After years of planning, lobbying, delays, and gross errors, Governors Kitzhaber and Inslee have pulled the plug on the deeply flawed and hugely expensive Columbia River Crossing mega-project. This is a huge win for the environment and economy of the Portland-Vancouver metro region.
Coalition for a Livable Future has long opposed the mega-project, which was based on false premises and reflected a misguided and limited vision for the region. The Coalition is grateful to the many people who worked for years to stop this project in favor of better solutions for our region, and to the Governors of Oregon and Washington for deciding to move on rather than waste more public funds.
While it’s tempting to ask what the next big project will be, it’s wiser to step back to consider how we think about infrastructure and plan our cities. The CRC was a missed opportunity for forward-thinking planning and innovative solutions this region is known for. The design focused on a major highway expansion in the middle of our cities, reflecting a disconnect between the region’s values and where we spend our public funds. The Departments of Transportation focused an enormous amount of the region’s capital on a single, multi-billion dollar project that wouldn’t have even fixed the problems on and around I-5.
To improve safety, fix the roads we already have, improve options for transit, walking and biking, cut climate pollution, create equal access to vibrant communities, and support a strong local economy, we need to prioritize projects throughout the region to achieve those goals.
The Coalition for a Livable Future has always supported effective, economically and environmentally responsible transportation investments, including those in the I-5 corridor. The first step is to look holistically at issues in the corridor – merging traffic, travel options, seismic safety, etc. - and consider cost effective solutions to the most pressing problems.
Smaller, incremental changes to the I-5 corridor could happen quickly if it is determined that they address the key problems. For instance, a range of smaller strategies to shift or reduce demand can be effective at managing traffic, and were even studied as part of the CRC for after construction. Other strategies include express buses, bus rapid transit, improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and HOV lanes. More expensive strategies include fixing the railroad bridge to eliminate most of the bridge lifts and possibly set the stage for better rail connections, and a bridge to Hayden Island that would take local traffic off the freeway and potentially eliminate the need for the Hayden Island freeway ramps that cause congestion and collisions. A more challenging but potentially effective approach, if the burden to low-income commuters can be addressed, is to implement tolls on I-5 and I-205 to manage traffic during peak hours and raise funds for future improvements.
But the question shouldn't just be about strategies for I-5, but rather what our regional priorities are. Despite the huge costs incurred for planning and selling the CRC, we averted a planning debacle and a waste of taxpayer dollars twenty times larger than what was already spent. The task now is to turn that success into better decisions, better planning, and a better region. The Coalition for a Livable Future looks forward to being a partner in that effort.