The C-TRAN Board of Directors voted on a resolution asking the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program to extend light rail to Library Square in Phase 1 of the project, but voted against protecting C-TRAN taxpayers from paying any extra expenses related to the request

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

Seven members of the C-TRAN Board of Directors opted not to ask for protection for C-TRAN taxpayers from potentially having to pay for the increased costs should light rail be extended to Library Square by the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR).

As expected Tuesday night, the C-TRAN board approved a resolution asking the IBR to reconsider its plan to bring light rail over the new bridge only to stop at the Waterfront station in Phase 1 of the project and instead extend light rail to Library Square.

However, Vancouver representatives on the C-TRAN board Bart Hansen, Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Ty Stober, and Kim Harless, along with Clark County representatives on the board Sue Marshall, Wil Fuentes, and Glen Yung voted against an amendment to the resolution that would have protected C-TRAN taxpayers from footing the extra costs associated with such a request.

They also seemingly ignored a presentation from IBR leaders just last month who told them that the IBR cannot extend light rail to Library Square under Phase 1 because the highway portion of the project has been reduced to save costs in the initial phase. Light rail and the freeway part of construction are connected beyond the bridge, as well.

The C-TRAN board is asking for a change of that plan.

How much more will it cost to extend light rail from the Waterfront to Library Square? No one has been able to pinpoint an exact number just yet. Scott Patterson, C-TRAN’s deputy chief executive officer, mentioned to the board an older estimate of $3.5 billion that would have included the entire transit portion of the IBR. Extending to the Vancouver Waterfront from Portland’s Expo Center in Phase 1 is estimated at about $2 billion, leaving a potential for $1.5 billion for the extension to Library Square.

Patterson did note, however, that those costs also included several other big-budget items no longer being considered by the IBR. That is why he could not give a specific answer. Without some of the big-budget items, the extension to Library Square could be less than $1 billion, Patterson said.

With so much uncertainty, C-TRAN board members Tim Hein of Camas and Rian Davis of Ridgefield offered an amendment: Any extra cost beyond the $2 billion already budgeted in Phase 1 — either in the construction or the annual operations and maintenance costs — would not come from C-TRAN.

That amendment lost 7-2, with the four Vancouver and three Clark County representatives voting against protecting C-TRAN taxpayers.

To be fair, this does not necessarily mean that C-TRAN would be on the hook for the entire costs of construction of the extension. Also, C-TRAN could already be paying for O&M costs for TriMet’s light rail into Vancouver to Waterfront Station. So in total, any extra financial responsibility for C-TRAN would likely be considerably lower than the billion dollar figure.

Still, as Fuentes pointed out in Tuesday’s meeting, this resolution is not law. It is an official request from the board to the IBR to extend light rail to Library Square. In that spirit, Hein and Davis wanted to protect C-TRAN should the IBR say yes to the request, but only if C-TRAN pays for the extension.

Tuesday’s C-TRAN board meeting was also the first with its new composition — four representatives from Vancouver, three from Clark County, and two representing the smaller cities that make up C-TRAN. Critics have previously pointed out that the new 4-3-2 composition would be the equivalent of a 7-2 composition because the current county representatives will pretty much always vote whatever Vancouver wants. Tuesday’s vote would appear to confirm those fears as reality.

Patterson told the board that from a “transit connectivity point of view,” a light rail stop at Library Square — also known as the Evergreen Boulevard stop — makes more sense. Studies have shown that light rail riders would take C-TRAN buses to Evergreen to catch the train. The potential for a large hub for buses at a light rail station is better suited at Library Square, on the ground, rather than around the proposed Waterfront station, which would be built on the bridge, 91 feet above ground.

Hein and Davis had some concerns, though.

“Who pays the billion? What would be CTRAN’s financial liabilities on the operating side?” Hein asked.

Patterson noted that the IBR does not currently have funding for light rail to get to the Waterfront just yet, let alone an extension to Library square.

Davis said he appreciates the thought process for the extension. If light rail is coming, then do it right. Still, he wanted some protection for the added cost.

“If we’re talking about an extra billion dollars, where does that billion dollars come from?” he asked. “I’d like to see us acknowledge that financial piece.”

With that, Hein asked for an amendment to the resolution:

“C-TRAN will not be responsible for any future capital and operating expenses as a result of an extension from the Waterfront to Library Square.”

The C-TRAN Board voted 7-2 against, with Hein and Davis saying yes to the amendment.

The amendment process was not done, yet.

Harless asked to change language in the resolution that would offer the possibility of bypassing a Waterfront station altogether. If only one station could be built, just go directly to Library Square. That amendment failed 6-3, with Harless, Davis, and Hein saying yes.

Davis then tried for a third amendment. He wanted to direct C-TRAN staff to work with the IBR team and community partners to demonstrate the financial value of extending light rail to Library Square. He said if C-TRAN can prove that there will be more ridership by bringing light rail to Library Square, perhaps the state can find more money for the project, for example.

That amendment lost 6-3, with Davis, Hein, and Stober saying yes.

Then the board voted on the original resolution, with no amendments. That resolution concludes:

“Now, therefore, be it resolved that C-TRAN strongly recommends that Light Rail Transit (LRT) extend beyond the planned Waterfront Station and connect with C-TRAN’s existing and planned bus system at a multimodal hub by Evergreen Boulevard near Library Square to achieve the stated purpose and needs of the Interstate Bridge Program (IBR).”

That resolution passed 7-2, with Davis and Hein saying no.

Not a single board member mentioned that just last month, IBR leaders told the C-TRAN board that extending to Library Square is in the long-term plans, beyond Phase 1. However, the IBR said, extending to Evergreen could not be made during Phase 1.

“In addition to the financial constraints of extending to Evergreen right from the beginning, there are physical constraints,” Steve Witter, deputy assistant program manager of IBR, told the board last month. “Oftentimes we think about light rail being next to the highway, but as it gets to Evergreen, it is on top of the highway. The highway scope has been reduced. Highway and transit are married at that point. When we’re able to extend the highway improvements, we (will be) able to extend the light rail improvements.”