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The stage is set for the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners to next month approve a plan to replace the Sellwood Bridge. Unfortunately, because of a lack of money, that plan may not be one the board actually wants.

The project’s cost has dropped to $268.8 million, but a $22.7 million shortfall still exists. Most recently, an expected federal contribution of $20 million to $40 million landed in limbo because of politics in Washington, D.C. Reauthorization of the federal transportation bill is now 鈥渢otally up in the air,鈥� according to Sellwood Bridge Program Manager Ian Cannon.

Multnomah County wants to start work during a December in-water work window, but the Federal Highway Administration requires a funding plan for the entire project before construction can begin. The county’s best hope to close the funding gap is a federal TIGER grant; however, recipients won’t be announced until February 2012. That means that the county needs a plan for a bridge it can afford.

At a public stakeholder committee meeting on Monday, Multnomah County staffers presented two 鈥減lan B鈥� options. Nevertheless, the county is hoping to receive a $22.7 million TIGER grant and not need to resort to a plan B, spokesman Mike Pullen said.

The first plan B is for an 鈥渋nterim interchange鈥� that would reduce the project cost by between $40 million and $55 million. That proposal would include some updates to the west bank interchange, but not the significant redesign suggested in the full bridge design.

According to a staff report, the interim interchange provides 鈥渟lightly better鈥� vehicular capacity and performance than a no-build scenario, but traffic failure would be expected to occur in 10 to 15 years. Eventually, Cannon told the committee, the interchange would need to be rebuilt, and the initial investment would be lost.

The less preferred plan B is called a 鈥渄ownsize-and-defer鈥� package, which would reduce the bridge’s width by up to three feet and defer some of the bicycle and pedestrian facilities planned for a full bridge.

鈥淭his cuts out something that everybody likes,鈥� Cannon said. 鈥淣o user group likes this.鈥�

The 鈥渄ownsize-and-defer鈥� plan also would require updates to memorandums of understanding and intergovernmental agreements. Cannon said that possible construction delays caused by waits for updated permits and documents could be costly 鈥� up to $1 million per month.

The public stakeholder committee approved the 鈥渋nterim interchange鈥� plan B, which means it will be forwarded to the Multnomah County board as that committee’s recommendation. The community advisory committee also supports the 鈥渋nterim interchange鈥� plan 鈥� though most members hope a more permanent interchange can become the plan after funding is secured.

At Monday’s meeting, however, Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette suggested that the county use the 鈥渋nterim interchange鈥� option as its final plan 鈥� and apply for money to pay for only that interchange in its TIGER grant application. She said that the application might be stronger if it could include a transfer of ownership of the road from the Oregon Department of Transportation to Multnomah County and the city of Portland.

That suggestion harks back to a previous plan that would allow the city to operate Oregon Route 43, also known as Macadam Avenue, inside the city limits. The city would thus have more control over a possible streetcar extension to Lake Oswego.

However, Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury told Collette that 鈥渢hat train has left the station.鈥�

Portland Mayor Sam Adams joked that perhaps Metro would agree to manage the road there 鈥� a reference to potential complications that could result from a transfer of ownership.