A $5 million allocation to TriMet to expand capacity at the
Oregon City Transit Center was among the projects named to receive funds as
part of the 2023 federal budget passed by Congress and signed by the president
last month.
“The redesign will double the bus capacity, provide
reliable transit schedule information, and add additional bus shelters,
lighting and security cameras,” said outgoing Congressman Kurt Schrader,
who represented Clackamas County from 2009-22.
TriMet spokesperson Tia York said that the Oregon City
Transit Center redesign project still needs an architect to create renderings,
so it’s unknown when construction would take place at the corner of 11th and
Main streets. York said that the project will support TriMet and partner
transit agencies’ long-term goals to increase ridership through new and
improved bus service in Clackamas County.
“The project will expand and retrofit the existing
transit center to add bus layover facilities, including space for non-TriMet
bus service partners,” York said. “Riders can expect new lighting,
bus stop shelters and other improvements that will make the transit center
safer and easier to use, including sidewalk improvements along McLoughlin
Boulevard.”
Some of the modifications will be specific to bus operators,
who take regular breaks at the transit center, and York said that these
additions will help TriMet continue to address the transit agency’s bus
operator shortage.
While it will probably take several months for the funding
to go from Congress, to the Federal Transit Authority, then to TriMet, York
said that TriMet plans to move quickly to get the project implemented.
“Sen. Jeff Merkley serves on the Appropriations
Committee, and we are grateful for his leadership on this initiative, as well
as support for TriMet from Oregon’s Congressional Delegation at the federal
level,” York said.
Other notable projects being federally funded this year
include $4 million for Clackamas County’s public housing units in Milwaukie, a
$2 million investment to Metro/Oregon Zoo for the Condor Breeding Center
located in rural Clackamas County and $2 million to help decommission, restore
and modernize the Boring Wastewater Treatment Facility.
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