Date:
Friday, January 19, 2007
Contact:
Danielle Cogan, Communications and Public Outreach, 360-816-8857
VANCOUVER – The Columbia River Crossing Task Force will meet Tuesday, January 23, in Vancouver to hear about public outreach activities and discuss the economic importance of the I-5 corridor.
The Task Force will meet at the Southwest Region Headquarters of the Washington Department of Transportation, 11018 NE 51st Circle, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and will have an opportunity to provide comment.
The Columbia River Crossing project has recommended a set of bridge and transit options to improve safety and congestion on I-5 between Oregon and Washington. Public comment is encouraged on the proposal.
An intensive outreach effort has begun to discuss the proposed bridge and transit options with the community. The CRC project team will host four open houses in Oregon and Washington and is actively engaging neighborhood, community and civic groups in Clark County and Portland. Public input will be shared with the CRC Task Force, a 39-member advisory group representing Washington and Oregon communities interested in the project. On February 27, 2007, the Task Force will accept or modify the staff recommendation based on public comment and committee discussion.
The staff recommendation contains river crossing and transit options to advance for further analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) process. The proposed new bridge would replace the existing Interstate Bridge and carry all cars, trucks, bicycles and pedestrians over the Columbia River on five or six lanes in each direction. The new bridge would be high enough to eliminate the need for a lift span and low enough to avoid the airspace of Pearson Air Park. The two proposed transit options, Bus Rapid Transit and Light Rail Transit, would operate on the new bridge to provide High Capacity Transit options to commuters traveling between Clark County and downtown Portland.
The Columbia River Crossing project area includes a five-mile stretch of Interstate 5 from State Route 500 in Vancouver to Columbia Boulevard in Portland and includes two structures of the Interstate Bridge. Without action, congestion in this area of I-5 is expected to grow to 16 hours per day by 2030 from the current 4-6 hours per day.
The Columbia River Crossing is a joint project of the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Washington Department of Transportation. For more information visit the project website at www.columbiarivercrossing.org.
Task Force meeting locations are accessible to people with disabilities. Accommodations for people with disabilities can be arranged with advance notice by calling the project office at 360-737- 2726 or 503-256-2726.
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