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New I-5 bridge? You decide

Reports touting a toll span, with far less congestion, will help the public choose which way to go

May 02, 2008
DYLAN RIVERA
The Oregonian

Replacing the decrepit Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River with mass transit lines and new car lanes on a toll bridge would reduce future traffic congestion by two-thirds, from a whopping 15 hours a day to potentially less than five.

That's a key finding in a massive set of reports by transportation professionals in Oregon and Washington to be released today.

Significantly, an intermediate measure -- leaving the current bridge in place but adding supplementary spans containing more lanes, mass transit and bicycle lanes -- would reduce congestion by just one-third, to a better but grinding 11 hours a day.

As Oregon and Washington struggle to decide which kind of bridge to erect, they are required by law to weigh benefits and environmental impacts. Today's reports are designed to help residents and leaders alike decide.

"The information and the public's comments will help us select the preferred alternative to remove a bottleneck hurting the economies of the region, the West Coast and the nation," said Hal Dengerink, chancellor of Washington State University, Vancouver and co-chair of a task force advising on the project.

The reports today on the $4.2 billion Columbia River Crossing will likely foment controversy that could kill it or accelerate its approval. Critics of urban sprawl say the project, in absorbing more vehicles, will create more traffic and expand development northward. And Vancouver residents skeptical of mass transit see light rail as an unwanted encroachment of Portland into southwest Washington.

Yet, the governors of Oregon and Washington and business groups from both sides of the river say the crossing is key to the region's prosperity.

Congestion -- and the stranglehold it places on I-5 in North Portland -- is the driving force behind replacing the aging bridge. So the project touts a balancing act of tolls and mass transit to manage bridge use and curb an unchecked growth in the volume of vehicles, and thus more congestion.

The task force advising the CRC staff is expected to decide among the five options offered by June 24. The formal public comment period ends July 1. City, regional and transit agencies in Portland and Vancouver will vote on the project in July.

Planners say the region must find consensus in the next three months for the project to have its best shot at federal money. They said they hope to apply for it by Aug. 15.

Milestone in debate

Today's reports, called a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, are a milestone in finding a solution to the I-5 bridge bottleneck -- the subject of debate for more than a decade. The draft impact statement is required before Congress can include it next year among the nation's top priority transportation projects.

And it requires federal agencies to identify what they believe to be the least environmentally detrimental alternatives, said Dan Rohlf, a law professor and director of the environmental law clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School.

"But there's no requirement that the agency adopt what it believes to be the least environmentally harmful alternative," Rohlf said. "The idea is we have to go into this with our eyes open."

Several environmental and business groups have already taken sides, which may harden as the 850-page report and its 5,000 pages of supporting technical reports undergo scrutiny.

"Folks seem to be entrenched, and they don't have the full picture or don't want to take in data that maybe contrary to what their position may be," said John Osborn, co-director of the Columbia River Crossing.

The Portland Business Alliance has gathered about a dozen business associations, businesses and others into a pro-project coalition that is working on a Web site and other public involvement, said Megan Doern, spokeswoman for the group.

"It's something people feel very strongly about," Doern said. "The CRC task force has done a tremendous job in all the research they've done and the things that they've considered."

Many skeptical

Not everyone agrees.

A loose affiliation of Portland transportation activists and the nonprofit Coalition for a Livable Future have countered Columbia Crossing engineers at public meetings and have started a Web site, www.smarterbridge.org, to publicize their views.

For months, transportation planners have presented slides with findings that are backed up by information released today.

"They could allay our concerns, but I'm skeptical based on what I've seen so far," said Joe Cortright, an economist who has volunteered time to critique the traffic forecasts. "They've kept so much of it concealed, particularly how they came up with these projections that there's going to be this increase in congestion . . . and actually the traffic has gone down in each of the last two years."

Downtown Vancouver business groups have protested the light-rail option, making buttons calling for protection of driveways for a longstanding Dairy Queen restaurant.

Columbia Crossing staff said they have not made a recommendation among the five alternatives they studied, which includes doing nothing. They chose to wait until the 39-member task force that Dengerink co-chairs picks a locally preferred alternative.

Yet, a replacement bridge with light rail has gained tremendous momentum in recent months. In November, at the task force's request, staff disclosed its technical "finding" that a new bridge with light rail meets the project's goals more cost effectively than a supplemental bridge or bus rapid-transit alternatives.

At its January meeting, the task force took an informal vote, which showed overwhelming support for the replacement bridge and light-rail options.

A close look at the environmental statement's data should eliminate fears that the bridge will cause sprawl and undermine land-use goals, Osborn said. While the proposed 12-lane bridge would add more car-handling capacity, tolls and mass transit would prevent sprawl and promote downtown Vancouver, he said.

"What you hear is -- 'big project, urban sprawl' -- that's the kind of thing that keeps me up at night" Osborn said. "Reasonable people should look at both sides of the story and take a look at the data."

Dylan Rivera: 503-221-8532; dylanrivera@news.oregonian.com For environment news, go to oregonlive.com/environment

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Getting involved

Friday, May 02, 2008

A public comment period will be held today through July 1. Columbia River Crossing staff will answer questions during two open houses and take testimony during two public hearings. When: Wednesday, May 28 Where: Red Lion at the Quay, 100 Columbia St., Vancouver Open house: 5 p.m. Hearing: 6 p.m. When: Thursday, May 29 Where: Portland Expo Center, Hall D, 2060 North Marine Drive Open house: 5 p.m. Hearing: 6 p.m. Staff also will conduct four informal question-and-answer sessions: May 15, 6-8:30 p.m., Jantzen Beach SuperCenter, 1405 N. Jantzen Beach Center June 7, 9 a.m.-noon, Firstenburg Community Center, 700 N.E. 136th Ave., Vancouver June 14, 12:30-3:30 p.m., Beaverton Main Library, 12375 S.W. Fifth St., Beaverton June 19, 6-8:30 p.m., Clark Public Utilities, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver Obtain a copy of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement:

On the Web: www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org

For free on CD at the Columbia River Crossing offices in Vancouver, Washington Transportation Department offices in Vancouver, and Oregon transportation offices

View a copy for free starting today at 12 locations in Vancouver and 12 in Portland. To comment by e-mail: DraftEISfeedback@columbiarivercrossing.org By mail: Columbia River Crossing, c/o/ Heather Gundersen, 700 Washington St., Suite 300, Vancouver, WA 98660 By fax: 360-737-0294 By Web: Use the comment function on the Web site: www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org -- Dylan Rivera

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