Sam Adams sent this letter to Governor Kitzhaber last week asking the governor to support the cable stayed bridge for the Columbia River Crossing. The city of Vancouver also backs the cable stayed design. However, money is an issue, and with the project having already cost $118 million, and the total price tag being $3.6 billion, although critics claim it could be 3 times that much.
Basically the only arguments for the other design, a truss bridge like the Marquam bridge are that it will save $50-60 million and will not require FAA approval, like the cable stayed bridge. The final decision rests with the governor, although the mayor is not shy about voicing his preference for the cable stayed bridge, and the city is funding the group responsible for lobbying for the cable stayed design. What the public wants is, at best, unclear.
Last week, Jeff Jahn, at PORT, offered this explanation of the serious design problems with the truss deck option. In any event, it is not clear what the governor will do, and there are strong opinions on both sides.
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