Letter from The Bee editor – put back the north end of Westmoreland / Harold Station in the Inner Southeast light rail plans

Eric Norberg, editor of THE BEE (Portland’s Inner Southeast neighborhood newspaper since 1906), wrote a heartfelt & informative letter addressing getting the Harold Station back into TriMet’s Inner Southeast light rail plans. Simply put, the Inner Southeast light rail plans have been on again off again so much in the last 10 years that it puts typical celeb couples to shame. Unfortunately, when plans were being brought to the table, the Westmoreland neighborhood rezoned itself back in the 90′s to accommodate these new light rail plans.

Well, fast forward nearly ten years from then and the Inner Southeast light rail plans are apparently ‘on’ again… with the north end of Westmoreland /Harold Street Station nowhere to be seen. Eric has an idea why the station was mysteriously not included in the updated plans:

“It is our (THE BEE’s) suspicion that this planned station vanished from the plan because of the cost of building the long and high footbridge over six lanes of McLoughlin Boulevard at that point.”

Eric goes on about how the light rail plans – after making sure TriMet knew that a station was planned for that area way back when they first were made – now include a station in the area.. but with an twist. He states:

“So now, the Harold light rail station IS back on the map — with an asterisk. It is not yet safe from disappearing from the plan again. We understand a final decision on whether or not it will be included “will be made in June”. So now, it is again time for us to make our case for it.”

The main point that he hammers home is that TriMet shouldn’t think of this as ‘adding’ a station on Harold Street… it is “it is simply restoring what was planned there from the beginning.” Eric ends with a very well-written summary of the letter & some requests:

“So, since apparently it is still officially uncertain, THE BEE now once again politely demands that the Harold Street station be made a permanent part of the Inner Southeast light rail plans as they go forward. A 1-1/2 mile gap between stations at that particular point is contrary to the neighborhood zoning, and would preclude the north end of Westmoreland, the Reed neighborhood, and Reed College from having practical access to a vital transportation link.

Attention TriMet and the City of Portland: Please include the Harold Station, build the footbridge over the Union Pacific tracks at Reedway, and upgrade the Harold Street light for responsiveness to pedestrians and vehicles and to for improved safety.”

Reading through the letter and seeing the kinds of things the Westmoreland area has done to accomondate light rail near their area… and seeing as how plans to include a station were originally in the light rail plans that were made back in the 20th century… I think not putting a station with an included walkway / footbridge and upgrading the Harold Street light would be a major disservice to Inner Southeast Portland and a missed opportunity of expanding affordable public transportation throughout Portland.