomes and leave your feedback. We'll hold an in-person open house on Wednesday, April 23, 4-6:30 p.m. at PCC Southeast on 82nd Avenue. The open house will be in the Great Hall of the Mount Tabor Building.

More tools to keep buses moving

Currently, 82nd Avenue is served by TriMet's Line 72-Killingsworth/82nd. Not only does Line 72 see more riders than any other TriMet bus line, but it also experiences more delay. Congestion on 82nd is only expected to increase in the coming years, so transportation partners are taking steps now to look to the future and determine ways to keep buses - and the riders on them - moving past traffic. The open houses will explore additional transit-priority tools to speed up buses. These include:

• Business access and transit lanes (BAT lanes): This would convert the existing curbside lane into a BAT lane, reserved for buses, right-turning autos and emergency vehicles. Car traffic would stay in the inner lanes, and business entrances would be accessible from the outer lanes, as they are today. We are currently studying two scenarios: one with some BAT lanes and one with more BAT lanes.
• Intersection widening: The project team is also studying the concept of widening 82nd Avenue near three congested intersections, to create space for BAT lanes while preserving existing lanes for people driving. This is being considered near SE Powell Boulevard, Holgate Boulevard and Foster Road.

Find additional details on the proposals, including detailed descriptions and diagrams at trimet.org/82nd. The online open house will be open for feedback through Sunday, April 27. It's important to note the features under consideration will require additional study and analysis and may not be included in the final project, as they could bring costs that exceed project funding.

The 82nd Avenue Transit Project

TriMet FX™ service on 82nd Avenue will mean less crowding on buses, fewer delays, faster trips, a safer environment for walking and rolling and a more livable, better-connected urban corridor. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the new service opening to riders in the summer 2029.

TriMet thanks our project partners for their continued support and coordination of planning efforts and funding opportunities, including Metro, the City of Portland, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Multnomah County, Clackamas County and Port of Portland.

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