The project to move the Sauvie Island Bridge to Portland’s Pearl District is once again off the table.

A computer image of what how the transplanted bridge will look.

Just when all the needed votes were in line at City Hall to advance the bridge transplant, economic reality set in.

Cost increases in asphalt and concrete have made it nearly impossible to meet the $5.5 million cap for the project, according to commissioner Sam Adams, who begrudgingly tabled the project.

“I think it's really important, as I've taken over as Transportation Commissioner, that I be straight forward with people,” Adams said. “And I'm not going to move forward on projects where I don't have the confidence that I can bring them in on the budget.”

Background: Commissioners give the project the green light

The bridge is just one part of a budget panic rippling through the Portland Department of Transportation.

“After doing additional internal review prompted by the rising fuel process, but also separate from that, I'm just not comfortable that I can bring in the Sauvie Island Bridge reuse project at $5.5 million,” Adams said.

The plan was to take the old bridge from its current site and drop it into the city's Pearl District.

Now, Adams has ordered a 2-4 week review on all spending in the transportation department because of the increase in gas and other petroleum-based products like asphalt.

City commissioners are also mulling over the creation of a $5 million rainy day fund. The council is debating how much to sock away, given the uncertainty of the economy.