The controversy over the I-5 expansion project known as the Columbia River Crossing took a theatrical turn on July 9, as politically charged street performance took center stage outside a packed city hall. Meeting attendees were greeted with a fake checkpoint just past an area marked off by “Global Warming Crime Scene” tape. Agents from the fictitous “Oil Enforcement Agency” issued citations to bridge supporters and eventually arrested a group of oil-worshippers who danced around a mock oil derrick.

The action was organized by Rising Tide North America and Global Exchange as a lead-up to the West Coast Convergence for Climate Action later this month.

Inside, Portland’s City Council was deciding whether to endorse a new bridge over the Columbia River, connecting Portland, OR with Vancouver, WA. The new bridge is the recipient of a Corridors of the Future grant from the Department of Transportation. The new bridge project must receive endorsement from all 8 involved agencies before it can proceed; to date, the cities of Portland and Vancouver and their respective public transit agencies (TriMet and C-Tran) have voted in favor of the bridge. The Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council and Metro are scheduled vote in the next two weeks, while the Oregon and Washington Departments of Transportation are also expected to endorse the bridge.

After listening to three hours of charged public comments, Portland’s city council voted in favor of the bridge. However, it emphasized that it reserves the right to withdraw authorization for the bridge at any time.

Even if all proceeds according to schedule, construction is not scheduled to begin until 2010.

Protesters criticized the bridge (and the I-5 highway in general) for its encouragement of car culture and fossil fuel dependence and its health effects, particularly on poor communities. The bridge has also drawn fire for the possibility that homes or businesses could be demolished for its construction.

Read the full Rising Tide press release here.