Oregon took a substantive step toward reviving efforts to replace the aging Interstate Bridge that links the state with Washington.
"On Wednesday, [Oregon] House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney formally appointed eight state lawmakers to a new joint committee tasked with overseeing the bridge talks and working with lawmakers from the other side of the Columbia River on kickstarting that decades-old planning effort," reports Andrew Theen.
Political leaders in Washington have been pressing to jumpstart the project since 2018, and positive talk about the project has been reported in Oregon since April 2019.
"The CRC failed in 2014 in Oregon, but the year before a small group of Washington lawmakers torpedoed that state’s $450 million funding commitment, essentially dooming the project," explains Theen of both states' roles in the failure of the previous iteration of the project.
With the appointment of the eight lawmakers onto the join committee, Oregon legislators also expressed the desire to get to work as soon as possible.
FULL STORY: Oregon creates bipartisan Interstate Bridge committee, but ‘it’s going to be slow’
Columbia River Crossing Back From the Dead With a New Name and Potential Changes
2021 will be a big year for planning on the Interstate Bridge Replacement project, née Columbia River Crossing, that will connect Washington and Oregon across the Columbia River.
Once Abandoned, Now Accelerated: Columbia River Crossing Replacement Building Momentum
A project to build a new bridge between Portland and Washington State, once scuttled by Washington lawmakers, now has an aggressive timeline. There was some financial pressure involved in getting the project to its current status.
Opinion: Columbia River Crossing Just Another Highway Expansion
Billed as a "bridge replacement," the latest iteration of the Columbia River Crossing project is a costly expansion that will impose new tolls and cost upwards of $5 billion, according to an article by Joe Cortright.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling
An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)