As leaders of two jurisdictions highly dependent on Interstate 5, we have been working for several years to get a new bridge built across the Columbia River. We believe the right bridge must do more than provide a temporary fix for today’s traffic woes. It must serve as a transit and highway crossing that tackles those traffic problems with 21st-century tools and policies.
Next Monday, August 9, local elected officials involved in the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project will vote on several key decisions. These decisions include the width of the new bridge, the interchange design on Hayden Island, and ongoing management of the project during design, construction and operation.
We plan to vote in favor of the joint recommendation developed collaboratively by staff from our two agencies and their colleagues at the City of Vancouver, Clark County, C-Tran, and TriMet, with input from the Ports of Vancouver and Portland and technical support from CRC project staff. This recommendation is to build a highway bridge that can accommodate up to 10 lanes, with a new design for a Hayden Island interchange.
On Hayden Island, we now have an alternative that has broad support from community stakeholders – one that provides non-freeway access for island residents and visitors, has a smaller footprint than previous designs, and allows for long-term redevelopment on the island.
Regarding bridge width, we now have data from a leading national engineering firm demonstrating that a10–lane bridge functions as well as a12-lane span at a lower cost. Preliminary analysis suggests it could be striped for 8 lanes at opening. We will advocate strongly for this approach.
We are glad to see these decisions moving forward. But we must stress that the only reason these two important matters have reached resolution - and earned our confidence and support - is that over the past three months, problem-solving has been shared between the local and state agencies. This is a marked change from previous practice, where the CRC project staff (working with the two state Departments of Transportation) made decisions without meaningful local involvement.
During the past three months, our local jurisdictions have commissioned independent engineering studies and spent countless hours to move the issues of bridge width and Hayden Island impacts from acrimonious stalemate to innovative resolution.
We believe these breakthroughs, as well as last week’s critical report of the Governors’ expert review panel, contain lessons for successfully managing this project. When local jurisdictions are a meaningful part of the problem-solving team, problems get solved. When local officials and staff are excluded, as documented in the experts’ report, problems fester. Therefore, on Monday we will insist that this success be accelerated by expanding the role of the Project Sponsors Council.
We appreciate the support of Henry Hewitt and Steve Horenstein, the co-chairs of the Project Sponsors Council, as well as excellent technical support from project staff acting as partners in this mutual effort. We believe that to move forward, the CRC must build on this success and re-align the project management structure so that collaboration and shared responsibility become the norm, not the exception.
Monday’s vote does not end the conversation about how the bridge will look, how it will operate, and how it will be funded. Local involvement and oversight will continue to be essential. Project management -- from planning and construction to design and operation -- must remain broadly accountable. Ultimately, when this bridge opens, it must be governed by a bi-state entity whose explicit mission is to manage the crossing over time in a way that ensures minimum traffic congestion and environmental impact, and maximum return on investment.
In addition to these immediate actions, we have set out our vision for what needs to be accomplished over the coming months to ensure project success. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work on the tasks to come.