MAX Blue and Red Line trains are running again through Washington County after a two-week shutdown to rebuild three aging rail crossings, and TriMet says the next construction push will reshape the Beaverton Transit Center where many Tigard and Tualatin commuters catch connecting buses.
Service resumed Sunday, Aug. 9, after crews spent July 26 through Aug. 8 overhauling crossings at Southwest Merlo Road, Southwest 170th Avenue and West Baseline Road, TriMet said in an Aug. 10 news release. The three crossings are roughly 30 years old.
Workers improved drainage to redirect road runoff, repaired rail and repaved street sections at all three locations. TriMet said decades of 100,000-pound trains, tractor-trailers and buses rolling over the crossings, combined with groundwater erosion, had caused them to sink below the road surface.
"These crossings see heavy bus traffic. They see heavy semi-truck traffic and a lot of auto traffic, so that all takes a toll over the decades," TriMet senior project manager Jeff Johnson told KOIN 6 News when the project launched July 26.
Beaverton Transit Center is next
TriMet's news release said crews will next turn to "the places where thousands of riders begin and end their trips every day: transit centers." The agency's project page indicates Beaverton Transit Center construction began in spring 2026 and is expected to last through spring 2027, though the news release described the work as "starting this fall" and lasting through fall 2027. The "fall" language may refer to the Oregon City Transit Center, which TriMet's project page says begins construction in fall 2026.
Planned upgrades at Beaverton Transit Center include new high-capacity bus shelters, enhanced lighting, additional security cameras, expanded capacity for 40-foot and 60-foot buses, and two overhead pantograph chargers to power electric buses.
TriMet said bus and MAX service will not be disrupted during construction, though riders may encounter relocated stops or adjusted walking paths. Both the Beaverton and Oregon City transit centers will remain open.
Why it matters for Tigard and Tualatin riders
The Beaverton Transit Center is a key transfer point for commuters from Tigard and Tualatin who ride MAX Blue and Red Line trains or connect to bus routes heading south. The construction comes as TriMet simultaneously cuts service: starting Aug. 23, the agency is altering 34 transit lines to address a $158 million budget deficit. Among the changes, Line 97-Tualatin-Sherwood Rd will combine with Line 38-Boones Ferry Rd, and Line 37-Lake Grove will merge with Line 96-Tualatin/I-5.
TriMet is also modernizing electrical substations along the MAX Blue Line, replacing equipment that in some cases is 40 years old. The Aug. 23 route changes take effect two weeks from now, and TriMet says riders should check trimet.org for updated schedules and any construction-related detours at the Beaverton Transit Center.
