Metro, TriMet present $300 million TV Highway locally preferred alternative; jurisdictions raise stop and funding concerns

Metro and TriMet on March 17 presented a locally preferred alternative (LPA) for the TV Highway transit project that designers say reduces crashes, improves rider amenities and positions the corridor for federal Small Starts funding.

The LPA, recommended last month by the project steering committee, calls for improved stations with shelters, lighting and curbside platforms; enhanced pedestrian crossings and signals paired with each station; transit-signal priority; all-door boarding with tap readers on every door; and more frequent service (moving from roughly 15-minute headways to about 12 minutes most of the day). Metro and TriMet estimate the corridor currently carries more than 6,000 weekday boardings and has a fatal-crash rate nearly twice the regional average.

“First of all, we're reminded all too often about the safety issues along this corridor,” Metro project manager Kate Hawkins said. The plan reduces the partial pullout stop design and adds station platforms with curbs and waiting areas, she said. TriMet capital planning manager Dave Alwis added: “We are going to make sure that each station pair is coupled with an enhanced crossing or a traffic signal of some sort.”

Why it matters: project leads say the design improves safety for people walking to stops and speeds up buses enough to make transit more competitive with driving; funding and station siting will determine whether the package is viable for federal capital grants. TriMet and Metro staff presented a funding strategy based on a $300,000,000 project cost, a 50 percent match…