91ÊÓƵ

President Barack Obama‘s plan to cut red tape that holds back federal transportation projects has some of its roots in the Columbia River Crossing project, Oregon officials say.

, announced Wednesday, does not require congressional approval. It includes several steps designed to improve permitting and coordination among federal agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the White House.

“I would expect over time that as they institutionalize what they learn that a number of projects will benefit,” said Travis Brouwer, chief of staff for the Oregon Department of Transportation. “We have found over time that more complicated projects go much smoother when the federal government is involved earlier and we coordinate the work of the federal agencies early in the process.”

The plan also calls for expansion of the Federal Infrastructure Projects Permitting Dashboard, which helped the CRC gain speedier permitting after a flap with the U.S. Coast Guard over bridge height could have delayed the process. The Coast Guard called for a taller bridge, but the U.S. Department of Transportation intervened and the White House added the CRC to the newly created dashboard.

“We’re confident that’s what led to the issuance of the permit,” Brouwer said. “It’s a concrete example where poor coordination across federal agencies and processes that didn’t line up led to some real issues with a major project.”

For smaller projects, the real impact of the president’s initiative could be savings of time and money because of improved interagency coordination, said Ron Kutch, information technology manager for Coos Bay-based West Coast Contractors Inc.

The company has a large number of federal contracts that often are held up by an archaic permitting process, he said.

“You go from one agency that thoroughly vets it to the next group that needs to review it – then there is a call for hearings and a comment period,” he said. “Sometimes, we’ll get four reviews down and then we’ll have to rehash it all over again.”

Kutch called modernization of the permitting process a “great idea” if it becomes institutionalized to help smaller projects.

“In our case, we may not get any of the major infrastructure projects,” he said. “However, any streamlining of the permit process that will allow different agencies to collaborate and work together will benefit all of us.”