A group of legislators from Washington and Oregon met in Vancouver Wednesday to initiate discussions on whether to seek new options for a bridge or bridges to connect the two states over the Columbia River between Clark County and Portland. The Bi-State Bridge Coalition meeting, organized by Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, and Rep. John Huffman, R-The Dalles, is the first between legislators since the Columbia River Crossing project was scrapped by the Washington and Oregon legislatures due to differences that included light rail and low river clearance.
“First, we want to make it very clear this is not an effort to revive the Columbia River Crossing project. We recognize, however, that although the CRC is dead, our interstate traffic problems will not simply vanish,” said Pike, a member of the Washington House Transportation Committee. “Hitting the reset button means we begin anew and determine what’s next. We believe it’s time to move past the CRC, leave behind components such as light rail that doomed that project, and focus on newer, comprehensive transportation solutions between Southwest Washington and the Portland metro area.”