Vancouver leaders join local chorus of CRC concerns

Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Metro President David Bragdon have been joined by two leaders from Vancouver in their disdain for the current state of the Columbia River Crossing project.

Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt

Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart
(Photos © J. Maus)


In addition to Adams and Bragdon, a joint letter released today (download PDF) calling for stronger local control of the project was signed by Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart and recently elected Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt.

In the letter, the four electeds “warned” the governors of Oregon and Washington that the CRC project “as currently proposed imposes unacceptable impacts on our communities.” In addition to those impacts, the letter made it clear that the concerned quartet want more local control of key decisions about the project.

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Says Mayor Adams via an official statement about the letter:

“I want to see this project move forward, but in its current form, it does not have the support it needs. We are asking for a states-local partnership to take a hard look at the options on the table and come up with something our region can support.”

The letter voices support for the idea of an improved I-5 bridge over the Columbia and offered three suggestions to “get the stalled project back on track.” Those “specific actions” include; creating a finance plan that is “fair” and doesn’t drain regional transportation funding coffers, completion of performance targets to guide design and operation of the project, and an analysis of “critical project assumptions around traffic and economic consequences.”

A lack of public support for the CRC was on clear display at its last major public meeting. At a Project Sponsor’s Council meeting in early December, people turned out in droves to voice criticisms and concerns about the project’s direction.

The Project Sponsor’s Council is set to meet again this Friday in Vancouver. The main item on the agenda will be a discussion of “performance goals and objectives focused on long-term management of the transportation corridor.” The grassroots activist group, Stop the CRC is already making plans to be there.

Browse all our coverage of the CRC here. Download a PDF of the letter here.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Jackattak
Jackattak
14 years ago

If the CRC doesn’t have the following:

1) Tolls.
2) LRT infrastructure.
3) Bike/ped infrastrcture.

Then it will never have my support.

Anne Hawley
14 years ago

Hard to improve on what @Jackattak #1 says, except to add 4)give first consideration to improving the two bridges we’ve already got.

are
14 years ago

can we see a copy of the letter?

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
Reply to  are

are,

here’s a PDF of the letter (and I’ve added it to the story)

http://bikeportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/crc-letter.pdf

gabriel amadeus
14 years ago

If anyone wants to brave the 205 bike path and scary NE Vancouver by bike, I am planning on making the trek to the meeting this friday morning. Let me know if you’d like to bike-pool!

gabriel amadeus
14 years ago

Oooooh, details confirmed for the bike-pool: Meet at Alberta Co-op at 8:15am on Friday.

gabriel amadeus
14 years ago

Umm, well, vancouver is sort of sprawled apparently. And this meeting is waaaay out there. Roughly 15 miles from the Co-op. So instead we’ll meet up at 7:45 and leave at 8am promptly!

Think of it as a sightseeing adventure reminding us why we live south of the mighty Columbia…

a
a
14 years ago

Leavitt joined in on this letter to save some bit of credibility. He is a politican and this was his only move. Too bad the citizens fell for his BS. Good luck doing anything with the budget shortfall he is facing running the city. No what, an actual professional civic servant has to handle that problem, not him.

Lester
Lester
14 years ago

I’d roll north across the I-5 bridge if I were you. Take the 205 on the way back, if you want, it’s easier that way most of the time, as it’s more downhill in that direction.

Joe Rowe
Joe Rowe
14 years ago

Meeting on Friday at 10am to help stop the 4-8 billion dollar CRC bridge.

If you can’t go send email to Sam Adams

Friday Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. at the Washington Department of Transportation office at 11018 NE 51st Circle in Vancouver
http://preview.tinyurl.com/crcmeetingmap

Don’t listen to the myth that this bridge is dead. Politicians are like kids and will play any angle to get the candy.

A bike ride is leaving Alberta Food Co-op at 8:15AM Friday, NE Alberta St and 15th. Car Pools leave the co-op at 9am, also the Fred Meyer at SE 39 and Hawthorne.
http://www.stopthecrc.org
for more carpool info

recent news update…
http://preview.tinyurl.com/crcmeeting

Joe Rowe
Joe Rowe
14 years ago

Correction!

Correct time for bike ride is meet at 7:45AM and leave at 8:00 Sharp!

Victor
Victor
14 years ago

I haven’t been following this debate closely, but I just logged on to the oppositions website and read some of the talking points. What I found to be the biggest slap in the face and detractor to the whole argument is that this bridge construction will create “unskilled jobs” and short-term jobs only. Not that the opposition is probably getting any backing from local construction unions, but last time I checked bridges take engineers, skilled laborers, and support many of our tech colleges with training opportunities.

Oliver
Oliver
14 years ago

The Port of Tacoma’s Vision 2020 study predicts cargo volumes doubling from three to six million containers by the year 2020.

In 2002, the Port of Tacoma upgraded it’s North Intermodal Rail Yard, That year, the Port of Tacoma set several new records. It moved an all-time record of almost 1.5 TEUs of containerized cargo, completed more than 362.3 thousand intermodal lifts, and processed nearly 180.2 thousand vehicles.

The Port of Tacoma built the largest container terminal north of Los Angeles for Evergreen in 2002. The

In 2002, the Port of Tacoma and Auto Warehousing Company (AWC) opened the new 58.3-hectare Marshall Avenue Auto Facility, and AWC moved 180 thousand autos through the port.

As the major corridor easbound is i-84, No one should assume for a second that the CRC project wasn’t always in the works, indeed a condition, of the huge investment in the Port of Tacoma. If the State of Washington, the Port of Tacoma, Maersk, AWC and Pacific Maritime Association need this bridge so bad, LET THEM PAY FOR IT. If Vancouver commuters want this bridge so bad let them pay for it.

Portland doesn’t need this bridge at all.

http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/USA_WA_Port_of_Tacoma_190.php

Jackattak
Jackattak
14 years ago

Couldn’t agree more Oliver, which is why I fully oppose the project unless in brings Portland revenue through tolls.

Lester
Lester
14 years ago

@ Oliver. Seems like they’d just take the I-205 to get to I-84 from Tacoma.

rev
14 years ago

hey victor, the prospect of jobs does always seem to be biggest selling point.

“We will build something huge and expensive to make jobs!”

Well im not entirely opposed to that, i just want it to be something huge, expensive and useful (or at least not utterly destructive).

The matter of jobs becomes even more frustrating when you see who it is that would be getting the jobs. Our local unions dont have the manpower to take on such a massive project so the CRC would outsource the jobs to a larger, group probably from California.

peejay
peejay
14 years ago

Uh oh. Looks like they won’t allow public verbal comments at this meeting. They don’t want a repeat of December!

At least that’s what the Twitter account @columbiabridge is saying.

Racer X
Racer X
14 years ago

Remember folks…you can take the MAX north to cut down on the miles to reach this ‘public meeting site’ at WSDOT.

Or hop on a CTRAN express bus to get closer from downtown Portland or Lloyd District.

Lester
Lester
14 years ago

If you’re taking Tri-Met and C-Tran, get a Tri-met day pass. Tri-Met Day and Month passes are good for travel on C-Tran, but regular transfers are not good, and every leg of a C-Tran trip costs $1.50.

AaronF
AaronF
14 years ago

Thanks for the tip Lester!