During the preliminary design phase of Interstate 205 (I-205) in 1975, Portland transportation planners recommended downsizing the freeway and including right-of-way reserved for future transit; this was later realized as the I-205 Transitway. In 1986, transit plans by regional government Metro began calling for a light rail extension to Portland International Airport, which was then being served by TriMet buses, with construction projected to begin around 2010. Original plans envisioned a line running from the airport to Clackamas County along the I-205 Transitway and connecting with the existing light rail line of the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) at Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center. Later studies abandoned I-205 in favor of a route between Hazel Dell in Washington and Clackamas Town Center via downtown Portland. TriMet ultimately adopted this route and named it the "South/North Line".