Portland Public Transportation - The Sky’s the Limit!
Has anyone out there had a chance to catch a ride on the new Aerial Tram in Portland Oregon? Portland, which is always on the cutting edge of responsible urban planning, has built the second commuter tram in the country to connect OHSU’s hilltop campus to its new development along the Willamette river. According to the NYTimes, the jury is still out on whether it was a stroke of genius or a folly. As with most projects like this one, it came in at about four times the original projected budget, and the fares are much higher than in original plans. It sure looks spectacular to me, I think I’d enjoy the ride if I could get Roosevelt Island Tramway breakdown paranoid thoughts out of my head.
Further description from PortlandAerialTram.com:
The Tram provides a fast, reliable transportation link that allows OHSU - Oregon’s major research institution and only academic health center - to focus its future expansion in the South Waterfront, an underused industrial area on the Willamette Riverfront just south of Portland’s downtown core. OHSU recently completed one of the greenest buildings in the world - the 16-story Center for Health & Healing - at the base of the Tram to house OHSU physician practices, outpatient clinics, research labs and a wellness center. The Center is expected to revolutionize the design of large complex buildings and is on track for platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest ranking. Over the next several years OHSU will further expand its campus on 20 acres of donated riverfront property nearby.
The university’s decision to expand to the riverfront, which hinged on construction of the Tram, provided the catalyst for some $2 billion in investments in the South Waterfront after years of failed efforts by private developers. The district is rapidly taking shape as a dynamic new neighborhood of high-rise condominiums, a greenway along the river, a park and extension of the Portland Streetcar.
The Tram also represents another pioneering step in Portland’s march toward a sustainable future. The Tram links seamlessly to the energy-efficient Streetcar which, in turn, provides a connection to the rest of the city and other mass transit alternatives. The Tram will eliminate annually an estimated 2 million vehicle miles that otherwise would be traveled in the city, thereby saving 93,000 gallons of gas and reducing greenhouse emissions by more than 1,000 tons.
GREAT CHEAP DATE ALERT: Through February, the Tram will be providing free rides on Friday nights and all day Saturday. To learn more, click here.
photo by Leah Nash for the New York Times
More Tram images are on the OHSU website.
