The Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council received a large dose of public opinion at their meeting today – most of it telling them the current refinement proposal isn't good enough.
In testimony at times heated and at times tearful, members of the public called for the council to send the project back to the drawing board, although the reasons for their disapproval varied. Hayden Island residents objected to the new bridge footprint that would wipe out much of the commercial area on the island, including the lone grocery store. Others expressed disappointment at the lack of improvements in bike and pedestrian facilities, the size and cost of the new option, and failure to consider all options in the environmental impact study.
Not all testimony was opposed to the new project, however. While acknowledging that the proposal might have flaws, Ed Barnes of Vancouver, a former transportation commissioner for the state of Washington, stated that the refinement plan "contains everything we need – bicycle, train, auto ... Something is better than nothing."
Several people mentioned the need to get the project moving in order to create jobs in the region. Project representative Patricia McCaig relayed that although they believe reducing the number of lanes from 12 to 10 is short-sighted, representatives of the freight industry have indicated acceptance of the refinement.
Metro Council President David Bragdon and Portland Mayor Sam Adams released a joint statement yesterday to fellow members of the Project Sponsors Council stating that although they did not advocate starting the project over, they wanted to see several key areas of improvement and additional information necessary to making a good decision.
At today's meeting, Adams said that although he understood the urgency of moving forward, he felt they had enough time to get important questions answered first. Bragdon concurred, stating that "having the right project is as important as being on time."
President Bragdon stressed the need to get a more realistic assessment of what the region could afford, not just looking at price tags of different options. He asserted that the project was "working under 1970s assumptions" and needed performance-based criteria, which members of the Project Sponsors Council had requested but not received. "I cannot vote for more blank checks on this project."
Bragdon also expressed dismay at the refinement plan's failure to address the needs of the Hayden Island community, stating that those objectives were sacrificed in the rush to move forward. One witness characterized the project as a big "bait and switch" since the highway division had earlier promised that the project would improve Hayden Island but then produced a plan that harms it.
The Project Sponsors Council will meet again in January to continue discussion. In the meantime, staff from the agencies represented on the council will work more closely with Columbia River Crossing staff to address the outstanding issues and areas of disagreement.