From residents of the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood

Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood Seeks Intragovernmental Agreement with City of Portland and Multnomah County on Sellwood Bridge Project

Portland, Oregon, October 4, 2010: Residents in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood request a good-faith negotiation session between SMILE board members, Mayor Adams, Multnomah County Chair Cogen and Multnomah County Commissioner Kafoury. The purpose of the session will be to re-examine the funding priorities of the current bridge project, in particular the extraordinary size and scope of the Westside interchange and the lack of any funding for Eastside traffic safety and integration.  In light of the fact that the bridge is dilapidated, it is per-lane the most heavily utilized bridge in the state, and the current process has brought us to within striking distance of finally obtaining a new bridge, it is respectfully requested that the session be held on Monday, October 11 at 6 pm at the SMILE station.

The scale and cost of the Westside Interchange is disproportionate to the setting and project –

The schematics of the Westside interchange (attached to this press release) were presented by the project team to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) at their September 15, 2010 meeting. They illustrate the immensity of the 80-foot rock cut that is planned.  The cost of this plan is estimated to be $130 million, some 40% of the total project cost of $330 million. Much of this size and cost is to provide space for two extra lanes on Route 43 to be utilized at an undetermined time in the future.  That is a planning scenario we do not have the luxury to support now, and should be seeking to avoid in the future.  Not only is it unrelated to the bridge, it directs the corridor toward more motorized vehicular traffic when the Portland Plan and Metro’s Regional Transportation Options program seek to reduce such traffic long term.  In addition, we ask that the project team, ODOT and other partners review highway standards that have driven oversized roadway configurations, as this road is not a typical “highway” setting.  Flexibility of such standards can reduce the intersection size, rock cut and cost.

$130m is being directed to the Westside, not a dime is being directed towards SE Tacoma Street east of SE 6^th Avenue, where the bridge hits the ground –

Elementary and middle school children must cross Tacoma Street to get to school.  Four pedestrians have been struck by vehicles at SE 13^th and Tacoma in a short 18 month period, including a 4-year-old boy.  There are an extraordinary number of near-misses between vehicles and pedestrians on SE Tacoma Street on a regular basis.  Signals at SE 13^th and SE 17^th Avenues are considered inadequate to manage the current volume and flow of traffic or the anticipated increase that will accompany the area’s dramatic growth.  One signalization expert recently stated that this intersection is one of the city’s worst. The bridge project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) does not examine nor otherwise address non-rush hour traffic impacts on the neighborhood. A committed investment is needed in traffic calming design elements on SE Tacoma Street that are consistent with the existing Tacoma Main Street Plan and integrated with traffic calming on the bridge span in order to ensure that safety in the neighborhood is maintained and improved.

The City of Portland made a commitment 10 years ago to complete the Tacoma Main Street Plan

A small fraction of the large potential savings that can be realized by reducing the size of the Westside interchange can and should be utilized to finish Portland’s Tacoma Main Street Plan, including new signals at SE 13^th & SE 17^th Avenues.  This will improve the safety of Portland City and Multnomah County residents who shoulder the weight of a commuter corridor, protect children who cross this traffic every day, as well as protect drivers from the currently unsafe and inadequate transportation infrastructure.

All of the Portland Metro region needs this bridge

A new bridge will bring needed money, jobs, and most importantly a safe and efficient route across the Willamette for vehicles, bikes and pedestrians.  We can build a bridge that meets all of our needs, a safe bridge that efficiently uses committed funds, an aesthetically pleasing structure to serve the neighborhood, the city and the state for the next 100 years.

Contact: Eric Miller, Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League (SMILE) Board Member <chasingmoose@gmail.com>

Dear Sellwood Bridge User,

When Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the Oregon Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009 this week, our project to replace the Sellwood Bridge took a giant leap forward. The legislation helps fund a new bridge in these ways:

· $30 million is designated to build a new interchange where the bridge connects with Highway 43.

· Multnomah and Clackamas counties are permitted to enact local vehicle registration fees to fund a new Sellwood Bridge.

· All Oregon counties and cities will receive new transportation funds from state vehicle fees and the state gas tax. The City of Portland and Multnomah County are negotiating an agreement whereby the City would commit $8 million a year of its new funds to raise $100 million for the new Sellwood Bridge.

The legislation creates the local and state funding sources we need to secure federal funds to complete the project. We thank members of the Oregon House and Senate and the Governor for recognizing the need to replace this important regional bridge.

Now the focus on funding will shift to important decisions at the local and federal levels. We expect the elected boards of Multnomah and Clackamas counties will consider enacting local vehicle fees later this year. The Portland City Council will take up the funding agreement with Multnomah County before the end of this year as well. We want to have these local sources in place before Congress acts on our request for $40 million as part of the next federal transportation bill, likely in 2010.

If replacing the Sellwood Bridge is important to you, now is a great time to let your elected leaders know and thank them for supporting the project. Follow these links to contact your elected leaders:

· Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
· Clackamas County Board of Commissioners
· Portland City Council
· Congressman Earl Blumenauer
· Congressman Kurt Schrader
· Congressman Peter DeFazio
· Senator Jeff Merkley
· Senator Ron Wyden

Thank you again for your participation in the Sellwood Bridge project.

Ted Wheeler, Multnomah County Chair
Deborah Kafoury, Commissioner – District 1

July 6th – Kevin Gordon, a bluesy songwriter based in Nashville who is playing at the Waterfront Blues Festival on July 4th.

July 13 – the good time country rock of the Garcia Birthday Band

July 20th – it’s a tropical latin dance party with Conjunto Alegre

July 27th – the Midnight Serenaders‘ hot Jazz Age swing

There will again be a secure bike corral at the park . . . and NEW this year – overflow parking at the south end of the Oaks Park parking lot.  It’s a shorter walk (and a lot faster) than parking up in the neighborhood. A big thank you goes out to Oaks Park and the Community of Adsideo for their time and energy to coordinate both. There will also be food vendors, so don’t worry if you don’t have time to grab food before the show.

For more information about the entire Portland Parks and Rec Neighborhood concerts go here.  If you’d like to know more about free music in parks throughout the region, go here.

Look forward to seeing you at the concerts!

2008 Sellwood Riverfront Park Concert

For more background on Sellwood-Moreland’s nearly two decades of tranportation planning history, read the Tacoma Main Street Plan, which was adopted by the City of Portland in 2002.  It reflects a long history of transportation planning with regards to Tacoma Street, the local collector street connected to the bridge.