The Governors of Oregon and Washington hope to put to rest some of the nagging doubts over plans for a new I-5 bridge between Portland and Vancouver.
Kulongoski and Gregoire say they’re forming an outside panel to review the project – better known as the Columbia River Crossing. The panel’s job will be to make sure the work can be done on time and on budget.
The eight people who were appointed are described as “national and international” experts in transportation, construction and environmental issues. They’ll meet for the first time in late May and are expected to deliver their report to Kulongoski and Gregoire by the end of July.
The Governors clearly want to see this project move forward. But their influence over events may be running out. The Crossing has become an issue in race to replace Kulongoski as Governor. The two top Democrats, Kitzhaber and Bradbury, both say they don’t support the current plans. In the race for Metro Council President, candidate Bob Stacey is a big critic. Any of these men, if they’re elected, could change the outcome.
There’s also a growing backlash among some of the current local officials. Earlier this year, four of them sent a letter to Kulongoski and Gregoire saying the project, “as proposed still imposes unacceptable impacts on our communities.” The group is made up of Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Metro President David Bragdon, Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart and Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt.
The plans for the Columbia River Crossing call for tearing down the two bridges between Portland and Vancouver and replacing them with a new 10 to 12 lane bridge that includes room for light rail and bicycle/pedestrian traffic. The idea has never sat well with environmental groups who say it will only encourage sprawl in Clark County and increase traffic and pollution in nearby neighborhoods on both sides of the river. There’s also a lot of concern in Clark County about tolls.
The most recent price tag puts the costs at about $3.2 billion. Just planning for the Columbia River Crossing runs about $1 million per month.
