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Sustainable Washington

3.6 Project Example #2

Action: Columbia River Crossing (CRC) Project
Who: Oregon and Washington States Departments of Transportation
More Info: http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org/

The Columbia River Crossing is the recipient of a National Association of Environmental Professionals 2009 Environmental Excellence Award in the category of NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Excellence. CRC is a bridge, transit and highway project that addresses congestion, safety and mobility problems on I-5 between Portland and Vancouver. CRC was selected for this award because the project “demonstrates a novel method to assess the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and through the environmental review process identify a less overall impacting alternative for a complex transportation project,” according to the letter received from the organization’s president, Jim Melton. The award honors the project’s approach to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change evaluation in the May 2008 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). “I applaud and commend the Washington and Oregon departments of transportation on this award of excellence. Working together, they have proven that protecting the environment can be a mainstream practice and an important component of environmental review standards on this critical project,” stated Washington Governor Chris Gregoire.

“This award recognizes the leadership that our two states are providing toward the development of environmentally responsible and sustainable transportation solutions for the generations to come,” said Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. “We need to reduce greenhouse gases while still improving an international trade corridor and removing freight bottlenecks. We must do both.”
“CRC exemplifies the department’s commitment to innovative transportation planning that considers a wide range of community and environmental effects, in addition to traffic flow. The CRC project is a national model that will benefit freight mobility, commuters and the environment,” said Paula Hammond, Washington State Transportation Secretary.
Director Matt Garrett of the Oregon Department of Transportation, added, “We are proud to be leading the way for the country by providing a new method of incorporating climate change in the transportation alternatives analysis.”

3.6 Mobility | Table of Contents