Who Is CRC?

Map outlines of two states: Washington and Oregon

The Columbia River Crossing (CRC) is a transportation project jointly owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Oversight of CRC rests with the governors and legislatures of both states.

The transit portion of the CRC project is sponsored by TriMet and C-TRAN, who will take ownership of the new facilities once they are constructed. The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration are the federal lead agencies for the CRC project. Both federal agencies must ensure that the National Environmental Policy Act process is properly conducted before they provide funding or approval to construct the project.

CRC’s local partner agencies are the regions’ metropolitan planning organizations, Metro and the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council and the cities of Portland and Vancouver. These agencies play a key role in integrating the project in to future transportation and land use plans; conducting population, employment and traffic demand modeling; and coordinating with other local partners.

Representatives from the boards and councils of the partner agencies were appointed by the governors of Oregon and Washington to serve on the CRC Project Sponsors Council. The governors charged the PSC with advising the project on completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, project design, project timeline, sustainable construction methods, consistency with greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and the financial plan.

CRC also formed citizen advisory groups to ensure the values and interests of the community are reflected in project development.

Federal and state agencies regulatory oversight for the project. CRC, in coordination with federal leads, also consults with tribal governments to move the project toward completion.

Long-term operations and maintenance

After the project is complete, ODOT and WSDOT will be responsible for the highway elements of the project in their respective states. Tri-Met and C-TRAN will own and operate the transit portions. Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA) between agencies will dictate operations and maintenance responsibilities of local street and multiuse path improvements. The project is coordinating with local agencies on governance of facilities before, during and after project construction.