KGW news reporter Abbey Gibb took a close look at the Columbia River Crossing project. In her report she found more than $85 million directed to projects that have nothing to do with the construction of the proposed I-5 replacement bridge. Her list includes: 
- $51M for a new TriMet maintenance facility in Gresham–located some 10 miles east of the CRC project
- $2.7M for a TriMet administrative facility in South Portland
- $10M for a “curation facility”
- $15M for a restoration project at Lewis River, about 22 miles north of the project
- Nearly $344,000 for upgrades to Portland’s Steel Bridge, six miles south of the project
- $6.9M for Hood River Channel Restoration, located 60 miles east of the project
This report comes at a crucial point. Recently Washington state lawmakers allocated $82 million of the State’s transportation budget to “planning money for a replacement bridge carrying Interstate 5 over the Columbia River. There are stipulations attached to the money: a required forensic audit of the $3.4 billion CRC project and withholding most of the money until the U.S. Coast Guard approves the proposed bridge height and issues a construction permit.
Original KGW Story: CRC investigation: Where your tax money is going
Tiffany Couch originally reported these facts on COUV.COM (See below)
The money trail from CRC project documents
