On the heels of this morning’s big Columbia River Crossing meeting and protest, Mayor Adams just posted this list of succinct bullet point reasons to toss out the current 10-lane, $3.6 billion design:

1. The ground is shifting under our assumptions about tolls. Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard supported them; Vancouver Mayor-Elect Tim Leavitt does not.

2. Portland’s new Climate Action Plan. In driving the plan forward, I’ve learned that some of the fundamental environmental analysis and assumptions of the CRC are more questionable than I first understood.

3. With the proposed CRC project refinements, Hayden Island loses its local service grocery store and other basic amenities. The new design results in a deeper-trenched main street and calls into question our ability to realize the recently adopted Hayden Island Plan.

4. Working with County Chair Ted Wheeler on the Sellwood Bridge replacement project has shown me how tough it is to get federal dollars for local transportation projects. I fear that getting CRC federal funding may cannibalize funding for much-needed projects.

5. We have more time. The Feds have delayed consideration of transportation requests.

6. It’s not yet clear what will be the land-use and environmental impacts of bridge elements. We need to look at how projected growth will change as a result of the new bridge.

In a joint statement they released last night, Adams and Metro President David Bragdon spelled out the specific changes they need to see before they’ll sign off on the bridge plan. Among them is this interesting and diplomatically worded demand: “Daylight the project’s internal decision making to ensure an unrestricted flow of information… possible.”

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.

10 replies on “Sam Adams: 6 Reasons to Change Direction on the CRC”

  1. I don’t remember voting on Portland’s new “Climate Action Plan.”

    I wonder what special interests advocated for it and wrote it? I thought it was an aspirational document and didn’t realize it was going to be used as a club to block major projects around the region.

    Why don’t the other CRC partners have the guts to tell Adams and Bragdon to grow the hell up?

  4. Sure, either one of those guys, Paul. I’d love to see literally anyone tell these windbags to shut the hell up.

    Pollard’s comment in Sarah’s post below makes it pretty clear that he’s learned his lesson about trying to work with Portland. He was basically saying “I thought we had struck a deal and now you’re trying to shut the whole thing down.” Leavitt will learn soon enough.

    You know there are 10 people on that group. Hmmm, now I wonder why Adams and Bradgon didn’t want to take a vote today? I wonder why they won’t want to take one next meeting either?

    Get out of the bubble guys.

  5. “Daylight the project’s internal decision making to ensure an unrestricted flow of information… possible.”

    Right, like the way Sam ‘daylighted’ the truth about his relationship with Beau Breedlove. And the way he ‘day
    lighted’ the information requested by the AG.

    What a hypocrite. And what kind of verb is ‘daylight’?

  7. He forgets to mention that the reason he’s had such a hard time getting federal funding for the Sellwood Bridge is because the government refused to give him money for a pedestrian/bicyclist focused bridge.

  8. The Couver screamingly needs that rail hook up for development with it’s big sis, Portland, and PDX needs the $$$ flow of the Washingtonians. And if this whole group of trailer park trash (that’s right, I said it lil sis: Your fat!) wants to drama up and emasculate it’s own future, and if the snobs who can’t run a local gov’t like it’s a democracy in America (that’s right I said it big sis: Your bossy!) then Fuggudeaboudit.

    Let’s all just continue to slide into the smelly “mor”-“ass” of economic and social deprivation of becoming Northern Mexico with the equivalent of border wars.

  9. Mayor Elect Tim Leavitt’s recent stance on polls is no polls for locals and for local businesses. He is in favor of tolls for interstate travellers. They should pay tolls, their local tax base was not used for the building of the bridge.

  10. Mayor Elect Tim Leavitt’s recent stance on polls is no polls for locals and local businesses. He is in favor of tolls for interstate travellers. They should pay tolls, their local tax base was not used for the building of the bridge.

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