Oregon Public Broadcasting

The White House placed "priority status" Tuesday on the plan to build a new bridge with light rail across the Columbia River.  As Andrew Theen reports, the designation came at the request of the Oregon and Washington departments of transportation.

The I-5 corridor through Portland and Vancouver previously earned "Corridor of the Future" status.  Now the Columbia River Crossing Project is on the government's short list of important projects.

Congressman Brian Baird represents Southwest Washington.  He said something needs to be done quickly with congestion on the Interstate Bridge, and he says this designation shows the government is paying attention.

He says its status will ensure the project doesn't get stuck in a bureaucratic bottleneck.

Brian Baird: "It will be one of a few projects in the country with a designated person at the top level of the federal government to coordinate and make sure things are moving forward at pace, and that saves time, it saves wasted dollars."

Opponents of the project claim it will encourage driving and entrench dependency on oil instead of putting the focus on reducing carbon emissions.