Official: 2013 CRC start date not likely

The Columbian:

Stalled support for new state transportation money likely means construction on the Columbia River Crossing won’t start until 2014, the state’s top transportation official said Wednesday.

That portends a greater bridge cost and a missed deadline set by the governors of Oregon and Washington to break ground next year.

Without state funding to purchase properties in the right of way and pay for other key elements, it will be tough for the CRC to start on schedule, Washington State Department of Transportation Director Paula Hammond said.

“It’s hard to imagine any actual construction in 2013, especially if our Legislature hasn’t approved any revenue,” Hammond said in a meeting with The Columbian on Wednesday. “Without Washington gas tax revenue this year, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to start in 2013.”

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