When the U.S. Coast Guard questioned a request for a Section 9 bridge permit for the $3.5-billion Columbia River Crossing project—a proposed 10-lane Interstate 5 bridge connecting Portland, Ore., to Vancouver, Wash.—CRC officials were surprised that years of planning needed to be revisited.
For a project already plagued by multiple design-review delays, the CRC obtained on Dec. 7, 2011, a federal record of decision, an OK to start the permitting process. In March, the Coast Guard told CRC officials that 95 ft of vertical clearance was inadequate between the river and the bridge. CRC officials had used that figure since 2005, knowing then that 80 ft serves most users, though at least seven users require 125 ft. The current bridge's lift span offers 179 ft of clearance; the upstream I-205 bridge provides 144 ft.