Oregon Public Broadcasting

Work starts on the newest extension of the Portland Street Car Monday. Then Tuesday, as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, the city holds a hearing to find out where else Portlanders would like to see it go.

The extension is a three and a half mile loop from the Pearl District, across the Broadway Bridge to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The hope is that eastside residents will use the streetcar to go shopping or get to work

Streetcar spokeswoman, Kay Dannen, says they already have the $150 million needed.

Kay Dannen: “The first thing out of the box is water relocation. We cannot build tracks over the top of a waterline. And that starts on Grand, and we’ll be there about eight weeks.”

Crews are scheduled to start laying track in January. A decision on whether to run a streetcar or a bus between Portland and Lake Oswego, is due next year.

Tuesday the Portland Planning Commission is asking where residents want the streetcar to go after this expansion.