Free Republic

Plan sent to feds despite high forecasts; data will be updated just prior to obtaining funding Traffic forecasts for the Columbia River Crossing that remain overinflated were among the details included in environmental plans sent to federal authorities last week. The numbers will not be updated until project officials are ready to secure funding. Vancouver, WA - Columbia River Crossing planners made several key changes to the project’s environmental plans before sending them to federal authorities last week, but opted to wait on at least one other matter — updating traffic forecasts that remain overinflated. The numbers used in the...

Green Scissors 2011 identifies wasteful government subsidies that are damaging to the environment and could end up costing taxpayers more than $380 billion. Green Scissors 2011 builds on last year’s report by advancing cuts that could potentially save taxpayers $380 billion or more over five years. The report makes the case that the federal government can help protect our natural resources, reduce the growth of government spending, and make a significant dent in the national debt by eliminating harmful spending. The Green Scissors report finds cuts in energy, agriculture, transportation, and land and water projects. Targets include massive giveaways of...

PORTLAND — One casualty of the coming federal budget crunch could be a new $3 billion bridge carrying Interstate 5 across the Columbia River. At best, its sponsors acknowledge, the bridge project is going to take another whack. At worst, the sponsors say, are options they’re not ready to consider, including shelving $130 million worth of plans until the nation’s balance sheet looks better or scaling back the project. The current I-5 bridge linking Oregon and Washington is considered at risk in an earthquake, and its tie-ups infuriate commuters and truckers. Proponents of a replacement say the nation can’t afford...

Washington, Oregon, federal government struggle to determine how to pay for project (Vancouver, WA) Knock aside the steel beams and concrete, and there’s just one thing that the Columbia River Crossing will be built upon: money. And one of the largest public works projects in the Pacific Northwest has an unusual plan to get that money — one that relies on the federal government, two states and local tolls to pay the estimated $2.63 billion to $3.76 billion price tag. The CRC is coming of age in an era where paying for big infrastructure projects is growing increasingly difficult, so...

This report analyzes the forecast accuracy, financial costs, and financial risks associated with the proposed Columbia River Crossing Project. It reaches three principal conclusions: 1) the traffic forecasts on which project finances are based are inaccurate and unreliable; 2) the thirty-year cost of building and operating the CRC will be at least double the $4 billion estimated and could reach $10 billion or more; 3) the project will necessitate a huge increase in bonded public debt and poses substantial additional financial risks including mega-project cost overruns. 1. CRC traffic forecasts are inaccurate. CRC forecasts grossly over-estimate the traffic growth on...

With the spring primaries only weeks away, most voters probably assume that elected leaders seeking new terms have been busy representing us and leading this state into the future. Seems simple enough. But what, more precisely, do we expect? For starters, showing up, not lying and obeying the law, but that goes for every citizen. Certainly we expect more of leaders. At a minimum, we should expect them to pay attention to the long-term needs of our state, and the long-term consequences of the decisions made today to meet needs now and likely to emerge. You and I get to...

Vancouver, WA - U.S. Sen. Patty Murray offered a bleak financial assessment this week for replacing the Interstate 5 Bridge, saying it would be “extremely difficult” for the federal government to provide even the minimum contribution backers expect. Murray, D-Wash., told The Columbian the project faces a number of potential obstacles, including a projected $3.4 billion shortfall in the federal highway trust fund and the possibility of a John McCain presidency. The Arizona Republican has promised to veto any “pork barrel” earmarks that direct federal dollars to projects outside the regular appropriations process. Preliminary financial plans call for using $400...