Sandy Transit to add stop at Estacada industrial campus; route change slated for late July or August

Sandy Transit plans to alter its Estacada jobs-access route to serve the Estacada industrial campus, agency officials told the Estacada Economic Development Committee on a meeting at which the change and timing were outlined.

The adjustment — approved by Sandy Transit’s board and proposed for implementation in late July or August — adds two stops at the industrial complex, shifts several scheduled times (adding about 10 minutes to the end of some runs) and routes buses off the highway through Park Street and the campus before returning to City Hall. “We proposed a plan, we brought it to our board, and they approved of it,” said Moona Restom, transit manager for the city of Sandy.

Why it matters: the route serves as a jobs-access connector for workers traveling into Estacada from surrounding communities and is interlined with a Clackamas County route that brings riders from Rhododendron and other mountain communities. Committee members said the new stop should make it easier for employees at businesses in the industrial park to reach work without driving.

Key details and schedule: Restom said the agency will turn off the highway onto Folsom, go to River Mill, travel Park Street through the campus and then continue its normal town route. The published schedule the committee reviewed shows an existing long gap in service around the late-afternoon period (examples cited in the meeting included scheduled stops at about 02:48, 03:58 and 06:48 on the route). Committee members asked whether the gap could be adjusted so riders finishing shifts around 5 p.m. would not have to wait; Restom said she would present that timing suggestion to Sandy Transit’s planners and to Clackamas County, because the Rhododendron portion is the county’s service and any additional runs would require funding and interagency coordination. “I can certainly bring that back. It would require public notification,” Restom said.

Fares and funding: Fares will remain $1 each way; punch passes reduce the per-ride cost to about $0.83 and a monthly pass is $30. Restom said the agency has ODOT-backed funding for at least the next year and that a portion of the route is funded through the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The Estacada-to-Sandy route originally launched in 2013 with jobs-access grants, Restom said, and Sandy withdrew from TriMet service and launched its own service in February (the year was not specified beyond that reference).

Implementation and outreach: Restom told the committee the change will require standard public notification and schedule updates; Sandy Transit also offered to provide stop signs and to market discounted passes to employers. A representative of an industrial-park business offered to post information for employees in their office. Restom said Sandy Transit intends to publish the new schedule and to use its app to notify riders of delays or detours.

Dependencies and next steps: The added stop will proceed without a formal vote by the Estacada committee; the city council had reviewed the plan and raised no concerns, and Sandy Transit’s board already approved it. Coordination with Clackamas County will be required for timing adjustments that affect the county-operated segments that interline with Sandy Transit. Restom said she would present proposed timing tweaks to the county and seek its concurrence.

What wasn’t decided: Committee members asked whether Sandy Transit might replace TriMet service in Estacada entirely; Restom said a withdrawal from TriMet would require Estacada to request withdrawal and would involve considerable work by the city and county. No formal motion to pursue TriMet withdrawal was made.

The committee and Sandy Transit agreed to continue coordination and outreach to businesses. Restom said the agency expects to implement the stop additions and time changes in late July or August, pending driver bid timelines and completion of marketing and notification steps.