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The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has been awarded $85 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help complete the Portland-to-Milwaukie light-rail line, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) have announced.

The grant, funded through the New Starts program, is part of the federal government’s effort to provide new transit options in downtown Portland and other areas in Milwaukie and North Clackamas County, the senators said in a prepared statement.

“The grant is further proof that the tri-county area has made the case that light rail can be a popular low-cost transportation alternative in an era of high gas prices,” Wyden said.

Service on the line is expected to begin in 2015.