Who Has Been Involved?

The composition, roles and responsibilities of each major group that played a role in previous phases of the project are described below.

Phase 1: NEPA (2006-2010)

Other Phase 1 Groups:

The Public (You)

Public involvement has played an enormous role in this project. The input from you and thousands of other interested and engaged people has directly influenced project outcomes. People have been informed through a variety of means, including newsletters, public open houses and workshops, small group stakeholder meetings, online surveys, a speakers’ bureau, and this Web site.

Your input guided the decision milestones at the following public events:

  • Purpose and Need for the project (Decision Point 2) - October 2006 Open House
  • Evaluation framework (Decision Point 3)
  • Alternatives to be developed (Decision Point 4) - April 2007 Public Workshop
  • Alternatives to be narrowed down and then forwarded for detailed analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Decision Point 5) - July 25, 2007 Public Open House. (An Open House in November 2007 helped narrow down the bridge types that were studied in the Draft EIS)
  • Select preferred alternative (Decision Point 6)

The Community Task Force actively considered public input before making recommendations at each decision point.

Community Task Force (CTF)

The Community Task Force (CTF) provided a balanced representation of stakeholder interests, affected communities, and geographic areas. It also served as a communications link with those interests and communities. Initial members included leaders of neighborhoods on both sides of the bridge, as well as representatives of local and regional business groups and advocates for different bridge user groups such as commuters, freight and transit users, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Members were appointed by the Multnomah Board of County Commissioners.

Responsibilities of the CTF members included:

  • Represent constituents’ perspectives during group deliberations
  • Communicate project progress with constituents
  • Work to develop consensus recommendations for the Project Advisory Group at each step in the decision process

The CTF met 23 times throughout the course of the planning effort to make recommendations to the Policy Advisory Group at key milestones. Meeting materials and summaries of the CTF meetings are provided on the past meetings page.

Policy Advisory Group (PAG)

The Policy Advisory Group (PAG) included elected and appointed officials of local agencies and jurisdictions with regulatory responsibility for, or who had a strong interest, in the project.

The PAG’s responsibilities included:

  • Manage project scope, schedule, and budget
  • Direct, produce, and assure quality of technical and public/agency involvement work
  • Provide staff support to the Project Advisory Group, Senior Agency Staff, and Community Task Force

The group included:

  • Chair, Ted Wheeler/Multnomah County
  • Commissioner Deborah Kafoury/Multnomah County
  • Mayor Sam Adams/City of Portland
  • Councilor Robert Liberty/Metro
  • Chair Lynn Peterson/Clackamas County
  • Greg Chaimov/City of Milwaukie
  • Fred Hansen, General Manager/TriMet
  • Representative Carolyn Tomei/Oregon State House
  • Senator Diane Rosenbaum/Oregon Senate
  • Jason Tell/Oregon Department of Transportation
  • Phillip Ditzler/Federal Highway Administration

Other Groups

Other groups of agency staff and consultants have met throughout the project to help guide the planning and decision-making efforts. These include the Project Management Team, Technical Staff Working Groups, Senior Agency Staff, and Participating Agencies.

Project Management Team (PMT)

The Project Management Team (PMT) included Multnomah County and consultant project managers, as well as key staff resources from Metro and the City of Portland. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) staff also participated during preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS).

The PMT’s responsibilities included:

  • Manage project scope, schedule, and budget
  • Direct, produce, and assure quality of technical and public/agency involvement work
  • Provide staff support to the Project Advisory Group, Senior Agency Staff, and Community Task Force

PMT members include:

  • Ian Cannon/Multnomah County
  • Michael Eaton/Multnomah County
  • Ed Abramson/Multnomah County
  • Mike Pullen/Multnomah County
  • Mike Lynch/Multnomah County
  • John Gillam/City of Portland
  • Mauricio LeClerc/City of Portland
  • Tim Collins/Metro
  • Emily Moshofsky/Oregon Department of Transportation
  • Elaine Cogan/Cogan Owens Cogan
  • Marcy Schwartz/CH2M HILL
  • Lwin Hwee/CH2M HILL
  • Donna Kilber-Kennedy/CH2M HILL

Technical Staff Working Groups

Technical staff were consulted by the Project Management Team for their technical expertise throughout the project. Consultations were targeted to develop particular products. Staff from Multnomah County, Clackamas County, ODOT, Metro, City of Portland, TriMet, and other jurisdictions served on ad hoc working groups to support development of these products.

For example:

  • Roadway engineers were asked to assist the project team with setting design standards and developing project alternatives.
  • Metro and City of Portland traffic modeling staff assisted the Project Management Team with establishing assumptions and methodology for modeling activities.
  • Resource specialists from ODOT and the City of Portland assisted project team specialists with determining environmental analysis methodology, reviewing impact assessments, and selecting mitigation measures.
  • Public involvement specialists were asked to review the public involvement plan and monitor its implementation.

Senior Agency Staff (SAS)

A senior staff person from each of these organizations was appointed by PAG members and was kept abreast of project activities and gathered input from the staff of the organizations. This ensured that decision makers had direct access to timely and accurate project information, as well as the recommendations of their department leads.

Participating Agencies

In accordance with requirements of the Federal legislation of 2005, Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), letters were sent to other local, state, and federal agencies that might be interested in participating in the project. This includes emergency service providers, housing agencies, and other agencies suggested by FHWA. Agencies that expressed a desire to participate in the project development process were given the opportunity to comment at each of the decision points. The Coordination Plan fulfilled the requirements of Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU and was reviewed by FHWA and the agencies listed in the plan.

Collaborative Environmental and Transportation Agreement for Streamlining (CETAS)

CETAS was established to coordinate and streamline the regulatory reviews and permitting functions of multiple agencies. Members include representatives from key national and state agencies responsible for protecting the region’s air, water, wildlife, and cultural resources. The project team met with the CETAS team for their concurrence on the purpose and need statement and range of alternatives; the team also invited their counsel at later decision points. More information regarding CETAS can be found on Oregon Department of Transportation's Web site.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

The FHWA is the lead agency for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. FHWA governs proposed actions requiring federal funding, federal permits, or federal approvals. This agency will actually sign the environmental impact statement (EIS) and the record of decision (after decision point 6). More information about FHWA can be found on their official Web site.

Consultant Team

Multnomah County selected CH2M HILL as the prime contractor for the planning phase in the spring of 2006. CH2M HILL managed the development and evaluation of project alternatives and prepared the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the project.

CH2M HILL provided expertise in the following areas:

  • Project management
  • Planning and technical support to the Project Management Team, Community Task Force, Senior Agency Staff, and Policy Advisory Group
  • Roadway and bridge engineering
  • Surveying
  • Hydrology
  • Environmental analysis for biological, social, visual, cultural, archaeological, water, and geotechnical resources
  • Noise, air quality, and environmental justice impact analysis

Firms working with CH2M HILL as part of the project team include:

  • Alta Planning and Design (bicycle and pedestrian facilities)
  • ECO Northwest (economic and financial analysis)
  • David Parisi Associates (travel demand modeling and operations analysis for automobiles, freight, and transit)
  • Jeanne Lawson Associates (public involvement)
  • National Constructors Inc. (cost estimation and construction analysis)
  • PTV America (traffic modeling support)
  • Real Property Consultants (Right of Way impact analysis)
  • T.Y. Lin International (bridge design)

The County also awarded an independent contract to Cogan Owens Cogan to facilitate the Community Task Force (CTF).

Phase 2: Bridge Type Selection (2010)

Other Phase 2 Groups:

The Public (You)

Public involvement has played an enormous role in this project. The input from you and thousands of other interested and engaged people has directly influenced project outcomes. People have been informed and involved through a variety of means, including newsletters, public open houses and workshops, small group stakeholder meetings, online surveys, a speakers' bureau, and this Web site.

Your input guided the NEPA decision milestones at each key decision point.

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is meeting this spring and summer to provide a recommendation for the type of new replacement bridge to be built. The CAC provides a balanced representation of stakeholder interests, affected communities, and geographic areas. It also serves as a communications link with those interests and communities. Initial Members include leaders of neighborhoods on both sides of the bridge, as well as representatives of local and regional business groups and advocates for different bridge user groups such as commuters, transit users, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Members were appointed by the Multnomah Board of County Commissioners.

Responsibilities of the CAC members include:

  • Represent constituents’ perspectives during group deliberations
  • Communicate project progress with constituents
  • Work to develop consensus recommendations for the Public Stakeholder Committee (PSC)

A similar group to the CAC – the Community Task Force (CTF) met 23 times throughout the course of the NEPA planning phase to make recommendations to the Policy Advisory Group at key milestones. Meeting materials and summaries of the past CTF meetings can be found on the past meetings page.

Public Stakeholder Committee (PSC)

The Public Stakeholder Committee (PSC) includes elected and appointed officials of local agencies and jurisdictions with regulatory responsibility for, or who have a strong interest in, the project. The PSC was previously known as the Policy Advisory Group (PAG) during the NEPA phase (first phase of the project). The PSC will meet three times during the current public process to review the work of the CAC, receive their bridge type recommendation, and provide a recommendation to the Multnomah Board of County Commissioners.

The group included:

  • Co-Chair, Chair Jeff Cogen/Multnomah County
  • Co-Chair, Commissioner Deborah Kafoury/Multnomah County
  • Mayor Sam Adams/City of Portland
  • Councilor Carlotta Collette/Metro
  • Chair Lynn Peterson/Clackamas County
  • Mayor Jeremy Ferguson/City of Milwaukie
  • Neil McFarlane, General Manager/TriMet
  • Representative Carolyn Tomei/Oregon State House
  • Senator Diane Rosenbaum/Oregon Senate
  • Johnell Bell/Office of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
  • Jason Tell/Oregon Department of Transportation
  • Phillip Ditzler/Federal Highway Administration

Meeting materials and summaries of the PSC meetings are provided on the committee meetings page. PAG meeting materialsare also available.

Other Groups

Other groups of agency staff and consultants have met throughout the project to help guide the planning and decision-making efforts. These include the Agency Coordinating Team, Technical Staff Working Groups, Senior Agency Staff, and Participating Agencies.

Agency Coordinating Team (ACT)

The Agency Coordinating Team (ACT – previously referred to as the Project Management Team in the NEPA phase) includes Multnomah County and consultant project managers, as well as key staff resources from Metro, City of Portland, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The ACT’s responsibilities include: • Manage project scope, schedule, and budget • Direct, produce, and assure quality of technical and public/agency involvement work • Provide staff support to the Public Stakeholder Committee, Senior Agency Staff, and Community Advisory Committee

Technical Working Groups

Three Technical Working Groups (Bridge Tech Group, Hwy. 43 Tech Group, and Bike-Ped Tech Group), comprised of consultant team members, local and state agencies and key stakeholder groups, are meeting throughout the current phase to advise the Agency Coordinating Team on specific technical issues concerning the new bridge structure, Hwy. 43 interchange, and bicycle/pedestrian access and connectivity.

Bicycle and pedestrian issues have been important to many people following the Sellwood Bridge public process. The Bike-Ped Tech Group is led by Mia Birk of Alta Planning and Design and consists of representatives from ODOT, Metro, PBOT, Multnomah County, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition. This group is advising the ACT on the alignment for the Willamette Greenway Trail, signal phasing and Hwy. 43 intersection operations, and connections on the east side of the bridge.

Consultant Team

CH2M HILL is the prime contractor for the NEPA process and current alternatives selection phase, which includes project management, engineering, and environmental analysis and documentation. CH2M HILL managed the development and evaluation of project alternatives and prepared the Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statements for the project. Other firms working with CH2M HILL as part of the project team include:

  • Alta Planning and Design (bicycle and pedestrian facilities)
  • ECO Northwest (economic and financial analysis)
  • David Parisi Associates (travel demand modeling and operations analysis for automobiles, freight, and transit)
  • JLA Public Involvement (public involvement and outreach)
  • National Constructors Inc. (cost estimation and construction analysis)
  • PTV America (traffic modeling support)
  • Real Property Consultants (Right of Way impact analysis)
  • Safdie Rabines (bridge architects)
  • T.Y. Lin International (bridge design)

Phase 3: Final Design (2011-2013)

The Public (You)

Public involvement has played an enormous role in this project. The input from you and thousands of other interested and engaged people has directly influenced project outcomes. The public has been and will continue to be informed and involved through a variety of means. For the Final Design phase, this included newsletters, public open houses, stakeholder meetings, online surveys, and this web site.

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) (pdf, 45 kb) provided recommendations and helped refine design elements of the new replacement bridge. The CAC represented a balance of stakeholder interests, affected communities, and geographic areas, and served as a communications link back to those groups. Members included leaders of neighborhoods on both sides of the bridge, as well as representatives of local and regional business groups, advocates for bridge users (including commuters, transit riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists), and members of the design community.

Responsibilities of the CAC members included:

  • Representing constituents’ perspectives during group deliberations,
  • Communicating project progress with constituents, and
  • Working to develop consensus based recommendations.

Meeting materials and summaries from past CAC meetings can be found on the past committee meetings page.

Public Stakeholder Committee (PSC)

The Public Stakeholder Committee (PSC) included elected and appointed officials of local agencies and jurisdictions with regulatory responsibility for, or who had a strong interest in, the project. The PSC reviewed the work of the CAC, received the bridge type recommendation, and provided a recommendation to the Multnomah Board of County Commissioners.

The group included:

  • Co-Chair, Chair Jeff Cogen / Multnomah County
  • Co-Chair, Commissioner Deborah Kafoury / Multnomah County
  • Mayor Sam Adams / City of Portland
  • Councilor Carlotta Collette / Metro Council
  • Mayor Jeremy Ferguson / City of Milwaukie
  • Neil McFarlane, General Manager / TriMet
  • Representative Carolyn Tomei / Oregon State House
  • Senator Diane Rosenbaum / Oregon Senate
  • Jason Tell / Oregon Department of Transportation
  • Phillip Ditzler/Federal Highway Administration

Meeting materials and summaries from PSC meetings can be found on the past committee meetings page.