Two recent news events got Cherise Billington of Portland thinking about a potentially massive earthquake and the Interstate 5 Bridge. First, a mysterious, acrid odor permeated Southwest Washington. Then, an unprecedented number of small earthquakes struck Mount Adams.
Officials say the two events were unrelated, and that they are not cause for concern. Nonetheless, Billington decided to attend an open house Tuesday at Clark College in Vancouver where the public was invited to comment on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.
“I told them, like, are you guys going to add that seismic activity to your research?” she said.
The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program released its draft supplemental environmental impact statement last month, a document that outlines every aspect of the project in fine detail. Now, the program is taking public comment through Nov. 18. Responses will help inform technical analysis and design options and will refine the preferred alternative, according to program officials.
Tuesday’s event was the first in-person public hearing hosted by the program.
Billington attended to suggest some other ideas, too. For one, she hopes that the program will save pieces of the historic bridge when it gets taken down.
“Those are cultural resources,” she said. “How many breweries are going to want a piece of that bridge? We’ve got to be able to give them to restaurants and local mom-and-pop shops, so that way we can save a piece of that history.”
Billington attended the event with John Rudeen, a retired truck driver who grew up in Portland.
“I’ve been stuck on that bridge many times,” he said. “This area is growing so fast. With everybody moving here, there’s definitely a need for this bridge.”
A steady stream of people came with questions, comments and ideas; program officials were stationed throughout the room in Gaiser Hall to help.
Copies of the draft environmental impact statement were laid out on a table in multiple languages, and literature was provided that outlined important findings from the document. Informative poster boards were displayed around the perimeter of the room. Overhead, flyover visualizations of potential replacement spans were projected on large screens.
In every corner of the room, people passionately discussed the effort to replace the century-old bridge.
Attendees were invited to provide written comments on note cards or online using a QR code. Court reporters recorded in-person comments. All comments received during the public comment period will be included in the official record.
“We’re trying to make it easy for folks,” program administrator Greg Johnson said. “Our goal is, in the end, we don’t want anybody to say, ‘What is this? Why are you doing that?’ We want to make sure that folks are knowledgeable and have had their say on all of this.”
Dave Herrera of Vancouver said the program has done a great job providing public outreach. At times, he almost wonders if it’s overdone.
“It’s such an elaborate process,” he said. “But it’s very complicated, so I don’t mind it that much.”
Herrera submitted his comments before attending the event. He raised concerns about the timeline and the cost of the program, and he wonders about shipping companies that might not be able to make it under a lower replacement bridge.
“Do we legally have the authority to pay off some of these shipping companies?” he asked.
Chris Smith, with the Just Crossing Alliance, also attended the event with concerns. The Just Crossing Alliance is a coalition of organizations that advocates for a replacement with a smaller footprint than is currently being proposed.
Smith pointed to the visualizations being projected overhead.
“If you watch one of these videos, there’s no way to think this is just a bridge replacement anymore,” he said. “It’s a 5-mile freeway expansion project.”
The Just Crossing Alliance wants the existing bridge to be seismically retrofitted, but if a replacement is built the group wants better options for pedestrians and bikers, he added.
The next public hearing will be held in Portland from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Portland Expo Center, Exhibit Hall E2, 2060 N. Marine Drive.
To learn more about the public comment period and how to participate, visit https://clbn.us/n0XF4.
