The Clark County Council on Tuesday approved a resolution supporting the extension of light rail transit from the Interstate 5 Bridge project to Vancouver's Library Square, the field south of the Vancouver Community Library slated for development of a transit hub.

Due to a funding gap, the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program currently plans for light rail to end at Vancouver's waterfront.

Councilor Glen Yung first brought the resolution forward during the council's July 1 meeting, where it was approved 4-1 in an informal vote.

"For me, this is not about light rail or no light rail. Because light rail has been selected as the preferred alternative, we want to make sure the county receives the best benefit out of the project," Yung said during the earlier meeting.

The resolution says the county remains a committed supporter of the bridge replacement project, adding that Vancouver has invested staff time, resources and funding to develop concept plans for the station area.

In 2022, Vancouver and bridge project partners approved a preferred alternative transit system that extended light rail to a new station at Evergreen Boulevard near the library. The city and Washington State Department of Transportation successfully applied for $30 million in federal Reconnecting Communities grant funding to connect the Evergreen Boulevard station and also construct a lid over I-5.

With costs for the new bridge continuing to climb — the latest estimate is $13.5 billion to $15.2 billion — Washington and Oregon plan to end the light rail line at the Vancouver waterfront until more funding can be secured.

"The big problem is the waterfront is not a location for a transportation hub," Yung said.

The Library Square station near Evergreen Boulevard is a planned multimodal hub that will connect light rail with C-Tran's local and Bus Rapid Transit system. Connecting light rail with the rest of the county's public transportation infrastructure is critical for effective public transit in the county, the resolution states.

The resolution also says a traffic analysis completed as part of the project's environmental review shows extending light rail to Library Square would not cause the downtown street system to fail, as some had worried.

Yung said ending light rail at the waterfront would "create major traffic problems" because there isn't room for a transit hub.

Although Councilor Michelle Belkot voted in favor of the resolution Tuesday, she initially expressed concerns it wasn't in line with prior council actions opposing light rail.

"This is not about whether or not light rail is going to happen. It's about ensuring that there is an extension beyond the waterfront," Councilor Wil Fuentes said.

C-Tran and the city of Vancouver have passed similar resolutions in recent months.

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