Portland to Vancouver light-rail link pushes ahead with Columbia River Crossing OK

Plans to replace the aging Interstate 5 Columbia River Crossing bridges connecting Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore., and build an interstate transit link can now move forward. The Record of Decision represents the final clearance of the project's environmental review and allows Oregon and Washington to begin right-of-way acquisition and construction. "We are making the long-sought after rail transit link between Portland and Vancouver possible," Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff said. "This is the type of forward-leaning project that will greatly benefit the entire region well into the future." At a cost of approximately $3 billion for bridge, transit and highway improvements, the project is considered a long-term, comprehensive solution to address safety and congestion problems on five miles of I-5 from State Route 500 in Vancouver to Victory Boulevard in Portland and will be funded through a combination of state and federal sources. The nearly three-mile light-rail portion of the project will extend from Portland's Expo Center MAX station to Clark College in Vancouver. It is expected that the transit rail project will reduce the duration of daily congestion on I-5 near the Columbia River by 60 percent. By 2030, the light-rail line is expected to carry more than 22,000 daily passengers.