Portland Transit Mall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Portland Transit Mall refers to a set of public transportation corridors which cut through the center of Downtown Portland, Oregon. First opening in 1977,[1] the Portland Transit Mall was a central destination for all buses which traveled downtown: north on 6th and south on 5th between West Burnside Street and Southwest Madison Street. It was later extended north through Chinatown to Union Station/Greyhound in 1994[2]. It is currently closed for reconstruction, including the addition of a light rail line.[3]
This built on TriMet's adoption of Fareless Square in 1975 to push the city towards becoming one of the nations most successful and studied public transportation systems.[4]
As TriMet added light rail to the public transportation system traveling East-West on Southwest Yamhill and Southwest Morrison respectively in 1986, the Portland Transit Mall became an even more central part of Portland, Oregon's strategy to promote healthy living and clean environment through public transportation.[5]
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[edit] History
Established in 1977, the Portland Transit Mall has continued to consolidate and serve the area surrounding Downtown. It has evolved from a bus transit mall to a comprehensive approach to public transportation in the City Center.
[edit] East Side MAX
Added in 1986, the MAX Blue Line gave downtown a fast way to travel from the far east side of town to City Center. Traveling all the way from Southwest 10th Avenue to Cleveland Avenue in Gresham, Oregon, the original Blue line was approximately 15 miles long.
[edit] West Side MAX
In 1998, TriMet extended access to the Portland Transit Mall with the West Side MAX addition to the Blue Line, giving fast public transportation to the growing communities of Beaverton, Oregon and Hillsboro, Oregon.
[edit] Red & Yellow Lines
In 2001 and 2004 TriMet added the MAX Red Line and MAX Yellow Line to the MAX service it offered. With every addition to the MAX, TriMet created a central destination of City Center and the Transit Mall, enabling travelers from all over the city to change their destination at a central location.
[edit] Current Expansion Project
The current expansion of the Portland Transit Mall will add the first North-South MAX line which travels south of Burnside in the MAX Green Line. The Green Line will run between Portland State University and Clackamas Town Center; its downtown segment will run along 5th and 6th Avenues sharing space with buses. Due to the construction involved in laying the line down, during the duration of the construction, transit service has been moved to 3rd and 4th Avenues respectively.
The new line is expected to be completed 2009.
[edit] Fareless Square
See also: Fareless Square Fareless Square has been since its inception a key part of TriMet's strategy of public transportation. By allowing free travel within the city's center, TriMet hoped to promote constructive economic and culture growth in the City Center which would help the city as a whole grow healthily.
