With less than 24 hours to go before the council hearing on the Columbia River Crossing, the hot gossip around city hall is this: The Oregon Department of Transportation is threatening the city council.

As in, vote for the CRC's locally preferred option tomorrow, "or [ODOT] won't fund anything else" in the city of Portland, according to my source, who heard this second hand. ODOT staffers are also reportedly telling council members that their vote tomorrow is only happening because the two states are allowing it (and votes at the five other local jurisdictions) as "a courtesy."

I caught wind of similar threats being floated around at Metro, as that body was deliberating this project last month. There, no one wanted to go on record saying ODOT reps told them this. I'm trying to find someone at the city brave enough to tell me just what ODOT's saying.

Meanwhile, ODOT's letter to the city, promising that Portland will continue to have a say as the project moves forward--aka, the magic letter that the mayor and four commissioners can point to when they vote for the project tomorrow--is expected to land at city hall this afternoon. I'll share it as soon as I have it.