Report to the Washington State Legislature Columbia River I-5 Bridge Planning Inventory December 2017 Columbia River I-5 Bridge Planning Inventory Errata The Columbia River I-5 Bridge Planning Inventory published to WSDOT’s website on December 1, 2017 contained the following errata. The items below have been corrected in versions downloaded or printed after January 10, 2018. Section 4, page 62: Corrects the parties to the tolling agreement between the States—the Washington State Transportation Commission and the Oregon Transportation Commission. Miscellaneous sections and pages: Minor grammatical corrections. Columbia River I-5 Bridge Planning Inventory | December 2017 Table of Contents Executive Summary. .1 Section 1: Introduction. .29 Legislative Background to this Report Purpose and Structure of this Report Significant Characteristics of the Project Area Prior Work Summary Section 2: Long-Range Planning . .35 Introduction Bi-State Transportation Committee Portland/Vancouver I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership Task Force The Transition from Long-Range Planning to Project Development Section 3: Context and Constraints . 41 Introduction Guiding Principles: Vision and Values Statement & Statement of Purpose and Need Built and Natural Environment Navigation and Aviation Protected Species and Resources Traffic Conditions and Travel Demand Safety of Bridge and Highway Facilities Freight Mobility Mobility for Transit, Pedestrian and Bicycle Travel Section 4: Funding and Finance. 55 Introduction Funding and Finance Plan Evolution During CRC Project Development Early Review of Funding and Finance Options Summary of Funding and Finance Plans Presented in the FEIS Finance Analysis Funding and Finance Plan Revisions Tolling Assumptions, Analysis and Plans Tolling Recommendations from Long-Range Planning Tolling Analysis Federal and Legislative Authorization of Tolling External Review and Validation of Tolling Future Prospects for Federal Funding Funding and Finance: Key Findings WSDOT | Report to the Washington State Legislature Section 5: Project Management, Leadership and Coordination. .69 Introduction: Management, Leadership and Coordination of Complex Projects Project Management and Leadership Roles States of Oregon and Washington Oregon and Washington Departments of Transportation Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Regional Transit Agencies and Cities Federal Agencies American Indian Tribes Ports of Portland and Vancouver Coordination Structure and Roles Interstate Collaborative Environmental Process (InterCEP) Columbia River Crossing Task Force Project Sponsors Council CRC Working Groups Tolling Study Committee Section 6: Project Development. .79 Introduction Major Project Development Process CRC Project Development: Key Milestones and Decisions Project Development and the National Environmental Policy Act Alternatives Development Framing the Problem and Establishing Evaluation Criteria CRC Project Components and Screening Alternatives Package Development and Screening Selection of the Alternatives to be Included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Selection of the Locally Preferred Alternative Refinements to the Locally Preferred Alternative Integrated Environmental Review and Analysis Interstate and Interagency Collaboration National Marine Fisheries Service ESA Biological Opinion and Conservation Recommendations Section 106 Historic and Archaeological Resources Review USCG Bridge Permit USACE Section 408 Permit NEPA Determinations (Reevaluations and Categorical Exclusions) Applicability of CRC NEPA Determinations to a New Project Columbia River I-5 Bridge Planning Inventory | December 2017 Table of Contents Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering—River Crossing Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering—Columbia River Bridge Temporary Pile Test Program Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering—Drilled Shaft and Driven Pile Test Program Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering—Highway Interchanges Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering—Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering—Transit Public Involvement FTA Capital Investment Grant “New Starts” Process Real Estate Acquisition Management Planning External Review & Validation Cost Risk Assessment/Cost Estimate Validation Process Value Engineering Study Travel Demand Modeling Review Panel Greenhouse Gas Emission Analysis Expert Review Panel Bridge Review Panel Oregon Treasurer CRC Finance Review Section 7: Project Delivery. .129 Introduction Public Funding Delivery Methods Private Funding Delivery Methods Project Procurement Methods Program Phasing, Sequencing and Packaging Section 8: Operations & Maintenance. .137 Introduction Highway Operations and Maintenance Costs Routine Annual Facility O&M Costs Routine Annual Tolling O&M Costs Highway/Tolling Periodic Rehabilitation and Replacement (R&R) Costs Transit Operations and Maintenance Costs Appendix A: Guide to Key Documents Referenced in this Report. 141 Appendix B: List of Acronyms Used in this Report. .147 This report and additional supporting information is available at the following website: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability/ssb5806/ WSDOT | Report to the Washington State Legislature Executive Summary As directed by the Washington Legislature in SSB 5806, Section 5, this report provides an inventory of all planning, environmental, permitting and engineering work that was previously performed related to the construction of a new Interstate 5 (I-5) bridge over the Columbia River. The report is structured to provide information to the Washington Legislature, to the public, and to a proposed joint Washington and Oregon Legislative Action Committee in potential efforts (anticipated in SSB 5806) to begin a new project development process for a replacement bridge. The report seeks to provide information that could assist the proposed joint Legislative Action Committee in determining the extent to which prior activities may: • remain useful as the basis for future actions related to a new bridge; and, • provide a technical or procedural foundation for new planning and project development activities related to a new bridge. Major Milestones Completed in Prior Project Planning Prior project planning included both long-range planning and project development activities for the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) Project. The multi-year project development phase encompassed planning and engineering activities to develop and compare the costs and benefits of alternatives; stakeholder and public participation processes to develop consensus on the project components; identification of impacts to meet both the intent and the legal requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other applicable federal laws; and development of a funding and finance plan, including participation in federal grant processes and rigorous analysis of a tolling program. Prior project planning included development of a bridge design concept that accommodated all modes of travel. Columbia River I-5 Bridge Planning Inventory | December 2017 1 Executive Summary Major milestones completed during this process resulted in: • The selection of a locally preferred alternative by local partner agencies: City of Vancouver, City of Portland, C-TRAN, TriMet, Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council and Metro; • A Record of Decision issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA), approving the proposed actions, mitigation measures and conditions identified in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the project; • A U.S. Coast Guard Bridge Permit which addressed the height and other features of the proposed new bridge; • An $850M Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grant funding recommendation by the U.S. Department of Transportation, reflected in the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2012; • Design plans of sufficient detail to support detailed, validated cost estimates; • Construction procurement, phasing and packaging plans; and, • A tolling and finance plan that was validated through Prior project planning included a light rail transit preparation of an investment grade traffic and toll revenue extension of the Portland MAX system to study and review by the Oregon Treasurer. downtown Vancouver and Clark College. Analysis completed for the CRC Project NEPA process will be useful in subsequent environmental review or reevaluation, as the natural and built environment of the project area are substantially the same as they were when the Record of Decision was issued. However, the extent to which a new project could be informed by prior environmental analysis and/or approvals may depend on factors such as: • the extent to which a new project is responding to the same statement of Purpose and Need; • the extent of changes in conditions in the project area; • the extent of changes in the scope and design of a new project. At a minimum, a new project will require a reevaluation to comply with NEPA, and may require a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement or more. 2 WSDOT | Report to the Washington State Legislature ...\Sheets\Civil\Alt-4_Sheet.dgn 9/19/2006 8:40:07 AM Prior project planning included the development and analysis of twenty-three river crossing alternatives. Organization of this Report This report is organized into eight sections, including: ...\Sheets\Civil\Alt-10_Sheet.dgn 9/19/2006 8:45:53 AM Section 1: Introduction Section 2: Long-Range