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Gateway/NE 99th Avenue Transit Center is the major MAX division and combining point on the western side of the Interchange where I-84 and I-205 meet. Just south of the station (railroad east) the red line makes a single tracked 90 degree turn away from the other two tracks and goes down to the level of I-205 crossing beneath the ROW shared with the blue and green lines just before the station stop, basically forming the inner circle of a highway-style clover leave.
The green lines divergent point is a bit farther south since both lines curve to follow I-205 a short ways with the blue line switching off of it onto Burnside Street and the green line continuing to follow it all the way south to Clackamas.
The stop has three tracks and an unusual three platform layout to serve them with buses looping around and serving the inbound westbound platform for discharging passengers, and recieving passengers from the outbound side platform. One side track and platform is used by all three outbound (eastbound, northbound, southbound) trains, this platform has two turquoise canopies with little blue oval 'Gateway' signs on them. Next is an island platform that serves two tracks and all inbound, westbound trains to City Center (unless trains are short-turning along the middle platform for some reason), the inbound Red Line must use the middle track while blue and green line trains can use either but usually the side track. The island platform has three canopy structures that cover most of its length, while the other side platform has just two. Trains on the island platform stop slightly offset from each other.
The station once had exclusively surface parking between the station and NE 99th Avenue that provides all station access. In 2006 some of this surface parking was replaced by a new medical building opened on the former surface parking lot across from the northern (city-bound) end of the station. A new parking garage was built in conjunction with the building of this new facility (just north of the station) with the stop as of 2006 having 690 parking spaces (the same number as before the medical facility opened).
On March 4, 2024, as part of A Better Red operations were reconfigured at the station with the building of a new flyover track and new Gateway North Station one block north of the current station. This Gateway North Station (and a new track built to remove the former single-track section of the Red Line) means City Center-bound Red line trains no longer stop on the middle track (that is now largely unused) but at their own new station. Airport-bound Red Line trains still stop on the side platform with the Blue and Green Lines with the former bi-directional section of track that curves alongside I-205 now exlcusively used by Airport-bound Red Line trains.
Photos 1-22 taken on 17 October, 2011 and Photos 23-36 on 18 October, 2011; 37-46: May 28, 2024;
NE 82nd Ave 
