The Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association strongly opposes any plan for widening McLoughlin Boulevard north of Tacoma Boulevard, including any plan for construction of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, or a busway.

These projects would be enormously expensive, and would do little to relieve congestion in the South Corridor. They are not cost effective, as compared to other, less expensive proposals, such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Moreover, widening McLoughlin for HOV lanes, HOT lanes, or a busway would create a freeway-like roadway adjacent to our neighborhood, and would fill in or cover up a newly-restored wetland in the Union Pacific right-of-way just north of Bybee Boulevard. The ensuing noise and vibration and other visual, aesthetic, environmental impacts would diminish the livability of our neighborhood, as well as the Sellwood, Westmoreland, and Brooklyn neighborhoods. At the same time, these neighborhoods would receive few, if any, compensating benefits. The principal beneficiaries of these projects would be people who live in neighborhoods to the south and commute to work in or through downtown Portland.

Accordingly, the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association urges the Policy Group to drop the BOV, HOT, and busway proposals from any further consideration in the South Corridor Transportation Alternatives Study.

The Association further recommends that the Policy Group continue to study the BRT option, and that it add light rail to the study, in accordance with the Association's resolutions of April 16, 1998, and April 18, 2000 (copies attached).

- Adopted by

The Board of Directors
Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association

November 16, 2000

The Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association recommends that light rail be included as one of the alternatives for study in the South Corridor Transportation Alternatives Study, which is currently underway. The. Association believes that light rail may be the solution, or part of the solution, to the problem of worsening traffic congestion in the south corridor, and thus should not be excluded from list of alternatives under review.

- Adopted by

The Board of Directors
Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association

April 18, 2000

The Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association supports construction of a South/North light rail line.

The Association also supports a station on the line at the Bybee Boulevard overpass, and rebuilding and widening the overpass as originally planned.

The Association believes a rebuilt and widened overpass is the best, if not the only, means of resolving the Association's principle concerns about the station, which are:

1. ensuring the safety of motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians using the overpass;

2. mitigating the isolation of light rail riders using the below-overpass station; and

3. avoiding traffic congestion on Bybee Boulevard caused by busses stopping to load or unload light rail riders.

The Association is also concerned about, and expects the light rail project to take precautions against, light rail riders parking in the Eastmoreland Golf Course parking lots or on neighborhood streets.

Finally, the Association prefers that Tri-Met continue to operate the Number 19 bus line through the neighborhood after completion of the station.

This resolution supersedes the Association's April 1997 resolution on a Bybee Boulevard station.

- Adopted by

The Board of Directors
Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association

April 16, 1998