An important open house and public hearing event for the Sellwood Bridge project is happening Wednesday night from 6 – 8:30 at OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave.)
The press release from Multnomah County is below:
The public is invited to an open house and formal public hearing to learn about and comment on a study of alternatives to rehabilitate or replace the 82-year-old Sellwood Bridge. A locally preferred alternative is scheduled to be selected early next year.
The open house and hearing will be on Wednesday, December 10 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave. in Portland. The public hearing takes place from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. The open house begins at 6 pm in a location near the hearing room and will run until 8:30 pm.
The events are focused on explaining and seeking comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that compares five Build Alternatives and a No Build Alternative. The cost of the alternatives (in 2012 dollars) ranges from $54 million for the No Build to as much as $361 million for the most costly Build Alternative. The Draft EIS describes the social and natural environmental impacts of the alternatives.
The open house will include displays describing the alternatives and identifying differences between them. Oral testimony will be taken at the public hearing. Written and oral comments will be taken at the open house. All comments become part of the official project record and will be responded to in the Final EIS.
Written comments can be submitted online through the project website (www.sellwoodbridge.org) or by mail until the comment period for the Draft EIS closes on December 22. Mailed comments should be sent to Sellwood Bridge Project, c/o Mike Pullen, 2020 SW 4th Ave., Suite 300, Portland, OR 97201. An online survey is available during the comment period on the project website. Survey results will inform decision makers about community preferences for the alternatives, but survey responses will not be responded to in the Final EIS.
Reasonable accommodations can be made for people with disabilities attending the open house and hearing. Please call 503-988-6804 to make arrangements.
The 450-page draft EIS and a 40-page Executive Summary are available at the project website and at Multnomah and Clackamas county library branches (at the reference desk).
Multnomah County maintains the Sellwood Bridge, five other Willamette River bridges, and 300 miles of roads. For more information about the Sellwood Bridge project, visit www.sellwoodbridge.org.
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I just got back from this hearing. There are many interests from all walks of life in this bridge. This is an historic decision that affects more people than just the Sellwood community. I strongly encourage everyone to read through the EIS and submit their thoughts online (www.sellwoodbridge.org), they will become part of public record and have a direct impact on the decision that is made.
I personally favor alignment E, as I feel this would be the safest and most convenient option for cyclists, pedestrians, public transit and local residents and businesses.