[6]: e [7] The updated plan identified corridors viable for HCT and deemed Powell Boulevard between downtown Portland and the eastern suburb of Gresham a "near-term regional priority".

[6]: 22–23 [8] Four years later, Metro and the region's transit agency, TriMet, began studying alignment and mode alternatives for the corridor, as well as for Division Street several blocks farther north, with BRT, light rail, and streetcar under consideration.

[11] In 2014, a steering committee for the Powell–Division Transit and Development Project was formed,[12] whose members voted that September to discontinue studying rail alternatives in favor of bus-only options, citing fewer property and roadway impacts and a shorter construction time.

[14] The steering committee initially wanted a route that would use Powell Boulevard on its westernmost section, head north to Division Street somewhere between 52nd and 92nd avenues, and terminate at Mt.

[13][16] In March 2016, a study conducted by TriMet revealed that this preferred route would take approximately 11 minutes longer to travel than the existing bus service.

[27][28] The following month, TriMet unveiled a mock-up station in Gresham with a borrowed articulated bus from C-Tran, the transit agency serving Clark County, Washington, to simulate boarding.

[29][30] In March 2019, TriMet issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the procurement of 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses and received responses from BYD Auto, New Flyer, and Nova Bus.

During an initial evaluation process, TriMet noted that the battery electric buses proposed by BYD and New Flyer did not meet the RFP's specifications and eliminated the bus type from further consideration.

[34][35] In August 2018, the Portland City Council authorized $17.7 million to cover its share of local funding, sourced through developer fees,[36] and Gresham allocated $500,000 the following month.

[41] TriMet appointed Portland-based Raimore Construction, a certified disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE), as the Division Transit Project's general contractor.

[49][50] That June, TriMet unveiled the articulated bus that would serve the project and announced that the service would be called "Frequent Express", or "FX".

[53][54] While building the Division Transit Project, TriMet collaborated with the Portland Bureau of Transportation's (PBOT) Outer Division Safety Project, which focused on an area between 80th and 174th avenues, for additional safety improvements; PBOT lowered the speed limit to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), installed speed cameras and more street lighting, filled in sidewalks, and painted signalized crosswalks.

The operator shortage was the largest in the agency's history,[57] and it was attributed to competition from other transit and delivery services and safety concerns amid an increase in assaults on drivers.

Festival venues included OMSI/Southeast Water station, Portland Community College Southeast campus, and Gresham Central Transit Center.

[75] They are spaced an average 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) apart, and their locations were selected based on demand, safety, connections to other transit routes, and key destinations.

[78] Platforms are long enough to accommodate simultaneous boarding of the three-door buses,[75] and larger stations are wider to incorporate bicycle lanes.

[79][80] FX features BRT design elements such as dedicated bus lanes, transit signal priority, and 60-foot (18 m) buses with all-door boarding.

[94] On November 2, 2022, TriMet announced that it would replace the articulated Nova Bus fleet with standard 40-foot (12 m) buses following the discovery of mechanical issues.

[95] A recall was issued by Nova Bus on November 15 that affected the FX fleet, and the buses were removed from service for repairs and testing.