(Photo © J. Maus)
Thursday at Metro, councilors are sure to get an earful when they host a public hearing on the contentious Columbia River Crossing project. The topic will be Resolution No. 09-4023, which Metro describes as:
“For the Purpose of Expressing a Sense of The Council on the Number of Lanes Proposed as part of the Columbia River Crossing Project, taking into Account Congestion Pricing, Capacity, and possible Induced Demand Effects.”
The debate on the issues listed above has grown louder in recent days. After The Oregonian published an editorial in support of a 12-lane-bridge (and in support of Commisioner Randy Leonard) a few days ago, they published a retort by Metro Council President David Bragdon (in their online opinion section).
In recent days, City Commissioner Randy Leonard has engaged some heated back-and-forth with a who’s-who of bridge critics on the email list of the Smarter Bridge coalition.
The Smarter Bridge group wants Leonard to support an independent analysis of the projections and assumptions being used by the CRC staff and the DOTs from both sides of the river to justify a 12-lane bridge.
At last week’s City Council hearing on the CRC, commissioners listened to the opinions of over 70 Portlanders, including some pointed testimony against the 12-lane bridge option from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.
If you’re brushing up on what the rest of Metro Council thinks about the CRC, you might want to re-read an interview with Councilor Rex Burkholder we published back in December. And, if you’re counting votes on the 7-member Metro Council, you should know that Councilors Robert Liberty and Carl Hosticka are the only two elected officials who have voted against the project so far.
Here are the details for the Metro hearing:
- Metro Council Meeting (with public hearing on the CRC)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
2:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Council Chambers (600 NE Grand Ave.)
More info, meeting packet downloads, and more at OregonMetro.gov