Columbia River Crossing

700 Washington Street, Suite 300
Vancouver, WA  98660

360-737-2726

503-256-2726
866-396-2726

www.columbiarivercrossing.org

feedback@columbiarivercrossing.org

 

General Information

Incorporation: In 2001, the governors of Oregon and Washington formed a bi-state partnership to study transportation problems and possible solutions for the I-5 corridor. The Partnership recommended fixing three bottlenecks in its 2002 Strategic Plan:

• I-5 at Salmon Creek in Clark County (completed in 2006)

The Bridge Influence Area: Columbia River Crossing is a bridge, transit and highway improvement project of the Oregon and Washington transportation departments. The project is designed to reduce congestion and improve safety problems on a five-mile segment of Interstate 5. The project area stretches from State Route 500 in Vancouver, Washington, to approximately Columbia Boulevard in Portland, Oregon, including the Interstate Bridge across the Columbia River.

Mission: Columbia River Crossing is a joint project of the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Washington State Department of Transportation. Project staff coordinates with state and local agencies in both Oregon and Washington, and also collaborates with federal agencies and tribal governments.

 

Form of Government

Appointed Project Sponsors Council

Project Sponsors Council Co-Chairs

Hal Dengerink, Chancellor, Washington State University, Vancouver
Henry Hewitt, Past Chair, Oregon Transportation Commission

Departments of Transportation

• Matthew Garrett, Director, Oregon Department of Transportation
• Paula Hammond, Secretary, Washington Department of Transportation

Cities

• Sam Adams, Mayor, City of Portland
• Tim Leavitt, Mayor, City of Vancouver

Metropolitan Planning Organizations

• David Bragdon, Council President, Metro
• Steve Stuart, Vice Chair, Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council

Transit Agencies

• Fred Hansen, General Manager, TriMet
• TBA, Chair of the Board of Directors, C-Tran

Engagement Opportunities

• Columbia River Crossing places a high value on the contributions of the community to this project. The public is encouraged to learn about the project, consider the alternatives and provide feedback. Public input already has made a difference in the alternatives being studied and will continue to shape it as the project moves forward.

Notes of Special Interest

Why do I-5 and the Interstate Bridge need to be improved?
There are significant congestion, safety, and mobility problems in the five-mile project area between State Route 500 in Vancouver and Columbia Boulevard in Portland. The bridge does not meet current or future demands for Interstate service. If no changes are made, congestion will grow from today’s six hour daily traffic jam to 15 hours per day by 2030. This section of I-5 is unsafe; it has an accident rate more than double that of similar urban freeways. Narrow lanes, short on-ramps, and a lack of safety shoulders on the bridge contribute to accidents. Bridge lifts stall all traffic using I-5 and add to unsafe driving conditions. Trucks hauling freight and public transit buses get stuck in congestion, too. The problem definition details the specific congestion, safety and mobility problems addressed by the Columbia River Crossing project.

What options are being considered?
The project is studying bridge, transit and highway improvements in a process to identify the best combination of options. These five packages or “alternatives” are:

• No build
• Replacement bridge with bus rapid transit
• Replacement bridge with light rail
• Supplemental bridge with bus rapid transit
• Supplemental bridge with light rail

Who is leading the project?
The Columbia River Crossing is a joint project of the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Washington State Department of Transportation. Local project partners are Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, Metro Regional Government, C-TRAN, TriMet, City of Vancouver, and City of Portland.

How and when can I comment on the project?
The project welcomes your comments and questions at any time. Your thoughts and opinions are very important to us. Your comments will be shared with the Task Force and project team. We will answer your questions and requests for information as quickly as possible. Subscribe to the project’s email update to learn about upcoming events and milestones, or check the project calendar for information on upcoming events.

What happens next?
A thorough analysis of each alternative is occurring and will be summarized and documented in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS), as required by federal law. The Draft EIS will be published in spring 2008. A formal 60-day comment period will occur after the Draft EIS is released to gain public input on the document and the selection of a preferred alternative. The project’s Task Force will provide its recommendation on a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) in spring 2008. Project sponsors are expected to take formal action to adopt the LPA in summer 2008.

Why is the CRC project studying a "no build" alternative?
A No Build alternative is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and serves as a baseline for comparison with other alternatives. Under this scenario, the existing Interstate Bridge and public transit systems would remain. Only improvements likely to receive funding and be constructed in the Metro and southwest Washington regional transportation plans would be considered.

What issues will be addressed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement process?

Pedestrian and bicycle improvements and enhanced connections across the Columbia River and within the project area

Efficiency strategies such as ramp meters and incident response

• Freight features like bypass lanes, direct access ramps and interchange enhancements

What is being done to address transit in Clark County?
The Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council is studying the potential for various high capacity transit (HCT) corridors and modes within Clark County. The HCT System Study is an opportunity to identify the types and travel paths of HCT – which includes bus rapid transit, monorail, light rail transit, streetcars, heavy rail rapid transit, commuter rail, and more – that will best serve the county. The study’s outcomes will provide county decision-makers with the knowledge they will need to provide additional transportation options.

Costs/Funding

How much will the project cost?
The preliminary cost range estimate is $3.1 to $4.2 billion (year of expenditure dollars) to fund all three aspects of the project: bridge, transit and highway improvements. Year of expenditure dollars are for 2010 – 2017, when the dollars are projected to be spent. There are still many design decisions to be made that will inform the cost estimate and provide more certainty as the project development process continues. A revised cost estimate will be available mid-2008 following the adoption of the locally preferred alternative.

How are accurate costs for project alternatives determined?
In 2002, WSDOT introduced a rigorous process of determining cost and schedule estimates, the Cost Estimate Validation Process (CEVP), to help deliver major projects. A key difference between conventional estimating and CEVP is the expression of project cost and schedule as a range rather than as a single number. Providing cost information as a range accounts for risk factors that might otherwise cause costs to balloon over time. The cost information is given for the year of expenditure and includes everything, even “unknown” issues that may arise. CEVP has been successful enough in determining accurate costs that states across the country are using it as a model. WSDOT now mandates all projects over $25 million use the process.

Where will the money come from to pay for the project?
The Columbia River Crossing project will seek federal, state and local funding. In addition, tolling is being studied as a method to help finance the project. Tolls paid for the construction of the existing I-5 bridges in 1917 and 1958.

Will tolling the I-5 Bridge create more traffic?
There will be no toll booths on I-5. New electronic tolling technologies exist that allow drivers to pay a toll without slowing down or stopping. The project will study all the latest technology for automated tolling before selecting one that best meets the needs of the region.