After extensive internal discussions and conversations with supporters and opponents of the Columbia River Crossing project, the BTA has established an official position on the Locally Preferred Alternative for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.  This position includes a number of specific conditions.

The Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project debate is not about building a new bridge, rather a debate about building a right-sized project that is truly multi-modal, that won’t bankrupt our transportation funds, and won’t promote sprawl by drastically increasing auto use. For cyclists, it’s about creating a world-class bike and pedestrian facility on any project. The decision being made this summer boils down to whether or not to build a new bridge with high capacity transit and tolling.  The design and financing decisions will come at a later date.

The BTA has largely concluded that a new-bridge is needed to accommodate bicycles, pedestrians, and light rail. If built in conjunction with a new highway bridge, the BTA’s support, like that of many others in the region, has essential conditions.  Those conditions are as follows:

Right Size the Bridge
The current conversation over building a new bridge starts at 10 or 12 auto lanes, however, with the existing bridge currently at six lanes, the BTA believes that an eight lane bridge may be adequate. The BTA will only support a project that provides rigorous analysis of an eight-lane option.

Begin Tolling Today
Any project will require vast financial resources and the majority of these should be collected through user fees. The BTA strongly believes that it makes sense to begin accumulating these funds now. However, we understand that there are significant federal and state hurdles to overcome in order to begin tolling. The project team must start the process so tolling can start immediately upon selection of a project design.

Don’t Jeopardize Other Transportation Projects
The region has billions of dollars in transportation needs as documented in the Regional Transportation Plan.  The region has spent an enormous amount of time and gathered significant public input to determine these priorities. The Columbia River Crossing must hold these projects harmless and must not use locally allocated transportation funds.

Build World-class Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities
After a year of work, the BTA is advancing a recommendation for a 24-26 foot mixed bicycle and pedestrian facility on the west side of the bridge and 12-14 foot, primarily pedestrian facility on the east side of the bridge. We particularly are calling for high-quality ramps and access onto the west-side path.

The BTA has been very involved in the planning process thus far, though the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee of the CRC.  Emily Gardner, BTA Policy Advocate, has been attending meetings for the last year and will continue to represent the BTA’s interests as the planning process moves forward.

YOUR ACTION

In the coming days the BTA will call for community-based action to ensure that the CRC project moves forward in a way the protects our region and creates an essential connection for bicyclists.

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