Update 4/20: Added quote from Vancouver City Councilmember Jack Burkman
David Madore has been arguing that it makes more sense to build a third Oregon-to-Washington metro area bridge than it does to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge since long before he entered politics.
Now, responding to officials in Vancouver who oppose his proposal to cross the Columbia River inside city limits at 192nd Avenue, the Clark County Councilor says it may be time to look further east. And he’s winning support in the Oregon city of Troutdale, where several local leaders have said they are intrigued and willing to consider a bridge from the Camas area to their community.
“I think it’s worth looking at and seeing if it’s viable,” said Rich Allen, city council member in Troutdale. “If you take the 3,000-foot look at it, look at where populations are, Troutdale doesn’t have a convenient southern route. Portland has I-5 going north and south, and I-84 going east and west. Troutdale just has I-84, we don’t have a route going north and south.”
“The original proposal (at 192nd Ave.) is valid, good and appropriate, and would be the natural, obvious choice for our community. However, this is a bottom-up process,” Madore said. “If any jurisdiction says, ‘No, we don’t want it,’ we will respect that. The Vancouver City Council represents the citizens on our side of the bridge for that area on 192nd. They’ve taken the position that it’s the Columbia River Crossing project or nothing, so they’ve effectively vetoed the idea for all of Southwest Washington and Oregon.”
But the city of Vancouver has not taken that position, according to Vancouver City Councilmember Jack Burkman.
In an email to the Vancouver Business Journal, Burkman wrote, “The city of Vancouver has been outspoken in support of fixing the I-5 corridor issues as a top priority and has not taken the position that ‘it’s the Columbia River Crossing project or nothing.’ The city has been working to find creative ways to address the multiple issues on the corridor.”
Many of the details of a further east bridge remain to be worked out. It would connect to State Route 14 in Washington, and to Interstate 84 near exit 17 in Oregon, Madore said. Beyond that, it’s not exactly clear where a bridge might cross.
But Madore said he believes it’s worth the effort to answer those difficult questions, noting that a majority of Clark County voters sided with his third-bridge proposal in a referendum last year.
“My allegiance lies with the people. I support them, I play for them, and I will absolutely tackle anybody who opposes the people,” he said.
Troutdale City Council member Allen said he sees both opportunities and challenges for advocates of a further-east Oregon-to-Washington bridge.
“If you’ve ever tried to get between Washington and Oregon during commute hours, during rush hour, it can be tough. Having some more relief seems like a good idea,” Allen said. “We have to get people on board at the (Oregon) state level, and also we’re going to need some federal funding as well. The state’s been pretty tight with money lately.”
Madore said he knows that funding a bridge will be a challenge. “If we gave up when there was opposition and resistance, we would never have a Glen Jackson Bridge,” he said. “The degree of difficulty doesn’t have to do with the degree of rightness. If it’s right, you do it.”
He also brought up his long-standing argument that his proposal would cost less than the failed Columbia River Crossing plan – whether it connects to SR-14 inside Vancouver city limits, or to the east. “We won’t have the same mismanagement as the CRC,” Madore said, adding that he hopes to attract support from civic leaders in Camas and Washougal.
“You’ve got to be flexible, and you have to listen to the communities, both on this side as well as the Oregon side of the river.”
It will take more detailed planning to get Madore’s “move it east” from an idea to a proposal that can win funds, said Allen. “If we can get a proposal together… that can spark further discussion,” he said, noting that discussion is the first step toward winning funding.
