Nearly three weeks after voting against moving the Sauvie Island Bridge to the Pearl District, Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman said today he backs a follow-up relocation proposal.
Saltzman and Commissioner Sam Adams have devised a new plan that would require all funding to be in place before issuing contracts for the project. The proposal would also require formal bids for the project's construction and guarantee a maximum price for services related to the bridge's relocation.
Portland's City Council had voted against relocating the bridge south from Sauvie Island to Northwest Flanders Street, where it would provide a pedestrian and bike span across Interstate 405. Saltzman had opposed the measure because it didn't call for competitive bidding. The contract would have gone to the company that currently owns the bridge.
"We are a city of bridges and this proposal is consistent with that heritage. I look forward to seeing this bridge become Portland's next landmark," said Saltzman in a statement.
Saltzman said before the vote that he supported the notion in concept.
"This project is a great reuse of a historic bridge that will provide enhanced safety for bicyclists and pedestrians," he said. "But I was not comfortable with approving the largest no-bid contract in the city's history without examining the options to lower the price through a competitive bidding process."
Mayor Tom Potter also opposed the measure, which, because of its emergency status, required a unanimous vote.
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September 6, 2010
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