Division Transit Project

The Division Transit Project will improve travel between Downtown Portland, Southeast and East Portland and Gresham with easier, faster and more reliable bus service.

2022–23 Transit Service Improvements

We’re making some changes so our service is faster and more reliable. Learn more

Longer buses with room for 60 percent more riders

Multiple-door boarding for briefer stops

Expanded bus stations with amenities such as weather protection

Stations located where rider demand is greatest — minimizing travel times while providing important transit connections

Next-generation signals prioritize buses for faster trips

These improvements will reduce travel times up to 20 percent, with buses arriving every 12 minutes.

Route
Project Status
New Buses
Get Involved

The Division Transit Project connects Downtown Portland and Gresham via:

Up to 40 enhanced stations between terminals at Union Station in Downtown Portland and Gresham Central Transit Center
A Willamette River crossing over Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People
A route that travels from Gresham through East and Southeast Portland
A connection with improved Line 20-Burnside/Stark service to and from Mt. Hood Community College at Gresham Central Transit Center

Tilikum Crossing

Since opening in 2015, Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, has served as a vital cross-river connection for bus, MAX and streetcar riders, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists. The bridge, which has no car traffic and does not need to lift for ships and boats to pass under it, is the preferred river crossing for the project. Using Tilikum Crossing, the project will provide a transit link for a regional educational corridor, connecting Portland State University, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland Community College and Mount Hood Community College. This alignment also enables the project to utilize the transit-exclusive route from SE 8th Avenue and Division to SW Naito Parkway. TriMet continues to work with Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) to further reduce UPRR train delays and improve travel reliability at the intersection of SE 8th Avenue.

River Crossing Fact Sheet PDF

Safety Improvements

As part of the Division Transit Project, we’re partnering with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to make Division Street safer and more welcoming for everyone. This collaboration supports the City of Portland’s Vision Zero program to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on our streets.

TriMet and PBOT coordinated on the design and construction of safety improvements through two projects: TriMet’s Division Transit Project, along all of Division Street, and PBOT’s Outer Division Safety Project, focused on the area between SE 80th and 174th avenues.

PBOT’s Outer Division Safety Project has already permanently lowered the speed limit to 30 mph, installed speed safety cameras and speed reader boards, added street lighting, filled in missing sections of sidewalk and built several signalized pedestrian crossings.

Additional safety improvements in progress include:

10 more signalized pedestrian crossings
New street lighting between SE 82nd and 92nd avenues in the Jade District and between SE 122nd and 130th avenues in the Division-Midway area
Protected bike lanes throughout the corridor
Raised center median along most of the corridor to limit vehicles turning and reduce crashes

TriMet’s Division Transit Project safety improvements in progress now include:

Nearly 81,000 square feet of new sidewalks along the corridor (59,000 square feet in Portland and 22,000 square feet in Gresham)
Some 4.5 miles of protected bike lanes, with physical separation when possible
Eleven new marked crosswalks with stoplights, median islands or flashing lights
Raised center medians to limit vehicles turning left and reduce serious crashes
Upgrades and lighting improvements to existing pedestrian crossing signals

For construction emergencies, please call 503-962-2222. For questions or comments, please call 503-962-2150 or email division@trimet.org

Along with our regional partners, we are considering ways to improve safety for people traveling on and crossing Division Street. The Division Transit Project will include design elements such as improved pedestrian crossings at stations, and we will coordinate with other efforts, such as the City of Portland’s Safety Action Plan for Outer SE Division Street, to make Division safer for all users.

Longer buses with more room

The project will include new 60-foot articulated buses, which have room for 60 percent more riders than our standard buses. These new buses will feature multiple-door boarding, allowing riders to board and exit quickly. And though they are longer than our current buses, these new buses are not wider, and can travel on the same streets.

In September 2019, TriMet’s Board of Directors approved a resolution to award the project’s bus procurement to Nova Bus. A pilot bus was delivered for testing in spring 2021.

Project Status

Metro began planning for the project in 2014 by convening a project Steering Committee and holding a series of public open houses and meetings. The committee of key stakeholders and community members approved the project plan, formally known as the “Locally-Preferred Alternative,” in November 2016. This plan was unanimously approved by the cities of Gresham and Portland, the Multnomah County Commission and the TriMet Board of Directors. Metro transferred project leadership to TriMet on December 20, 2016.

The project, now led by TriMet, is in the construction phase through 2022. This phase will encompass the stations, adjacent crossings and modifications at major intersections along the route.

Project costs are approximately $175 million, funded by state, regional, local and federal funding contributions.

Initial construction began in late 2019, with service beginning in 2022.

Get Involved

Past Meeting Materials

Find meeting notes and presentations for Community Advisory Committee, Policy and Budget Committee, and Open House.

Learn more

Community Meetings

TriMet staff shares project information and gathers feedback from neighborhood, business and community groups.

Community Meeting Schedule