RESOLUTION No. 36414

Adopt the I-5 Delta Park to Lombard Hearings Panel recommendations for the Locally Preferred Alternative. (Resolution)

WHEREAS, the Hearings Panel was composed of: Charlie Scisione, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Deputy Region 1 Manager; Cathy Nelson, ODOT Technical Services Manager/Chief Engineer; Sam Adams, City of Portland Commissioner; Susan Keil, Director, City of Portland Office of Transportation; Rex Burkholder, Metro Councilor and Royce Pollard, Mayor, City of Vancouver, WA

WHEREAS, the recommendations are based on the findings of the Environmental Assessment, public comments on the Environmental Assessment, recommendations from the project’s Citizen Advisory Committee and Environmental Justice Work Group, recommendations from local and regional staff, and input from ODOT’s local, state and federal environmental regulators; and

WHEREAS, the Hearings Panel recommendations will be sent to the Bi-State Coordinating Committee, the Portland City Council, the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, and the Collaborative Environmental and Transportation Agreement for Streamlining (CETAS) for review and endorsement in May/June 2006; and

WHEREAS, The Preferred Alternative will be documented in a Revised Environmental Assessment that is expected to be published in July/August 2006; and

WHEREAS, the I-5 Delta Park to Lombard project was one of several highway, transit and rail projects recommended by the I-5 Strategic Partnership. It is the first project to be developed for the I-5 Corridor; and

WHEREAS, the Columbia River Crossing Project is the next that will be developed. The public process for that project has recently been initiated; and

WHEREAS, over the past three years, considerable public input has been solicited and considered at all stages of developing the I-5 Delta Park Project to Lombard; and

WHEREAS, ODOT formed two project advisory committees, a Citizen Advisory Committee and Environmental Justice Working Group, to guide development of the project; and

WHEREAS, the advisory committees and public input have influenced the development of the purpose and need statement for the project, the evaluation factors for the project, the range of alternatives studied in the Environmental Assessment, and the recommendation of the preferred alternative; and

WHEREAS, in the development of this project ODOT has worked closely with regional and local jurisdictions, most notably with staff from the City of Portland’s Office of Transportation, Portland Parks and Recreation, Bureau of Environmental Services and the Portland Development Commission; and

WHEREAS, the Environmental Assessment for this project included a No Build alternative and four Build alternatives; and

WHEREAS, each of the Build alternatives proposed the same improvements to the I-5 freeway including: widening I-5 to three lanes southbound, widening shoulders and medians northbound, reconstructing the southbound Columbia Blvd. on ramp as a merge lane, and geometric changes at the Columbia Blvd. and Lombard Street interchanges; and

WHEREAS, the four Build alternatives differ from one another in the proposed changes in northbound access to I-5 from Columbia Blvd,; and

WHEREAS, the project is expected to be constructed in two phases; and

WHEREAS, phase I construction would be proposed I-5 freeway improvements. This phase of construction is expected to begin in 2008 and to be completed in 2010; and

WHEREAS, phase II construction would be the proposed changes in access between Columbia Blvd. and I-5. A construction year for Phase II has not been established; and

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Portland adopts the Recommendations of the I-5 Delta Park Hearings Panel for the Locally Preferred Alternative for the I-5 Delta Park Project: Victory to Lombard as described in Exhibit A.

Adopted by the Council: May 24, 2006  GARY BLACKMER

 Auditor of the City of Portland

Prepared by:  By /S/ Susan Parsons

Stuart Gwin        Deputy  

May 1, 2006

BACKING SHEET INFORMATION

AGENDA NO. 698-2006

ORDINANCE/RESOLUTION/COUNCIL DOCUMENT NO. 36414