I like this bit:

The county expects to receive a report in August from David Evans & Associates, examining what it will take to keep the bridge in service in the short term. The same Portland-based engineering firm also collaborated with Bechtel on the unsolicited proposal to replace the bridge.

Kind of like MWH both studying the Mt. Tabor reservors and also being in line to do something to them.

An even faster, cheaper proposal: close the bridge to car, truck and bus traffic (but allow bikes and pedestrians) and see how it goes . . . .

Not that long ago we taxpayers approved a HUGE blank check that was to fix all of those Oregon bridges that we were told were about to fall down.

However, with over half of them now being found not in need of repair and our not hearing of any refunds, I assume all that money is yet in the bucket and just waiting to be claimed.

With that kind of money piled all in one place, shouldn't we expect to find Mr. Goldschmidt to be in the neighborhood?

This is a no brainer so it is likely to be screwed up.
The Sellwood bridge is major link and the Tacoma/Macadam arterials are four lanes. These arterials and the bridge are vital to commerce, bus transit and commuters.
The new bridge must be built to allow traffic to flow on two lanes in each direction just as Tacoma and Macadam are or were.
The recent changes to Tacoma are not improvements. The bubble curbs and lane reductions is moving backwards. I lived inthe area years ago when parking was on both sides and congestion caused neighborhood cut through traffic. Now with the lane reductions Sellwood will see more that old problem.
The arguement that the adjacent steeets are harmed by better flowing traffic on Tacoma is absurd. The local activists trying to dictate traffic engineering on major artery are wrong on all counts.
City officials should buck the Charlie Hales delusions and get back to traffic flow instead of the traffic "calming" he championed.

An even faster, cheaper proposal: close the bridge to car, truck and bus traffic (but allow bikes and pedestrians) and see how it goes . . . .

Given how badly the South Waterfront Condo Jungle is going to make traffic on and around the Ross Island Bridge, I don't think that would be a good idea at all.

I think you're right on in this instance.

With the west end of the neighborhood torn up for the new bridge, and the east end of it fighting Wal-Mart, there's going to be stasis in the land values (i.e., a counter to the continued upward appreciation caused by increasing demand and stable supply of homes), for a time...just enough time. This is especially true for those parcels just up from the existing condos on the river, the "undesirable" and industrial uses at the east end of the bridge, and along Tacoma and some of the older parts of 17th.

If the city gets light rail in the 99E corridor, and/or puts the streetcar across to Tacoma, "extreme speculative makeover" will occur in this neighborhood. The Wal-Mart is just a diversion, in that the damage is already done by its mere proposal and continued threat, regardless of whether it is built, which it may well be.

I'm not saying there won't be potential improvements. Some areas along Tacoma could use a makeover. I'm just pointing out and agreeing that the play is motion. The only real task left for those who would stop it is identifying and exposing its scope, not protesting the Wal-Mart.

Sten says real estate speculation is Portland's chief industry. And these are their Elysian Fields.

They wouldn't dare replace the Sellwood Bridge on a sweetheart no-bid contract with the Neilies!

No, wait, it's the Multnomah County commissioners, I take that back. Not a single ounce of good judgment can be presumed.

Just as ridiculous as Jim Howell's (O letter to the editor) suggestion that bus service can fix traffic on the coast, is any talk of streetcars or light rail providing any benefit for Sellwood or that transportation corridor.
Tacoma is and has been a main thoroughfare. It should be treated as such by city officials and their "planners" despite the small Tacoma group's emotional desire for it to be something else.
True preservation of Sellwood will come from the continued dedication of Tacoma as a mass vehicular transport arterial. Especially during commute times. Allowing as free flowing as possible movement through the area.

Goldschmidt, Imeson and Carter "consulting" work with Becktel is not to be understated. After all Carter, untill just recently, was also a top Becktel executive. And was so during the entire time the city was making other no bid deals with Becktel.
Though Carter is now CEO at Schnitzer the club including Neil, is fully intact.
The fully lavish lifestyles at taxpayer expense are as well. For them, their families and circle of friends.

Maria Rojo de Steffey vs Neil? Can we have a new loser besides the taxpayers? I am really curious at the motive/timing behind this. I thought Multnomah County was on permanent welfare and had no money?

I thought de Steffey and Giusto (sat on Neil's lap for a ling time) did not prefer each other's company.

Actually, the 10 ton weight limit is the 1st step (just keep lowering it) towards making this a pedestrian bridge.

Steve wrote: "I am really curious at the motive/timing on this."

I think that's right, and I think that having both the bridge tear up and the Wal-Mart hanging over the neighborhood's head at the same time is necessary for optimum assembly of parcels by speculators. If there's "an intensive and long process" for Wal-Mart, there will be one for the bridge as well. You know they could find the money for the bridge if they really wanted to/had to, and likewise for permitting the Wal-Mart on a fast track. Their discretionary gracefulness in giving the peons a "voice" masks getting all the pieces in place for the development play. And I'm telling you, the play is in motion.

**You know they could find the money for the bridge if they really wanted to/had to.**

Yeah, but then Mult Co. would have to cut back on:

• Regional Arts & Culture Council -- $137,050
• Sustainability Team -- $208,464
• Bus Pass Program -- $850,000
• Adult Outreach -- $731,852
• Land Use Planning -- $1,635,754
• CCFC Activities -- $738,089
• SIP Admin Special Programs -- $268,912
• Convention Center Fund -- $16,463,000
• SIP Direct Service Program -- $335,467
• SIP Community Housing -- $615,027
• Energy Services -- $9,214,100
• A&D Acupuncture -- $89,481
• Breast & Cervical Health -- $510,643
• etc. etc.

And we can't let -that- happen.

Friends:

Interesting line of thought, but......

As someone who has been involved in this proposal from the start, I can assure you that Neil G had NO involvement whatsoever in the proposal, and has no association with Bechtel whatsoever. Nor have John Carter or Tom Imeson been involved in the proposal.

The proposal is just what you'd expect from a construction company that lives and breathes challenging projects: it's a proposal to enter into a contract to rebuild a bridge. No more, no less. As free marketeers, you should be supportive when the private sector steps up to the plate to solve a transportation problem that is hindering the movement of goods and services in our local economy.

Doug Riggs
NGrC

Oh yeah Doug it's all for the good of the public.

And let's all pretend this is the first Bechtel-Goldschmidt-Imeson- CARTER (Becktel Exec.)
partnership with Portland. That we can trust our public officials and it's just the free market at work.

Paleeease. Free market would mean open bidding for the project.

What are you talking about the "private sector
stepping up"?
Is that what Bechtel did with Airport MAX.
"stepped up to the plate to solve a transportation problem,,,"????

Frankly because of Bechtel and the local official schemers we have "a transportation problem that is hindering the movement of goods and services in our local economy."

Bechtel will of course build anything the officials dream up, (no matter the boondoggle), so I don't neccessairy blame the construction company for dealing for a major project.

Unfortunately, Bechtel is part of a very bad trend for the Portland region.

I can see it all unfold now. In exchange for the name your price no bid contract, Bechtel will assist Portland in coming up with a bridge with another light rail extension included. The public-private partnership will be used as it was for the Airport MAX scheme while avoiding any public vote. They'll help obscure the cost and diverting of tax dollars and never reveal the healthy windfall profit a name your price project produces. The city and Metro will tout the whole thing.
Bechtel will tout the city, PDOT, PDC and other involved entities, enjoy the luxury of pals on city boards and commissions, will help with the public snowjob by using consultants such as Goldschmidt Imeson and Carter while never revealing any conflicts of interest.
It's all good.
We'll read about it in the Business Journal right along with the Bechtel scheme to build a new Columbia River bridge also with light rail, a no bid contract and no public vote.
Next up the boondoggle transit mall with light rail gallore.
All courtesy of the snake pit Doug would have us believe is only the free market.

Doug, are you saying that Bechtel no longer does business with [Deleted]-Imeson-Carter?

Didn't the Carter (in Imeson Carter) used to work for Bechtel?

John D. Carter, of Goldschmidt Imeson and Carter,
was just recently named CEO of Schnitzer. A couple weeks ago.
Until then he was a top exec. at Bechtel. And has was during the time Goldschmidt Imeson and Carter consulted for the no-bid scheme to build ariport MAX.

Carter retired as an executive with Bechtel several years ago. He has been involved in other Bechtel projects prior to his post at Schnitzer. But as I said, neither he nor Imeson worked on, or currently work on, or likely will work on any of the Sellwood project proposal. Nor did or will Goldschmidt.

Steve's correct that Goldschmidt did work on the Airport MAX project. That was pretty well covered in the press at the time. No secret there. That project was completed in 2001.

Finally, the County's administrative rules require it to consider bids from other companies. So far, none have been submitted. And the process is required to be open, and the Commission must vote on it. So this will not be a "secret, no-bid" contract.

If it were secret, I would hardly have volunteered to go to the public meeting in Sellwood last week and speak to 100+ residents as I did. Nor would I have allowed myself to be interviewed by the Oregonian, Portland Tribune, etc.

Nor would I be responding on this very interesting blog!

Sometimes, private companies do good things that help both their bottom line and the community.

We're a construction company for heaven's sake. We like to build things. Usually big things. And many of those things tend to be large public projects. Would you rather have the county directly hire 350 construction workers, a bunch of government managers, engineers and do it themselves?

No need to be so suspicous!

Doug

Carter retired as an executive with Bechtel several years ago. He has been involved in other Bechtel projects prior to his post at Schnitzer. But as I said, neither he nor Imeson worked on, or currently work on, or likely will work on any of the Sellwood project proposal. Nor did or will Goldschmidt.

Steve's correct that Goldschmidt did work on the Airport MAX project. That was pretty well covered in the press at the time. No secret there. That project was completed in 2001.

Finally, the County's administrative rules require it to consider bids from other companies. So far, none have been submitted. And the process is required to be open, and the Commission must vote on it. So this will not be a "secret, no-bid" contract.

If it were secret, I would hardly have volunteered to go to the public meeting in Sellwood last week and speak to 100+ residents as I did. Nor would I have allowed myself to be interviewed by the Oregonian, Portland Tribune, etc.

Nor would I be responding on this very interesting blog!

Sometimes, private companies do good things that help both their bottom line and the community.

We're a construction company for heaven's sake. We like to build things. Usually big things. And many of those things tend to be large public projects. Would you rather have the county directly hire 350 construction workers, a bunch of government managers, engineers and do it themselves?

No need to be so suspicous!

Doug

I'll take that to mean, yes, [Deleted] Imeson Carter still does work for Bechtel -- just supposedly not on this project.

If the process is so "open," why don't you send me a pdf file with the full proposal in it, so that I can post it here? How can other companies decide whether they want to compete when they don't even have a proposal to compete with, or a county RFP?

You look and smell fishy on this one, at least to my trained eye and nose.