Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland City Commissioners have unanimously accepted a roadmap that will guide planning for future streetcar projects.

As federal funding for transit studies becomes available, the Streetcar System Concept Plan will be used to identify and pick new routes for study.

Some neighborhood groups asked commissioners not to accept the plan. Their concerns ranged from the cost of future streetcar projects to wanting more transit for east-side neighborhoods. 

Mayor Sam Adams, who runs the Bureau of Transportation, thanked them for their input, and called the plan a living document.

Sam Adams:  "We're gonna learn more. Some corridors might pop up that we don't yet know about, and some might move off the table, after further evaluation. But we have more focus."

Right now, the city's concentrating on a proposed east-side loop, from OMSI to the Broadway Bridge. Elements of that are already under construction.

The city is also in preliminary planning stages for a north-south spur from Portland to Lake Oswego.