Construction began on the Tri-Met bridge in downtown Portland this month. It's currently progged to be finished in 4 years. The bridge will carry MAX, Portland Streetcar, Tri-Met bus lines currently using the Hawthorne Bridge, bicycles and pedestrians. It will cross the Willamette River between the Marquam Bridge (I-5) and the Ross Island Bridge (US-26).
Webcam views are available at http://www.trimet.org/pm/construction/bridgecams.htm along with timelapse videos for the previous day, calender week and calender month (once the first month of the project is finished). The viewpoint from the NE sits on top of OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the building with the red stack and the submarine parked outside next to the Marquam Bridge in the OHSU cam view). The viewpoint from the SW sits on top of the OHSU office tower (Oregon Health Sciences University, the building next to the tram tower in the OMSI cam view).
Right now, the cam views only show crane barges loading up.
Has there ever been any discussion of extending this MAX line to Oregon City?
Only on long range planning maps. Projections for looping the Green Line through OC and back up to Milwaukie. The same maps that show the Yellow Line continuing up into Vancouver then looping back over to I-205 and down into the Red Line.
Clackamas County is reconsidering (http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-city/index.ssf/2011/07/clackamas_county_commissioners_to_consider_possiblity_of_putting_milwaukie_light_rail_to_public_vote.html) its support for Milwaukie Light Rail.