News from the Columbia River Crossing Project:

The public is invited to provide input Aug. 5 on set of draft recommendations for Columbia River Crossing project
The Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council encourages testimony Thursday, Aug. 5, at a public meeting on draft recommendations related to several project elements, including the Hayden Island interchange and I-5 bridge.
Residents, businesses and interested community members are invited to attend the meeting to learn about the draft recommendations and provide input directly to PSC co-chair Steve Horenstein. The recommendations are the result of assignments from the PSC to the Integrated Project Sponsors Council Staff (IPS) group to collaboratively address several questions. Meeting topics include project performance measures, techniques to manage traffic after construction, transportation and land-use modeling, the number of I-5 bridge lanes, and the latest design concept for the Hayden Island interchange.
Earlier Hayden Island interchange concepts were presented to island residents and stakeholders at two public meetings in June. The concepts have continued to evolve as a result of stakeholder input and the latest concept (“Concept D”) will be discussed Aug. 5. This week Hayden Island stakeholders and staff from the City of Portland and Metro reached consensus on this newest concept.
After a brief presentation, attendees can share their opinions about the draft recommendations. Comments can be given verbally, in writing or online.
The meeting is scheduled for:
Thursday, August 5, 2010 | 5 – 8 p.m.
(Presentation at 6 p.m.; public testimony to follow)
Jantzen Beach SuperCenter, Community Room (Across from the food court)
1405 Jantzen Beach Center, Portland, OR

More information is available online. The public also can submit comments and questions specifically to the PSC through an online comment form.

The meeting site is accessible to persons with disabilities. Accommodations for people with disabilities or people needing language interpretation can be arranged with advance notice by calling the Columbia River Crossing project at 866-396-2726. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may contact CRC through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 7-1-1.
Metro finds CRC toll bridge with light rail would have negligible impact on growth
The Metro regional government released the findings of its forecast of the population and employment growth that would result from building the Columbia River Crossing project. The forecast was completed as part of the collaborative process to resolve outstanding issues that began in April 2010.

The agency finds that the project would have negligible impact on population and employment growth in Clark County, when comparing the projected growth that would occur with the project compared to no change to the existing bridge and highway. The project’s most significant land use effect would be to boost North Portland employment by about 1.5 percent. Findings were based on Metroscope, a nationally acclaimed growth modeling technology that projects population and employment changes in a seven-county area.
These findings confirm analysis completed by the CRC project in 2008 for the Draft EIS concerning the potential for the project to induce land use growth and travel demand. CRC found that the project would not cause significant land use changes in the region’s urban periphery (“sprawl”). CRC reviewed national case studies, reviewed land use policies in both Oregon and Washington, used travel demand models that had been reviewed and approved by a group of national experts, and relied on results from an earlier analysis using the Metroscope model to draw these conclusions. A summary of those results are presented in a 2009 memo.
Additional information on the most recent Metro findings can be found on their website.
Join us at a fair or festival this summer

CRC has had informational booths at various fairs and festivals throughout the summer. Staff is on hand to answer questions about the project and hand out informational materials. In the coming weeks, project staff will be attending the following event: St. Johns Farmers Market – Aug. 21, Portland, OR

A complete listing of summer events where CRC will be present can be viewed in the calendar on the project website.

Columbia River Crossing contact information

Email: feedback@columbiarivercrossing.org
Mail: 700 Washington St., Suite 300
Vancouver, WA 98660
Phone: 360-737-2726 or 503-256-2726
Fax: 360-737-0294

www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org