TriMet’s 82nd Avenue Transit Project to feature seven miles of BAT transit-priority lanes in each direction

TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. has directed the 82nd Avenue Transit Project design team to include seven miles of Business Access and Transit (BAT) transit-priority lanes in each direction of 82nd Avenue, as a key element of the project to bring better bus service to the corridor.  

TriMet notes the special lanes will help buses move past traffic on 82nd Avenue while also providing space for auto drivers to access area businesses. The agency notes the extent of BAT lanes will ultimately be based on funding and whether project partners can identify and commit additional funding by this July.     

“I am committed to improving transit operations by maximizing BAT lanes wherever feasible while addressing community concerns, managing risks and positioning TriMet to secure federal funding for the 82nd Avenue Transit Project,” Desue said. “However, the conversation is not ending here and is not over until we determine a solution for the funding. We must act quickly to ensure that this project is fully funded.” 

The lanes would be set up between Northeast Lombard and Southeast Clatsop streets. The intersection of Southeast 82nd and Powell Boulevard would not get BAT lanes, as TriMet says including them does not meet regulatory requirements and could require costly widening work. While a portion of the project extends to Clackamas County, Ore., the agency notes all new BAT lanes will be within the city of Portland, as Clackamas County already has a BAT lane on northbound 82nd Avenue between Monterey Avenue and King Road. 

TriMet says the cost for the extent of lanes exceeds current project funding by at least $8 million. Project partners are actively working to identify and secure the additional funding required to ensure BAT lanes are included in the project to the fullest extent possible. The total budget for the project is estimated at about $350 million, which includes $150 million in federal funding.   

The project will bring TriMet FX–Frequent Express–service to 82nd Avenue when it opens to riders in 2029. The new bus line will improve travel times and connections throughout the corridor, with faster, more reliable service, higher-capacity buses and transit-priority investments, like BAT lanes and transit-signal priority, that keep buses moving past traffic.  

The 82nd Avenue corridor is currently served by TriMet’s Line 72-Killingsworth/82nd bus. With about 66,000 rides taken each week, TriMet notes Line 72 is not only the busiest bus line in its system, but it is also the highest-ridership bus line in all of the state of Oregon.  

According to TriMet, the project complements the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) ongoing Building a Better 82nd project, which is adding safer crossings, sidewalks, lighting and trees to 82nd Avenue. PBOT acquired 82nd Avenue from the Oregon Department of Transportation in 2022. The road is undergoing a transformation from a historic state highway to a safe and welcoming neighborhood street.