The Columbia River Crossing project’s proposal to replace the Interstate 5 Bridges would allow six lanes of traffic, bicycles and pedestrians and even light rail to traverse the river each day. It would cost an estimated $2 to $6 billion and take up to six years to complete. The ambitious project, if realized, would not begin until 2010. CRC planners say they will conduct a neighborhood impact study over the next year to estimate how the zone from State Route 500 in Vancouver to Columbia Boulevard in Portland would be affected by the project.
Public opinion gathered by CRC over the past week ranges from "It would cost too much" to "It’s about time." VBJ asked downtown business owners for their thoughts on how the proposed undertaking might affect their daily operation.
—Neil Zawicki
"I’m all for light rail, and I’m always game for new things, especially better transit. I’ve been here 16 years and I’ve been waiting for these things to finally happen. It could alter my daily deliveries (from Portland), but (my vendors would) make it happen, I’ve been with them for so long."
–Cora Chandler, owner, Java House
"The light rail aspect makes eminent sense, but if I had to plan ahead to get to my clients in Portland because of traffic interruptions (during construction), it would definitely dull my enthusiasm, because I have a lot of customers in Portland, and a lot of them might not come to me during those years."
–Scott Barbour, owner, Scott Barbour Photography
"Maybe then, people would come to work on time, because they wouldn’t have an excuse. We need to do something. Times are changing, and we need to change with them."
–Ana Pratt, owner, Salmon Creek Brewery and Pub
