After many years of scientific analysis, public participation, deliberation and planning, the Columbia River Crossing last week reached a milestone. Two key federal agencies on Wednesday approved plans for replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge with the “locally preferred alternative,” including a new bridge with a light rail line from Portland to Clark College. Finally, Clark County residents have immutable answers to two crucial questions: We know what the structure will be, and we know that the federal government is on board.
Even with remaining uncertainties about funding sources and construction time line, there’s something to be said for reaching this milestone. For more than a decade — through countless public meetings, open houses, consultant analyses, partner-agency listening sessions and stakeholder consultations — we can check off the boxes about “What to build” and “Will the feds approve?” Officials for the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration signed a “record of decision,” which finalizes the environmental review process and allows the CRC to begin right-of-way acquisition and construction.
No one should be so naíve as to believe this federal stamp of approval will quell the arguments. History tells us to expect local wrangling to continue through ground-breaking, even beyond ribbon-cutting into perpetuity. But we now know that at least 70 project ideas were originally considered, then distilled into a dozen multi-modal alternatives. We also know that five possible plans were assessed leading up to the Environmental Impact Statement. Most importantly from the perspective of regional buy-in, the plan got green lights from the two states’ transportation departments and from six affected local agencies on both sides of the river.
After last week’s developments, The Columbian is unable to ascertain any lingering project opponent — individual or group — that can match the CRC’s record of public participation and scientific research.
