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Gov. John Kitzhaber put the full weight of his clout behind the proposed $2.8 billion Columbia River Crossing, and has now declared it dead—twice.
In 2013 he got Oregon lawmakers to commit to spending $450 million toward the Interstate 5 bridge and light rail project, only to see the Washington legislature say no. He then failed to convince members of his own party Oregon had the legal ability and financial wherewithal to build the bridge alone.
When the governor visited our office last week, we asked him about the CRC and how he viewed the project now, given that when he ran for office in 2010 he said completing it was one of his top priorities.
In this video, he answers—and hints at what it would take to revive the project in the future.
WWeek 2015