A major milestone in the Port of Hood River’s progress to replace the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge was reached in late November with the publication of the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement by the Port, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Bi-State EIS Working Group.
Read MoreBridge Replacement Project Updates
Welcome to the project blog for the Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge replacement project. Authored by Kevin Greenwood, Port of Hood River Bridge Replacement Project Director, this blog will be the repository for the most up-to-date information on the progress toward replacement. It will house important announcements on policy decisions, agency partnerships, project milestones, as well as provide public access to important documents.
Replacing the bridge is a very high priority for our Port and the whole Gorge community. The Port commission is committed to replacing this critical piece of interstate transportation infrastructure as quickly as possible in an open and transparent process. We invite you to explore this blog and follow along as we take each significant step toward replacing the bridge.
For questions or comments, contact:
Kevin Greenwood, Project Director
Bridge Replacement
Port of Hood River
(e) kgreenwood@portofhoodriver.com
(d) (541) 436-0797
(c) (541) 961-9517
Supplemental Draft EIS released for Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement, public invited to give feedback, attend public hearing on Dec. 3
HOOD RIVER — The Port of Hood River released a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project on November 20, 2020.
Columbia River Gorge residents and travelers are invited to review and give feedback on the Supplemental Draft EIS now through January 4, 2021. Public comments will be carefully reviewed and responded to in the Final EIS, anticipated to be complete in Summer 2021.
A virtual public hearing will be held on December 3, 2020. Staff will give a short presentation on the Supplemental Draft EIS and take verbal comments from the public. A link to join the virtual public hearing is posted on the Port of Hood River’s website. Limited in-person seating will be available to view the meeting and make verbal comments. In-person accommodations are by appointment only due to social distancing constraints. Call us at 541-961-9517 to make an appointment to meet with project staff.
Details for the virtual public hearing:
Date: Thursday, December 3, 2020
Time: 5:30 – 7 p.m. Short presentation followed by public comment opportunity
Location: Online Meeting Link to join is posted on the project website
[Limited in-person seating by appointment (call 541-961-9517)]
Public comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS will be accepted until January 4, 2021. Comments may be submitted in the following ways:
Email: newbridge@portofhoodriver.com (please put “SDEIS public comment” in the subject line of your email)
Mail: Port of Hood River, Attn: Kevin Greenwood, 1000 E. Port Marina Drive, Hood River, OR 97031
Phone: (833) 215-2352
Online: An online comment form is also available
The Supplemental Draft EIS is available at http://bit.ly/HoodRiverBridge. Local libraries have copies available for viewing and digital or printed copies can be requested from the Port of Hood River by calling 541-961-9517.
More information can be found online at http://bit.ly/HoodRiverBridge.
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Read MoreSupplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released for public review and comment
The Port of Hood River released a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement project November 20, 2020. This is a major milestone in moving the project forward and toward completing the environmental review process.
Columbia River Gorge residents and travelers are invited to review and give feedback on the Supplemental Draft EIS now through January 4, 2021. Comments that are specific, and related to the project alternatives, environmental analysis, and community and tribal engagement are particularly useful. Comments received will be carefully reviewed and responded to in the Final EIS, anticipated to be complete in Summer 2021.
On December 3, 2020 the Port of Hood River will host an online public hearing to share more information on the Supplemental Draft EIS, answer questions and take public comment. The public is encouraged to attend, and a recording of the meeting will be available on the project website afterwards. Information on how to join the public meeting is posted on the Bridge Replacement Project webpage. We hope to see you there!
Visit the Bridge Replacement Project webpage for more information on the Supplemental Draft EIS, including how to submit your comments and to view the document online.
Read MorePORT OF HOOD RIVER AND KLICKITAT COUNTY AWARDED $5M FEDERAL BUILD GRANT
Transportation planning grant enables preconstruction Phase 2
HOOD RIVER, ORE. – On September 10 Klickitat County and the Port of Hood River received notification from their congressional delegation of approval of a $5 million grant award from the federal BUILD Transportation Discretionary Grant program (“Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development”) to fund Phase 2 of the ongoing effort to replace the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge. The funds will be used to advance engineering efforts and carry out important organizational and financial planning tasks.
The Port submitted the joint application with Klickitat County earlier this year and the project received unanimous support from the congressional delegation of both states. “Klickitat County appreciates the advocacy of Rep. Herrera-Beutler’s office with the US Dept. of Transportation to make this funding a reality,” Klickitat County Commissioner David Sauter said.
“We are so grateful to Rep. Walden, Senators Wyden and Merkley in Oregon and Rep. Herrera-Beutler and Senators Murry and Cantwell in Washington for their advocacy of this important project. This bi-state support was key to success. We so very much appreciate the strong, ongoing support of these elected representatives.” said Port of Hood River President John Everitt.
The $5 million grant will be matched with $1.25 million from the Port of Hood River, for a total project budget of $6.25 million. Klickitat County will coordinate the review process for selecting the engineering firm and lead the technical advisory committee moving forward. Port Director Michael McElwee applauded the work of Port staff, government affairs consultants and local government officials on both side of the river in guiding the application through to approval, and noted that the effort to replace the bridge began in 1999 with the launch of the first formal feasibility study by the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council. “The bi-state collaboration for this project has been sort of a relay race for many years. I think the recent efforts of local governments on both sides of the river working together in tandem for the first-time meeting regularly to map a pathway forward to a new bridge has been key. This grant approval is a big win for that approach and a sign of project success,” McElwee said.
The grant will fund project management, future bridge governance evaluation, traffic/toll revenue estimates, 15% engineering design, geotechnical borings, and legal expenses and the grant’s project completion is expected in May 2022. “The bridge replacement project is really 20 years old now, and has several stops and starts due to funding,” said Bridge Replacement Project Director Kevin Greenwood. “The Oregon legislature provided $5 million in funding in 2017 for completion of the NEPA process, and now this BUILD grant funding will enable us to continue our work without a pause between those two phases. This is very good news as it will move the project from a concept into the design phase.”
For more information about the project, contact Kevin Greenwood at kgreenwood@portofhoodriver.com.
Read MoreAvailability of Public Notice (07-19) Seeking Comments on Navigation Only: Hood River – White Salmon Highway Bridge Replacement Project
All interested parties are notified that the Commander, Thirteenth Coast Guard District has received a request for a Preliminary Navigation Determination for the proposed Hood River – White Salmon Highway Bridge Replacement Project. The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge replacement project (the Project; formerly named the State Route 35 [SR 35] Columbia River Crossing Project) would construct a replacement bridge and remove the existing bridge between White Salmon, Washington and Hood River, Oregon. This PN is soliciting for comments exclusively related to navigation. The public is highly encouraged to carefully review this notice, and attached diagrams and then provide comments with regard to the proposed bridge’s ability to meet the reasonable needs of navigation.
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