Full removal of streetcar and interurban track was less common than simply covering it up with asphalt, but it did happen. Notably, the part of the Vancouver line that was laid on trestle across the slough was completely taken up, as was the outer part of the Hawthorne line east of SE 12th Avenue and the upper loop of the Council Crest line.
The central reservation along Fessenden Street and St. Louis Avenue for the St. Johns line also necessitated the removal of track in 1939 to make a smooth surface across the width of the roadway, although the city and PEPCO argued over who was responsible for the improvements. PEPCO argued that they had been relived of their responsibility for maintenance when they had allowed the City of St. Johns to utilize the right-of-way as actual streets, and that the City of Portland had inherited that deal when it annexed St. Johns in 1915. The traction company eventually contributed about a third of the total cost to rehabilitate the road surface.
During World War II, most of Portland’s historical streetcar track was slated for removal for steel needed for the war effort. The Portland Traction Company and the City of Portland ceded some 3,500 tons of rail to the U. S. Government for the token sum of $1 in 1942, and bids for its salvage were let. However, estimates for removing the rail ran from $80 to $100 per ton, while the going rate for scrap steel was just $15 to $20 per ton. It just didn't make any economic sense to pull it out of the ground, even though steel was badly needed. The government returned the “gift” of the rail, and the paving program resumed in July 1943—now with extra work needed to catch up with where it was meant to be by that time. 1943 saw the paving over of large parts of the 13th, 16th, Beaumont, Rose City, St. Johns, Mississippi and Irvington lines.
See also: Historical Track Paving