ACP Pubs

Carl Molesworth

Columbia River Project Divides Communities
May 12, 2008

The draft Environmental Impact Statement issued this month for the Columbia River Crossing project is raising the hackles of people on both sides of the mighty river. The project, estimated to cost upwards of $4 billion, would enhance or replace the aging I-5 bridge and its approaches in Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore. Or maybe not.

Reporter Jeffrey Mize of The Columbian newspaper, which serves the Vancouver area, wrote a lively article last week that lays out the controversies surrounding the project, which has been in the works for the past 12 years. As the article points out, no one denies there is congestion in the corridor that needs to be relieved. But as Mize points out, few people agree on how best to accomplish the goal.

Vancouver is a classic bedroom community, providing affordable housing for many thousands of people who work on the Oregon side of the Columbia. Vancouverites need Oregon for their jobs, and Oregon employers need them to do the work. But having a big river and a state line between the two communities often makes for a tense relationship between them.

A big sticking point in the corridor effort is light rail. Portland has been a leader in light rail for more than two decades, while Vancouver has steadfastly opposed the extension of Portland’s Tri-Met system across the river. To most Portlanders, light rail offers a means of carrying Vancouver people across the river without clogging Portland streets. But many Vancouverites believe a light rail line also would carry unsavory characters from Portland northward into their neighborhoods to perform car prowls, burglaries and the like.

Other issues include tolling, land-use policies and seismic concerns.

The EIS contains five possible scenarios. Two of them call for replacing the existing I-5 bridge with a new bridge of up to 12 lanes. Two more would supplement the existing bridge with a new one to add capacity. The last one calls for no action.

I wouldn’t bet against that last option. With federal highway dollars dwindling while demand for them grows all over the country, obtaining funding for a $4 billion project that no one likes is going to be a tough sell. Unless public officials on both sides of the river start asserting leadership to sort out the disagreements, congestion in the Columbia River Crossing corridor is just going to get worse.

The comment period for the Columbia River Crossing EIS runs through July 1. For more information, check out www.columbiarivercrossing.org on the web.

Until next time …

Posted by Carl Molesworth on May 12, 2008 | Comments (0)