FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact: Megan Doern, 503.552.6754

PORTLAND, Ore. - In response to Governor Ted Kulongoski and Governor Christine Gregoire's letter about the need to move the Columbia River Crossing project forward, Sandra McDonough, President and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance, made the following statement:

"The Alliance has long supported the project as vitally important to the safety and freight mobility needs of our region. After many years of open and public discussions and decision-making and millions of dollars spent on technical analysis, we agree that the recommended project is ready to move into final approval and toward the construction phase.

"Our two states have a unique opportunity to leverage state and federal funds to achieve two goals the region has long sought: the extension of light rail to Vancouver and replacement of an undersized, antiquated bridge.

"The Alliance also supports the governors' proposal to respond to concerns raised by local leaders in Portland and Vancouver by convening a panel of nationally recognized experts to review the work done to date in order to ensure that state and regional experts haven't missed anything of significance. That is a reasonable step in a project of this scale."