Last week TriMet was at the top of the news (and may be for a while), but let’s not lose track of the Columbia River Crossing. In particular, let’s not miss that the $1.50/barrel tax that Washington State was contemplating to fund their Governor’s big transportation package (in which the CRC did not particularly seem to be a priority) is a political non-starter.
All roads (pun intended) to funding the CRC seem very cloudy at the moment.
4 responses to “Meanwhile, Back at the CRC”
A bill to authorize tolls to pay for the CRC has passed in the Washington State Senate; a similar bill is pending in the House.
And where will they get the rest of the money?
So, another way of phrasing your point is: a funding source that was never planned to fund the CRC is likely to not pass…?
In other news, the state Supreme Court today issued a mixed ruling on an appeal of Metro’s approval of the CRC. Opponents claimed that Metro did not have jurisdiction over the entire Oregon section of the project, as Metro’s boundary only extends to the north shore of Hayden Island, not to the state line. The court agreed.
Project proponents have two choices:
* Metro can annex the Columbia River, essentially
* The City of Portland can approve the section, as the city limits extend to the state line.