Proposals for an airport light rail service surfaced in the mid-1980s and efforts were accelerated following Portland International Airport's rapid expansion in the 1990s. Conceived from an unsolicited proposal from engineering company Bechtel in 1997, the Airport MAX Project was designed and built under a public–private partnership between a consortium of Bechtel and Trammell Crow, the Port of Portland, and local governments. The extension began construction in 1999 and was completed in just under two years due to the use of local and private financing and existing public right-of-way. The Red Line commenced service between downtown Portland and the airport on September 10, 2001. Amid strong westside ridership on the Blue Line, Red Line service was extended west along existing tracks to Beaverton Transit Center in 2003. TriMet is planning several improvements for the line, including an extension farther west to Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport station in Hillsboro by 2024.