SENATE RESOLUTION

                         1997-8653

By Senator Benton

     WHEREAS, Clark county is the fastest growing county in Washington state and the fifth largest tax revenue district for the state of Oregon; and

     WHEREAS, The Interstate-5 link between Washington and Oregon is a strategic international freight corridor of great economic importance; and

     WHEREAS, There are eleven bridges over the Willamette River in downtown Portland, Oregon, and only two bridges connecting the metropolitan Vancouver area to Portland; and

     WHEREAS, Both the Interstate-5 and the Interstate-205 bridge crossings over the Columbia River routinely exceed the traffic capacity for which they were designed; and

     WHEREAS, The bottleneck created at Hayden Island hampers both the movement of people and interstate commerce;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize a third bridge crossing over the Columbia River, and additional solutions to address existing points of traffic gridlock, must be found to diminish the unbearable congestion experienced by those in Southwest Washington and the greater Portland metropolitan area.