President Bush has issued an executive order granting “national priority” status to the Columbia River Crossing (also known as the Interstate 5 Bridge between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash, and recipient of a Corridors of the Future grant). This means that federal agencies are required to prioritize and expedite the environmental review process for the project.

The move came only one day after protesters targeted the expansion plan with direct action, following the West Coast Convergence for Climate Action (see our post about this action below). Locals have opposed the plan to expand the Columbia River Crossing for its contributions to global warming and encouragement of car culture and fossil fuel dependence; its health effects, particularly on poor communities; and the possibility that homes or businesses could be demolished for its construction.

As part of the Corridors of the Future program to reduce congestion on major trade routes, the federal government has given $15 million for highway “improvements” from State Route 500 in Vancouver to Columbia Blvd in Portland, including the Columbia River Crossing.

“The Columbia River Crossing will ease the congestion impacting one of the most important commercial routes in the country,” said US Department of Transportation head Mary Peters. “The President’s order is an important step toward making this project a reality so we can get goods to market.”

Only 20 other projects have received priority status in the last 20 years. Projects currently underway with national priority status include two Corridors of the Future projects — the construction of I-69 through Texas (the Trans-Texas Corridor) and the widening of I-5 in California between San Diego and Oceanside — and work on Rte 11 in Connecticut (construction between Salem and the I-95 Corridor of the Future); US Route 411 Connector in Georgia; construction of the I-66 TransAmerica Forridor in Kentucky; US 93 in Montana; construction of a 10-mile Trinity River Parkway in Texas to bypass I-30 and I-35; and new runway construction at Philadelphia International Airport. See the complete list here (although as of August 7, the Columbia River Crossing has not yet been added).