The Bonneville Power Administration announced today that it has identified the Central Alternative using Central Option 1 as its preferred alternative for the I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project.
“We have heard from many people their desire for us to identify a preferred alternative sooner rather than later,” said BPA Administrator Steve Wright. “The preferred alternative represents a healthy balance of our accountability to the region, particularly to those who participated in the public process; our responsibility to manage costs for regional ratepayers; our role as responsible environmental stewards and our goal of operating a reliable transmission system.”
According to a BPA press release, the current cost estimate for the preferred alternative is $459 million and avoids many small, rural parcels of private land by crossing significant lengths of land held by large public and private landowners, as well as avoiding the most environmentally, mission-sensitive and high impact lands these entities manage on the East Alternative.
Line 52, which is included in the preferred alternative, runs through the Goot Park area in Camas. In addition, a river crossing from Troutdale to Camas is the only Columbia River crossing that is being considered for the project.
