Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Columbia River Crossing Task Force voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to look at only one option of relieving congestion on the Interstate Bridge.  As Andrew Theen reports, a new bridge with light rail is the last alternative standing.

The final vote didn't happen until the very end of a five-hour meeting.  The task force members made dozens of amendments to a list of issues it wants the Oregon and Washington departments of transportation to examine in the final environmental impact statement due out next fall.

One idea that didn't make the cut would have given residents of Hayden Island and low income people relief from tolls.

Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder said it's too early to give groups preferential treatment.

Rex Burkholder: "If you exempt everybody from tolls, which everybody has an argument for then the project won't get built.   But I don't think we should put something in here that starts singling out people to be exempt from paying for this project."

The task force heard public testimony for an hour before they opened discussion.  One of the two task force members to oppose the light rail resolution said the project is based on shaky out-dated traffic assumptions.