By SUE RYAN
News staff writer
March 21, 2007

Would a proposal to build a new interchange in Cascade Locks shut down the other exits to the town from Interstate 84?

That question was one of many that Port of Cascade Locks commissioners wanted answered Thursday night. They asked officials from the Federal Highway Administration and the Oregon Department of Transportation to give a presentation.

“We are not in a position to take public comment tonight as that is part of the formal EIS process,” said Tom Braibish, an ODOT planner.

The request for a new interchange off Interstate 84 comes from the proposed Bridge of the Gods Resort and Casino by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Their proposed site is located on port industrial land at the east end of Cascade Locks. The tribes would pay for the interchange and are paying for current studies associated with the proposal.

“Federal highways delegate the stewardship of the interstate to ODOT,” Braibish said. “When we start to look at consideration for new access, there is a federal policy that is established.”

Those standards come under Section 111, Title 23 of the United States Code. Jeff Graham represented FHWA and covered eight points to explain the process involved in approving or revising access to the Interstate System.

While he covered the policy language in exact detail, he also offered a more basic interpretation of each FHWA policy.

Of those eight policies, the one that commissioners were most concerned with was number four, which states that “proposed access will be designed to meet or exceed current standards.”

That includes closing or consolidating partial interchanges, as Graham explained.

“Interstate access should not be added to exclusively serve a private interest and should provide operational consistency for drivers not familiar with the area,” Graham said. “In addition, partially directional interchanges are not acceptable. FHWA will discourage their use and look to close or consolidate partial interchanges to provide consistency.”

Cascade Locks has two partial interchanges among the three currently in place. Because of federal spacing standards, the West Cascade Locks interchange could also be affected.

“Let’s cut to the chase and talk about the consolidation of the ramps between Herman Creek and East Cascade Locks are the bulk of the concern,” said Braibish.

Commissioner Marva Janik asked if the consolidation would happen anyway. Braibish said no.

“It is important to note that we’re here talking about this because we’re talking about a new interchange within the spacing standards of these other two interchanges,” Braibish said.

While ODOT’s policy for interchange spacing is three miles between interchanges within an urban growth boundary, federal regulations define it slightly differently.

The federal standards are two miles between interchanges in rural areas, with an urban area only being defined as a place with a population of 5,000 or more. Cascade Locks has slightly more than 1,000 residents.

“It’s important to note that these are standards that ODOT has put forward in our Oregon Highway Plan and in our highway design manuals,” Braibish said.

Port Commissioner Jean McLean asked if an exception was made in the case of Hood River as regards spacing standards.

“When they redid Second Street (Exit 63) a few years ago, that is not three miles from another exit,” McLean said.

Braibish responded that the spacing standards didn’t apply in that case because it was a remodel of an existing exit, not a request for new access to I-84.

For Cascade Locks, with the request of a new interchange, Braibish said the spacing standards would also affect the third interchange in town at the west end next to Bridge of the Gods.

“The proposal for a new interchange access is at Forest Lane,” he said. “So what you see is some conflicts based on that 3-mile spacing standard. You see conflicts with Herman Creek and with East Cascade Locks and it’s important to note that … West Cascade Locks falls into that 3-mile mark.”

Port Commissioner Tim Lee asked about a waiver for Cascade Locks. Braibish said that one could be made from the Oregon Transportation Commission but that it would also have to have FWHA approval.

The port had expressed concern about the proposed closure of the East Cascade Locks interchange as it includes a port of entry for the state. The Motor Carrier Transportation Division is in charge of the station, which regulates truck traffic on I-84.

“The details of how those ramp closures and ramp consolidations would be executed, that is part of the design process and that may very well may be addressed in the EIS process,” Braibish said. “So when you talk about the impacts … the proposed consolidation is a fully functional, full-access interchange. But it will be different than what the current community is familiar with.”

But it is not just the current proposal that the port is worried about. Director Chuck Daughtry said if the port wants to make any economic progress at all for Cascade Locks, it still needs better access to its property from I-84.

“We would be looking for improvements that would allow us access to the industrial park regardless of a casino,” Daughtry said. “Because it seems we would be looking at OTIA funding or STIP funding or other state and federal resources if the casino is not allowed to go forward. So we would still get to this same question eventually.”

The proposed project also requires a fee to trust action on the part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is the lead federal agency for NEPA.