A three-page letter signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire of Washington and Gov. Ted Kulongoski of Oregon was circulated during Tuesday's meeting of the Columbia River Crossing Task Force.

"We feel very strongly that now is the time to address this key bottleneck that not only links Portland and Vancouver but affects the economic vitality of the entire West Coast," the June 19 letter says.

"Our strong support for this project is centered on the belief that it presents a huge opportunity for our two states. It is an opportunity to leverage federal funds to build a project that provides transportation options, improves safety, enhances freight mobility and demonstrates to the nation how to build a green project that reflects the value of our region."

Although the letter encourages action, it does not endorse a specific bridge option, namely building an entirely new crossing or retaining the existing twin spans for northbound freeway traffic. Nor does it embrace light rail or bus rapid transit as a way to move commuters between Vancouver and Portland.

Gregoire followed up the letter with a brief phone call Tuesday to the crossing task force, during which she thanked its 39 members and emphasized the need to move ahead.

Last December's flooding, which shut down a portion of Interstate 5 in Lewis County, demonstrated the potential economic effect of what would happen if a catastrophe occurred on or near the I-5 Bridge, Gregoire said.

"Any serious earthquake means our West Coast would lose a main economic artery," she said.

Gregoire said she is committed to seeing the project built in a fiscally sound and environmentally conscious fashion.

"We're going to show the rest of the country how to get the job done," the governor said.

The crossing task force is meeting for a final time to formally propose a package of bridge and transit improvements designed to ease congestion on the I-5 corridor between the two states. That proposal, what bridge planners call a "locally preferred alternative," will be forwarded to eight governments on both sides of the Columbia River for adoption.

Each agency is likely to attach its own conditions. The Metro Council will call for tolling to begin as soon as possible as a way to drive down freeway congestion and encourage transit use, as well as additional study of the number of bridge lanes and the project's effect on greenhouse gases.

But the Vancouver City Council voted 6-1 Monday night to remove any reference to tolls from a draft resolution the council is scheduled to formally approve on July 7. Mayor Royce Pollard cast the sole vote to delete the tolling provision, saying the project won't be built without tolls.

The Vancouver council also has a wish list that it wants included in the project, including:

• Adding a lid over a small portion of the freeway south of the Evergreen Boulevard overpass to provide a small parklike area.
• Building a "heritage" pedestrian bridge connecting Seventh Street on the west side of I-5 with the Vancouver National Historic Reserve on the east.
• Extending Main Street south to the Columbia River, providing a new route to a waterfront that historically has been cut off from downtown by a railroad berm.