TriMet marks halfway point on MAX Red Line extension project

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) last week marked the halfway point of construction on the MAX Red Line light-rail extension project.

Construction started in September 2021 and is on schedule to be completed in 2024, TriMet officials said in a press release. Passenger service on the extended line will also begin next year.

The project extends the line west to serve 10 more stations in Beaverton and Hillsboro while improving the flow of train traffic through a second track being constructed near the Gateway Transit Center and Portland International Airport, TriMet officials said. The new Gateway North Station is also dedicated to westbound MAX Red Line service, which will help improve schedule reliability, they added.

So far, crews built the substructures of two light-rail bridges north of the Gateway Transit Center, including the installation of steel girders to a bridge extending over Interstate 84 and the affixation of concrete girders to a second bridge being built over existing track. Crews also moved a 200-foot section of track to make room for the new structures and built retaining walls.

Near the new western terminus of the MAX Red Line, a 680-square-foot facility — designed to serve as a rest area for TriMet staff — is also being built near the Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport MAX Station, TriMet officials said.

The $215 million project is partially funded by a $99.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration.