TriMet installs swing gates, signage at Orange Line crossings

Last week, the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) began the final installation of safety enhancements at several crossings along the MAX Orange Line.

TriMet's new manual swing gates at an Orange Line light-rail crossing.
Photo: Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon

Crews have now installed manual swing gates on the south side of the 11th Avenue rail crossings, which means that bicyclists and pedestrians will need to open the gates before or after crossing the tracks, TriMet officials said in a press release.

Additional signage on the gates and fencing at 12th Avenue will be installed over the next few weeks.

The changes are intended to encourage people to heed signals, be more aware of approaching trains and to look both ways before crossing MAX light-rail tracks. The work is a collaboration between TriMet and the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

The two are also working with Union Pacific Railroad to adjust heavy-rail signal timing to shorten the time that people are stopped at crossings, TriMet officials said.