After the five alternatives were recommended and adopted in December 2007,
detailed study started for the draft environmental impact statement (draft EIS). The draft EIS will outline existing conditions in
the project area and the impacts of the five alternatives and a no build alternative in the following areas:
- Air Quality - impacts to air quality
- Biological Resources - impacts to wildlife (on land and in the water), wetlands, habitats, and rare plants
- Cultural Resources - impacts to archaeological and historical resources
- Economic - impacts to businesses, business districts, and the local economy
- Energy - energy used during construction and operation, as well as potential energy conservation measures
- Environmental Justice - impacts to minority and low-income communities
- Geological Resources - site geology and seismic hazards, including a landslide investigation
- Hazardous Materials - potential impacts from existing hazardous materials in the area during construction and possible mitigation
- Land Use - compliance with existing land use plans and zoning
- Noise - noise impacts on businesses, residences, parks, and other uses in the project area and possible mitigation
- Right-of-Way - costs and possible impacts of right-of-way acquisitions
- Section 4(f) - possible impacts to historic, park, and recreational properties, such as the
Willamette River Greenway and Springwater Corridor Trail (which are designated as 4(f) resources by the federal government) and
ways to avoid impacts
- Social Elements - impacts to social and neighborhood structure in the project area, as well as community cohesion and
community services (including schools, religious and social institutions, medical services, police, fire, and emergency services,
among others)
- Transportation - impacts of auto/truck, pedestrian, bicyclist, and transit facilities
- Visual Resources - impacts to the landscape and visual characteristics of the area
- Water Resources - impacts to water sources entering the Willamette River
Results of this study will be used to support the selection of a locally preferred alternative. The locally preferred alternative
must be approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
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- January - May 2008 - Preparation of technical reports and the draft environmental impact statement (draft EIS)
- June 2008 - Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will have an internal review of the draft EIS
- July 2008 - Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will have an internal review of the draft EIS
- Fall 2008 - The draft EIS will be ready for public review and comments. Check this page for more information
or join the mailing list to be notified of project updates.
We will keep you informed of the progress made to the draft EIS and when it is finished, you will be able to review it here.
What’s going on right now?
The Sellwood Bridge Project team has been very busy these past few months preparing the draft Environmental Impact Statement
(draft EIS). The five alternatives under consideration have been analyzed
to determine their impacts in a broad range of environmental categories. The alternatives also have been compared against
maintaining the bridge as it is with repairs to keep it in use for 20 more years (the “No Build” alternative). The draft
EIS is currently being reviewed by the participating agencies.
What happens next?
After agency review, the draft EIS will go to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for their review. The document will
then be made available to the public this fall and there will be plenty of opportunity for public discussion about the
alternatives and their impacts. Another round of public outreach will occur at that time, including another newsletter, open
house, online survey, and a public hearing on the draft EIS. A public comment period will accompany the release of the document.
All public comments about the document received at that time will become part of the official record and will be responded to
in the final EIS.
The Community Task Force and Policy Advisory Group will then consider
the public comments before recommending a preferred alternative. This recommendation is expected to be made by the end of this year. The recommended alternative will be submitted for approval to the Multnomah County Commission, Portland City Council, and the Metro Council. After those approvals, the selected alternative will be forwarded for final approval to the FHWA.
How to get a copy of the Draft EIS
The best way to look at the draft EIS will be to go through this website. Newsletters and other public notices will go out in
advance of the public comment period. If you are on the project mailing list, you will
receive a newsletter as well as an email to alert you of the draft EIS availability.
Stay tuned for future monthly email updates about the project. Thank you for your continued interest and participation in the Sellwood Bridge Project.
Updated project maps
The project team continues to study the alternatives for the draft
environmental impact statement (EIS). New images of the alternatives were created during this process to show greater
detail of each alternative. The project team also created maps of the
project vicinity (or study area) and the
existing conditions within that area.
Refined Right of Way maps and an explanitory presentation (PDF, 1.51MB)
were developed as part of the draft EIS.
Working towards completion of the first version of the draft EIS
The team will send their first version of the draft EIS to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in June. Comments will be
collected and incorporated before another version is sent to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in July. After FHWA approval,
the draft EIS will then be made available to the public for comment. Public outreach will occur at that time, including an open
house and online survey. Community Task Force and Policy Advisory Group will then consider the public comments before recommending
a preferred alternative. This recommendation is expected to be made in the fall of 2008.
What’s going on right now?
The Sellwood Bridge Project is currently in the alternatives analysis phase, meaning that the consultant team is busy preparing the
technical reports that make up the draft environmental impact statement (draft EIS). In December 2007, five distinct alternatives were
selected for further study in the DEIS. The five alternatives and a “no build” alternative are being analyzed to see what impacts
they have in a wide number of areas (listed above).
What happens next?
After the DEIS is prepared, it will go to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for approval. After FHWA approval, the draft EIS
will then be made available to the public for comment. Public outreach will occur at that time, including an open house and online
survey. Community Task Force and Policy Advisory Group will then consider the public comments before recommending a preferred
alternative. This recommendation is expected to be made in the fall of 2008.
The recommended preferred alternative will then be submitted for approval to the Multnomah County Commission, Portland
City Council and the Metro Council. Votes by the three local jurisdictions are expected this fall. After those approvals, the
selected alternative will be forwarded for final approval to the FHWA.
Stay tuned for future monthly email updates about the project. Thank you for your continued interest and participation
in the Sellwood Bridge Project.
The Sellwood Bridge project made great progress in 2007. The wide range of possible bridge alignments, cross-sections and
interchange types were narrowed down to five complete alternatives that
are now being analyzed in the draft environmental impact statement (draft EIS).
Additionally, six bridge types were selected for further analysis in the draft EIS.
“Bridge type” refers to a general structural type – exact designs for any new or rehabilitated bridge will be determined after the
environmental study is complete. The bridge types selected are of moderate and higher price that also meet the requirements of
different alignments, users, and construction plans.
A technical team is now studying the impacts and costs of these alternatives. In late summer 2008, study results will be
announced and the public will be invited to help select a locally preferred alternative that includes a single bridge type.
Several local governments and the Federal Highway Administration need to approve the preferred alternative. We are confident
that by the end of 2008 we will know what type of bridge will be built, where it will be located and how large it will be.
Decisions about design details will be made later in the design phase.
I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work of the Sellwood Bridge Community Task Force
and Policy Advisory Group, whose
members spent many, many hours last year discussing the project, reviewing public input, deliberating various options, and
arriving at the recommendations that are being studied today. I would also like to thank you for your time and interest in
this project as well. We have been impressed that so many thousands of people have taken the time to
share their views with us.
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The draft environmental impact statement (draft EIS) is a document that outlines the
purpose of the project, the need for action, and the possible impacts of the alternatives.
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