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    1. Rail
    2. Infrastructure

    Final phase of TriMet’s MAX Blue Line improvements project coming May 15 in Northeast Portland

    May 11, 2021
    New track technology that is part of the project requires disrupting MAX Blue, Green and Red Line trains. 
    Related To: TriMet
    TriMet
    Tri Met 609aae0710d7d

    TriMet will begin the final phase of the MAX Blue Line Improvements Project May 15. 

    The work will include replacing rail and other components of the trackway along a stretch of curved rail running along I-84 near the Northeast 33rd Avenue overpass.  

    During the project, shuttle buses will be serving stations between NE 7th Ave and Gateway Transit Center. Due to the length of the route, riders should plan an extra 30 minutes for their trips, or, if possible, use alternative means of transportation if traveling through that area.  

    For the project, crews will replace a 1,300-foot section of rail eastbound and westbound, for a total of 2,600 feet of new rail. They’ll also strip out hundreds of wood crossties and replace them with new and innovative versions made of concrete.  

    TriMet will have roughly 40 contractors and sub-contractors, along with 20 TriMet personnel, working around the clock to ensure the project finishes on time and that trains return to regular service on Monday, May 24. 

    Trains disrupted 

    MAX Blue, Green and Red line trains will be disrupted during the project. With shuttle buses serving stations between NE 7th Ave and Gateway Transit Center, those who are riding will want to plan at least an extra 30 minutes for their trips. 

    Closure Northeast 13th Avenue near Lloyd 

    There will also be impacts to some drivers during the project. To help crews access the work site, and for the safety of drivers and pedestrians, TriMet will be shutting down Northeast 13th Avenue between Multnomah and Holladay streets. Crews will use the movie theater parking lot along Northeast 13th Avenue as a parking and staging area for the worksite, which is about a mile down the tracks. 

    As with other projects performed during COVID-19, all crew members and employees entering the worksite will receive a health screening and temperature check. 

    New railroad ties a first for the West Coast 

    While TriMet has replaced wooden ties with concrete ones before, the ones used during this project are a new technology. With their installation, TriMet says it will become the second rail operator in the United States to use them. 

    They bounce and vibrate the same as wood, giving TriMet more flexibility in where and how they’re used. This means the concrete ties can be used interchangeably with their traditional wooden counterparts, which has not been the case with the concrete ties used in the past. 

    “This allows us to basically pull and place any wood tie in our entire alignment and put one of these concrete ties in there,” said Engineering & Construction Project Manager Ryan Campbell. “We don’t have to pull out every single wood tie. We can just pull out the bad ones and keep all the good ones still in the alignment.” 

    Completing upgrades on Gateway Transit Center rail crossings 

    Along with the innovative tie replacement work, crews will also use the nine-day disruption to replace the rail crossing on the north side of the Gateway Transit Center. This is the area where buses cross over MAX tracks. Much like the work performed on the opposite end of the transit center in April, crews will install a more durable crossing made of cast-in-place concrete, creating a smoother ride for bus riders.