Portland Aerial Tram: Difference between revisions

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The '''Portland Aerial Tram''' is an [[aerial tramway]] planned forin [[Portland, Oregon]]. to It will connect itsthe city's South Waterfront area with [[Oregon Health and Science University]] (OHSU) and the surroundingMarquam Hill neighborhood surrounding the university. It is tentatively scheduled for completion in [[2006]] at a cost of $28.5 million.

The tram will travel 3300 linear feet in a ride planned to last two minutes, 40 seconds. Its upper [[terminal station|terminal]] will be adjacent to OHSU, 140 feet above [[Grade (geography)|grade]], and connected to the ninth floor of a buildingnew patient care facility on the university's campus. Its lower terminal in the South Waterfront will be the focal point for a [[Public transport|mass transit center]] and development in the surrounding area by OHSU and others.

A single tower will support the tram's cables between the two terminals, allowing the tram to rise 500 feet over [[Interstate 5]].

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The tram cabins are shaped and painted to look like "bubbles floating through the sky"; the surface of the cabins will reflect and refract light, minimizing their visual impact to the neighborhood underneath. The cabins will be designed to limit passenger's view of the neighborhood.

==History==

In late [[2001]], OHSU purchased property in the South Waterfront area, with plans to expand there. After studying several ways, including [[shuttle]] buses, [[gondola]]s and even [[funicular]]s, to connect OHSU's primary campus with this area of planned expansion, the university decided to ask for city support of an aerial tram.

In early [[2002]], Portland Aerial Transportation, Inc. (PATI) was formed as a [[non-profit]] board. One of its first public actions was to request the Portland Office of Transportation, also known as PDOT ''[[SIC|(sic)]]'', to undertake an independent analysis of the connectivity options considered earlier by the university and its development supporters. In May, the city council accepted PDOT's process proposal and also accepted PATI as the project sponsor. PDOT undertook an assessment, which led to the same conclusion OHSU had reached earlier: an aerial tram was the preferred approach. PDOT also recommended a second tram linking the Marquam Hill area with a nearby transit center on Barbur Boulevard. The city council accepted PDOT's recommendations and asked PDOT and PATI to proceed to the design phase, including a design competition. Both were also asked to work with residents of the affected neighborhoods to identify any ways to mitigate the tram's impact and identify other desired neighborhood improvements which should accompany the project.

== External link ==

* [http://www.portlandtram.com/ Portland Aerial Transportation website]

The design competition started out by identifying four firms which would participate in the contest. The competition officially began in January [[2003]], with firms from [[New York, New York|New York City]], [[Amsterdam]], and [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]/[[Zurich]] as finalists. The winner, the firm from Los Angeles/Zurich (Angélil / Graham / Pfenninger / Scholl), was announced on [[March 26]]. The construction estimates at that time were $15.5 million. By November, PATI chose [[CTEC|Doppelmayr-CTEC]], which built the [[Roosevelt Island Tramway]], to design, fabricate and install the tram. The first public review of the project's status was held in November.

* [http://www.notram.org/ No Tram to OHSU website], last updated in 2002

In April [[2004]], the second public review was held, to present the projects recommendations prior to a May review by the city council. The costs by then were estimated to be $28.5 million.

== External linkstatus updates ==

* May 2003: [http://www.ctlh.org/minutes/boardmay2003.html Tram to cost $15.5 million]

* September 2003, ''[[Daily Journal of Commerce]]'': [http://www.djc-or.com/Editorial/index.cfm?page_editorial_id=29701 Tram construction bids]

* January 2004 ''[[Portland Tribune]]'': [http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=22185 Update and background on architect]

* February 2004 ''[[Portland Oregonian]]'': [http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/randy_gragg/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1076504765295140.xml Doubling of the cost estimate]

* April 2004 ''[[Willamette Week]]'': [http://www.wweek.com/story.php?story=5006 Interview with the architect]

== Other external links ==

* [http://www.portlandtram.com/ Portland Aerial Transportation website]

* [http://www.ctlh.org/ Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill Neighborhood Association]

* [http://www.notram.org/ No Tram to OHSU website], last updated in 2002

* [http://www.trans.ci.portland.or.us/ City of Portland Office of Transportation]

* [http://www.agps.ch/ Angélil/Graham/Pfenninger/Scholl]

* [http://www.doppelmayrctec.com/ Doppelmayr-CTEC]