The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a grant award of $1,076,000 for land use and transportation planning along the proposed extension of the Portland Streetcar through Northwest Portland to Montgomery Park. The grant is part of the FTA’s Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning, which funds land use and transportation planning along fixed-guideway transit investments.

"This grant will help us continue to set an example for the nation in reducing carbon emissions as we grow our economy and address the housing crisis," Portland Transportation Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said. "As we expand public transit and grow the Central City, we will reduce traffic congestion and provide more opportunities for Portlanders to walk, roll, and bike through our public-transit oriented community."

With the grant, Portland Streetcar Inc. will work with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to study potential zoning changes, traffic impacts, and development opportunities in the corridor, including an eventual east-side connection to Hollywood. The project is expected to extend from the existing streetcar line and run north along Northwest 18th and 19th Avenues, and then west on York and Wilson Streets, past the recently-sold ESCO property and terminating at Montgomery Park.

“This grant award is an acknowledgement that continued investment in Portland Streetcar will allow us to continue to grow while reducing carbon emissions and helping people get where they need to go,” said Chris Warner, interim director of PBOT.

The grant was submitted by regional government Metro, which oversees land use and transportation planning in the three-county Portland area. The project includes 2.3 miles of new rail and an east-side connection across the Broadway Bridge to a new turn-back at the Oregon Convention Center, which would provide double the existing service through the Rose Quarter and Lloyd.