Why Are We Considering the Sellwood Bridge Project?
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FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND FINAL SECTION 4(f) EVALUATION Sellwood Bridge SE Tacoma Street and Oregon 43 Multnomah County, Oregon Federal Highway Administration | Oregon Department of Transportation | Multnomah County August 2010 In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, alternative formats of this document will be made available upon request. Printed on recycled and recyclable paper Fact Sheet Project Title Two public briefings, an open house, and a public hearing were held in November and December Sellwood Bridge Project 2008. After public and agency comments were Project Description fully considered and evaluated, Alternative D was identified as the preferred alternative. The Sellwood Bridge project would rehabilitate Alternative D, which has been refined to address or replace the Sellwood Bridge located in public and agency comments and minimize Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. The impacts, is evaluated as Alternative D Refined in bridge crosses the Willamette River on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). SE Tacoma Street on the east end and intersects Therefore, the FEIS evaluates a No Build with Oregon 43 (OR 43, also known as Alternative, the five Build alternatives evaluated in SW Macadam Avenue) on the west end. The the DEIS, and the preferred alternative following four main issues identify the need for (Alternative D Refined). this project: Under the No Build Alternative, the existing • Inadequate structural integrity to safely infrastructure would remain the same and the accommodate various vehicle types (including bridge would continue to operate as it does transit vehicles, trucks, and emergency today. The bridge, west-side interchange vehicles) and to withstand moderate seismic configuration, and east-side bridge approach events would not change. Multnomah County has • Substandard and unsafe roadway design identified maintenance activities under the No Build Alternative that would be necessary to keep • Substandard pedestrian and bicycle facilities the bridge operational and in as good a condition across the river as possible for the next 20 years. • Existing and future travel demands between The following list identifies the Build alternatives origins and destinations served by the evaluated in the FEIS. Sellwood Bridge exceed available capacity • Alternative A would rehabilitate the existing A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), bridge for motorized vehicles and would add which was distributed in November 2008, a separate bicycle/pedestrian bridge 300 feet evaluated a No Build Alternative and five Build north of the existing bridge. The river alternatives, lettered A through E. The Build crossing would be closed during alternatives were assembled from compatible construction. combinations of alignments, bridge cross- sections, bridge design types, west-end • Alternative B would rehabilitate the existing interchange types, and east-end intersection bridge and widen it on the north side. It types. These features were evaluated within the would include the option for a temporary context of individual Build alternatives. However, detour bridge to keep the river crossing open some features could be substituted into other during construction. alternatives. • Alternative C would consist of a double- deck bridge replacement on the existing Sellwood Bridge Project Final Environmental Impact Statement 3 Fact Sheet alignment. The river crossing would be closed can be obtained free of charge by contacting during construction. Multnomah County at: • Alternative D would consist of a Mike Pullen replacement bridge on the existing alignment, Multnomah County Public Affairs Office widened to the south. The river crossing (503) 988-6804 would remain open during construction. Printed copies of the FEIS are available at select • Alternative E would replace the existing Multnomah County and Clackamas County bridge on a new alignment to the north. The libraries, and other locations (see the river crossing would remain open during Distribution List in Appendix E of the FEIS). construction. Anticipated Permits and • Alternative D Refined (the preferred Approvals alternative) includes design refinements to Anticipated permits and approvals that would be Alternative D to address public and agency required for the project include the following: comments received on the DEIS, and to minimize environmental impacts, which Federal included the refinement of: • Federal Highway Administration − OR 43 footprint to reduce park impacts − Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966 − Pedestrian and bicyclist facilities to • National Park Service improve access, improve safety, and − Section 6(f) of the Land and Water reduce park and natural resource impacts Conservation Act (Alternative A only) − A driveway access to improve safety and • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Oregon reduce park impacts Department of State Lands − Clean Water Act, Section 404 − The width of the bridge deck on the − Oregon's Removal-Fill Law west-end − Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act − An access roadway footprint to • U.S. Coast Guard accommodate a future streetcar line − Section 9 of the Rivers and Harbors Act For a complete description of the alternatives, • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/National Marine see Chapter 2 of the FEIS. Fisheries Service − Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act Lead Agencies Consultation; Biological Opinion Multnomah County − Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Federal Highway Administration − Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Oregon Department of Transportation and Management Act − Migratory Bird Treaty Act Document Availability State The FEIS can be accessed at www.sellwoodbridge.org. Readers can follow a • Oregon Department of Agriculture link from that page to a page to submit comments − Oregon Endangered Species Act (Plants) online. The FEIS is also available on CD-ROM and • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 4 Sellwood Bridge Project Final Environmental Impact Statement Fact Sheet − Clean Water Act Section 401: Water − Harbor Master Permit Quality Certification FEIS Appendix F, Summary of Permits and − Clean Water Act Section 402: National Clearances Needed, summarizes required Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits and clearances for this project. (NPDES) Program − Clean Water Act Section 402: NPDES The Federal Highway Administration, in Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System cooperation with the Oregon Department of (MS4) Program Transportation and Multnomah County, intends − Conformance with Oregon Department to issue a “statute of limitations” (SOL) notice in the Federal Register, pursuant to 23 United of Environmental Quality’s National States Code (U.S.C.) Section 139(l), indicating Ambient Air Quality Standards that one or more federal agencies have taken final • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife action on permits, licenses, or approvals for this − Oregon Endangered Species Act transportation project. This SOL notice (Wildlife) establishes that claims seeking judicial review of − Fish Passage Plan Approval (Oregon those federal agency actions will be barred unless Administrative Rule [OAR] 635-012) such claims are filed within 180 days after the date of publication of the notice in the Federal • Oregon Department of Transportation Register. Multnomah County will also make the − Access spacing deviation (OAR 734-051) SOL notice available on the project website at • Oregon State Marine Board http://www.sellwoodbridge.org. − Recreational Waters Coordination Requirements Authors and Principal • State Historic Preservation Office Contributors − Section 106 Consultation, National The names of authors and principal contributors Historic Preservation Act are listed in FEIS Appendix C, List of Preparers. Local Record of Decision • City of Portland Following issuance of the FEIS, the Federal − Floodplain Development Permit Highway Administration will issue a Record of − Type II Greenway Permit Decision. This approval, and a Financial Plan − Type II Environmental Permit demonstrating how the project will be funded, − Type II Historic Design Review would allow Multnomah County to move ahead − Conditional Use Permit with the project. − Non Park Use Permit − Noise Ordinance Variance In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, alternative formats of this document will be made available upon request. Sellwood Bridge Project Final Environmental Impact Statement 5 Final Environmental Impact Statement Table of Contents Summary .................................................................................................... S-1 Chapter 1. Purpose and Need ................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Why are we considering the Sellwood Bridge project? ........................................................................ 1-1 1.2 Where is the project located? ..................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.3 What is the project setting? ......................................................................................................................... 1-2 1.4 What is the history of the project? ............................................................................................................ 1-2 1.4.1 Built in 1925 ...................................................................................................................................... 1-2 1.4.2 Oregon’s First-Ever Four-Span, Continuous-truss Bridge