On April 25th, the 82nd Avenue Transit Project Steering Committee voted to approve three project components for new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service along 82nd Avenue. Transportation leaders began investigating a second TriMet Frequent Express (FX) service in June 2022. They convened a Project Steering Committee of elected officials, agency leaders, and community representatives to ensure the project meets the corridors’ needs. This new BRT project could replace the north-south segment of the 72 bus line, adding enhanced bus stations and increasing the travel speed of this highly used transit option. Last month’s vote approved BRT as the transit mode, service route, and general bus station locations for this speeder service. However, one speed-increasing tactic shown in the draft map condenses 54 stops down to 31 stations, impacting some riders who will lose their preferred boarding location. TriMet ridership data predicts this project will enhance ride efficiency for the majority of the people using this route while providing similar access to the residents who rely on it for transit.

The approved route will predominately run along 82nd Avenue, turning east towards Clackamas Town Center at the line’s southern terminus. The project team is considering two options for the north end, which will serve the Cully neighborhood near the Cully Boulevard and Killingsworth Street intersection or the Parkrose Transit Center. This selection could add two or four more stations to the 72 FX Line. Before voting, Transit Project Steering Committee member Zachary Lauritzen with Oregon Walks voiced public apprehension over losing bus stops on the 72 Line, echoing other Steering Committee members’ similar concerns expressed throughout the evaluation process. Lauritzen called for infrastructure enhancements to accompany this BRT expansion so people needing to travel longer distances to the new stations could do so over modern, accessible sidewalks. TriMet notes that they spaced draft stations roughly one-third of a mile apart and said that even if the new FX line is not approved, some 72 bus stop pruning is needed along the route to remove underutilized and redundant locations.

Portland has one other FX line along SE Division Street, intersecting the proposed BRT line at SE 82nd Avenue. The FX service primarily uses longer articulated green buses to accommodate higher ridership levels. Vehicles arrive at stations frequently and communicate with the traffic equipment to change signals in their favor, reducing overall travel time. Stations offer near bus height boarding and multi-door payment systems for faster loading of passengers. Stations often extend into the road to meet the travel lane, allowing busses to stop without needing to merge back into traffic. TriMet and Portland’s traffic engineers designate segments of the outer travel lane for dedicated Business Access and Transit (BAT) use in some areas. Some of these FX 2 features could appear on this new line. The final design will happen after the group finalizes the agreed-upon project components, collectively called the locally preferred alternative (LPA).

The 82nd Avenue Transit Project team will continue to evaluate the two northern route options over the summer while meeting with organizations to align the BRT design with community needs and priorities. As the year comes to a close, project planners will develop conceptual designs and cost estimates, leading to a funding plan that will accompany the final LPA. The 82nd Avenue BRT project would require substantial Federal funding to proceed past planning, along with support from local government. If this project precedes on schedule, construction could begin in 2027, with the 72 FX Line opening in 2030. Oregon Metro created a summary of the process up to this point and should offer more opportunities for community input later in 2024.

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