The U.S. House on Tuesday passed a bipartisan proposal to help improve roads and bridges in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
The bill was offered by Oregon Reps. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland) and Washington Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Camas).
The proposal, which was attached to a long-term, bipartisan transportation bill in the House, ensures that projects within national scenic areas (NSA’s), including the Columbia River Gorge NSA, are eligible for federal transportation grants to help them serve the needs of their local economies, residents, and visitors.
“While scenic areas like the Columbia Gorge provide tourist opportunities to thousands of visiting Americans from all across the country, this unique federal involvement provides distinct challenges in promoting growth of the local economy while conserving the natural beauty of the lands within the Gorge,” Walden said.
“Transportation infrastructure is an essential component to efficiently serve the interests of both local residents and visitors to the Scenic Area, and there is a strong need for regional transportation planning and improvement to major transportation elements.”
Walden said this includes bridges like the Hood River Bridge and the Bridge of the Gods. He added that while approximately 5.2 million vehicles and $110 million in goods travel across these bridges each year, they are in need of major improvements. Walden said clarifying the eligibility of Scenic Areas throughout the nation for transportation grant funding would help ensure these areas are eligible for meaningful funding opportunities to enhance infrastructure within these unique federally managed areas.”
There are currently 12 NSA’s in eight states across the nation, including the Columbia Gorge NSA—the largest in the country. The Columbia River Gorge NSA consists of 292,500 acres along 85 miles of the Columbia River. Ninety percent of the total NSA is subject to strict land use and development restrictions, which has posed a distinct challenge to promoting the local economy, while providing opportunities for tourists to visit from around the country, and conserving the natural beauty of the Columbia Gorge.
The amendment was included in Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act (H.R. 3763), a bipartisan, long-term surface transportation bill to reauthorize and reform federal highway, transit, and highway safety programs.
