Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Ports of Portland and Vancouver have weighed in on how the planning for the Columbia River Crossing should move forward. April Baer reports.

Local leaders, like the mayors of Portland and Vancouver, have asked to slow the process down. They have a broad range of concerns, from how the bridge will be paid for to what shape it will take.

But when the governors of Washington and Oregon said in writing this week the project can’t afford to slow down, Port leaders were quick to agree. 

Here’s Larry Paulson, head of the Port of Vancouver.

Larry Paulson   “We need to plan for the future. I think in terms of the bridge the future is now.”

Bill Wyatt “If we don’t do something about it, nature will. These bridges are really old, they’re seismically unfit, and they’re not serving the needs of our region.

And that’s Bill Wyatt,  of the Port of Portland.  Both port leaders are frustrated with the slow flow of truck freight on I-5 during rush hours.

Portland needs more reliable access to the airport for Southwest Washington travelers, too.

Paulson and Wyatt say they believe the local concerns raised by regional leaders can be addressed, but they second the govenors’ motion to keep the project moving on track, with construction beginning in 2012.