April 14, 2008

Light rail construction to interrupt MAX two weekends in April

Gateway to 102nd Ave service impacted

I-205/Portland Mall Light Rail construction at the Gateway Transit Center will interrupt MAX Blue Line service the weekends of April 19-20 and 26-27. MAX Blue Line will not run between Gateway/NE 99th Ave TC and E. 102nd Ave Station. Red Line MAX service will not be affected.

Buses will shuttle riders between the two stations; riders should add an extra 10-15 minutes for travel time.

Eastbound

Ride MAX to Gateway; board shuttle buses at the southeast end of the platform; a shuttle will take riders to the E 102nd Ave Station to board the eastbound train.

Westbound

Ride MAX to the E 102nd Ave Station; board shuttle buses at the bus stop on East Burnside adjacent to the MAX platform; ride to Gateway to board a westbound train from the center platform.

Alternative bus service

Westbound riders destined for downtown Portland may also board a bus.

• Line 15-Belmont, board at the stop on 102nd south of Burnside.
• Line 20-Burnside/Stark, board on Burnside at the bus stop adjacent to the westbound 102nd Ave platform.

Construction

During the closures new MAX tracks will be placed connecting the I-205 Light Rail project to existing MAX tracks.

About the project

TriMet's fifth MAX line will add light rail to 5th and 6th avenues in downtown Portland between Union Station and Portland State University (PSU), and between Gateway Transit Center and Clackamas Town Center. It is the first light rail extension into Clackamas County, it will serve the heart of downtown Portland and the busiest transit destination in the TriMet system - PSU. When it opens in September 2009, it will help revitalize the Mall and poise the region for future rail extensions.