State Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, on Friday announced a set of bills designed to prevent future bistate transportation projects from meeting the same fate as the failed Columbia River Crossing.
Cleveland unveiled three proposals she described as “safeguards” that would improve collaboration between two states and make it more difficult for leaders to pull the plug on a major project late in the game. In 2013, after almost a decade of planning, the Washington Legislature walked away from the CRC without approving funding for it — a move that ultimately led to the project’s demise the following year.
“I believe that we needed greater skin in the game,” Cleveland said.
One of Cleveland’s bills would establish a “bistate megaproject work group” to facilitate communication between the two states. Another would require state money to be taken from other transportation projects and given to a megaproject if it’s received a federal Record of Decision but no financing plan by the next regular legislative session. The third proposal would put the state on the hook for reimbursing funds spent on a megaproject if it fails to materialize.
As proposed, the bills would have largely penalized Washington for the outcome of the CRC.
The CRC spent $200 million and had some crucial permits in place before it folded in May 2014. The proposed Interstate 5 Bridge replacement would have cost more than $3 billion to build, but never made it to construction.
Cleveland’s proposals would apply to bistate transportation projects valued at $500 million or more. She said she plans to formally introduce the bills next week, when the 2015 legislative session starts in Olympia.
The proposals don’t specifically address the CRC. Cleveland said she’s not interested in rehashing that fight, though she stressed that the I-5 corridor — and the bridge — remain a priority for improvement.
“It’s tough to know where to begin again,” Cleveland said. “But I think we can all agree that doing nothing is not an alternative.”
Among those who attended Friday’s gathering was state Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, who called Cleveland’s proposals “a good first step.” When it does come time to revisit I-5 or any major bistate effort, lawmakers will have to be engaged from the start, Wylie said. That wasn’t always the case with the CRC.
Players on both sides of the debate will also have to be ready to compromise and let go of some of their expectations, Wylie said.
“None of us is going to get our way,” she said. “We have to agree to that up front if this is going to work.”
Cleveland made her announcement at the Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay, in the shadow of the I-5 Bridge. While political realities make the chance of a CRC revival any time soon slim to none, Cleveland said she’s willing to start new conversations.
“No more looking back,” Cleveland said. “If we could all focus on looking forward, anything is possible.”
Cleveland will serve on the Senate Transportation Committee this year. Among the committee’s other members are state Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, and Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, who is vice chair. Benton and Rivers both played a key role in the demise of the CRC.
Rivers said Friday that she hadn’t yet seen Cleveland’s proposals. Benton could not immediately be reached for comment.
This year’s legislative session kicks off on Monday.
