Project History

2001-2002: I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership

In 2001, the governors of Washington and Oregon formed a bi-state partnership to study transportation problems and possible solutions for the I-5 corridor from the I-205 interchange north of Vancouver to the Interstate 84 interchange in Portland. The 28-member I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership recommended fixing three bottlenecks in its 2002 Strategic Plan:

I-5 at Salmon Creek in Clark County (Widening project completed in 2006)
I-5 at Delta Park in Portland (Widening project slated for construction in 2008)
I-5 at the Columbia River (Columbia River Crossing project in the planning process)

2004-2005: Columbia River Crossing project start-up phase

Staff from the Washington and Oregon transportation departments began initial work to refine the work of the I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership and plan for on-the-ground projects to reduce congestion in the project area. A 39-member Task Force was established in early 2005 to advise the transportation departments on key decisions and decision-making criteria.

Fall 2005: Defining the Problems and Potential Solutions

The Columbia River Crossing project staff reviewed data developed by the I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership and worked with the public, tribal governments and partner agencies to define the primary problems in the project area, which included congestion, dangerous travel conditions and travel demand that exceeds capacity. The staff then used a public process to brainstorm ideas to address the problems. The staff worked with the project’s advisory Task Force to develop evaluation criteria based on regulatory requirements and community values and concerns.

Spring 2006: Narrowing the Ideas

Through discussions with the Task Force and community, the CRC project staff studied the options proposed for improving the river crossing and public transportation. A set of 23 initial river crossing ideas was eventually reduced to four and a set of 14 initial public transportation ideas was reduced to five over a series of months using the evaluation criteria developed earlier.

Spring – Summer 2006: Testing the Preliminary Alternatives

A dozen preliminary alternative packages were generated by combining options under consideration for the purpose of testing and analysis. Each preliminary alternative was composed of several components: River crossing, highway, transit, freight, bicycle and pedestrian improvements and strategies to reduce travel demand. The 12 preliminary alternative packages were tested against the evaluation criteria to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of individual components and the best performing combinations. The analysis incorporated community, cost, land use, environmental, environmental justice, and seismic concerns.

Fall 2006: Identifying Best Performing Components for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Columbia River Crossing project staff in collaboration with partner agencies proposed the best performing river crossing and transit components move forward for further evaluation in the Draft EIS. These best performing river crossing and transit components were repackaged into draft alternatives as part of the proposal. The project Task Force and public then provided feedback on the proposal in early 2007 and adjustments to the draft alternatives were made.

Early 2007:

Five alternatives are being studied for the Draft EIS. More information can be found in Current Topics.