Oregon Public Broadcasting

Metro and the City of Portland came together to discuss replacing the I-5 bridge over the Columbia Monday.  As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, the two governments rarely hold joint meetings.

The politicians talked about how much the bridge might cost and how many lanes it ought to have.

Fewer lanes would be cheaper, create less greenhouse gas to build and perhaps limit sprawl. More lanes would reduce traffic congestion – at least in the short-term.

One of the biggest controversies was whether to decide the size of the bridge before deciding whether it should have a toll.

Metro counselor Carl Hosticka says the toll decision comes first.

Carl Hosticka: “If you don’t make that decision and you commit yourself to a $4 billion bridge and then come back and say: 'Oh, well now we’ll face the issue that is at the heart of the whole matter,' I think that it’s taking things out of sequence.”

Many people say that if the new bridge chares a toll, the I-205 Glenn Jackson Bridge will also have to -- otherwise commuters would simply avoid the new crossing.