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The Columbia River Crossing crept $30 million closer to reality today when the Oregon Transportation Commission approved Oregon’s share of money to pay for an environmental impact study for the project.

The money is just the first of several pieces that will need to fall into, however, before the project breaks ground.

“For something this size, it generally takes about three to four years (to finish the study),” Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Dave Thompson said.

A final version of the study, detailing how the project will affect the environment, won’t be released until next year. Last year, the project released an initial draft of the study.

Once the study is released, the project will enter the final design phase.

Even before that takes place, the CRC Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will meet Aug. 26 to decide which of two bike pathway options it will support for the bridge. Cycling fans aren’t enthusiastic about either of the options, however. Michelle Poyourow, a bike advocate for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, calls the two options “uninspiring” and  “disconnected.”

The money Oregon is using for the study comes from the state’s Transportation Project Account, which was established in 2001. Washington state has already ponied up its share of money for the study.