Refining Project Designs

In 2008, the Columbia River Crossing's (CRC) six local project partners considered the findings in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), public comments and the recommendations of a 39-member citizen CRC Task Force when they selected a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). At the time of adoption, the LPA included the following elements:

Replacement I-5 bridge with 10 or 12 lanes on two or three structures
Light rail as the high capacity transit element with terminus at Clark College in Vancouver
Improvement of all seven interchanges within the project area
Replacement of the North Portland Harbor bridge

Several significant design refinements have occurred since the LPA was adopted, summarized below. Project elements will continue to be refined with community input as the project moves toward final design and construction.

Project area map with major design refinements made since 2009

Number of bridge structures (2009)

Two replacement river crossings were analyzed in the project’s Draft EIS published in May 2008: a three bridge structure and a two bridge structure (referred to as a stacked transit/highway bridge in the Draft EIS). The three bridge design included (from east to west) a bridge for northbound I-5 traffic, a bridge for southbound I-5 traffic, and a third bridge for light rail with a separated pathway for bicyclists and pedestrians. The two-bridge design included the two bridges for northbound and southbound I-5 traffic, with light rail and pedestrians traveling below the decks of these bridges.

Based on review of environmental effects described in the Draft EIS, and the needs expressed by project advisory groups and resource agencies, CRC found a two bridge option to be the preferred design for the Columbia River replacement bridge. Details of the decision were shared with the CRC Project Sponsors Council at their June 2009 meeting.

Highway design (early 2010)

In June 2009, the CRC Project Sponsors Council (PSC) directed project staff to analyze the project for potential refinements that could produce cost savings while maintaining the project’s environmental, economic, transportation, and safety benefits. After five months of meetings with project partners and reviewing different refinements, the CRC staff prepared a recommendation that was presented to the PSC Dec. 4, 2009, for consideration. During the meeting, PSC members heard testimony from dozens of people, asked for additional information and continued the discussion.

In February 2010, the Governors of Oregon and Washington directed project staff to continue design work using the recommended refinements to reduce the project cost. The refinements included savings of up to $650 million to highway plans (about 20 percent of the total highway cost from the previous cost estimate).

Eliminating a dedicated ramp (braid) to access Victory Boulevard from I-5 southbound*
Eliminating an elevated ramp (flyover) across I-5 as part of the Marine Drive interchange*
Reusing the existing highway bridge over North Portland Harbor
Eliminating elevated structures over Hayden Island and lowering the profile of the interstate
Reducing the width of the I-5 bridge to accommodate 10 traffic lanes instead of 12
Removing one planned highway lane between SR 14 and SR 500
Eliminating the ramps to I-5 northbound from SR 500 and from I-5 southbound to SR 500*

*These elements could be constructed in a separate phase.

Light rail alignment in Vancouver (2009-2010)

The Vancouver City Council and C-TRAN board approved the CRC light rail alignment through downtown Vancouver in March 2010 after sharing information at open houses and gathering feedback about options from local residents, property owners and businesses. The recommendations included the following details for the North/South and East/West alignments:

Light rail trains will travel north on Broadway St. and south on Washington St.
Automobile traffic flow will be one-way on each of these streets in the same direction
Light rail tracks and station platforms will be located on the west side of Broadway St. and east side of Washington St. Stations will be in the vicinity of 6th, Evergreen, and 16th streets.
Light rail trains will travel both east and west on 17th St. Automobile traffic flow will remain two-way. Light rail tracks will be in the center of the street, between the automobile lanes.

Bridge lanes and Hayden Island Interchange design (late 2010)

Project Sponsors Council (PSC) members at their August 2010 meeting unanimously agreed on a set of recommendations to the governors of Washington and Oregon for moving ahead with development and construction of the I-5 bridge project. The recommendations include designing a permanent 10-lane replacement bridge with 10 lanes over the Columbia River and changing the Hayden Island interchange design to address several community concerns. The Final Report and its appendices was the result of an intensive five-month public process and was delivered to the governors Sept. 13, 2010.

Bridge type (2011)

Concept of deck truss bridge type chosen for the project. Additional architectural design work is forthcoming.

On April 25, 2011, the governors directed staff to continue work using the deck truss bridge type for the replacement I-5 bridge. In making their recommendation, the governors considered the findings from the Bridge Review Panel, the results of the Oregon and Washington transportation departments' review, public comments, input from agency officials and the purpose and need of the project.