Small changes in proposed CRC design could have big impact.
More than 10 years after the planning process first began, consensus on a final design for the Columbia River Crossing project remains elusive – even as millions of dollars in federal transportation funding threatens to expire.
Among the "details" left to be sorted out among a diverse group of CRC planners, advisory board members and two state Departments of Transportation include the location of on- and off-ramps at Hayden Island and a proposed Park-and-Ride facility in downtown Vancouver.
While larger questions regarding the number of lanes and possible tolls on the replacement span have garnered the most headlines, even relatively small changes in the CRC's design could still have a significant impact on downtown Vancouver businesses, Clark County commuters and Hayden Island residents.
Two parking options
According to transportation planners, public officials and transit advocates, one of the goals of the CRC project is to get more Clark County drivers off the bridge and onto a proposed light-rail extension of the MAX Yellow Line running from Portland's Expo Center to downtown Vancouver.
A key component of that strategy is a Park-and-Ride facility on the Vancouver side of the Columbia River, which in the CRC proposal currently before an eight-member Independent Review Panel would be located within a cloverleaf highway interchange connecting westbound S.R. 14 traffic onto the new bridge.
However, transportation planners at the city of Vancouver recently offered an alternative to the cloverleaf proposal, one they said would encourage more commuters to ditch their cars in favor of a light-rail connection – currently scheduled to run over the CRC and touch down at Washington Street near the Vancouver waterfront.
The second option would be the creation of a parking structure attached to a new MAX station, to be located in a two-block area between Washington and Columbia streets, according to city transportation manager Thayer Rorabaugh.
Citing issues of commuter access to the new light rail station, Rorabaugh called the integrated parking structure "superior" to the cloverleaf proposal. "The off-site option, with commuters having to cross the street in the rain to get to the station … it's not as conducive to get them to use light rail," he said.
Rorabaugh acknowledged that the Washington-Columbia location had its drawbacks. "There are pluses and minuses," he said. "The cost of acquiring the property for the parking structure will be greater. But there are places where we can save money too."
In the coming months, the city plans to approach property owners and businesses affected by the integrated parking structure proposal on a "one-to-one" basis, in order to get their feedback on the plan, according to Rorabaugh.
The Hayden Island question
While the question of where – or whether – to put new Hayden Island highway interchanges is of primary concern to island residents and businesses, Vancouver residents looking to take advantage of sales tax-free Oregon shopping could face big changes under a new design proposal.
One plan, with slight variants offered by the city of Portland and Oregon regional government Metro, would remove Hayden Island interchanges from a replacement bridge entirely, opting instead for a local traffic approach via a new bridge between the south side of the island and Marine Drive in Portland.
The proposal would eliminate direct access between Clark County and the heavily-trafficked island, which includes popular retail destinations like Jantzen Beach SuperCenter, as well as smaller stores. "It's a concern, even for Oregon," said Andy Cotugno, director of planning development at Metro. "If those Hayden Island businesses aren't viable because of decreased access from their customers in Vancouver, then that affects us."
The Marine Drive proposal isn't the only one put forward by Metro in recent weeks. Another plan involves the creation of a new thoroughfare on Hayden Island, to be called Tomahawk Road, which would act as a "feeder" to on- and off-ramps from the replacement bridge, according to Cotugno.
The goal of both plans is to decrease traffic congestion on the six-mile-long island, as well as alleviate height concerns of potential on- and off-ramps – a top priority for residents living in the bridge's shadow.
As with Rorabaugh in Vancouver, Cotugno did not have specifics regarding the cost of either design option. However, one thing was clear: any additional expenditure would further balloon the CRC's estimated $2.6 billion to $3.6 billion pricetag.
The next public hearing on the Hayden Island interchange issue will be held June 14 in the Jantzen Beach SuperCenter's Community Room at 5:30 p.m.
"We will land this plane"
Despite the continuing design challenges, CRC board members and planners like Cotugno and Rorabaugh expressed optimism that the process was on the right track.
"There will be plenty of due diligence to ensure that we have a most-complete design," Cutugno said at an IRP planning meeting at the Red Lion Hotel at Jantzen Beach on June 2.
Meanwhile, Rorabaugh lashed out at CRC critics, some of whom have blasted the millions of dollars already spent on planning for the long-planned replacement for the aging Interstate Bridge. "We have people criticizing us for spending money to look at all these things, but at the same time, there are people saying we should consider different options," he said. "You can't have it both ways."
But for Elson Strahan, president and CEO of the Fort Vancouver National Trust and a veteran of the CRC planning process, as well as that of its predecessor, the I-5 Trade and Transportation Task Force, time was running out.
"Of course, there are particular modifications to be made to the proposals," Strahan said. "But it is time to move on with the project."
Though Rorabaugh said he was also concerned about the delay in reaching a consensus on a final bridge design, progress was being made. "We will land this plane," he said.
A draft rendering of a complete Columbia River Crossing, including a light rail line (seen at right) landing at Washington Street in downtown Vancouver. CRC planners, local officials and state DOT s have yet to achieve consensus on a final design.
