TriMet weighs bond measure for Tigard-Tualatin light rail

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – TriMet might ask congestion-weary voters to spend big money for a new light-rail line and other transportation projects.
 
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://is.gd/2pcINi ) the plan – as currently imagined – would place a $1.7 billion bond measure on the November 2018 ballot. If passed, it would impose a new property tax assessment on homeowners within the service area. The assessment would cost the average homeowner an additional $150 a year. Vehicle registration fees would also increase.
 
Officials with the Portland-based regional mass transit agency caution that the proposal is in the exploratory stage, and could be changed or scrapped.
 
The light-rail line under consideration would connect downtown Portland with its southern suburbs Tigard and Tualatin.
 
A recent Oregon Department of Transportation report came to a conclusion that most drivers already know – Portland-area bottlenecks have been getting worse.