Interstate Bridge, Columbia River (photo by Jet Lowe, Historic American Engineering Record)
The Columbia River Crossing bridge project has been in the works for more than seven years (apparently right after somebody broke a mirror) and seen over $100 million spent to get us to a bridge concept drawing consensus only in its negative reviews. Even big-bridge advocates have conceded the CRC is flawed.
But the situation is also reminiscent of the old joke in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, where in one diner says “The food is really terrible,” and her companion answers, “Yes, and such small portions.” We have a bridge plan nobody but the Washington and Oregon transportation departments pushing it likes, yet politicos worry even more about the problem that in turn creates: that the project will never be completed. That failure of will, the thinking goes, could negatively impact economics and quality of life in the I-5 corridor in Portland and Vancouver for decade.
The Bright Lights discussion series, which resumes Monday night, seeks a proactive response to the bridge dilemma. Portland Monthly editor Randy Gragg, the host, will be joined in conversation with three of the region’s top experts in urban design and economic development for a detailed critique of the current scheme and a presentation of a potentially more viable and cheaper alternative.
Bill Scott, general manager of Zipcar’s Portland office and former director of Oregon’s Department of Economic and Comminuty Development, will offer an overview of the current bridge project within Portland’s longer arc of transportation innovation. Economist Joe Cortright will present his recent study, which demonstrates that the faulty traffic projections and tenuous financing plan underlying the current proposed bridge design could lead to a doubling of the predicted budget of $3.9 billion. And award-winning urban designer George Crandall will present an innovative alternative scheme that would be cheaper, would have far more positive and far-reaching impacts on downtown Vancouver and Hayden Island, and could be built in more manageable phases.
In other words, as the discussion will show, it is debatable whether we need a new bridge at all. And if we do build a bridge, it needs to be design that leads the way and solves problems, be they of scale, budget or aesthetics. We have to get this right not just for practical reasons, but because the Columbia River is a special natural setting. Take the words of the Woodie Guthrie song, "Roll On Columbia" as example:
Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through.
Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew.
Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue,
Roll on, Columbia, roll On!
Other great rivers add power to you,
Yakima, Snake, and the Klickitat, too,
Sandy, Willamette, and Hood River, too;
Roll on Columbia, roll On!
Tom Jefferson's vision would not let him rest
An empire he saw in the Pacific Northwest.
Sent Lewis and Clark and they did the rest
Roll on, Columbia, Roll On!
The Bright Lights discussion happens at 6pm Monday evening at Jimmy Mak’s, 221 NW 10th Avenue in the Pearl District.
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