Transportation corridors requiring a new bridge crossing the Columbia River should be part of a Columbia-Willamette transportation plan, a plan that includes Washington’s Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties, plus Oregon’s Columbia, Washington, Yamhill, Polk, Benton, Multnomah, Clackamas, Linn and Lane counties.
A bridge without an all-inclusive plan will never leave the starting gate. A bridge must have a purpose for being. A narrow field of vision and purpose created the Columbia River Crossing failure. A new bridge’s purpose has to be Interstate 5 corridor relief without contributing to Interstate 84 overload.
If Clark County wants the state of Oregon to be serious about a new bridge, Olympia should be lobbied to improve state Highway 14 to U.S. 97.
Jerry A. Lund
Vancouver
