Red Electric Trail – From the beginning
This page gives a brief history of progress milestones, including the role that SWTrails has played:
1871 The O&C steam Railroad connecting Portland to Corvallis is completed. This included a rail stop at Bertha Station near present day Hillsdale.
1910 Southern Pacific took over the O&C railroad and electrified the line. Southern Pacific purchased used electric cars from a line in California that were painted red; hence the name Red Electric.
1929 Trains are decommissioned, and tracks removed. Some segments were converted to streets for autos (Bertha Blvd is an example), others were abandoned.
1932-33 ODOT builds Barbur Blvd on a portion of the Red Electric from just west of Terwilliger to 4th Ave in Portland.
1995-1997 The idea of creating a multimodal trail on the old red electric Route conceived by SWTrails, Portland Parks and Oregon METRO.
1998 Funding for Portland Parks to do a feasibility study was secured from Metro our regional transportation planning agency.
2000 SW Urban Trails plan is adopted by Portland City Council. The plan includes Trail 2, a designated route from Hillsdale to Olssen Road; the Red Electric Trail.
2007 The 1998 feasibility study results in this route being approved as a multimodal regional trail by Portland City Council with subsequent approval in 2008 by Metro Council, thus making it a regional trail. This action means the route will require public right-of-way dedication for future development along its length, including Alpenrose.
2003 All walkable parts of route included on SW Portland walking map.
2021 Alpenrose Dairy property is sold to developers. When the site is developed, a new pedestrian/bicycle path will be included as part of Red Electric Trail.
2021 State Senator Burdick arranged a $750,000 state of Oregon Grant to develop plans for building a segment of the trail from Shattuck to Cameron along the former train route.
2022 Red Electric Trail Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge over the Fanno Creek headwaters in Hillsdale opens. This multimodal bridge connects Hillsdale business area with “Little Bertha” area immediately west of Hillsdale – a key connection for the overall trail.
2023 A “Soft Surface” trail is proposed to PP&R seeking to provide temporary access for trail users from Pendleton Park to Alpenrose Dairy along the planned trail. This trail segment will open previously inaccessible parkland to trail users for a much needed neighborhood connection. It will follow the Urban Trail 2 route.
2024 Permits requested for SWTrails to construct a trail proposed.
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