Commissioner Eudaly Announces Upgrade To TriMet Bus Service

From PBOT: City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly gathered with TriMet Chief Operating Officer Maurice Henderson II and County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson today to celebrate the upgrade of the Line 73-122nd Ave bus to frequent service, a significant improvement for public transit service in East Portland.

Today was the first PBOT news conference for Commissioner Eudaly, who became Commissioner-in-Charge of Transportation, effective Sept. 4.

"This is an exciting moment for Portland, and as your Transportation Commissioner, my goal is to see that we continue to make these types of improvements at a steady clip," Eudaly said. "I want to recognize the many engaged East Portlanders who have raised their voices in support of this and other transportation projects in the community. Their dedicated and passionate advocacy was vital to moving this project forward. I’m very happy that we have been able to deliver for them."

Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, who serves on an influential Metro committee that controls transportation investments, serves a district that includes most of East Portland.

"The investments made here by the Portland Bureau of Transportation and TriMet are so important," Vega Pederson said. "They make walking an option, because now it is safer. They make public transit an option, because now it is frequent, convenient and accessible. These investments make public transit accessible to a community that desperately needs it."

The Line 73-122nd Ave provides vital transit service that runs north-south along 122nd Avenue, connecting Parkrose/Sumner Transit Center in Northeast Portland and Lents Town Center/SE Foster in Southeast Portland. People can also take Line 73 to transfer to many intersecting bus lines and the MAX light rail service.

“TriMet is proud to be part of the investment in, and revitalization of, the growing East Portland community,” said TriMet Chief Operating Officer Maurice Henderson II. “We just launched our single largest expansion of bus service in TriMet history and an important part of that has been adding more buses running more often on the Line 73.”

On Sunday, Sept. 2, TriMet added nearly 80 weekly trips to the Line 73 to bring it up to the agency’s Frequent Service level. That means riders can expect a bus about every 15 minutes or better most of the day, every day.

“Our riders, who work and live here, are pedestrians first and last and we appreciate the City of Portland’s ongoing efforts to get them safely to and from our transit service.” Chris Warner, Interim Director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, said the bureau targeted its improvements on the corridor to provide the sidewalks and other specific fixes TriMet would need to increase bus service.

"122nd Avenue is one of the most important thoroughfares in East Portland: People use it every day to get to jobs and school," Warner said. "By finding ways to make it easier to move along this key corridor, especially by public transit, we knew we could make life better for tens of thousands of East Portlanders. I want to thank TriMet for their work with us. Together we have delivered better bus service and a safer street for Portlanders."

Thanks to $4.7 million from the City's General Fund, PBOT built marked, signalized crosswalks along 122nd Avenue and new sidewalks on adjacent streets, making it safer and easier for Portlanders to access public transit service.

As a result of the improvements, TriMet was able to provide Frequent Service along this important route, starting Sept. 2. This is the first phase of a variety of investments by PBOT that are expected to total $8 million.

Image via Travis Loose/Patch