SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE
Of 39 Task Force members, 37 voted in favor of constructing a 10- or 12-lane replacement bridge, complete with light rail, to facilitate traffic between Vancouver and Portland.
In Bridgeton, a Northeast neighborhood just east of the I-5 freeway, there’s a lot of support, but there’s also some questions: “I believe an overwhelming majority of the residents support it (the bridge and light rail combination),” said Matthew Whitney, a Bridgeton Neighborhood Association board member.
Now that the Task Force has voted in favor of a new bridge, Bridgeton locals are concerned about the design of the bridge itself. In an email Whitney sent out to community members, he urged them to comment on the CRC project before the deadline for public input ends July 1.
His email also emphasized the importance of the bridge design and how it can impact neighborhoods, contending that “a good bridge design means a 15 to 20 percent premium on your property’s value.”
Jon Pederson, another Bridgeton resident, echoed Whitney’s concern about the aesthetics of the bridge. “I believe there’s not enough attention paid to the form of the structure, of the image,” Pederson said.
In his email, Whitney wrote that CRC officials are misleading the public when they claim that flight-path restrictions for Vancouver’s Pearson Airfield will limit the height of the bridge. Pederson is concerned that these height restrictions will detract from the monumental stature of a bridge that will have the longest span over the largest river in the west.
Carley Francis, a Columbia River Crossing spokesperson, confirmed that the airport will have an impact on the bridge design, explaining that the CRC is obligated to follow guidelines set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The bridge has to clear a certain height over the river for navigation space, and this height already infringes on Pearson Airfield,” Francis said.
No comments:
Post a Comment