"Another light rail dilemma..."

By Ed Zumwalt

, Jun 20, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

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It must be an odd-numbered year: there’s another light rail dilemma surfacing. Actually, it's not much of a problem, the city should merely suggest to the South Corridor Steering committee to throw the McLoughlin corridor into the upcoming study and save us all a lot of trouble.

Metro, Tri-Met and our city wonder why a fuss is being made at this late date about the proposed Tillamook alignment. Simple. They’re coming at us with two tracks instead of the one okayed by the neighborhoods in their 14-Point document several years ago. No matter how many times they claim it's the same alignment, the added impact of the extra rail is tremendous. Another small detail: Point Nine of the 14-Points called for the region (Metro) to muster the financial resources to purchase Milwaukie Jr. High School for the city to be used as a community center. There were a lot of promises floating around in those days. Of course, that didn't happen, and now that the site is still a school it is unacceptable to run double tracks that close to Waldorf's and St. John's kindergartens, to say nothing of the traffic difficulties it would impose on Milwaukie Lumber, and the desecration of the donated Kronberg Park by running a trestle across it.

Also, McLoughlin is 71 feet wide, curb to curb, at Washington St., and at some points the combined rail system behind the school and church will approach 75 feet in width, and with a station, about 100 feet. Visualize that for a moment. Furthermore, during peak hours, with trains running in each direction, there will be traffic interruptions of East-West streets approximately every four minutes, and every 8 minutes the rest of the day, from 4:30 a.m. until approximately midnight.

For years we've bemoaned the fact that McLoughlin separates us from our riverfront, and that Hwy. 224 and two railroads have chopped us up like a pie chart, and now we're considering another slash through the heart to complete the death of our city? Unconscionable.

Council, please urge the Steering Committee to add McLoughlin to the study. Milwaukie doesn't deserve to be torn apart again.

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Reader comments

Re: "Another light rail dilemma..."

Milwaukie should have a 6 lane freeway running through it.

"Practical"

(email verified)

Thu, Jun 21, 2007 at 03:18 PM

Re: "Another light rail dilemma..."

Ed, I am with you on your concerns, primarily the impact (ultimately whether as part of the initial phase extended to Park St. or at a later date). With the LRT pointed south, it must cross Kellogg Creek in one manner or another. The Kellogg Creek has been blocked for decades for fish passage at its mouth due to public improvements. Its time that we deal with this while we have some sort of funding capability--ie include its CPR as part of the LRT project.

If one views the city's website concerning the Planning Commissioner's meeting on the subject last week, they will see a written statement by the Mayor that the McLouglin Corridor (south of SR224 is what we are concerned with) is catorized as a "non-starter" by the Mayor. He provides no reasoning and doesn't clarify if we just talking about the section SOUTH of SR 224 or if he is referring to the ENTIRE section from Westmoreland south. He does indicate that there might be some merit to include the Main Street Alternative, but, again, he does not indicate what he is talking about....would the LRT alignment still carve a diagonal north to south line BUT miss Waldorf School? or would it come in from the north starting at MAIN under the SR224 Bridge.

By not being clear about what he is talking about as considering an extra alternative, the public is only more confused and alarmed.

I have been told that the Tri-Met/Metro presentation to the city's Planning Commission was slanted and argued to prove their point, rather than taking an objective view of the alternative suggested by various interest groups. I, myself, wrote a 9 page letter and have not received an acknowledgement of whether there is any merit in protecting Kellogg Creek fish habitat.

SDEIS reports can contain as many reasonable alternatives as the Lead Agency believes should be evaluated. Certainly, a public outcry for another alternative (Main St. or McLoughlin, SOUTH of the SR 224 Bridge) is certainly not a "non-starter". Its a way to build community and political support for a rather questionable corridor based upon Park n Ride lots, not an urban corridor that has very little density to support it. Also, there has been a negative reponse from the unincorporated community south of downtown which should also be taken in account. This is not just a benefit to a few in Miwaukie, but a benefit issue to region and a majority of the residents in the North Urban area of Clackamas County.