SR-35 Columbia River Crossing
Feasibility Study

Purpose

The primary purpose of this project is to improve the movement of goods and people across the Columbia River between the Bingen/White Salmon, Washington and Hood River, Oregon communities.

Final Report

The final report for this study is now available online for your review. It is presented as 74-page Adobe Acrobat PDF file, and is 780Kb in size. You may download it here. 

DEIS Now Available

A draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the State Route 35 Columbia River Bridge project is now available for public review at the Hood River County Library and the White Salmon Valley Community Library. The Complete DEIS and Executive Summary are both available here in HTML (executive summary only) and PDF (executive summary and complete) formats. 

Public comments on the State Route 35 Columbia River Bridge Draft Environmental Impact Statement were accepted between January 2, 2004 and February 17, 2004. A summary of the public comments are available here.

Project Updates

Spring 2004 Feasibility Study Complete! Preferred Alternative for New Bridge Identified, Continued Public Support Essential for Implementation, Environmental Impact Statement Identifies Benefits and Impacts, Public Provides Guidance Throughout Process.

Spring 2003 Study of New and Improved Bridge Moves Forward, Environmental Impact Statement Process Underway, Preliminary Technical Research Complete, Results of Technical Analysis to be Presented at Next Public Meeting.

Summer 2002 Project Status Pending, Alternatives Narrowed, Short and Medium-Term Improvements Identified, Cost and Financing of Improvements Evaluated, Bridge Design Contest Sparks Creativity.

June 2002 Decision to Proceed with Tier III Delayed.

Spring 2002 Second Tier of Study Underway, Process Identifies Options, Alternatives Under Study, Economic and Financial Feasibility Study to be Undertaken, Bridge Design Topic of Youth Contest and Next Public Meeting, Most Residents Favor New Crossing, Tier II Schedule.

July 2001 First Tier of Study Complete, Purpose and Need for Project Defined, Corridors Narrowed for Further Study, Facility Types Identified, Options Reviewed by Public, What's Next.

February 2001 Study Moves Ahead, High Priority Issues Defined, Initial Corridors Evaluated, How To Get Involved.

September 2000 Phase 2 of Feasibility Study Underway: Key Issues, Community Participation, Questionnaire.

August 1999 First Phase Now Complete, Highlights of the Study Outline, Project Schedule.

June 1999 Spring Open House Input, Problem Summary and Development Process, Vision Statement, Mission Statement, Purpose and Need Statement, Outcomes, Project Schedule.

Committee Meetings and Open Houses

Local Advisory Committee
Made up of local business and civic representatives. This committee will review and discuss technical work from the perspective of community leaders who have a broad understanding of regional needs and will develop recommendations.

Open House Schedule

Youth Design Contest

The White Salmon Enterprise, Hood River News and several local businesses and youth organizations co-sponsored a youth design contest in February 2002. The contest was open to youth between the ages of 5 and 18 living in the Bingen, Hood River, or White Salmon areas. We now have all winning entries online for your enjoyment.

Key Milestones

Milestone   Tentative Date(s)
Kickoff Meeting August 2000
Public Involvement Process Begins September 2000
First Open House/Scoping Meeting October 2000
Baseline Conditions Report Late October 2000
First Level Screening Early Winter 2001
Tier I Report June 2001
Tier II Kickoff June 2001
Long-Term Analyses September 2001
Conceptual Engineering Winter 2001
Select Crossing Corridor Early Winter 2002
Tier II Report March 2002
Tier III Kickoff September 2002
Begin DEIS October 2002
Select Preferred Long-Term Alternative May 2003
Complete Preliminary Engineering Spring 2003
Complete Draft EIS Winter 2003

Tier III Reports (2003-2004)

Tier II Reports (2001-2002)

Motorist Intercept and Telephone Survey:

Tier I Reports (2000-2001)

Reports presented on this page, and elsewhere on this site, have been prepared with/for Adobe® Acrobat®, version 4 or higher. You may download Adobe Acrobat Reader, free of charge, if you don't already have it.

Questions or Comments?

E-mail or phone:

Dale Robins
Regional Transportation Council
P.O. Box 1366 
1300 Franklin Street
Vancouver WA 98666-1366

Tel: 360-397-6067
Fax: 360-397-6132

Send mail to webmaster@rtc.wa.gov with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright ©1992-2008, Regional Transportation Council, All Rights Reserved.
This page was last updated January 16, 2008.