The event will take place on the Washington State University Vancouver campus, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, which is also the northern terminus station
C-TRAN will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, July 9, to kick off construction of The Vine on Highway 99, Clark County’s third bus rapid transit line. The event will take place on the Washington State University Vancouver campus, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, which is also the northern terminus station.
Speakers will include C-TRAN Chief Executive Officer Leann Caver, WSU Vancouver Interim Chancellor Sandra Haynes, Washougal City Councilor and C-TRAN Board Chair Molly Coston, and state Sen. Adrian Cortes, along with representatives of primary contractor Tapani Inc. and other project partners.
EVENT DETAILS: THE VINE ON HIGHWAY 99 GROUNDBREAKING
- Wednesday, July 9, 1–2:30 p.m.
- WSU Vancouver campus
- 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue
- Note: The event will take place near the basketball court and field near NE 29th Avenue. Visitors should use the main campus entrance road from Salmon Creek Avenue, then park in the first parking lot on the right.
Background
The Vine on Highway 99 is the third branch of The Vine, C-TRAN’s bus rapid transit system. The new line, known as the Purple Line, will serve the Highway 99/Main Street corridor between Salmon Creek and the Vancouver Waterfront — a nine-mile corridor.
Bus rapid transit will bring faster, more frequent and more reliable service to Highway 99, one of C-TRAN’s busiest corridors. Larger vehicles, enhanced stations and with real-time information displays and other features will also improve the experience for riders and allow for future growth. The system will look and feel similar to The Vine service currently operating on Fourth Plain and Mill Plain. The Vine on Fourth Plain (Green Line) opened in 2017; The Vine on Mill Plain (Red Line) opened in 2023.
The Highway 99 project includes 32 new stations along the Highway 99/Main Street corridor, plus an expansion of C-TRAN’s Salmon Creek Park & Ride — soon to be Salmon Creek Transit Center. In the downtown area, The Vine on Highway 99 will use some existing Vine stations. When complete, the new service will replace the existing Route 71 and Route 19.
Construction will begin in earnest later this summer. Work will happen in phases, meaning different parts of the corridor will see construction activity at different times. The Vine on Highway 99 is expected to open in 2027.
About C-TRAN
C-TRAN is the regional public transportation provider for Clark County. It offers Local bus service within its Clark County service area, plus Regional and Express bus service to Portland. C-TRAN also provides on-demand service with The Current, operating in Camas/Washougal, Ridgefield/La Center, WSU Vancouver/Salmon Creek, Rose Village, and the Port of Vancouver. For more information on C-TRAN visit C-TRAN’s website at www.c-tran.com, or call Customer Service at 360-695-0123.
Also read:
- Opinion: IBR’s systematic disinformation campaign, its demise
Neighbors for a Better Crossing challenges IBR’s seismic claims and promotes a reuse-and-tunnel alternative they say would save billions at the I-5 crossing. - Opinion: Is a state income tax coming, and the latest on the I-5 Bridge project
Rep. John Ley shares a legislative update on a proposed state income tax, the I-5 Bridge project, the Brockmann Campus and House Bill 2605. - Board authorizes C-TRAN to sign off on Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s SEIS
The C-TRAN Board approved the Final SEIS for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, with Camas and Washougal opposing the vote over light rail cost concerns. - C-TRAN ridership grows for fourth consecutive year
C-TRAN ridership topped 5 million trips in 2025, marking the fourth straight year of growth. - Opinion: ‘If they want light rail, they should be the ones who pay for it’
Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance argues that supporters of light rail tied to the I-5 Bridge replacement should bear the local cost of operating and maintaining the system through a narrowly drawn sub-district.
