A Better Red enhances the community and regional transit system with a more reliable transit service connecting to other systems and amenities. The project served two primary objectives:
- Extending the MAX Red Line west to serve 10 more stations, offering a one-seat ride from Portland International Airport to Hillsboro.
- Removing the bottleneck at Gateway that impacted the entire MAX system, improving on-time performance.
Because the Red Line is an active light rail system, the design and staging of the improvements were carefully orchestrated to maintain operations during construction, mitigate disruptions, and maintain ridership. The team designed connections to existing overhead catenary systems (OCS), signal systems, and special trackwork while limiting impacts to the traveling public both on light rail and at the multimodal Gateway Transit Center.
The extension of service west from the Beaverton Transit Center to the Fair Complex Station in Hillsboro involved systems and communications upgrades as well as a new operator rest facility at the Fair Complex Station.
At Gateway, a single-track bottleneck slowed down the entire MAX system and limited TriMet’s ability to add trains for special events. Double-tracking was added that crosses southbound over the existing MAX track, under the Halsey Street bridge, and over Union Pacific Railroad and I-84.
Two major new structures were designed to accommodate these changes. The northernmost new bridge is a 384-foot-long, four-span prestressed concrete girder bridge with a straddle bent that passes between I-205 and Gateway Green Park and over an active MAX line. The second bridge is a three-span continuous steel girder structure overcrossing I-84 and an active Union Pacific Railroad track. The project also included several thousand feet of retaining walls.
A new connection to Gateway Green Park provides access for pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency vehicles. At the project’s north end, a new path also connects 82nd Avenue with Portland International Airport, providing better access for travelers and commuters who walk, bike, or roll.
Parametrix provided project management; track, civil, stormwater, and structural design; and environmental leadership.
