Date:
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Contact:
Danielle Cogan, 360-816-8857 Public Information Officer
Vancouver – The Columbia River Crossing Task Force will meet Tuesday, March 27, in Vancouver to determine if a fourth alternative of bridge and transit options to improve safety and congestion on I-5 should be carried forward for further analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement process.
In February, the Task Force unanimously accepted the staff recommendation to advance three bridge and transit alternatives into the DEIS process and appointed a subcommittee to identify a viable fourth alternative. The 10-member subcommittee has been working to developing a fourth alternative that aspires to meet the goals and needs of the project and maximizes the utility of the existing Interstate Bridge over the Columbia River.
Other issues that have been essential to the committee’s discussion of the fourth alternative proposal include High Capacity Transit, bicycle and pedestrian access, minimal impacts on downtown Vancouver and Hayden Island, freight mobility, and barge and ship traffic on the Columbia River. The subcommittee is co-chaired by Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder and Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart.
The subcommittee met on March 12 and 19, and will hold its final meeting Monday, March 26 from 8:00-11:00 a.m. Subcommittee meetings are held at the former Hayden Island Yacht Club, 12050 N. Jantzen Drive, and are open to the public.
The Task Force will meet at the Washington Department of Transportation Region One Headquarters, 11018 N.E. 51st Circle in Vancouver, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and will have an opportunity to provide testimony. All CRC 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.
The 39-member Columbia River Crossing Task Force includes leaders from Oregon and Washington’s community, business, civic, neighborhood, freight, commuter and environmental agencies and groups. The Washington and Oregon departments of transportation (WSDOT and ODOT) formed the Task Force in 2005 to provide input on a variety of issues including congestion, freight movement, high capacity transit, environmental protection, and funding in the project area.
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.
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