Photo: TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey, Portland Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer
The sun shined, music played and lines started forming early for TriMet’s celebration of Get on Board Day in Pioneer Courthouse Square. The first-ever Get on Board Day is a new, national day to generate awareness of and support for public transit. To celebrate, TriMet threw a party, but first, we showed our appreciation for the partnerships that help us keep the region moving.
“Together, we’re finding innovative ways to connect people with jobs and opportunity while easing traffic congestion, reducing air pollution and making the Portland metro area a better place to live,” said TriMet General Manager, Doug Kelsey, as he got the party started.
With the strong support of our partners, TriMet is bringing faster, more reliable transit service to the region. From working with the City of Portland to speed up buses; to planning the next MAX line; to bringing faster, high-capacity bus service to Portland east side, it’s work that requires collaboration at the local, state and national levels.
With the help of U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Oregon’s congressional delegation, TriMet recently secured $86.4 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Division Transit Project.
“TriMet is always looking forward. I love the notion that we’re going to be able to deal with the Division corridor, to upgrade bus service; we’re looking at the Southwest Corridor; we’re looking at potential expansion to Streetcar,” said Rep. Blumenauer. “These all are the elements that make this community livable.”
For the thousands of people who commute to jobs and schools across Portland each day, gridlock affects quality of life. TriMet and the City of Portland are making improvements that get everyone moving – whether you’re on a bus or MAX train, in your car, on a bike, scooter or on foot.
“Starting this year, we are introducing bus priority lanes on key routes that lead to the Hawthorne Bridge, the Burnside Bridge, and the Steel Bridge,” said Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly. “When buses move through downtown faster, it doesn’t just help downtown Portland – it helps our entire transportation system run smoothly.”
Source: TriMet