For years, Washington state lawmakers attempted to send a message to their Oregon counterparts proving they are ready to talk about the region’s chronically congested Interstate 5 Bridge.
But every venture became mired in political gridlock and ultimately died a toxic death. Last week, a bill addressing the bridge sailed out of the Washington state Senate — the same chamber responsible for killing the Columbia River Crossing project — and Southwest Washington lawmakers felt triumphant, even victorious, calling the approval monumental.
But the message they tried to send across the river appears to have fallen on busy and frustrated ears.
“The view from Oregon is we don’t want to talk about bridges,” said Democrat Lee Beyer, who chairs the Senate Committee on Business and Transportation. “At least not the one crossing the Columbia.”
Beyer likened Oregon lawmakers to still feeling “a little bit like Charlie Brown.”
Remember when Charlie Brown gears up to kick the football and at the last second Lucy pulls it away, leaving Charlie Brown laying flat on his back?
In Beyer’s analogy, Washington is Lucy.
That is to say, Oregon lawmakers still remember when they were ready to go on the Columbia River Crossing and the Washington Senate pulled out of the project.
Washington legislators aren’t surprised by Oregon’s reaction. It’s what they expected.
Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, said she’s touched base with Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, throughout the process.
“I’ve always recognized we have broken trust with our partners and we were going to have to work hard to address the lack of trust. While this legislation is the first step, there is much more work to be done,” Cleveland said.
Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, said it’s also worth clarifying what Washington is asking of Oregon right now. There is no new project being planned. Oregon doesn’t need to pass anything this legislative session, she said. Washington wants something tangible to show Oregon to illustrate they can work together on what’s considered the region’s most divisive issue.
“I think when a vocal opponent has rolled up their sleeves and said they are ready to go to work that’s something that should garner attention,” said Rivers, a driving force behind the demise of the Columbia River Crossing. “I do think we need to reach out on a personal level to some of these folks to clarify what we’re hoping to do.”
Oregon’s perspective
Oregon lawmakers are quick to point out they are in the midst of their own legislative session and face their own political hurdles. They are currently trying to pass a transportation funding package. There’s no time, no desire and no money to start thinking about the Interstate 5 Bridge.
Key Oregon players issued noncommittal, tepid statements after the Washington bill passed. A spokesman for Democratic Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she’s “encouraged” by the Washington Legislature’s approval. Kotek’s spokeswoman said she’s “pleased” Washington recognizes the importance of replacing the bridge.
But it hasn’t been long enough for the overwhelming feeling of bridge fatigue to dissipate.
“When the (Columbia River Crossing project) failed, I think I said it will be 10 years before we get back to it,” Beyer said. “Once you lose the momentum, you have some hard feelings and some other things going on. I just think it takes a while.”
At one point in the interview, Beyer’s tone softened slightly.
“I suppose I’m not saying I’m closed to discussion,” he said.
The need for a project still exists, he added.
But Beyer, who has been a legislator off-and-on for more than a decade, quickly veered the conversation back to the excruciatingly long process he was involved in previously.
“The last time the discussion actually started with a bistate group like they are proposing, in 1997 or 1998 … And that discussion went on for about 12 years. So I guess from my perspective, I would be happy to talk about it when they are at the point that they get serious,” he said.
Ryan Deckert, the president of the Oregon Business Association, said the news from Olympia initially spurred a collective “day late and $2 billion short” response.
Like many of the lawmakers, Deckert said the current focus is Oregon’s own transportation package.
But, he added, the bridge remains “one of the most congested places on the West Coast … and the economic and quality-of-life implications are huge.”
“It’s not like Washington not acting a few years ago meant cars or trucks disappeared on I-5. The challenge gets bigger every year as Clark County grows. So we’ll figure out a way, but we have some immediate big tasks that we’re focused on,” Deckert said.
Oregon Republican Rep. Julie Parrish, who was involved with the Columbia River Crossing project as a then-member of the House Transportation Committee, said she thinks it’s wise Washington is taking an inventory of what’s salvageable from the Columbia River Crossing. She’s hoping Oregon’s secretary of state will still audit to the project, so Oregon can better track the money that was spent and understand how not to repeat the mistakes.
“If Washington had a task force … I would come on my own free will and sit up there,” Parrish said.
In Olympia
Washington legislators aren’t disheartened by the lukewarm response from Oregon.
They are still relishing in the glory that they were able to find common ground on such a contentious topic.
Even when former state Sen. Don Benton, who led the battle to kill the Columbia River Crossing, did his best to kill the new bill, it survived. Benton tried to assert his influence from his new position in the Trump administration, but failed.
He called several legislators, texted others and even warned one that “no good for you can come out of this.”
Senate Bill 5806 calls on the Washington State Department of Transportation to take inventory of what’s left of the Columbia River Crossing project, to see if anything is salvageable. It doesn’t name a project and legislators are wary of even uttering the words “Columbia River Crossing.”
The measure also calls for creating a legislative action committee, but not until the end of this year.
Cleveland said the plan has always been for Washington to keep working on this side of the river and approach Oregon to engage once they were armed with more information.
She said there’s also been a lot of miscommunication swirling around.
A couple of Oregon legislators mentioned conversations with Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, who tried to pass her own bridge bill this session and spearheaded an effort in previous sessions. Pike is championing a third bridge over the Columbia River before focusing on Interstate 5.
She did not sign on to the measure that passed last week, which prioritizes replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge. The measure does, however, create a regional bridge authority to consider other bridge options.
Cleveland said she’s heard Oregon legislators might not be aware Pike isn’t part of the “consensus agreement right now.”
“There is obviously a great deal of work ahead and we all know that,” Cleveland said.
