Construction on the Columbia River Crossing is slated to begin in 2014, but several key governance pieces must fall into place before ground can be broken.
In coming months, the Oregon and Washington state transportation commissions will consider creation of an advisory committee that would recommend toll pricing on the $3.6 billion project, Metro policy advisor Andy Cotugno told members of the Metro Council during Tuesday's work session.
The so-called Joint Commission Advisory Committee would recommend a uniform toll fee to the two states' transportation commissions, based on feedback from the nascent Columbia Crossing Mobility Council and other stakeholders. Portland, Metro, TriMet and other CRC partners will be tasked in coming months with appointing citizen members to the council, which would track how the bridge meets mobility, financial, climate, energy security, health, safety, land-use and economic vitality goals.
Cotugno, Metro's staff liaison to the CRC project, said the mobility council would be an organization with the process requirements to make recommendations to Metro and its CRC project partners about how they should adapt management of the broad system over time. The council would measure progress against baseline data compiled by Oregon and Washington's transportation departments' Columbia River Crossing project team, which would dissolve upon the bridge's anticipated completion in 2019.
"They are not a decision-making body," Cotugno told councilors. "The intent is that they would be monitoring how well the whole system is working, but then make recommendations.
The mobility council might recommend to TriMet how to adjust routes or fees to boost light-rail ridership, Cotugno suggested. The bridge toll fee – no small matter for the millions of drivers who cross the Columbia River regularly – is but one of the many issues the mobility council will consider.
"It's intentionally constructed to not just have a toll debate – not just have one group argue that we ought to raise it as high as possible to meter traffic and a different group argue we ought to make it as low as possible to have the least possible impact," Cotugno explained. "It's intentionally trying to take away that ideological debate and put the toll question into context of what are all of the things you might do to affect … how (the CRC ) is working."
The Oregon and Washington transportation commissions would have the ultimate power to select advisory committee members and set the toll. Cotugno asked Metro councilors whether the advisory committee should have representatives of the mobility council or local governments, in addition to representatives of the transportation commissions.
Metro Councilor Barbara Roberts said she's unsure whether it's best to have a mobility council chairperson lead or serve on the advisory committee.
"I think they need to be a little removed from the tolling thing because, otherwise, they could lose their credibility and flexibility as mobility [council] chairs," Roberts said. "I would even be hesitant to put them on that committee because it could be very controversial from time to time, particularly when you change the tolling."