Hoping to shore up political support for a new Interstate 5 bridge, a former legislative aide to Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski has been tapped to serve as a governmental liaison focused on the Columbia River Crossing.
Hans Bernard, formerly Kulongoski’s deputy legislative director, will work for the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Portland region, according to a Friday announcement.
He will focus on building consensus on a crossing design, lobby for multimodal projects and strengthen outreach and coordination with the business community in the metro area.
“We’re moving toward a consensus, but clearly there’s still a lot of big decisions to be made,” said Kulongoski spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor. “The governor supports this move because of Hans’ strengths in bringing different interests together, not only for Oregon’s economy but for Washington’s economy.”
The appointment follows Washington naming a new co-director for the crossing project last week. Don Wagner, regional administrator of the Washington Department of Transportation in Vancouver, shifted to his new position with the crossing’s bistate office at the start of the year.
Despite years of planning, questions remain on the project’s size, scope and funding.
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt was elected in November after making opposition to bridge tolls a campaign centerpiece. Portland Mayor Sam Adams, an adamant supporter of tolling to manage congestion, responded to anti-tolling sentiment in Vancouver by retracting his previous support for a 12-lane bridge.
The CRC includes a 12-lane bridge, five miles of freeway improvements and a light-rail extension from Portland’s Expo Center to Clark College.
Last month, the 10-member Project Sponsors Council put off a decision on $650 million worth of cutbacks proposed by engineers, including narrowing the bridge from 12 to 10 lanes. Even a downsized project will cost between $2.6 billion and $3.6 billion.
The sponsors council is due to consider the refinements Jan. 22 in Vancouver.
