Letter seeks stronger local role in decision making to ensure the project's success
Four local elected officials, two from Oregon and two from Washington, today warned the governors of Oregon and Washington that the current Columbia River Crossing project "as currently proposed still imposes unacceptable impacts on our communities."
In a joint letter, Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart, Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, Oregon Metro Council President David Bragdon and Portland Mayor Sam Adams called on the Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Washington Governor Chris Gregoire to provide a greater role for local leaders in moving the Columbia River Crossing project forward.
"I want to see this project move forward, but in its current form, it does not have the support it needs," said Mayor Sam Adams. "We are asking for a states-local partnership to take a hard look at the options on the table and come up with something our region can support."
The letter reiterated all four local leaders' support for construction of an improved Interstate 5 crossing of the Columbia River but also demanded "a stronger voice for our local governments in decisions about the project."
"I'm pleased that we are all moving forward together to get a more affordable, effective, sustainable project," said Commissioner Stuart.
The letter proposes three specific actions to get the stalled project back on track:
- creation of a finance plan that is fair and protects local taxpayers and road users and does not jeopardize other important state and federal road and bridge funding priorities in the region
- completion of performance targets to guide the design, and future operations, of the project
- examination of critical project assumptions around traffic and economic consequences.
According to Metro Council President Bragdon, "The proposal currently on the table is stalled in controversy, with an unacceptably high financial and environmental price tag. We believe this re-direction - lead by a stronger local role -- can get us back on the path to an affordable effective project that serves the public well."
The four leaders stressed that broad local support will be critical to wining the funds needed to build and operate the project. Building trust now by giving local governments a greater voice will help ensure success with voters and Congress, they say.
"We seek to join with you in an unprecedented states/local partnership to get this project firmly on the path to success," the letter says. "We share a project vision that will reduce vehicle accidents, replace aged and antiquated infrastructure, enhance marine navigation, expand the availability and accessibility of high capacity transit, improve bicycle and pedestrian access and safety, and improve reliability for the freight movement that is so critical to our region's economy."