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Frequently
Asked Questions
Why
is this corridor so important economically?
As a whole,
I-5 is the major connection between the Pacific states - and between
western Canada and Mexico. But this specific section of the corridor
connecting our two states is critical, because:
A unique
nexus of trade routes
In this one section we have a meeting of all the major north/south and
east/west modes of trade - the major east/west and north/south rail
lines, the east/west and north/south interstate freeways, inland and
ocean-going shipping, and, of course, the international airport. There
is no other connection like it on the west coast.
Access to the
region's industry
Plus, I-5 provides direct access to some of the region's most critical
industrial areas on each side of the Columbia River - the Port of Portland,
Rivergate, Swan Island, the Columbia Corridor, and the Eastside Industrial
District in Portland; and the Port of Vancouver, Columbia Business Park,
and the industrial areas in north Clark County, including Salmon Creek
and Ridgefield Junction. Because of this, the majority of the truck
traffic isn't just passing through; this is where it is starting or
stopping.
Access to the
core business districts
And, of course, we have the core business areas - Downtown Vancouver,
Lloyd Center and Downtown Portland. The communities on each side of
the river have adopted plans that focus development in the core areas
in order to protect farm and forest land. The success of our regions'
plans depends in part on our ability to get customers and workers in
and out of these areas.
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What
would the draft proposals do for freight & the economy?
By 2020, if we make
no improvements in both our freeway and transit systems, we can expect
more congestion, more delay, and less reliability. This would have an
economic cost to our community, doubling the cost of delay to business,
and providing poor access to our economic centers.
Specifically, the
draft recommendations would
Each of these benefits
helps to create a positive business climate and helps make the region
an attractive place to locate and expand business.
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What
about the West Arterial Road?
The Task Force believes
this option looks promising, but not as a replacement for improvements
on I-5. Its strength is that it would remove many trucks from the St.
Johns neighborhood and provide another link between the industrial areas
in North Portland and Vancouver. However, of all the options studied,
this one provided the fewest benefits to the I-5 corridor. And it is
not clear that there is a way to provide the link without impacting
Vancouver neighborhoods. So, the Task Force recommends that this be
pursued as a potential transportation solution for consideration in
the future, but not as part of the I-5 corridor strategic plan
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Light
rail -- what's different from past proposals?
The light rail loop
proposal got a lot of support in all the I-5 Partnership surveys and
public outreach, from the people of Clark County and Portland; yet,
recognizing that Clark County has voted it down in the past, many ask
what's different this time. One of the key differences from earlier
proposals is that this approach can serve more of the county. The phased
loop will someday serve both the east and west sides of the county -
both the I-5 and I-205 corridors and points between. It is as much about
connecting places within Clark County as it is about connecting Clark
County with downtown Portland and the airport.
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Why
not 4 lanes?
Four lanes presents
several challenges. Cost and impacts are among those. Adding a fourth
lane would double the price and increase the community impacts for a
much smaller, incremental improvement in congestion.
The three lanes
and other recommended improvements provide a balance that will get the
traffic moving more smoothly and reduce the amount of time the road
will be congested.
Another concern
about increasing capacity to four through lanes in each direction has
been the ability of the rest of the system to handle that traffic. There
are other sections of the freeway and road system that the agencies
have not been able to determine how physically or financially to improve,
even to meet the traffic needs today. Significant increases in traffic
could contribute to a breakdown of these pieces of our system. The current
recommendation to address the "pinch points" provides for smoother traffic
flow without taxing other portions of the system.
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What
about community impacts?
This corridor goes
through a number of our region's oldest and most vibrant neighborhoods.
Addressing the travel needs has to be done in a way that recognizes
and preserves the surrounding communities. Also, because a higher-than-average
number of the people who live in these communities are low-income and/or
people of color, it is especially important (and is, in fact a law)
that we make sure they do not carry an unfair burden of impacts without
sharing in the benefits. Some of the impacts people have asked about
most frequently include:
Air quality
Because of adopted regulations affecting fuels and car design, and because
there will be fewer old inefficient cars on the road, regional models
show that air quality should be far better in the future than it is
today. That said, there may be local air quality impacts of recommended
highway and transit projects for the I-5 corridor, and further detailed
analysis will need to be conducted in an environmental impact statement
(EIS) to determine the magnitude of those impacts.
Potential property
impacts
The bridge area and interchange improvements would require some property
impacts, including displacing some businesses and homes on Hayden Island.
The actual impacts will depend on the design. For the Vancouver core
area, the current design concepts have been refined based on previous
public input and now could displace two or less properties. The light
rail alignment through Vancouver potentially would require no displacements
in the I-5 section; the east/west section could affect and/or displace
homes along the route, depending on the alignment chosen.
Noise and Visual
There has been no detailed evaluation of these impacts yet, but when
you increase traffic and speeds through an area the assumption is that
you will have additional noise (this will be addressed with sound walls,
where possible). And when you add pavement, ramps, and walls the visual
impacts will need to be considered.
At the upcoming
open house we will ask for your ideas on things that could be done in
this area to benefit the community.
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