Oregon School Project Spurs Portland Waterfront Renewal

A $40 million aerial tram is under construction in Portland to link a riverfront redevelopment area to the Marquam Hill campus of Oregon Health & Science University, one of the largest employers in the state and in need of space to expand. The tram is intended to help anchor a new campus that will be located in a 20-block urban renewal area situated at the foot of steep hills. Because of the need for extremely close tolerances and the ability to withstand wind- and seismic-induced motion, the design changed from wooden timbers with steel connections to an all-steel structure. Two 79-passenger cars will be capable of carrying about 900 passengers per hour on a three-minute trip. Transit time over the canyon-like terrain is key to acceptance and usability for the project. The district will also be connected to the rest of the city by a new pedestrian bridge over Interstate 5, which severed the district from the waterfront when it was built in the 1950s. The school plans to build new structures as well.