Feds Promise to Back I-5 Bridge

By DON HAMILTON

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters toured the Columbia Sportswear distribution center in north Portland on Monday. Looking on is Tim Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear, which ships nearly all its merchandise by truck.

PORTLAND – U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said Monday that the federal government could shoulder as much as 80 percent of the cost of a new Columbia River bridge.

“It could be as much as 80 percent if it qualifies as a project we call ‘federally aid eligible,’ ” Peters told reporters after touring the Columbia Sportswear’s distribution center in north Portland. “It could be up to 80 percent of the total cost.”

The 80 percent estimate, though, is at odds with what local members of Congress have suggested as a likely federal share of a new bridge. U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., said he hopes the feds will pay two-thirds but that 50 percent may be more realistic considering demands on the federal budget.

The exact level of federal support won’t be known until next fall when Congress develops its new six-year transportation spending plan.

The bi-state Columbia River Crossing is developing plans for a new bridge across the Columbia River. Peters said the federal government wants a project with room for more cars and trucks as well bicycles, pedestrians and mass transit.

During her visit, Peters spoke with Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, who told her I-5 traffic delays harm his company’s efficiency because almost all of the clothes sent from the distribution center around the country go by truck.

Peters endorsed the process under way to develop a new bridge, pointing to the federal designation of a Portland-Vancouver stretch of I-5 as one of six “corridors of the future.” The designation provides $15 million in federal money to help ease congestion but also provides for faster federal review.

“We will work with planners from Washington and Oregon to help design a new bridge that meets the community’s needs and reflects its values, handling more cars and trucks, as well as transit, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic,” she said. “Our commitment is to be more than a donor. We will be a partner in helping this community build a bridge to even greater prosperity. We want this corridor to serve as a source of opportunity and prosperity, not as a cause for frustration, fumes, and failure.”

First online

This story was posted at 12:10 p.m. Monday at www.columbian.com .

For a comprehensive look at the Columbia River Crossing Project, visit:

www.columbian.com/I5bridge

Don Hamilton can be reached at 360-759-8010 and don.hamilton@columbian.com

Originally published by DON HAMILTON Columbian staff writer.

(c) 2007 Columbian. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.