Several Oregon Republicans are prepared to abandon a bi-state committee currently negotiating the Interstate Bridge Replacement between Oregon and Washington if the Washington Legislature passes a 6-cent tax on Oregonians’ fuel.

“Republicans will not stand by and let Washington raise the cost-of-living for our residents without a fight,” said Senator Lynn P. Findley (R-Vale), a member of the Bi-state committee.

“If the majority party in Washington thought we would turn a blind eye when they force us to pay for their roads, they are mistaken,” added Representative Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany), who also serves on the committee. “If this unconstitutional tax passes, then Washington should pay the entire cost of the Interstate Bridge Replacement themselves.”

According to a 2019 audit of the Columbia River Crossing project done by the Oregon Secretary of State, "The Columbia River Crossing, otherwise known as the CRC, was a bi-state megaproject to build a bridge between the cities of Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. The new bridge would have replaced and modernized the existing stretch of Interstate 5 (I-5) that currently connects the two cities across the Columbia River. The two states’ Departments of Transportation formed a joint CRC project team in 2004 to manage this effort.

"The intent of the project was to improve safety, reduce congestion, and increase mobility of motorists, freight traffic, transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians in a notoriously congested section of I-5. To finance the effort, the CRC team developed a plan that relied on federal, state, and toll funding. However, after Oregon passed legislation in 2013 to authorize its $450 million share, Washington failed to follow suit. As a result, after nine years of planning and millions of dollars spent, the CRC project was terminated in 2014 without any construction."

Some insiders see the Washington tax proposal as retaliation for Oregon's proposal to toll parts of interstates 5 and 205.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-02-25 06:17:07

Last Update: 2022-02-24 21:19:09