Where do we go from here?
With the latest — and presumably permanent — demise of the Columbia River Crossing, that question remains the elephant in the room: Where do we go from here? What is the solution to traffic problems on the I-5 corridor that are large and destined to grow? Will the next time the situation is addressed be any different, or are we destined to be entrapped in circular reasoning that lands the project right where it is now?
When the Washington Legislature declined last year to provide funding for a replacement Interstate 5 Bridge over the Columbia River, the project that was a decade or so in the making was mortally wounded. When Oregon lawmakers ended their 2014 session Friday without bringing an alternative CRC plan up for a vote, the stake was driven home. “No equivocation. It’s over,” said Rachel Wray, spokeswoman for Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber. The Oregon Department of Transportation said the project will be shut down completely by May 31.
The demise of the project, which has cost some $180 million without a plan being finalized or a shovel of dirt being turned, surely is being met with rejoicing in some circles. “The misguided Columbia River Crossing plan Oregon lawmakers were asked to support is an expensive proposition that threatens Oregon’s economy more than it solves legitimate transportation concerns,” said Washington state Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver.
Benton was one of the loudest voices in opposition to the CRC, but he certainly wasn’t alone, and that points out the massive challenge that is inherent in replacing the I-5 Bridge. Any project bringing together two states, multiple regional governments, and multiple transportation agencies while being reliant upon federal funding might simply be destined to collapse under its own weight.