Columbia River Crossing

The Columbia River Crossing is a joint megaproject between the United States Oregon and Washington departments of transportation to address problems with US Interstate 5 where it crosses the Columbia River. Founded in 2005, it looks to replace the existing Interstate Bridge and other associated changes south of SR-500. "Project partners" include the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, cities of Vancouver and Portland, the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, Metro, and transit agencies C-TRAN and Trimet. Other agencies are involved as part of "task forces".

A draft environmental impact statement was published in May of 2008, with a final EIS published in the Federal Register on September 23, 2011. The full buildout as of May 2011 has a range of probable cost of $3.1 to $3.6 billion for five miles of highway and transit work, to include a double-deck truss bridge with ten lanes for auto traffic on the top deck, with public transportation, bicycles and pedestrians below. Construction is expected to begin no sooner than 2013 and to last five to seven years.

External links

• Columbia River Crossing official website