BikePortland Reports Sauvie Island Bridge Project is Dead

BikePortland is reporting Sam Adams will announce today that the Sauvie Island Bridge proposal is dead. Apparently PDOT is an additional $2 million in the hole due to increased gas prices causing reduced driving and therefore reduced gas tax revenues. In addition, project costs are coming in higher than expected due to the same increase in fuel costs. The combination, according to Adams, means he cannot provide reasonable assurance that the project will come in under the $5.5 million maximum.

Cost increases aside, one can't help but wonder if political pressure wasn't a factor in this decision. The proposal was very controversial. Those opposed to it were crying foul and claiming the east side was being ignored at the expense of the west side. Many turned it into an "us against them" or "rich versus poor" argument rather than argue about it as the unique transportation opportunity that it was.

A bridge is still planned for the location in "2 to 4 years" but it will be narrower and generic. Part of the appeal of this project was the reuse of an old bridge that has character and would have become a landmark. Many of those opposed to this project also cry out against the "gentrification" of the northwest district, more specifically the Pearl with its "boring" or "ugly" development. They don't like gentrification but they don't want to add character. The bridge project did cost more than the proposed generic bridge, but it cost less than a new bike bridge of the same size. It was a unique opportunity and its unfortunate we weren't able to take advantage of it.

If it was killed for purely fiscal reasons, so be it, many argued they believed it was too expensive. But I don't agree with those who moved the discussion away from the project and turned it into an "us against them" battle. There was a very limited time to take advantage of this because the bridge is scheduled for demolition. That was the reason for the urgency in the project, not favoritism for one part of the city over the others.

Does anyone else see the irony in increasing fuel costs as the reason for the death of this project? Increased fuel costs make it impossible to fund a project that would aid in reducing dependence on fuel. Brilliant.

Read Jonathan's post at PortlandBike.

Update:
Read BikePortland's coverage of Sam Adams news conference.