i-5 Portland Interstate 5 Portland News Blog

i-5 Portland News Blog - March 08 ...

> Gregoire says light rail puts new I-5 bridge on right track ... March 27/08
Making light rail part of a new Columbia River Crossing would serve Clark County residents who want an alternative to commuting by car to Oregon jobs, Gov. Chris Gregoire told a Portland radio interviewer Wednesday. In an interview with Emily Harris, host of KOPB’s new call-in public affairs program Think Out Loud, the governor stopped short of saying inclusion of light rail will be a condition for state participation in the project. But she made her support for the mass transit option clear... cont...

> Heavy afternoon rain clogs I-5 traffic ... March 26/08
The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Wilsonville were closed for a short time Wednesday afternoon when heavy rain swept through the Portland area contributing to several minor vehicle accidents. By 3:15 p.m., one northbound lane was open, and Oregon state troopers expected the other highway lanes to be re-opened soon... cont...

> A new I-5 Columbia River bridge raises sprawl questions ... March 25/08
The governors of Oregon and Washington and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation have called fixing the Interstate 5 traffic bottleneck at the Columbia River a top priority for the nation and the Northwest. The $4.2 billion Columbia River Crossing bridge project could unclog congestion that inhibits freight movement, causes a high accident rate and slows mass transit to a crawl. But in easing I-5 congestion - and absorbing more traffic - the region faces thorny questions that could influence its growth for decades to come... cont...

> Mayor Tom Potter to list why he loves Vancouver ... March 22/08
Portland Mayor Tom Potter will pay a reluctant visit Monday to the Vancouver City Council to recite his list of "Fifteen Things I Love About the City of Vancouver." His recitation will follow, by about a week, the Portland council's consensus -- directed in part at Clark County and its biggest city, Vancouver -- that a new replacement Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River must have light rail.... cont...

> Portland City Council bristles over no light rail on I-5 bridge ... March 18/08
The Portland City Council made clear Monday that it would be unlikely to support a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River if Vancouver proves unwilling to join the light-rail revolution. Although they stopped short of calling light rail a "make or break" element of the proposed $4.2 billion Columbia River Crossing project, council members underscored strong support for rail lines over buses for mass transit. Several explored the logistics of when Vancouver or Clark County might vote on light-rail money and what might happen if voters reject the idea. Light rail has been a political flashpoint between Portland and its northern neighbors since 1995... cont...

> Video: Truck driver pulled from burning cab by passerby after crash on i-205... March 17/08
A commercial truck driver escaped from his burning bread truck Monday morning after the vehicle ran off Interstate 205, crashed into two large trees and ignited in flames, police said. The truck driver, 43-year-old Jeffrey D. Hartung of Portland, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, Oregon State Police said. He was listed in critical condition there Monday. The wreck occurred after Hartung apparently fell asleep while driving on I-205 north of Stafford Road... cont...

> A Bridge to Disaster?... March 14/08
A Proposed New 12-Lane Bridge over the Columbia River Will Cost $4.2 Billion, Increase Traffic, and Do Little to Alleviate Climate Change. What the Hell Are We Thinking?... It's the biggest public works project in our region's history, it's been years in the making, and local government bodies are poised to make final decisions on the project in the next few months. The problem is, even if we build one of the proposed new bridges, traffic is still going to increase from today's levels.... cont...

> Interstate 5; Cocaine Alley?... March 11/08
It might not be good publicity for Oregon and the Willamette Valley, but it would not be wrong to start calling Interstate 5 Cocaine Alley. In recent months, Oregon State Police found large amounts of the drug during the course of three separate traffic stops on the freeway between Albany and Portland. One day last October, near Woodburn, they stopped three men in an SUV with out-of-state plates and found 21 kilos of cocaine worth half a million dollars in the vehicle. In January, a trooper stopped a newer SUV for speeding on I-5 in Salem, also with out-of-state plates. The young driver was transporting 31 kilos worth $600,000. Then last week, troopers discovered 20 kilos hidden in a northbound SUV stopped south of Woodburn. The haul was worth $400,000..... cont...

> Supporters of third bridge call for outcry... March 10/08
Shunned by a Columbia River Crossing task force that seems intent on a new Interstate 5 span with rapid transit, boosters of a third bridge want Clark County residents to bombard local leaders with demands to reconsider. Their rally cry, lifted straight from last year’s solid defeat of a Port of Vancouver tax levy: Don’t let anyone tell you the deal is done. “The elected officials will do what you want, if you call, if you write,” said Debbie Peterson, who organized a forum Sunday that drew about 40 people to the county’s Public Service Center. “Do it every day, have your friends do it every day, and it will make a difference,” she said. Suggested targets are Clark County commissioners and Vancouver city council members..... cont...

> Police take down Nazi flag on balloon aloft next to Fremont Bridge during rush hour... March 7/08
Portland police are looking into a rush hour spectacle this morning near the Fremont Bridge. A balloon with a Nazi flag bearing a swastika was floating next to the bridge, and it took police about an hour to get it down. Authorities believe it may be connected to recent incidents in the Tigard area where similar flags and fliers have been seen. Sgt. Brian Schmautz, spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, said the roughly 4-foot balloon with a large red and white flag was tied to a line that was connected to a rock as an anchor. Someone either dropped the rock into the Willamette River from the bridge or used a boat to place it in the water, Schmautz said.... cont...

> Barnett on-off ramps off the map... March 5/08
The question of whether to preserve the northbound on-ramp to Interstate 5 from westbound Barnett Road has been discussed for several years, said Gary Leaming, project information coordinator for the Oregon Department of Transportation. Keeping the ramp, however, would contradict the purpose of the project and pose safety concerns by interrupting the flow of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists going east and west on Barnett, Leaming said. The intent of the new interchange is to improve traffic flow on Barnett, decrease congestion and enhance safety for commuters, he said.... cont...

> Backers of third bridge to push idea again... March 5/08
Backers of building a third bridge across the Columbia River refuse to give up their multiyear struggle to get traction for their plan. Debbie Peterson, a Republican who intends to run for the legislative seat now held by Rep. Bill Fromhold, D-Vancouver, questions the cost-effectiveness of the emerging Columbia River Crossing project. “The third-bridge option has never been studied to the degree a replacement bridge has been studied,” she said. Peterson has scheduled an “educational forum” for Sunday afternoon on a third bridge, which she considers an option worthy of further study before spending more than $4 billion on a replacement Interstate 5 bridge, highway improvements and light rail transit..... cont...